Why is my friend's MFP adding steps calories and mine isn't?

vanstonedavid

As per the title. Both similar body type, we both work together, activity level set the same, train together too, but his MFP is adding calories according to steps, but mine isn't.

We both do circa 30,000 steps a day plus, so it's a bit rubbish that mine isn't tracking any of that.

What's the reason? Neither of us have added a separate exercise, it's solely our steps at work.

Both Google fit and MFP have been force closed, cache cleared, then tried clearing data too. Steps are updating perfectly, but as said, MFP is ignoring calories from them.

Pics so far today from his phone and mine

durden

If you are seeing a step count and a 0 for the adjustment, then you have not yet earned an adjustment. Unless you and your friend have identical body structures, the adjustment one of you gets is not expected to be identical, because bodies expend energy (burning calories) depending on a variety of different factors.

The adjustment is actually not based on your step count, but instead based on your entire activity for the day. The step count is there as an incentive and though it does contribute to part of your activity level, it's not the sole contributor.

Therefore x amount of steps does not mean you will receive x amount of extra calories.

The way the adjustment is derived is by comparing your total calories burned from your tracker against the total calories already provided by MyFitnessPal.

When you have earned more calories than MyFitnessPal has already provided, you will then see the difference as your adjustment.

** You can view a breakdown of this calculation by either tapping on the adjustment line in the app, or by clicking the "i" next to the adjustment line in the Cardiovascular section online at www.MyFitnessPal.com **

Please also note: the total calories from MyFitnessPal will include any calories instantly provided by adding separate exercises (outside of your partner adjustment) to MyFitnessPal, along with the calories needed to reach the goals you set when joining the program.

The following article may also help: https://myfitnesspal.zendesk.com/hc/articles/360032623871-What-is-the-Calorie-Adjustment-in-my-Exercise-Diary-

vanstonedavid

I've had a reply from tech. As suspected; it's a bug.

Hi there,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us and for bringing this to our attention. We are aware that some users are currently experiencing trouble with steps syncing from Google Fit to their diary page and not generating an adjustment. Users creating a new link between the two programs may also be unable to see Google Fit as an option in the Steps tab after connecting.

We are working on a resolution, and hope to have a fix in place as soon as possible. Any updates regarding this issue will be posted here: https://myfitnesspal.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625231-Known-Issues-Integration-Partners

Please accept our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Warm Regards,
Jean
MyFitnessPal Staff

sharonsue

I have the same problem with Fitbit. Same situation, husband running same program, his appears.

fourathomej

Mine doesn't do adjustments or steps at all anymore either!!😪😪

vanstonedavid

durden wrote: »

If you are seeing a step count and a 0 for the adjustment, then you have not yet earned an adjustment. Unless you and your friend have identical body structures, the adjustment one of you gets is not expected to be identical, because bodies expend energy (burning calories) depending on a variety of different factors.

The adjustment is actually not based on your step count, but instead based on your entire activity for the day. The step count is there as an incentive and though it does contribute to part of your activity level, it's not the sole contributor.

Therefore x amount of steps does not mean you will receive x amount of extra calories.

The way the adjustment is derived is by comparing your total calories burned from your tracker against the total calories already provided by MyFitnessPal.

When you have earned more calories than MyFitnessPal has already provided, you will then see the difference as your adjustment.

** You can view a breakdown of this calculation by either tapping on the adjustment line in the app, or by clicking the "i" next to the adjustment line in the Cardiovascular section online at www.MyFitnessPal.com **

Please also note: the total calories from MyFitnessPal will include any calories instantly provided by adding separate exercises (outside of your partner adjustment) to MyFitnessPal, along with the calories needed to reach the goals you set when joining the program.

The following article may also help: https://myfitnesspal.zendesk.com/hc/articles/360032623871-What-is-the-Calorie-Adjustment-in-my-Exercise-Diary-

I have not earnt it? So I'm already over my 10,000 allowance, and it shows zero, he is UNDER his and it it adding calories? Umm, yeah, that doesn't sound right. I often do 750,000 steps a month, that's 450,000 above the MFP for high activity level.

As for body type/structure, I've already said we have near identical type, work together, similar activity levels, just mine is choosing to ignore the extra 450,000 a month 🤣🤷🏼‍♂️.

I'm more active than my friend, yet calorie allowance is less. I thought I explained this in my OP. Odd.

Explain.

vanstonedavid

Some more information, it seems to be an issue with the Google/MFP API.

The photos show that regardless of how many steps are done in Google fit, it will always ignore them and won't convert to calories. Apple watch integration does convert it however.

durden

vanstonedavid wrote: »

have not earnt it? So I'm already over my 10,000 allowance, and it shows zero, he is UNDER his and it it adding calories? Umm, yeah, that doesn't sound right. I often do 750,000 steps a month, that's 450,000 above the MFP for high activity level.

As for body type/structure, I've already said we have near identical type, work together, similar activity levels, just mine is choosing to ignore the extra 450,000 a month 🤣🤷🏼‍♂️.

I'm more active than my friend, yet calorie allowance is less. I thought I explained this in my OP. Odd.

Explain.

I've checked out your account and am not actually seeing any of your Google Fit information synced there. This doesn't necessarily mean your adjustment is wrong, but in either case I would reach out to our support team for further assistance to make sure.

heybales

I'm seeing in pictures Apple Watch calorie adjustments, and Google Fit sync settings.

Comparing 2 things.

And not providing enough info that is useful.
Forget the super general status screen - go to the Exercise Diary.

The line that says Adjustment - tap and hold for more details. MFP creates that, not sent by the tracker.

That's the screen to get a pic of. Prior day preferred so dealing with completed stats.

It sounds like in both cases you have a device set as a step source, not that you have accounts linked - there is a difference.

For purely step source - that's all that is sent to MFP - steps.

vanstonedavid

heybales wrote: »

And not providing enough info that is useful.
Forget the super general status screen - go to the Exercise Diary.

The line that says Adjustment - tap and hold for more details. MFP creates that, not sent by the tracker.

That's the screen to get a pic of. Prior day preferred so dealing with completed stats.

I can't for the life of me find "Adjustment"?

Can you send a picture of where this is in exercise diary?

Lietchi

I use Garmin, but it should be similar for Google Fit.

The exercise part of the diary and then what you see when tapping on the adjustment line:

vanstonedavid

I've already sent photos of that, I don't have "adjustment". Exercise is ALWAYS blank. I'll send them again even though they're already posted above.

vanstonedavid

durden wrote: »

vanstonedavid wrote: »

have not earnt it? So I'm already over my 10,000 allowance, and it shows zero, he is UNDER his and it it adding calories? Umm, yeah, that doesn't sound right. I often do 750,000 steps a month, that's 450,000 above the MFP for high activity level.

As for body type/structure, I've already said we have near identical type, work together, similar activity levels, just mine is choosing to ignore the extra 450,000 a month 🤣🤷🏼‍♂️.

I'm more active than my friend, yet calorie allowance is less. I thought I explained this in my OP. Odd.

Explain.

I've checked out your account and am not actually seeing any of your Google Fit information synced there. This doesn't necessarily mean your adjustment is wrong, but in either case I would reach out to our support team for further assistance to make sure.

Thank you. This post makes the most sense. Google fit is tracking all the steps and splitting them into every "walk" throughout the day, these "walks" should be an exercise entry in MFP I guess, but it's obviously not doing it. I'll get onto them.

JLG1986

Do you two have your baseline activity levels set differently?

I find that the activity level I select affects when it starts adjusting my Cals for steps - I don’t know what the algorithm is, but I can sometimes end up with a negative calorie adjustment if I forget to carry my phone to record steps. If I set to activity to “sedentary”, it seems like it counts steps with a positive adjustment right away.

vanstonedavid

JLG1986 wrote: »

Do you two have your baseline activity levels set differently?

I find that the activity level I select affects when it starts adjusting my Cals for steps - I don’t know what the algorithm is, but I can sometimes end up with a negative calorie adjustment if I forget to carry my phone to record steps. If I set to activity to “sedentary”, it seems like it counts steps with a positive adjustment right away.

No, set the same, this is mentioned in the OP.

Aside to being a few years different in age, we're the same weight, we work together and train in the gym together. I end up doing quite a bit more than him in "steps". Accuracy is always questionable, I get that, but the end of the day, my steps are always 5-10k more than his a day.

He DOES NOT log other exercises, like gym etc, and nor do I, our training is too dynamic, although we both do identical exercises.

Lietchi

JLG1986 wrote: »

Do you two have your baseline activity levels set differently?

I find that the activity level I select affects when it starts adjusting my Cals for steps - I don’t know what the algorithm is, but I can sometimes end up with a negative calorie adjustment if I forget to carry my phone to record steps. If I set to activity to “sedentary”, it seems like it counts steps with a positive adjustment right away.

That's logical, the adjustment is meant to adjust between your selected activity level and your actual activity level, by comparing total calorie burn for the day (the number of steps itself doesn't matter, MFP doesn't use that for the comparison). Sedentary is the lowest activity level, so it's easier to go above that. (negative adjustments should be allowed as well, to correct on they other direction, when less active than the selected activity level)

None of this is relevant for the OP though, Google Fit is simply not sending over the data needed to receive an adjustment (or MFP is not receiving it).

heybales

Sorry I missed that detail in prior group of photos.

Indeed sync issues. Might confirm time zones match between accounts and devices - that's a gotcha. And the times.

I'll mention the Apple steps on friend's device is indeed rough. All MFP gets is steps. Some rough math to get distance with weight to get calories.
So many calories part of activity already so only above and beyond shown.
Now Apple will send workouts if any logged, and since MFP has no idea if steps were part of workout, the extra calories is knocked down.

Glad you got quick feed back on account not receiving any syncs, that normally can take awhile.

vanstonedavid

heybales wrote: »

Sorry I missed that detail in prior group of photos.

Indeed sync issues. Might confirm time zones match between accounts and devices - that's a gotcha. And the times.

I'll mention the Apple steps on friend's device is indeed rough. All MFP gets is steps. Some rough math to get distance with weight to get calories.
So many calories part of activity already so only above and beyond shown.
Now Apple will send workouts if any logged, and since MFP has no idea if steps were part of workout, the extra calories is knocked down.

Glad you got quick feed back on account not receiving any syncs, that normally can take awhile.

How do I contact someone rather than speaking to a bot when going to support? Is there an email address I should use?

durden

vanstonedavid wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

Sorry I missed that detail in prior group of photos.

Indeed sync issues. Might confirm time zones match between accounts and devices - that's a gotcha. And the times.

I'll mention the Apple steps on friend's device is indeed rough. All MFP gets is steps. Some rough math to get distance with weight to get calories.
So many calories part of activity already so only above and beyond shown.
Now Apple will send workouts if any logged, and since MFP has no idea if steps were part of workout, the extra calories is knocked down.

Glad you got quick feed back on account not receiving any syncs, that normally can take awhile.

How do I contact someone rather than speaking to a bot when going to support? Is there an email address I should use?

Use the bot, and if it isn't able to answer your question you will be prompted to reach our human support team.