Active Calories directly from the HealthKit / App on iOS rather than using steps

yono27

I would like to simplify the calorie adjustment, rather than having MFP read steps and specific activities from HealthKit and then do its own calculation I would like if there was an option to simply take the active calories total as is in the Health App for iPhone users.

I use different trackers sometimes and MFP doesn't account for more than one, I also don't always start and stop an activity recording when being active (it is tedious) so MFP doesn't account for non step based calories that weren't tediously recorded, whilst the Apple Watch, Garmin and Fitbit do, they all calculate active calories without having to start and stop an activity.

It would simplify so much and it would make a lot of more sense when using the tracking features such as the one in the Apple Watch and its Active Calories daily ring close, seeing your active calories and knowing that number will go to MFP rather than guessing what MFP would take.

Lietchi

I'm confused, what devices do you actually have? When a device that calculates (estimates) your calorie burn for the entire day (for example a Garmin fitness tracker) is synced with MFP, MFP doesn't do any calculations at all, it just uses the numbers it receives from the device.
The condition is tough that you only use one tracker. I'm not sure why you would need or want to use several trackers at a time?

cwolfman13

The adjustment you get in MFP is just a reconciliation between the activity level you set in MFP and your actual activity per device...not specifically for "active calories"...that is more for you information purposes for your device. There is a certain amount of daily activity already included in your activity level and MFP and thus your calorie targets...just sending over the exact amount of active calories per your device would likely lead to double dipping as some of them are already accounted for.

yono27

"just sending over the exact amount of active calories per your device would likely lead to double dipping as some of them are already accounted for."

No it wouldn't if that was all MFP read, I'm talking about reading ONLY active calories, so not reading steps and not reading individual exercises, just one number, and again we are talking about ACTIVE calories not total, so not accounting for resting calories.

The active calories count in the HelatApp accounts for all of your activities, your exercises (whether or not you recorded it individually) your walking, your working, all of it, and it does it only once, no double dipping, let the Health Kit do the aggregating of those calories and just read that one number, no steps, no individual exercise.

Devices like the Apple Watch already do a good job assigning active calories to your walking and exercising so no need for MFP to go on top and do their own calculations, just pass through the Active Calories number as is, and ONLY the active calories, no steps, no individual exercises.

yono27

"When a device that calculates (estimates) your calorie burn for the entire day (for example a Garmin fitness tracker) is synced with MFP"

No, this is not true, what MFP currently syncs is steps count (from only one device) and individually recorded exercises from any device, that alone already makes inconsistent because it reads the exercises from Garmin and the Apple Watch but the steps from only one of those devices, but more importantly, it requires you to actively record an activity (press start and stop) on each device if you want your calories accounted for rather than using the passive tracking these devices already do, otherwise these calories won't be accounted for unless it is that designated device for step count and even then that's when MFP guesses/calculates whatever number they want based on the step count as opposed to use the active calories for those same steps already assigned by the device.

All of this could be simplified by simply reading the active calories number from the Health App which already makes a great job aggregating from different devices, no need to start and stop individual exercises in each device and no need for MFP to assign or calculate calories based on step counts from one designated device.

Lietchi

I'm having a hard time understanding what you're talking about.

When you're using a single activity tracker (like I am, I have a Garmin):
- you see your step count in your diary etc. -> this number is NOT used by MFP for any calculations regarding calorie expenditure - it's just a single data field, nothing more

- you see your exercise sessions in your diary
-> these numbers are taken into account only in the sense that they not part of your NEAT (non exercise calorie burn) which is what MFP uses as your base calorie goal.
-> MFP compares your total calorie burn (as per your tracker) with your base calorie goal on MFP +calories for your exercise sessions and then adjusts

Whether or not you need to start an activity on your device has nothing to do with MFP, but is simply a matter of how your device works: some devices can/will detect certain types of activity automatically (personally I have that option turned off, to avoid wrong exercise types being recorded) and possibly will give different (more accurate or less accurate) total calorie burns for the day depending on how you use your device.

That's for a single device/app that calculates a TDEE, not a clue how it works when people sync several apps/devices.

yono27

Lietchi, I’m not sure what you’re talking about NEAT but I’m talking about the calorie adjustment, the simple equation above the dairy that says your calories allowance - consumed + exercise = calories left to consume, I’m talking about that “exercise” number, and for that number MFP absolutely takes into account steps and calculates whatever number they want out of it, that’s not a question, it is a fact which is why I’m not sure we’re talking about the same thing.

I’m also talking specifically about the Health App in iOS rather than individual integrations to Garmin and other manufacturers, in this regards it absolutely have to do with MFP the fact that we need to start and stop activities, because otherwise MFP ignores it, if it is not an individually recorded exercise or steps it doesn’t read it.

Example: If I go to the gym and I don’t start an activity, MFP won’t adjust my calories for the day at all whilst Garmin and Apple would show active calories for that period of time that I spent in the gym, if MFP would read this daily active number through HealthKit rather than reading individually recorded exercises it would’ve acknowledged those calories because Garmin does reports the total Active Calories for the day to HealthKit and so does obviously the Apple Watch.

Another more concrete Example from yesterday: I went for an hour fast paced walk wearing my Apple Watch, after that MFP read 8000 steps and decided that it was around 50cals and it showed that on the equation at the top of the dairy, fine fair enough, but then 5 hours later I went to the gym, I actually recorded the session as I know I would get nothing since there’s not much waking there, MFP got that activity but then decided that the walk I did 5 hours earlier was somehow part of those calories and simply reduced the calories awarded by steps to 10, this is because MFP has no access to when the steps were taken, only that they were taken that day so it gets
confused, and there’s no need for that when Apple does have this information and correctly assigns the active calories for the day, if MFP would read that instead of steps it wouldn’t have happened and I wouldn’t even have had to record the session either.

For the record I have 3 devices, an Apple Watch, a Garmin Watch and Fitbit band, they all do the same thing and I have had MFP for years now, I know MFP bases the calorie adjustment on step counts alone when no exercise is recorded, in all 3 different devices, in all of its integrations as well.

cwolfman13

dansebr wrote: »

Lietchi, I’m not sure what you’re talking about NEAT but I’m talking about the calorie adjustment, the simple equation above the dairy that says your calories allowance - consumed + exercise = calories left to consume, I’m talking about that “exercise” number, and for that number MFP absolutely takes into account steps and calculates whatever number they want out of it, that’s not a question, it is a fact which is why I’m not sure we’re talking about the same thing.

I’m also talking specifically about the Health App in iOS rather than individual integrations to Garmin and other manufacturers, in this regards it absolutely have to do with MFP the fact that we need to start and stop activities, because otherwise MFP ignores it, if it is not an individually recorded exercise or steps it doesn’t read it.

Example: If I go to the gym and I don’t start an activity, MFP won’t adjust my calories for the day at all whilst Garmin and Apple would show active calories for that period of time that I spent in the gym, if MFP would read this daily active number through HealthKit rather than reading individually recorded exercises it would’ve acknowledged those calories because Garmin does reports the total Active Calories for the day to HealthKit and so does obviously the Apple Watch.

Another more concrete Example from yesterday: I went for an hour fast paced walk wearing my Apple Watch, after that MFP read 8000 steps and decided that it was around 50cals and it showed that on the equation at the top of the dairy, fine fair enough, but then 5 hours later I went to the gym, I actually recorded the session as I know I would get nothing since there’s not much waking there, MFP got that activity but then decided that the walk I did 5 hours earlier was somehow part of those calories and simply reduced the calories awarded by steps to 10, this is because MFP has no access to when the steps were taken, only that they were taken that day so it gets
confused, and there’s no need for that when Apple does have this information and correctly assigns the active calories for the day, if MFP would read that instead of steps it wouldn’t have happened and I wouldn’t even have had to record the session either.

For the record I have 3 devices, an Apple Watch, a Garmin Watch and Fitbit band, they all do the same thing and I have had MFP for years now, I know MFP bases the calorie adjustment on step counts alone when no exercise is recorded, in all 3 different devices, in all of its integrations as well.

No it doesn't

Lietchi

No, sorry, you're just plain wrong with regards to the sync with Garmin (and Polar, I had one of those too). And I believe other trackers too (but I've always heard stories about how Apple doesn't 'play well' with MFP, sending over the wrong numbers).

Calorie adjustment is based on total calories burned for the day as per the tracker, nothing to do with the number of steps sent over to MFP (although obviously step count is taken into account by the tracker to estimate total calories burned).

yono27

Welll you just might have a complete different MFP than mine because MFP does NOT take the total calories for day from Garmin or any other integration for me, it takes the number of steps and assigns a very low number of calories for that (if any) and also those of any activity you might’ve recorded that day, that’s all, it was the same case when I used to use the direct integration with Garmin, never the total that Garmin showed in their Garmin Connect app, only those from recorded activities and some random number assigned to the steps.

Maybe we’re still talking about different things, but again I’m talking about this screen right here, the calories shown ARE NOT the total active calories but just a sum of the random calories MFP gets from the steps and any activity recorded that day

Lietchi

In your first screen shot: it doesn't matter that you see a step count there next to 'calorie adjustment', it's not what is being used as a basis for the adjustment. Tap on 'Calorie adjustment': on that screen tap on 'Extra calories earned' and you'll see the calculations I gave you a screenshot of.
And if you have a place in your Apple app where you see the total number of calories burned for the entire day (all of them, not just active), compare that to the number shown in the calculations on MFP. It should be the same, but in case of Apple specifically it might not be. In case of a correct sync, it should be the same number.

durden

Lietchi is actually correct here.

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-

yono27

that’s what I’m trying to say, it is not the same, the total calories (active + rest) is even larger than 688, again , it was the same with Garmin Connect than it is with Apple Health App, that number 9 calories will be the only number if I didn’t recorded the swim myself, I know because I tried it before, regardless of what it says in another screen, this screen works that way, some very small almost random number assigned by steps plus any activity, that number at the top in the equation never really matches the calories for the day from neither Garmin Connect nor Apple Health app, and that’s what I am requesting here, for it to match, and it could do if only MFP actually read it from there, maybe not in the Garmin own integration as Garmin doesn’t have an actual API for it so this is custom but definitely through HealthKit which also works as a hub aggregating all of them, so I wouldn’t need to connect Garmin directly to MFP but through the HealthKit.

yono27

Here's directly from Garmin back when I used to use Garmin as my main tracker vs what MFP shows, as you can see what MFP shows is only the sum of item listed at the bottom, which is not the total or active calories that Garmin (or any tracker) shows for that day








I'm guessing by your screenshot you're using Android so maybe they fixed for Android (post 2017 as I used to use Android back then issue was the same back then) but most definitely they haven't for iPhone which is what this request is for.

Lietchi

Your calorie adjustment on MFP should not equal your active calories in Garmin.
Active calories = calories above basal metabolic rate
MFP calorie adjustment = adjustment compared to your selected activity level (and even the lowest setting, sedentary, includes a minimum of 'active' calories above BMR).

yono27

Whether or not it should is irrelevant and it shouldn't be up to MFP to decide that. This is what I am requesting here, an option to take the value directly from HealthKit rather than having MFP calculating it, I trust Apple, Garmin and Fitbit more there as they have a more complete picture of me than MFP with their smaller set of data (since neither Fitbit, Garmin nor Apple shares all of it through their integrations), all MFP should take care is the left side of the equation, calories consumed, the active calories adjustment should be whatever the tracker calculates not what MFP thinks it should be, just like Garmin shows it in their app, Garmin takes the value from MFP and uses their own active calories for the equation, MFP should do the same, use their data for what they do know and trust the value that comes from the tracker rather than guesstimate their value.

yono27

durden wrote: »

Lietchi is actually correct here.

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

What is this "total calories already provided by MyFitnessPal" ? provided based on what? on my gender, weight and height? why have this number at all that it has to then adjust against the ones coming from the tracker? why not simply have the ones from tracker alone, not adjustment needed, why not just calories consumed (data from MFP) vs calories burned (data exclusively coming from the trackers), why have these burned calories estimates generated in MFP? the number coming from the tracker doesn't need adjustment as it already accounts for any exercise (recorded or not) and everything else during the day, this is what I am requesting, even if that number is not coming from the step count it is still guessed by MFP, what I am asking, THE FEATURE requested in this thread is to have MFP play no part at all in calories burned, to simply read these values as they are from the trackers, as an option, for those of us like myself who want that as opposed to some number estimated by MFP, calories burned exactly as they appear in the trackers, in this case the number reported by HealthKit which already aggregates these values for the day.

durden wrote: »

Lietchi is actually correct here.

** 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 **

As I said before, this must be a different version of the app, that screen does not appear when tapping anywhere in the adjustment line and there's definitely no "i" anywhere there either, at least not in the iPhone or iPad apps which are the ones I've been talking about all this time.

But this breakdown explanation screen is besides the point, I don't care how MFP calculates it, what I am requesting is for MFP to NOT calculate it at all, just give me the number as is in my tracker, as an option in the Settings, maybe a paid option, but show me the total active calories as they are in my tracker instead of these numbers that need explanations. For those of you who still want MFP to calculate it fine, leave it but for some people it would make much more sense to have the burned calories exactly as they are in their trackers and we should have the option in the settings to have it that way.

yono27

.

yono27

I finally found the mentioned (and rather hidden) screen where it explains how it calculates the adjustment, it really doesn't make it any better but rather even more convoluted, it still sort of takes some calories only from the step counting designated source whilst others from any source.

So according to the explanation on that hidden screen and the so called MyFitnessPal calories burned, this is the what I understand is the complete equation for the daily remaining calories vs what I am actually asking for in this request.

Current complete and convoluted calculation of remaining calories:

Goal - Food + ( (Resting + Active) - (MFP_MagicNumber + RecordedExercise) ) = Remaining

Where MFP_MagicNumber is just that, a magic number MFP comes up with guessing what you should have burned, Resting and Active (total calories) come only from one designated step counting tracking source whilst RecordedExercise comes from any linked tracking source.


Proposed simplified calculation (as an option on the Settings):

Goal - Food + Active = Remaining

Where Active is the total active calories for that day coming from all linked tracking sources.


This simplifies everything, allows for multiples trackers, no confusion over where the adjustment comes from and no need of an extra (hidden) screen to explain it, no magic/guessed numbers, no questions over why MFP doesn't reflect x calories my tracker says I burned, no need to display steps or individual exercises (at least not in the diary page where it only adds to the confusion), and leaves MFP to do what they actually do, track calories in, food, all we then do is adjust the Goal accordingly.

This simplified version of the equation is also how Garmin displays it on their side, MFP Goal - Food Consumed + Active calories so far, simple, no need for lengthy and confusing explanation and projections and estimations.

yono27

I would like to revive this request and clarify what I mean since the responses simply obscured it with wrong information.

I want an option to base the calorie adjustment entirely on the total calories reported by my tracker, in this case the Apple Watch.

Just to clarify, MyFitnessPal DOES NOT currently read any calories from my the Apple Watch and contrary to what has been said, it DOES base it on the Step count, despite the wrong answers given above, this is simply a fact because the MFP app does not currently ask permissions to read any type of burned calories, active, resting or total, it ONLY reads steps and workouts, this is wrong in my opinion causes for instance that if I want my calories to be accounted for I absolutely need to record them as a workout rather than let it passively track, or if I spend all day in the couch it well give me a larger number than I actually burned because it is based in whatever MFP thinks I should've done that day instead of what I actually did.


Please add the option to read calories from HealthKit and use it instead of this rather unnecessarily complicated(and inconsistent of calories based on MFP assumptions for the day and step counts.