Apple Watch Move (Active Calories) in MFP

texas3148

My total Move (Active Calories) from my Apple Watch are not being transferred to MFP under my exercise tab, only the Calories from the workouts I perform during the day and some steps adjustment show.

Do I have to add these missing Active calories manually to my daily count every day to reflect the actual number of calories burned to reflect in my exercise tab in MFP?

AnnPT77

I don't have an Apple, I have a Garmin, so this may be a misinterpretation, but:

I wouldn't expect total move calories to transfer over. When you set up MFP (personal details, weight loss rate, etc.), it made some calculations. It estimated how many calories you burn every day (including some daily life movement - job, home chores, etc. - based on your "activity level" setting. So, there's already some "move calories" in that estimate.

Then, to set your starting calorie goal, it takes your requested weight loss rate (X pounds/kilograms per week), and subtracts 500 calories daily per pound of weight you want to lose per week. (Adjusted for fractions of pounds, or for kg instead of lbs, of course.)

When you synch a tracker, MFP compares how much the tracker sees you move vs. how much MFP's calculation estimated you'd move, and generates a calorie adjustment. That adjustment won't typically be equal to the total movement calories from the tracker, because MFP already assumed you'd do some moving (based on "activity level"). It's the reconciliation between how much MFP expected you to move, and how much the tracker saw you move in reality, basically.

PAV8888

Your explanation of how it SHOULD work is correct, Ann.

I don't have an apple watch either, so the information is anecdotal based on things mentioned in forum posts.

But the integration between apple and MFP does NOT work correctly in that increased exercise and movement sometimes ends up as a net reduction as opposed to net increase in TOTAL calories.

Note that it is not incorrect that sometimes exercise gets deducted or added--there are situations where this would be correct. What is incorrect is that additional exercise ends up reducing the total calories to eat to below where they would have been had the exercise not happened which is what is incorrect

The CORRECT comparison is the TOTALS of
(apple watch active PLUS apple watch passive calories) vs (MFP base + MFP exercises)

That would be the adjustment so that the total on MFP is rendered equal to (apple watch active PLUS apple watch passive) -- and of course the adjustment is only valid in full at end of day (midnight)

And from that grand total of apple watch active plus apple watch passive we deduct the desired deficit (@ a rate of about 500 Cal per lb) and we eat the rest!

https://9to5mac.com/2021/12/09/apple-watch-how-to-see-calories-burned-active-and-passive/#:~:text=Apple Watch keeps track of,those you burn from movement.