Do I need to log exercises in Fitbit?
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rmfpdx
Posts: 4 Member
I have read through 14 pages of posts and I cannot find a sure answer to this question. I have been using MFP for six months and love it. I just got my Fitbit Flex today, and it seems keen too. But ... do I enter exercise in the FF app too or do I just ignore the app and use MFP only? I got that I should enter food only in MFP, but the FAQ just doesn't make sense when it comes to exercise. E.g., why do I have to enter a start time in MFP? I never had to do that before? And does the tracked info in the FF app automatically transfer over to MFP? Any help is surely appreciated! :flowerforyou:
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If I'm not just doing walking I log my workout in MFP. I never log in Fitbit cause it was always double counting. Now if you log here in MFP the time is always wrong in FItbit & you need to go over & change it to the correct time.0
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I only use mfp to log food and exercise. I log non step related exercises using the stop watch function on my One. When you use this it creates an activity log on your dashboard. This gives you a start, finish time, distance and cals burned. then I log that exercise on mfp using those times but the cal burn from my heart rate monitor. The fitbit is not accurate for my weights and spin classes. Mfp and fitbit "talk" to each other so you don't double dip on the calories when you sync.
I am a total nerd and when I first forgot mine I went through step by step during the sync before and after making sure it all made sense. Once you sync it you will see you have a high fitbit adjustment then once you input the data from hrm or mfp activities you will see the fitbit adjustment will come down but this will be compensated by the new exercise activity.
I think I read somewhere that the Flex has the stopwatch function by tapping it....sorry I'm not familiar with the model.
When you do things this way it does not show on your newsfeed so if you want your pals to see it you manually type a status in.
Good luck, I'm sure you will love it.0 -
I had this same question at first, and some very helpful people said to enter food in mfp, and activities/exercise in fitbit. This approach has worked well for me.
Just be careful when entering the start time. Sometimes when I can see that my adjustment is too large, it is because fitbit has an afternoon workout (3 p.m.) logged in as a very early morning workout ( 3 a.m.). I also have in my mfp settings the box for negative adjustments checked, because I want to be extra-mindful of days that I am being less active.0 -
Here's how I connect my apps/devices.
My HRM is connected to my Runtastic app.
My fitbit is connected to my fitbit app.
Runtastic is paired with MFP.
Fitbit is paired with MFP.
For exercises:
During the day, fitbit just updates in the background, telling MFP how many calories it thinks I have burned just moving around.
When I exercise, I use Runtastic (it shows speed, pace, elevation, heart rate, and has a GPS map of where I was). Runtastic then talks to MFP after each exercise, showing an activity. MFP then talks back to fitbit to show the activity. This prevents the calories from being displayed twice.
For food:
I enter all food in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit.
For weight:
I enter weight changes in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit and Runtastic.0 -
One more question about this (and thanks for all the replies!):
How/where do I enter the start time when logging exercises in MFP? I can't seem to find that (having never had the need to do it before I got my FB). Thanks.0 -
Just log as you do normally - the "time" option is not there unless you have an account linked with Fitbit. It should be there now that you are linked.
As others have said ... I do not log activity unless I feel Fitbit's estimate is way off. You can tap your Flex a few times to activate the stopwatch (tap again when you are done with your workout). Then you can look in the LOG/ACTIVITIES portion on the website and see what Fitbit recorded for just that time (steps, calorie burn, distance, etc). I will often put in my notes if I have other information (a calorie estimate from a HRM or machine, a distance if it is different, as it IS on elliptical or bike). But unless the calorie burn is wrong, it's just more work to enter it manually.
The time IS very important, because as you manually log a workout (in MFP or just in Fitbit, which works fine too), YOUR numbers will replace Fitbit's estimate. If you log an activity at a different time than you actually did it, you will get double credit. There have been a LOT of errors with time transfer as people log in MFP, the time is not coming across correctly in Fitbit and this is throwing off calorie counts. So always double check that everything is correct when you log manually.0 -
Only log food on MFP (they will send info to Fitbit) and Fitbit is for walking, running and jogging and it automatically gets picked up by fitbit (although you can put that you walked, etc from this time to this time). You don't need to put exercise on MFP as Fitbit automatically sends an adjustment to MFP which you can find on the exercise tab. Anything else such as swimming, bicycling, etc you can put on either site but to be consistent I put mine on the Fitbit site usually. Hope that helps. :happy:0
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This is still my first week with my Flex and I'm absolutely loving it! Still getting the hang of a few things, lol.
I log all my food in MFP. My main exercises are running and cycling (heading towards a triathalon next year some time!), so I'm still entering them in MFP.
HOWEVER, after I do that, I double and triple check it on FB to make sure everything is right (time, distance, etc.). until they get the bugs worked out. Obviously, my FB and MFP are linked.
On a side note, I use Map My Fitness (Map My Run and Map My Ride) for my running and cycling and would love if everything would sync...one can only dream!0 -
I too am still confused. MFP FAQ answers states the following which in itself is contradictory:
"Once your accounts are linked, it's important that you log your food and exercise ONLY with MyFitnessPal. We will sync your food and exercise diary information to the Fitbit site for you. Logging food or exercise yourself on the Fitbit website is unnecessary, and will lead to incorrect Net Calorie Goal adjustments. For the best experience with the integration, ALL manual entry of Food and Exercises should take place exclusively on the MyFitnessPal site.
"Please note that if you are wearing your Fitbit during the day, we recommend that you NOT log any exercise on your MyFitnessPal Exercise Diary that the Fitbit excels at tracking: this includes walking, jogging, running, climbing stairs or hills, or daily home or office activity.
"We do recommend that you log any exercise that your Fitbit's "step-based" system would have trouble detecting accurately, such as rowing or, cycling, and of course activities like swimming during which you cannot wear the device."
If , "...wearing your Fitbit during the day, we recommend that you NOT log any exercise on your MyFitnessPal Exercise Diary that the Fitbit excels at tracking: this includes walking, jogging, running, climbing stairs or hills, or daily home or office activity," then why link the accounts at all if one is to log "suppose to log exercise and food ONLY on MFP"? I do not see any of the exercise that is captured via my Fitbit on MFP.0 -
I too am still confused. MFP FAQ answers states the following which in itself is contradictory:
"Once your accounts are linked, it's important that you log your food and exercise ONLY with MyFitnessPal. We will sync your food and exercise diary information to the Fitbit site for you. Logging food or exercise yourself on the Fitbit website is unnecessary, and will lead to incorrect Net Calorie Goal adjustments. For the best experience with the integration, ALL manual entry of Food and Exercises should take place exclusively on the MyFitnessPal site.
"Please note that if you are wearing your Fitbit during the day, we recommend that you NOT log any exercise on your MyFitnessPal Exercise Diary that the Fitbit excels at tracking: this includes walking, jogging, running, climbing stairs or hills, or daily home or office activity.
"We do recommend that you log any exercise that your Fitbit's "step-based" system would have trouble detecting accurately, such as rowing or, cycling, and of course activities like swimming during which you cannot wear the device."
If , "...wearing your Fitbit during the day, we recommend that you NOT log any exercise on your MyFitnessPal Exercise Diary that the Fitbit excels at tracking: this includes walking, jogging, running, climbing stairs or hills, or daily home or office activity," then why link the accounts at all if one is to log "suppose to log exercise and food ONLY on MFP"? I do not see any of the exercise that is captured via my Fitbit on MFP.
I think I've wrapped my head around the contradiction (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong; again, I'm just in my first week).
Fitbit will always record your activity, but it is mostly step-based (running, walking, etc.). So if you do an activity, such as cycling or swimming, it will register an activity but may not be entirely accurate with the calorie burn, which is why there is an activity log. I log my activity on MFP regardless of what I've done so I can keep track of my exercise.
So you can really log on either site you want to and whichever find easiest. If you log on MFP, MFP has an approximate calorie burn and it will send that to FB. FB will then take that info (MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR TIME/DISTANCE/ETC ON FB. THERE IS STILL THAT BUG WITH THE INFO TRANSFER!!!), analyze your FB's info, and send a differential back over to MFP to add/subtract calories. OR, you can just log exercise on FB and it will come over to MFP as a calorie adjustment.
Does that make sense, lol?0 -
Here's how I connect my apps/devices.
My HRM is connected to my Runtastic app.
My fitbit is connected to my fitbit app.
Runtastic is paired with MFP.
Fitbit is paired with MFP.
For exercises:
During the day, fitbit just updates in the background, telling MFP how many calories it thinks I have burned just moving around.
When I exercise, I use Runtastic (it shows speed, pace, elevation, heart rate, and has a GPS map of where I was). Runtastic then talks to MFP after each exercise, showing an activity. MFP then talks back to fitbit to show the activity. This prevents the calories from being displayed twice.
For food:
I enter all food in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit.
For weight:
I enter weight changes in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit and Runtastic.
So, you don't wear your fitbit during your exercise, do you?0 -
Here's how I connect my apps/devices.
My HRM is connected to my Runtastic app.
My fitbit is connected to my fitbit app.
Runtastic is paired with MFP.
Fitbit is paired with MFP.
For exercises:
During the day, fitbit just updates in the background, telling MFP how many calories it thinks I have burned just moving around.
When I exercise, I use Runtastic (it shows speed, pace, elevation, heart rate, and has a GPS map of where I was). Runtastic then talks to MFP after each exercise, showing an activity. MFP then talks back to fitbit to show the activity. This prevents the calories from being displayed twice.
For food:
I enter all food in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit.
For weight:
I enter weight changes in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit and Runtastic.
So, you don't wear your fitbit during your exercise?
I do, I always do. There is no reason to take it off unless it involves water.0 -
Here's how I connect my apps/devices.
My HRM is connected to my Runtastic app.
My fitbit is connected to my fitbit app.
Runtastic is paired with MFP.
Fitbit is paired with MFP.
For exercises:
During the day, fitbit just updates in the background, telling MFP how many calories it thinks I have burned just moving around.
When I exercise, I use Runtastic (it shows speed, pace, elevation, heart rate, and has a GPS map of where I was). Runtastic then talks to MFP after each exercise, showing an activity. MFP then talks back to fitbit to show the activity. This prevents the calories from being displayed twice.
For food:
I enter all food in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit.
For weight:
I enter weight changes in MFP, and it logs back to fitbit and Runtastic.
So, you don't wear your fitbit during your exercise, do you?
I do, I always do. There is no reason to take it off unless it involves water.
Ok, Thanks! I was wondering if I was right using both simultaneously0 -
I thought it was water proof?0
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I thought it was water proof?
It's water resistant. So I wear mine in the shower (no problems yet), but I wouldn't go swimming with it (prolonged immersion).0 -
I log all my food on myfitnesspal and all of my exercises on fitbit. So far no problem. I wear a heart rate strap and monitor for all of my workouts and then put the exact data under activities in fitbit.
Stef.0 -
skinnyme47 wrote: »Only log food on MFP (they will send info to Fitbit) and Fitbit is for walking, running and jogging and it automatically gets picked up by fitbit (although you can put that you walked, etc from this time to this time). You don't need to put exercise on MFP as Fitbit automatically sends an adjustment to MFP which you can find on the exercise tab. Anything else such as swimming, bicycling, etc you can put on either site but to be consistent I put mine on the Fitbit site usually. Hope that helps. :happy:
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I have read through 14 pages of posts and I cannot find a sure answer to this question. I have been using MFP for six months and love it. I just got my Fitbit Flex today, and it seems keen too. But ... do I enter exercise in the FF app too or do I just ignore the app and use MFP only? I got that I should enter food only in MFP, but the FAQ just doesn't make sense when it comes to exercise. E.g., why do I have to enter a start time in MFP? I never had to do that before? And does the tracked info in the FF app automatically transfer over to MFP? Any help is surely appreciated! :flowerforyou:
From the MFP Fitbit Manual I like:
myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/906763-why-am-i-not-getting-a-fitbit-calorie-adjustment-Logging Exercise
You will no longer need to manually enter step-based exercises on MyFitnessPal that the Fitbit excels at tracking: for example, walking, jogging, and hiking. However, for exercises that the Fitbit cannot track, such as swimming or rowing, you will need to manually log those activities in your MyFitnessPal diary.
Once you integrate with Fitbit, manually logged exercises on MyFitnessPal will request the start time of the exercise. Please make sure to record the correct time for those exercises so Fitbit can properly account for them.
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Only caveat to those instructions is the fact that Fitbit's exercise database has more entries (like 3 levels of elliptical) for effort compared to MFP's.
So if you log on Fitbit, possibly a better estimate. But MFP want's them to be the hub - despite their syncing issues.
- And if you log on MFP for exercise, you just created another back/forth sync that must occur.0
