New Fitbit User- why does MFP show no exercise?

I have synced my FB wirelessly and all the info is showing up on my phone app and my computer. But when I go to MFP it shows 0 calories burned for the day. And 0 exercise completed. What do I need to do to enter the calories I burned for the day?

Thank you for any help- still trying to understand all of this.

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    What is your activity level set to on MFP? MFP uses your activity level & stats to estimate your daily burn. It does not seem to understand that we wake up at 5-8am (?) and will burn BMR only while sleeping, and move around/burn more during waking hours. It seems to me that MFP assumes a steady burn rate thru the 24 hours of midnight to midnight.

    Fitbit on the other hand is connected to your activity. So when you wake up, you only have credit for your BMR then you burn more as you move during the day. When MFP & Fitbit sync, MFP compares your Fitbit-calories-burned to what it thinks you should have burned. You're bound to be 'behind' early in the day. As you move, it will catch up.

    If you look on your diary, it should show your # of Fitbit steps as of the last sync. If you click this, it should show extra detail - the time of your last sync, how many calories Fitbit listed at that time & a guestimate of where you'll end up. Seeing that detail may help it make sense?
  • What is your activity level set to on MFP? MFP uses your activity level & stats to estimate your daily burn. It does not seem to understand that we wake up at 5-8am (?) and will burn BMR only while sleeping, and move around/burn more during waking hours. It seems to me that MFP assumes a steady burn rate thru the 24 hours of midnight to midnight.

    Fitbit on the other hand is connected to your activity. So when you wake up, you only have credit for your BMR then you burn more as you move during the day. When MFP & Fitbit sync, MFP compares your Fitbit-calories-burned to what it thinks you should have burned. You're bound to be 'behind' early in the day. As you move, it will catch up.

    If you look on your diary, it should show your # of Fitbit steps as of the last sync. If you click this, it should show extra detail - the time of your last sync, how many calories Fitbit listed at that time & a guestimate of where you'll end up. Seeing that detail may help it make sense?

    Thank you for answering. I have looked all over my profile and the different tabs and I see no Fitbit steps. (I am new to MFP too!) I think it is weird that I have not exercised at all the last few days, and MFP figures how many calories I will burn through daily activity...and then I get my fitbit and actually exercise and it doesn't show that I burned more than my normal daily calorie burn? This fitbit part is so confusing. I see where it talks about the way they come up with this but shouldn't it show my calories burned in the exercise part? Aw well- I thought this would be easier. I wouldn't even mind entering my fitbit numbers at the end of the day so I could be sure the equation is as close to realistic as possible.
    Thank you again for taking the time to respond! I really appreciate it!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    MFP - My Home - Check-In - Fitbit steps.

    If that doesn't show, you may not be synced.

    Check out Fitbit food diary - does it show totals for your meals?
    If it doesn't, you are NOT synced.

    If you are synced, then the following happens.
    MFP estimates your daily non-exercise maintenance based on your selection of non-exercise daily activity. Subtract some for weight loss.
    If you selected an honest Lightly Active because you are, the MFP estimated you'd burn so much daily, say 2240.

    If Fitbit reports in that yep you burned exactly that much or less - you get no adjustments. Unless you have negative calories enabled in MFP Settings - Diary Settings - Negative adjustments.

    Now - if you did actually exercise to reach that 2240 or less that Fitbit saw and reported to MFP, then 2 possible things happened.
    The exercise took away from normally active time anyway, and made you tired enough you did even less outside of exercise. Meaning the exercise didn't actually help you burn more in the day.
    Or, You really aren't Lightly Active, but Sedentary would be better choice.

    So compare your steps and calorie burn between exercise days and non-exercise days.

    Other possibility - your exercise was not step based, and therefore you should have manually logged it, because what Fitbit saw and estimated was barely anything. Swimming would be obvious one, but also biking, elliptical, rowing, lifting, ect.

    For one, I'd suggest backing up and understanding each tool separately before trying to use them together. They are not like chopsticks totally designed for 2 to be used together, they are like, huh, can't think of 2 tools that can work together but weren't designed to.
  • MFP - My Home - Check-In - Fitbit steps.

    If that doesn't show, you may not be synced.

    Check out Fitbit food diary - does it show totals for your meals?
    If it doesn't, you are NOT synced.

    If you are synced, then the following happens.
    MFP estimates your daily non-exercise maintenance based on your selection of non-exercise daily activity. Subtract some for weight loss.
    If you selected an honest Lightly Active because you are, the MFP estimated you'd burn so much daily, say 2240.

    If Fitbit reports in that yep you burned exactly that much or less - you get no adjustments. Unless you have negative calories enabled in MFP Settings - Diary Settings - Negative adjustments.

    Now - if you did actually exercise to reach that 2240 or less that Fitbit saw and reported to MFP, then 2 possible things happened.
    The exercise took away from normally active time anyway, and made you tired enough you did even less outside of exercise. Meaning the exercise didn't actually help you burn more in the day.
    Or, You really aren't Lightly Active, but Sedentary would be better choice.

    So compare your steps and calorie burn between exercise days and non-exercise days.

    Other possibility - your exercise was not step based, and therefore you should have manually logged it, because what Fitbit saw and estimated was barely anything. Swimming would be obvious one, but also biking, elliptical, rowing, lifting, ect.

    For one, I'd suggest backing up and understanding each tool separately before trying to use them together. They are not like chopsticks totally designed for 2 to be used together, they are like, huh, can't think of 2 tools that can work together but weren't designed to.

    This was really helpful. Thank you!