Should I track exercise through MFP or Fitbit??

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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    Vossii wrote: »
    OK Im not logging any exercise (i run) but i thought my fitbit just automatically transferred the calories burned throughout the day to MFP? Do I add my exercise on MFP because then wouldnt the calories burned be off? im so confused
    if you run then you are absolutely right, Fitbit does the work for you :) if you did log it, it would add on to the steps you've done and double them up. You're doing things right. Logging is only necessary for non step related workouts, ie biking, strength training, circuit training etc
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    MizzMaldy wrote: »
    I no longer log my exercises (cardio) into MFP because of the overestimate on the burn. I also do not log my exercise into my fitbit. I just let my fitbit calculate my steps per day/calorie burn and it syncs to MFP. However, after reading this thread, I think I may be doing it wrong.
    It depends on the activity, see my reply above ^^
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Just know that I do my very differently than others. I put the negative on mine so it will NOT add the calorie burn for me to eat it back. But for looking back at a later time, I can see that I exercised on a particular day (on the Exercise Tab)

    I am a bit OCD and I do not want it showing the calorie burn on my Food Tab or I might just go ahead and eat those calories I burned. I am a foodie at heart! LOL :):)

  • MizzMaldy
    MizzMaldy Posts: 31 Member
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    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    MizzMaldy wrote: »
    I no longer log my exercises (cardio) into MFP because of the overestimate on the burn. I also do not log my exercise into my fitbit. I just let my fitbit calculate my steps per day/calorie burn and it syncs to MFP. However, after reading this thread, I think I may be doing it wrong.
    It depends on the activity, see my reply above ^^

    Perfect, this is what I assumed. Thanks for your response. :D
  • insanitystudent
    insanitystudent Posts: 8
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    i prefer writing it down on paper or on a calendar. if ur going electronic use myfitnesspal. i think the calories burnt for elliptical is more accurate
  • burnsjulia
    burnsjulia Posts: 50 Member
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    I'm relatively new to all of this too and from what I've been reading, calorie burn counting may be more art than science. I agree the MFP numbers seem a bit random and have no way to count for exertion level. (I can do the same described workout two days in a row, but move at different rates.) Plus it doesn't seem to allow for most of my personal workout.

    I did use a Nike Fuel to compare calories burned for a few workouts and found some were OK and some pretty far off. (But I suspect the Fuel calorie count is similarly a bit voodoo.)
    you might try to compare what your Fitbit tells you v. what MFP suggests and then modify accordingly.

    It seems to me that all of this isn't quite exact, but more about managing your behaviors around the trends and overall levels, and that these various tools are most useful to gain overall perspective rather than worrying every last calorie.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    MizzMaldy wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    MizzMaldy wrote: »
    I no longer log my exercises (cardio) into MFP because of the overestimate on the burn. I also do not log my exercise into my fitbit. I just let my fitbit calculate my steps per day/calorie burn and it syncs to MFP. However, after reading this thread, I think I may be doing it wrong.
    It depends on the activity, see my reply above ^^

    Perfect, this is what I assumed. Thanks for your response. :D
    no probs :)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    burnsjulia wrote: »
    I'm relatively new to all of this too and from what I've been reading, calorie burn counting may be more art than science. I agree the MFP numbers seem a bit random and have no way to count for exertion level. (I can do the same described workout two days in a row, but move at different rates.) Plus it doesn't seem to allow for most of my personal workout.

    I did use a Nike Fuel to compare calories burned for a few workouts and found some were OK and some pretty far off. (But I suspect the Fuel calorie count is similarly a bit voodoo.)
    you might try to compare what your Fitbit tells you v. what MFP suggests and then modify accordingly.

    It seems to me that all of this isn't quite exact, but more about managing your behaviors around the trends and overall levels, and that these various tools are most useful to gain overall perspective rather than worrying every last calorie.

    exactly, none of it is exact but we find something that works for us and we use it :)
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited January 2015
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    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    Vossii wrote: »
    OK Im not logging any exercise (i run) but i thought my fitbit just automatically transferred the calories burned throughout the day to MFP? Do I add my exercise on MFP because then wouldnt the calories burned be off? im so confused
    if you run then you are absolutely right, Fitbit does the work for you :) if you did log it, it would add on to the steps you've done and double them up. You're doing things right. Logging is only necessary for non step related workouts, ie biking, strength training, circuit training etc

    If you log it for the actual time of day you exercised, it does not double them up. It defaults to the logged exercise and ignores any burn from steps taken during the same period of time.

    The only way you get double count is if you actually log into both Fitbit and MFP.

  • Soggynode
    Soggynode Posts: 1,179 Member
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    A lot of good thoughts on this... kudos for keeping it civil. I use a couple of different exercise apps that sync to MFP. I let them sync but zero out the calories because I just want to log that I've done a given exercise and for how long. Like a lot of the others have said... pick a method that works for you and go with it. Oh, and have fun :)
  • nicolen160
    nicolen160 Posts: 197 Member
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    I am so confused! I am new to fitbit, only had it couple of weeks now and I have it set to sedentary and it is set to enable negative adjustments, however I do not know if I should log my exercise or not. I do use a HRM when I exercise, but for example when I do the elliptical it also registers steps for that. I don't want to overestimate calories burned and eat more than I should. Should I not enable negative adjustments and does the calories from the elliptical override the step calories for the time when I worked out? Any help is appreciated! Thanks
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    nicolen160 wrote: »
    I am so confused! I am new to fitbit, only had it couple of weeks now and I have it set to sedentary and it is set to enable negative adjustments, however I do not know if I should log my exercise or not. I do use a HRM when I exercise, but for example when I do the elliptical it also registers steps for that. I don't want to overestimate calories burned and eat more than I should. Should I not enable negative adjustments and does the calories from the elliptical override the step calories for the time when I worked out? Any help is appreciated! Thanks
    @nicolen160

    Because of the motion of an elliptical (more of a gliding than an actual step), Fitbit's will not be able to give you a reasonable estimate of the calories burned during this activity.
    When you log exercise, you are asked to input the start time and duration so that it can overwrite whatever the Fitbit had tracked during that period. This prevents any doubling of calories. If you want to test it, log a 30 min workout with 1 calorie burn and then look at the graph on Fitbit that shows you your calorie burn in 15 min segments. You should see that there is now a gap that looks like you burned nothing (just delete the workout and you will get the tracked information back).
  • Isi1975
    Isi1975 Posts: 2 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    Vossii wrote: »
    OK Im not logging any exercise (i run) but i thought my fitbit just automatically transferred the calories burned throughout the day to MFP? Do I add my exercise on MFP because then wouldnt the calories burned be off? im so confused
    if you run then you are absolutely right, Fitbit does the work for you :) if you did log it, it would add on to the steps you've done and double them up. You're doing things right. Logging is only necessary for non step related workouts, ie biking, strength training, circuit training etc

    If you log it for the actual time of day you exercised, it does not double them up. It defaults to the logged exercise and ignores any burn from steps taken during the same period of time.

    The only way you get double count is if you actually log into both Fitbit and MFP.

    So if I log a run via Map My Run into MFP it will overwrite the steps for that period from my fitbit?
  • mrsnatashajameson
    mrsnatashajameson Posts: 1 Member
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    I personally think it depends on which Fitbit you have. When I had the Fitbit One I logged exercises in MFP. But then I got the Fitbit Charge HR.
    I hit the timer when I start a work out and it monitors my HR so I get a better knowledge of my calories burned. It syncs to MFP and adds my cal burned for me:)
    It doesn't show in news feed but oh wells. If I were to log in MFP it would give me 50-100 more cals than I've actually burned. I also don't have mine set to do the negative adjustment. I eat around 1400-1550 a day. Am set on lightly active and to lose 2 lbs a week. I'm a SAHM but take around 5,550-10,000 steps a day plus go up the stairs at least 2 times a day,laundry, housework, errands, and my work outs for 30-60 min so that is why I'm on lightly active. I was at sedentary until I got my Fitbit HR and started moving more! Any who yeah logging in MFP vs Fitbit depends on the kind of Fitbit and how accurate you want your number to be I suppose!!
  • diane1rock
    diane1rock Posts: 3 Member
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    I eat whatever mfp tells me I have left after steps, and log cardio, bike. I set no e at lightly active, and I eat 1800-2000 cal a day. Need to lose 1 lb. A week. Have not lost anything
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    another zombie thread - from 2015...sometimes I wonder how people find them...


    @diane1frock - if you are not losing weight then the amount you are eating is too much - these gadgets and apps just give us rough predictions of what we can eat to lose, either they are over estimating your burn or your tracking of calories isn't accurate i.e you're eating more than you think. Are you using a food scale?

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