Exercise on my fitness pal
Kare50
Posts: 2
Does anyone know how to put exercise on my fitness Pal?
Kare-Bear Hodge
Kare-Bear Hodge
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Replies
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Despite instructions that are written merely to keep you looking at MFP ads for longer - you do NOT and for confusion sake should not log any step based workouts anywhere.
That is exactly what the Fitbit is better as estimating calorie burn than you manually entering anything.
Now, if using a non-HR Fitbit and doing non-step-based exercise like swimming, rowing, lifting, biking, elliptical, then Fitbit's database actually has better entries for exercise, because it takes in to account your pace or speed, whereas MFP on some of those has no choices, or light and vigorous with no meaning behind those words.0 -
No need to log any step-based exercise—Fitbit is already tracking that for you. Non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) can be logged either in Fitbit (that's what I do) or in MFP—never both.
Exercise logged in MFP overrides your Fitbit burn during that time.0 -
@kare5To put exercise in MFP, on phone app, click on + sign. Type in name of exercise (i. e .swimming, circuit, strength, etc.). It will generate calorie burn based on your BMI. On web app, click Exercise, search, select, follow through on time and so on. For exercise not in the database, enter the description (kettlebell, cardioglider, etc.) use the calories burned you have found online or through an exercise app, time. It SEEMS to use that starting point from then on to calculate based on BMI.
I only enter non-step based exercise in the exercise log and have Fitbit and MFP accounts linked.0 -
Okay, so if I am doing a low impact or high impact aerobic workout does that mean I should not input it into the exercise tracking on MFP? My FB will count the calories burned on this workout and update MFP? Thanks for your help!0
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Okay, so if I am doing a low impact or high impact aerobic workout does that mean I should not input it into the exercise tracking on MFP? My FB will count the calories burned on this workout and update MFP? Thanks for your help!
That's right. FitBit is good at step-based workouts, so don't work harder than you have to. That's why I love my FitBit - I don't have to manually log my workouts (and don't have to guess at the calorie burn), plus I get "credit" for being active when I'm not officially exercising.0 -
Okay, so if I am doing a low impact or high impact aerobic workout does that mean I should not input it into the exercise tracking on MFP? My FB will count the calories burned on this workout and update MFP? Thanks for your help!
That's right. FitBit is good at step-based workouts, so don't work harder than you have to. That's why I love my FitBit - I don't have to manually log my workouts (and don't have to guess at the calorie burn), plus I get "credit" for being active when I'm not officially exercising.
Great thanks....I think I got it!0 -
Non-step cardio can be entered. I find floor exercise and things like exercise bike can give a lot of burn, so I enter them to make sure I don't over exercise.0
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A bit confused, I did a circuit training (cardio, strength training, and abs) but I don't think Fitbit picks it all up. Do I still log in MFP?0
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It'll take trial & error to find what works for you, but I wouldn't log the cardio.0
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A bit confused, I did a circuit training (cardio, strength training, and abs) but I don't think Fitbit picks it all up. Do I still log in MFP?
MFP or Fitbit.
Circuit training in the database for either one. Your steps as seen by non-HR devices is badly underestimating your calorie burn.
How many steps in 2 minutes of body weight squats?
Probably none - but did you burn more calories than the sleeping level you'd get?
If HR device, then over-estimated for lifting, not as badly inflated for circuit though some.0 -
I just got my fitbit today and have a total of about an hour with it, so already looking for help :-). I had logged my exercises this morning in MFP. Today is was 50 reps of squats, crunches and pushups. After syncing with FB, the FB dashboard shows 50 minutes of each of these. It doesn't show any calories burned so no big deal, but thought that was odd. Not sure on where to log stuff, so probably will play for a couple of days before deciding. Sorry for jumping in.0
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50 reps or 50 min?
You logged that as what exercise type on MFP, and what was the calories given for it?
As to where to log, reread this thread or many others.0 -
I logged into MFP as strength exercise. Been doing those sets long before I got the FB. Here is the view in MFP and FB.
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Wow - that's actually a bug you should report to MFP - that should never be sent out to Fitbit in the first place, as there is no start or duration time, nor calorie burn when you are logging the stats.
No real harm on Fitbit, as there's no useful info in it, and the time is wrong.
To actually log the workout in Fitbit or MFP - you need to log it as strength/weight training, circuit training, or in your case doing 50 reps, calisthenics.
What you are doing is merely for tracking results - nothing to do with the workout as burning more calories which it does.0 -
I'll give it another day or two and see how it goes. Could just be a first sync glitch of some kind. Like you said, I'm just logging that in MFP for tracking purposes. It was logged in MFP as strength training as # of reps. I'm perfectly fine not having them sync if it's going to be an issue.0
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What I mean is - you didn't actually log a workout, at all.
A workout has a calorie burn and duration.
When syncing, it also has a start time.
Nothing will change with the way you are doing it. Nothing meaningful will ever sync to Fitbit, no increased calorie burn will actually be seen.
Because you aren't logging a workout. If you been doing it this way on MFP since the start - you've never done it correctly.
Go to the cardio section, look up calisthenics, log your start time, and duration, and it'll figure the calories for you.
Those calories will replace the Fitbit's very badly underestimated calorie burn for that time.
You can keep tracking your progress with the rep and weight section, but that has no bearing on MFP knowing you did a workout, nor it being synced to Fitbit as a workout.0 -
Wow - got it. What's the point of the strength section? Fortunately, prior to this year, many of my workouts were circuit training type, so those were getting logged under cardio. Since it's early days, I may go back to 1/1 and fix it based on an average workout. At least I'll have it right going forward. Thanks.0
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After changing today's workout and syncing on tablet and laptop, the web dashboard still shows my strength training. The tablet app is now showing the calisthenics. I have a feeling I will likely use the tablet more for this anyway.0
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Wow - got it. What's the point of the strength section?
Merely tracking in an app with poor exercise reporting abilities for that kind of info.
Meaning once you really want to track that kind of info for review, you'll probably find something better to use.
I know several that share their lifting workouts once posted in the cardio section, use that tracking area for others to review what they did.0 -
So I have a question... I have a fitbit that is synced with MFP - I do the Curves Circuit 3 to 4 times a week - should I be putting in the calories for Curves?0
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KnightsGal76 wrote: »So I have a question... I have a fitbit that is synced with MFP - I do the Curves Circuit 3 to 4 times a week - should I be putting in the calories for Curves?
Are you burning more calories than sleeping, when laying or sitting there getting no steps for your effort on a machine?
Yes. Circuit training, same entry on MFP or Fitbit, though Fitbit estimates it a tad more accurately.0
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