Apple Watch, Health app, and MFP app for iPhone

Domicinator
Domicinator Posts: 261 Member
edited November 17 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone--

I'm new here--trying to lose weight AGAIN, but this time with the help of my new Apple Watch. I feel that the Watch used together with My Fitness Pal and the Health app on my iPhone are going to be the winning combination for me--I've really been on a good exercise regimen and watching my caloric intake for the last week and a half or so, and everything is feeling GREAT. (I'm doing a combination of long, brisk walks and 30-40 minute workouts on the elliptical trainer daily).

My question is this--the My Fitness Pal app is correctly counting the recorded steps during the day from my Apple Watch. The number I get on my device(s) and the number My Fitness Pal lists match exactly, as they should. However, when I go to my Diary tab, I see an additional steps counted number that is always higher than my actual steps taken. (Step Calorie adjustment or something like that.) From what I've read, the app is trying to estimate my calories burned by the end of the day based on the amount of steps I've already taken.

My question is this: if my Apple Watch is already sending workouts and burned calories correctly to My Fitness Pal from my walks and elliptical workouts, does that mean the calorie step adjustment I'm also getting is giving me credit for calories I actually didn't burn, since walks and elliptical sessions are already step based?

I've been deleting the adjustment from my diary every day because I don't want to accidentally go over my limit--should I be doing that? If so, is there a place where I can just tell MFP not to give me that adjustment anymore? I can't seem to find a setting anywhere.

Replies

  • dondotwinks
    dondotwinks Posts: 93 Member
    Turn off step tracking on mfp app. Go to settings / steps/ don't track steps
    that should help.
  • Asterionic
    Asterionic Posts: 1 Member
    Is there any clear help anywhere about using the Apple Watch with MFP?
    One person here says set step tracking to iPhone... Another says turn step tracking off... I'm totally confused, and disappointed that MFP is so user unfriendly and settings heavy.
    Could the developer please provide a link to some clear instructions. I can't be the only one struggling with the complexity of MFP in doing what I thought was a simple task — tracking my steps in MFP using my Apple Watch!
    Thanks.
  • DrPsych16
    DrPsych16 Posts: 2 Member
    I agree with Asterionic. This is confounding! The MFP app on my watch shows 0 steps taken, though the HealthKit and Activity apps on my phone show steps!
  • Domicinator
    Domicinator Posts: 261 Member
    Asterionic wrote: »
    Is there any clear help anywhere about using the Apple Watch with MFP?
    One person here says set step tracking to iPhone... Another says turn step tracking off... I'm totally confused, and disappointed that MFP is so user unfriendly and settings heavy.
    Could the developer please provide a link to some clear instructions. I can't be the only one struggling with the complexity of MFP in doing what I thought was a simple task — tracking my steps in MFP using my Apple Watch!
    Thanks.

    I turned step tracking off in MFP, because it seems like it gives me way too much credit for things. Like if I do the elliptical for 30 minutes, my Apple Watch knows that it was an elliptical workout, but MFP seems to count it as a workout AND extra steps and gives me more calorie credit than it should. The problem lies in how MFP seems to not be able to distinguish between the two things.

    I just look at the Health app on my iPhone if I really want to know how many total steps for the day. This is much more accurate because it doesn't double count things. I don't know why MFP gets so garbled up when it comes to that.
  • hamptontom
    hamptontom Posts: 536 Member
    not that it's pertinent to your discussion (in terms of solutions), but Cyclemeter often double-posts to MFP for some reason, as well. I almost always had to delete a duplicate entry until i went in and tweaked some settings so that MFP would only read certain information from iHealth, and even then it still seems to double-post from time to time.

    I get a chuckle out of seeing my "wall" with these status updates saying I did double the workout i just did...thankfully, nobody sees that stuff, anyway. :)
  • aplhabetacheesecake
    aplhabetacheesecake Posts: 181 Member
    I use fitbit with mfp on my iphone-
    I have the iphone health stuff turned OFF
    I have mfp step tracking turned OFF
    and i have my fitbit linked to MFP. so my steps taken with fitbit are logged once on both fitbit app and mfp and i get extra exercise cals for those steps.
    If i work out i get "active minutes" on fitbit but not steps (if its a weight workout) so those active minutes dont give me extra cals UNLESS i tell MFP that i worked out
    I do have the option of logging each weighted rep and exercise in my routine, but im too lazy lol
    I walk on my lunch 30 mins, do 30min HIIT after work and hit the weights 3x a week and i just let fitbit and mfp log the steps without any additional info. Hope that helps
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
    edited August 2015
    Love my watch. Also love how it separates 'active' from 'resting' calories for my workout.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Domicinator wrote: »
    The My Fitness Pal app is correctly counting the recorded steps during the day from my Apple Watch. The number I get on my device(s) and the number My Fitness Pal lists match exactly, as they should. However, when I go to my Diary tab, I see an additional steps counted number that is always higher than my actual steps taken. (Step Calorie adjustment or something like that.)

    Is there a place where I can just tell MFP not to give me that adjustment anymore? I can't seem to find a setting anywhere.

    In the iOS app, go to More (it's called something else in Android), then Steps, and choose Don't track steps.

    MFP has two Apple Watch groups:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/105890-apple-watch-users
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/107010-apple-watch
  • Domicinator
    Domicinator Posts: 261 Member
    annaskiski wrote: »
    Love my watch. Also love how it separates 'active' from 'resting' calories for my workout.
    Yep--this is super useful, as it even further demonstrates that you aren't even working out the whole time you're working out--gotta get that heart rate going first.
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