If I'm already counting steps, will logging an exercise (like a walk) count the calories twice?

jesse_dylan
jesse_dylan Posts: 17 Member
in Getting Started
I've just stopped using an Up24 and am getting used to using MFP and my phone alone, without the Up24.

I'm a bit confused with exercise tracking. I'm already using my iPhone 6 along with MFP to count steps. Works pretty well! But, let's say I take a walk or a bike ride. My phone and MFP count steps while I'm doing those activities, and MFP credits me with exercise calories. If I log the exercises in addition, a 60 min walk or a 60 min bike ride or whatever, am I then getting credit for the exercise calories twice?

Replies

  • jesse_dylan
    jesse_dylan Posts: 17 Member
    Sometimes I'll have calories for my steps, and then I'll enter a workout, and it then takes away my step calories. I had thought maybe it was based upon what time I log something, so that it won't log calories for steps accrued during a logged workout, but I don't think so.

    Whatever the case, I guess it doesn't count them twice. Something complicated is going on.
  • jesse_dylan
    jesse_dylan Posts: 17 Member
    Seriously? Nobody knows?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I don't know about pedometer apps, but with fitness trackers MFP's calorie burn will override what the tracker says you burned at that time.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Yes...you are logging it 2x but if the app is substracting the calories off of it's number then no...

    for example Phone says 130 calories...you log the walk 126 calories per MFP...if those two are added together for 256 that is double dipping but

    If the phone says 130 and you log it at 126 and then your phone says 4 then no you aren't.
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    ^^+1^^
  • ChangeYourPace
    ChangeYourPace Posts: 127 Member
    It depends. My Fitbit logs all of my steps, but it also checks the time stamps. For example, if I log a run in Runkeeper, the Fitbit will pick up the activity as well. MFP syncs with both and is smart enough not to double credit me for that period of time. I imagine it works similarly with other connected trackers.
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
    ChangeYourPace wrote: »
    It depends. My Fitbit logs all of my steps, but it also checks the time stamps. For example, if I log a run in Runkeeper, the Fitbit will pick up the activity as well. MFP syncs with both and is smart enough not to double credit me for that period of time. I imagine it works similarly with other connected trackers.

    Exactly this. I didn't realise the implication of the time stamp to start with. Now I wear my Fitbit all day. If I do a workout like elliptical trainer I make a careful note of the start time. I log the workout in MFP saying (for example) elliptical trainer 40 minutes starting at 1.15pm. Then MFP ignores any Fitbit steps for that time period so it doesn't get counted twice.
  • NatalieLJ
    NatalieLJ Posts: 158 Member
    I had the same issue yesterday with the Pacer app and MFP. I wanted to ignore the Pacer calories and add my own as it couldn't recognise the fact the walk I'd done was mostly on a steep incline, and I knew it hadn't counted the steps properly. But it wouldn't let me delete the Pacer calories within the MFP app. However, when I added the exercise directly onto the MFP app, and it synced, the Pacer calories re-set to 0. So the walk was not counted twice.
  • jesse_dylan
    jesse_dylan Posts: 17 Member
    Yeah, when just using mfp and allowing it access to my steps that Health counts, it seems like it overrides Health and doesn't even check time stamps. Kind of a shame. I think it is giving me more exercise calories than I deserve anyway though!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    And I just realised my MFP was set to pacific time even though it is also set to UK and I should be GMT

    That'll explain a lot ... Gah!
  • eyecandyrayce
    eyecandyrayce Posts: 260 Member
    _runnerbean_ wrote: »
    Exactly this. I didn't realise the implication of the time stamp to start with. Now I wear my Fitbit all day. If I do a workout like elliptical trainer I make a careful note of the start time. I log the workout in MFP saying (for example) elliptical trainer 40 minutes starting at 1.15pm. Then MFP ignores any Fitbit steps for that time period so it doesn't get counted twice.

    This is good to know. I just got a fitbit and was going to the gym after work today. I had planned to take the fitbit off and just log my time on the elliptical manually on MFP. I wasn't sure how the fitbit was going to count the elliptical.
  • JennBailey08
    JennBailey08 Posts: 3 Member
    I was wanting to log my cardio when I run - I use my Nike Fuel Band and my Nike Running app to track my distance, time and calories burned and neither are compatible with My Fitness Pal app. My Fitness Pal app automatically tracks how many steps I take during my run and adjusts my calories to that but I don't want to put in my cardio and double count. Does that make sense? When I go to log my cardio I know everything needed to put in but it is already counting my steps during it. I have tried to turn the step counter off on My Fitness Pal app but as soon as I put it back on when I'm finished with my run it automatically loads but didn't track while it was off. Please help me =)
  • Katie_0283
    Katie_0283 Posts: 3 Member
    I use Samsung Gear S with S Health app and also Pacer to sync with MFP. Today I noticed a difference in logs as following:
    Gear S /S Health - 10557 steps (app used Gear S watch)
    Pacer Steps - 9706 steps (app uses phone's inbuilt pedometer)
    As those steps were recorded I also did a walking exersise, which was tracked on both Gear S and Pacer. The results read as following -
    Gear S / S Health - Distance - 3km; Calories - 107;
    Pacer - Distance - 3km; Calories - 94
    The above are not significat discrepancies but then I looked at the shockingly synced totals.
    Gear S / S Health reads - 389 calories burnt so far
    Pacer - 283 calories burnt so far
    So I looked on the Gear S / S Health individal activity breakdown which stated 10557 Steps - 338kcal burnt and the Walking Exersise - 107kcal burnt so if we add those together it gives us 445kcal total. Now having it compared to the total calories burnt 389 on the S Health app i undersatnd that the app syncs steps and waking excersise so that it doesn't double up i.e. the amount of calories burnt is correct. Now what about the Pacer?!?!? And does adding the continuous heartrate monitoring to the steps, time and total distance make such difference in calorie calculations?!?!?
    What are your thoughts guys?


  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    So i was curious to this too because i use the Up (just the plain jane basic one) and theres always a "Up calorie adjustment" at the bottom. Well yesterday I logged my exercise that i did (a lot of cleaning and a decent walk/jog later on) and it still adjusted it because according to my active tracking on my Up, I burned almost 400 more calories than MFP estimated (including the already logged work outs) but it did not double count my exercise calories, I triple checked. it does some weird math and computes itself. you can see it if you click the specific adjustment youre trying to figure out.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    furthermore how are yall getting mfp to track your steps as well id like a back up. looking into this.
  • Katie_0283
    Katie_0283 Posts: 3 Member
    brittanynicholexx wrote: »
    furthermore how are yall getting mfp to track your steps as well id like a back up. looking into this.
    You can track steps with Pacer on any android device, providing you have linked Pacer to MFP.

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