Fitbit Calorie Adjustment wrong
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With workaround - they don't need to figure out immediately why it happens to screw things up with it though it seems it shouldn't touch those figures anyway.
As someone who does use the app, I would like to see it fixed asap - not by some unintuitive workaround. It shouldn't be broken, and I should be able to trust the headline figures the app tells me - well at least trust that MFP hasn't randomly applied some spurious adjustment.
Hopefully they'll fix it soon for those of you that rely on the numbers. If not, Fitbit has their own calorie tracking feature that you can use.
The MFP Calorie tracker estimates your final calorie expenditure very accurately (when it works) and it takes your exercise into account as you do it and doesn't assume you'll be doing any more later on in the day. That's great for me because I'll often do 90 minutes of walking in the morning and then remain largely sedentary for the rest of the day.
Fitbit on the other hand is really inaccurate as an estimator for your final calorie burn - it even tries to guess from your previous history - so it's a pretty poor guesstimate. It also thinks if you've done some exercise that there's a good chance you'll continue to do some more exercise (overly optimistic) Fitbit is more interested in people that want to just lose weight and as a motivational tool.
Personally I use MFP's final estimate as a way of maintaining my weight by planning what I eat each day and balancing it to my daily calorie burn. I never know where I am with fitbit until the very end of the day but with MFP I have a very good idea in advance.
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With workaround - they don't need to figure out immediately why it happens to screw things up with it though it seems it shouldn't touch those figures anyway.
As someone who does use the app, I would like to see it fixed asap - not by some unintuitive workaround. It shouldn't be broken, and I should be able to trust the headline figures the app tells me - well at least trust that MFP hasn't randomly applied some spurious adjustment.
Hopefully they'll fix it soon for those of you that rely on the numbers. If not, Fitbit has their own calorie tracking feature that you can use.
The MFP Calorie tracker estimates your final calorie expenditure very accurately (when it works) and it takes your exercise into account as you do it and doesn't assume you'll be doing any more later on in the day. That's great for me because I'll often do 90 minutes of walking in the morning and then remain largely sedentary for the rest of the day.
Fitbit on the other hand is really inaccurate as an estimator for your final calorie burn - it even tries to guess from your previous history - so it's a pretty poor guesstimate. It also thinks if you've done some exercise that there's a good chance you'll continue to do some more exercise (overly optimistic) Fitbit is more interested in people that want to just lose weight and as a motivational tool.
Personally I use MFP's final estimate as a way of maintaining my weight by planning what I eat each day and balancing it to my daily calorie burn. I never know where I am with fitbit until the very end of the day but with MFP I have a very good idea in advance.
That's why most of us prefer to use MFP for our guide as to how much we can eat. Using Fitbit's is more of a workaround for when the MFP<->Fitbit syncing isn't working well. However, it isn't as bad as you portray it.
If you set Fitbit to "Sedentary" rather than "Personalized" (on the Food Log page) it won't assume you will be exercising any more that day and won't base it's calorie estimate on previous history. You'll start the day with not very many calories to eat, but it will increase as you get active, and you'll end up with just as many as MFP would have given you.0 -
Until today (actually, it probably started sometime yesterday) I had been blissfully unaffected by this bug. Then, today, the numbers I was seeing didn't make sense. I went to Apps->Steps on the web site and sure enough, the selection had spontaneously switched from "Fitbit Tracker" to "Don't track steps". Grrrr. I switched it back and everything is fine again, although I did have to use the trick of adding and deleting a 1 calorie exercise entry to fix yesterday's adjustment.
So, the bug still isn't fixed, but I'm sure glad I had been reading here and knew what to do about it.0 -
Until today (actually, it probably started sometime yesterday) I had been blissfully unaffected by this bug. Then, today, the numbers I was seeing didn't make sense. I went to Apps->Steps on the web site and sure enough, the selection had spontaneously switched from "Fitbit Tracker" to "Don't track steps". Grrrr. I switched it back and everything is fine again, although I did have to use the trick of adding and deleting a 1 calorie exercise entry to fix yesterday's adjustment.
So, the bug still isn't fixed, but I'm sure glad I had been reading here and knew what to do about it.
Yay, I'm glad I read this! I made this change and it fixed my problem! I was going crazy not getting an accurate adjustment, and when I emailed support they just said "We're working on it."0 -
^ This just fixed it for me too, after days of it being messed up! Phew!0
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clevelandkat40 wrote: »Lourdesong wrote: »In the IOS app under the "more" menu, I went to "steps" and saw Fitbit was not selected, instead "don't track steps" was selected. So, I changed it to track steps with Fitbit, and the adjustments have been correct for about 1/2 hour now. MFP burn number has stayed the same at 1770 at every sync.
I did this too! I almost never use the app -- I tend to use the website -- so I never even though to check. But I saw this post and went to the app and made the change, and so far it seems to have fixed the problem for me.
This change also worked for me. If you're still having trouble, please give this a go.
This seems to have solved the problem for me as well
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Been working great for me too. Totally solved the issue. (the adding steps from fitbit setting fix mentioned above.)0
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Finally! Thank you NancyN795 ... Signing onto the main website and going to the Apps, then Steps in the submenu and resetting it worked for me too. 0
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I'd love to know why it suddenly mucked up in the first place. They must have scrubbed people's settings when they updated the IOS app or something?0
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the last 3 days are messed up for me. I went as far as disconnecting and reconnecting the accounts. Now MFP is calculating the wrong base burn and pulling the wrong actual burn from FB...0
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I'd love to know why it suddenly mucked up in the first place. They must have scrubbed people's settings when they updated the IOS app or something?
Nope, it has nothing to do with the app. I use Android and I don't think the Android app updated anytime close to when mine suddenly changed the steps setting. I believe I saw that even some people who don't use the phone apps at all have been affected.0 -
the last 3 days are messed up for me. I went as far as disconnecting and reconnecting the accounts. Now MFP is calculating the wrong base burn and pulling the wrong actual burn from FB...
Check your Steps setting. That seems to be key. I have no idea how in the world that can mess up the base burn that MFP calculates, but it does.0 -
While it might work for some people, it doesn't work for me. I use PC and android, only, and on android I use the web page not the app. MFP is calculating completely different calorie burn numbers from what it used to (maybe more accurate, who knows) but then it is using a different number to calculate the fitbit adjustment from the number it then adds the fitbit adjustment to .. resulting in wildly wrong total calorie burn estimate, and one that changes every time it synchs.
Basically completely useless .. just have to look at the numbers on the fitbit web page (or app) instead, until they fix it .. except today I see FB adding in 3 different versions of 'breakfast' from MFP, so that is a different problem. 8<.0 -
While it might work for some people, it doesn't work for me. I use PC and android, only, and on android I use the web page not the app. MFP is calculating completely different calorie burn numbers from what it used to (maybe more accurate, who knows) but then it is using a different number to calculate the fitbit adjustment from the number it then adds the fitbit adjustment to .. resulting in wildly wrong total calorie burn estimate, and one that changes every time it synchs.
Basically completely useless .. just have to look at the numbers on the fitbit web page (or app) instead, until they fix it .. except today I see FB adding in 3 different versions of 'breakfast' from MFP, so that is a different problem. 8<.
I don't think it matters if you use the app. You still have to have the "Steps" source correctly set to "Fitbit Tracker" or it messes up your MFP burn. On the web site, go to the Apps page, then select Steps at the top. Check to see that it is correct. If you confirm that is correct, then, yes, you are experiencing a different bug and you need to open a new issue with customer service.
The "3 different versions of breakfast" thing is, as you said, a different problem. It has happened to me occasionally, but I've always been able to look on MFP, figure out which was the "real" meal summary, and delete the others.0 -
On the web, on the exercise tab under settings, the allow negative adjustments had somehow come unchecked. This brought my exercise deficit back to where it should be.0
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Until today (actually, it probably started sometime yesterday) I had been blissfully unaffected by this bug. Then, today, the numbers I was seeing didn't make sense. I went to Apps->Steps on the web site and sure enough, the selection had spontaneously switched from "Fitbit Tracker" to "Don't track steps". Grrrr. I switched it back and everything is fine again, although I did have to use the trick of adding and deleting a 1 calorie exercise entry to fix yesterday's adjustment.
So, the bug still isn't fixed, but I'm sure glad I had been reading here and knew what to do about it.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! What a wierd and stupid thing!0 -
So, had this happen the other day, like others, MFP had do not track steps selected, so changed it to Fitbit, everything working fine.....
until just now, when I tried syncing, and nothing coming through to MFP. The do not track steps was once again selected. Changed it back and we're good to go again.
This is getting a tad ridiculous. Once you select it, it should remain selected. Do not want to have to keep doing this!0 -
Yay thank goodness for this thread! It looks like this affected me yesterday as well, I just hadn't noticed, but I almost reached my step goal today and noticed there was something wrong. Changed that steps thing and we're back in business. Thanks!0
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For those where the web setting is reverting back to No tracking selected - do you use the app also, or have it installed or did register it at some point?0
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anyone suddenly having issues where your calorie burn is no longer deducting from MFP ? Ive reinstalled MFP and didnt fix it, gonna try Fitbit too.0
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For those where the web setting is reverting back to No tracking selected - do you use the app also, or have it installed or did register it at some point?
Recently, I've had all of the issues mentioned in this thread. I've never used MFP or FitBit on my phone and my setting reverted back to Don't Track Steps here https://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps/step_trackers0 -
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wrighty11146 wrote: »anyone suddenly having issues where your calorie burn is no longer deducting from MFP ? Ive reinstalled MFP and didnt fix it, gonna try Fitbit too.
If the figures the math would be done with are there and showing, but the math is wrong - re-installing won't change that kind of bug.
What calorie burn are you referring to?
There are many - give exact terms and location.
Exercise manually logged in MFP would actually be added to your eating goal.
If talking daily burn, it's actually Fitbit calculated daily burn minus MFP - not other way around.0 -
Unable to deselect the "Don't track steps" on the web or the app. Suggestions?0
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TheZenGardner wrote: »Unable to deselect the "Don't track steps" on the web or the app. Suggestions?
Well, it's not a matter of de-selecting - because something has to be checked. So radio buttons, not check boxes you might say.
Rather it's a matter of Checking Fitbit, and the others will then be deselected.
Just confirming since you used specific term.0 -
TODAY , MFP hasn't synced with Fitbit since yesterday morning. All other connected apps have synced promptly (are current).
and MFP reported knowledge of the issue on 2/5: https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/2315186-fitbit---mfp-s-total-daily-energy-expenditure-calculation-incorrect0 -
Well, it's not a matter of de-selecting - because something has to be checked. So radio buttons, not check boxes you might say.
Rather it's a matter of Checking Fitbit, and the others will then be deselected.
Just confirming since you used specific term.
Wait... What?
In the app, under "Steps", something is checked - "Don't track steps (No step data will be stored) - which is a checkbox, not a radio button. Attempting to deselect (aka uncheck) that causes the "impatient circle of waiting" to appear... forever.
As to the web, there's an actual button in the Steps menu to the right of "Don't track steps (No step data will be stored)" which says "Selected" (hence the need to deselect, or un-select if you prefer), but when I mouse-over the button a red circle/line appears which won't allow the deselection.
So, now that that's cleared up... Do you have any actual suggestions that don't involve my choice of words?0 -
You can't deselect "Don't track steps", you need to select "Fitbit Tracker" and that will, as a matter of course, deselect "Don't track steps" for you. It may not look like "radio buttons" to you because they don't use a little circle with a dot in it, but it is - exactly one thing must be selected.0
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TheZenGardner wrote: »Well, it's not a matter of de-selecting - because something has to be checked. So radio buttons, not check boxes you might say.
Rather it's a matter of Checking Fitbit, and the others will then be deselected.
Just confirming since you used specific term.
Wait... What?
In the app, under "Steps", something is checked - "Don't track steps (No step data will be stored) - which is a checkbox, not a radio button. Attempting to deselect (aka uncheck) that causes the "impatient circle of waiting" to appear... forever.
As to the web, there's an actual button in the Steps menu to the right of "Don't track steps (No step data will be stored)" which says "Selected" (hence the need to deselect, or un-select if you prefer), but when I mouse-over the button a red circle/line appears which won't allow the deselection.
So, now that that's cleared up... Do you have any actual suggestions that don't involve my choice of words?
Ditto's to Nancy - while you were there you should have followed my actual suggestion and fixed it.
My comment on words was because I got the drift you misunderstood what needed to happen there - and you did.
That's all.0 -
You can't deselect "Don't track steps", you need to select "Fitbit Tracker" and that will, as a matter of course, deselect "Don't track steps" for you. It may not look like "radio buttons" to you because they don't use a little circle with a dot in it, but it is - exactly one thing must be selected.
Thanks, Nancy That was an actual suggestion/answer and a load of snarky nonsense.
Of course, it's still not working - just the poor spinning circle, but at least you've pointed in the right direction.0
This discussion has been closed.