Can someone explain the point of logging exercise into fitbit?
julzwild
Posts: 42 Member
Hi! I am new to fitbit but not new to working out and logging with mfp. I used to log my workouts into myfitnesspal with the calories burned that my heart rate monitor gave me, but I stopped since I started wearing my fitbit because I was getting too much credit for exercise. If I do a workout and not log anything, I still see credit for exercise calories even though they don't always show up until the end of the day and they're pretty close to what my heart rate monitor tells me I burned, so I'm not too worried about it. I'm just curious why the fitbit dashboard even has a spot for tracking exercise at all? Can anyone explain if I should change anything? Thanks!
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Replies
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Fitbit tracks step based exercise ...you log other types of exercise like swimming or cycling which it can't log ...I log my gym workouts on MFP, estimated by HRM
Normally log on MFP so that it overwrites any steps during those time periods ...make sure your goals, time zones are the same on both apps
It works for me0 -
This makes total sense. Thank you for your reply!0
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As above. Fit bit is only designed to estimate steps from daily activity and walking which it then estimates cals for. Any other activity it is not designed to do that for. I use my HRM for anything other than walking but if you find your numbers are accurate I guess just stick with what you are doing. I am looking forward to the fitbit charge +HR to see if that does away with the need for my HRM.0
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You're welcome
Good luck
...it takes a few weeks to settle down ..don't forget it extrapolates to end of day based on activity already undertaken ...this can skew extrapolated estimates at the start particularly if you're active in the morning. It does learn over time though0 -
Just to clarify -- my Fitbit Flex is only measuring steps -- not HR caloric burn. I am member at a 9Rounds gym which incorporates kickboxing/crossfit into a 30 min class but even when I wear my Fitbit, I'm not getting many exercise calories for the class. I don't have the Fitbit HR model (and am trying not to spend the money) so should I be logging my exercise time separately on the days I attend class or do any other exercise activity that does not involve a lot of steps (example abs, core workout). I just want to make sure that I'm receiving the most accurate calorie burn possible. Thanks!0
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If you've linked your fitbit to MFP, just log your exercise into MFP. It'll sync to your fitbit anyway. You just have to put a start time and duration for the exercise and the fitbit will adjust to account for that so that it doesn't double count your calories burned.0
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SingRunTing wrote: »If you've linked your fitbit to MFP, just log your exercise into MFP. It'll sync to your fitbit anyway. You just have to put a start time and duration for the exercise and the fitbit will adjust to account for that so that it doesn't double count your calories burned.
THIS!!
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I do it the other way round. I log my non step based activity in fitbit. It doesn't log the activity back to here for me - but it does affect the fitbit adjustment that gets fed back.
I like doing it that way as it means I log my food here and all my activity is dealt with by fitbit. Plus I found that most of the calories for exercise given by fitbit aren't as generous as MFP - and a lot of folks round here think MFP is too generous. I don't have a HRM though - if I did I'd input the calories from that.0 -
I do it the other way round. I log my non step based activity in fitbit. It doesn't log the activity back to here for me - but it does affect the fitbit adjustment that gets fed back.
I like doing it that way as it means I log my food here and all my activity is dealt with by fitbit. Plus I found that most of the calories for exercise given by fitbit aren't as generous as MFP - and a lot of folks round here think MFP is too generous. I don't have a HRM though - if I did I'd input the calories from that.
I always used a HRM for my calories in MFP. But I do have to say, that I've tried 4 or 5 times to have my fitbit linked to MFP and can't stand it. I always shut it off after 2-3 days. I just hate that it gives you some calories and then takes them away again (with or without negative calorie adjustments, because I've tried both). I would eat and leave 50 or so calories left and come back the next day and it would show me over my calorie goal by 20 to 30 calories because the fitbit would take some calories away after I went to bed. Not a huge deal, but annoying. I just ended up using my fitbit to make sure my basic activity level stays up and use the calories I earn there as extra insurance (not linked to MFP, so they don't get added into my goal).
But I do the TDEE method now, so I don't worry about specific calorie burns anymore. I find it much easier and more effective for me.0 -
lol - I once made the decision to try TDEE method (didn't like it - I got lazier as I wasn't seeing immediate credit for working out!!). But I forgot to unlink my fitbit - realised after two days of eating and eating and eating!! Luckily I realised my mistake quickly (it really didn't feel right to have so much food available to eat!!).
I'm a night owl - and am rarely in bed before midnight - so the calorie deduction thing doesn't bother me. I wake up in the morning with the deduction and have all day to make it up!
ETA - spelling mistakes0 -
I do it the other way round. I log my non step based activity in fitbit. It doesn't log the activity back to here for me - but it does affect the fitbit adjustment that gets fed back.
I like doing it that way as it means I log my food here and all my activity is dealt with by fitbit. Plus I found that most of the calories for exercise given by fitbit aren't as generous as MFP - and a lot of folks round here think MFP is too generous. I don't have a HRM though - if I did I'd input the calories from that.
I do it this way too, to keep my exercise data separate. I used to use an HRM and found that the Fitbit estimates more closely aligned with my HRM than the MFP estimates do.0 -
So do you get duplicates from entering treadmill exercise since that is also "walking".0
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For not step-based activity like biking. For days/situations where you've forgotten your Fitbit. Not that I've forgotten mine for more than 2 minutes LOL. I'm a true addict.Hi! I am new to fitbit but not new to working out and logging with mfp. I used to log my workouts into myfitnesspal with the calories burned that my heart rate monitor gave me, but I stopped since I started wearing my fitbit because I was getting too much credit for exercise. If I do a workout and not log anything, I still see credit for exercise calories even though they don't always show up until the end of the day and they're pretty close to what my heart rate monitor tells me I burned, so I'm not too worried about it. I'm just curious why the fitbit dashboard even has a spot for tracking exercise at all? Can anyone explain if I should change anything? Thanks!
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This is because of the way MFP calculates end of day calorie projections.
My example: MFP expects me to burn 1750 per day which is ~73 per hour. When I sync Fitbit, MFP says well as of 4pm you've burned 1200. You have 8 hours left, and you'll burn 8 x 73 so the end result is you will hit 1984 so its +234. But if I chill from then on, I'm not burning 73/hour. My BMR is more like 56/hr. So the difference (73-56) is lost for those last hours of the day.
What I do to avoid this, is look at my Fitbit app & have my calories set to sedentary. So it tells me over or under as of RIGHT NOW. And I know I'll change it by moving, so how much or little I move determines how much the over/under changes.SingRunTing wrote: »
I always used a HRM for my calories in MFP. But I do have to say, that I've tried 4 or 5 times to have my fitbit linked to MFP and can't stand it. I always shut it off after 2-3 days. I just hate that it gives you some calories and then takes them away again (with or without negative calorie adjustments, because I've tried both). I would eat and leave 50 or so calories left and come back the next day and it would show me over my calorie goal by 20 to 30 calories because the fitbit would take some calories away after I went to bed. Not a huge deal, but annoying. I just ended up using my fitbit to make sure my basic activity level stays up and use the calories I earn there as extra insurance (not linked to MFP, so they don't get added into my goal).
But I do the TDEE method now, so I don't worry about specific calorie burns anymore. I find it much easier and more effective for me.
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Sorry to but into the thread. I'm thinking about getting a fitbit. When synced with mfp, and say you do 10,000 steps, does mfp count the calories you've burned doing those steps and adjust calories accordingly?0
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christinev297 wrote: »Sorry to but into the thread. I'm thinking about getting a fitbit. When synced with mfp, and say you do 10,000 steps, does mfp count the calories you've burned doing those steps and adjust calories accordingly?
Yes it does.
I've noticed I usually start earning exercise calories at 3,000 steps but I'm sure that it's different for everyone.0 -
MFP takes your stats and stated activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc.) and estimates daily burn before exercise.
Fitbit takes your stats and steps/activity and estimates your calorie burn.
When you sync them, MFP compares your Fitbit burn to what MFP estimates, and then shows you + or - from your MFP goal.
The tracker takes out the element of guessing/approximating your activity level - having to choose whether you think you're sedentary, lightly active, etc. Also means you don't need to log your exercise (unless its not step based) because Fitbit (or other trackers) calculate for that as well and it shows in total daily burned calories.christinev297 wrote: »Sorry to but into the thread. I'm thinking about getting a fitbit. When synced with mfp, and say you do 10,000 steps, does mfp count the calories you've burned doing those steps and adjust calories accordingly?
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Awesome. Thanks guys xx0
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I have had my Fitbit for a few weeks now. It seems like when I log my exercise into MFP it still adds steps for that time frame. I got up to work out at six this morning and by the end of my 30 minute workout I had about 1300 steps. My calorie adjustment for Fitbit was still zero. Is there something I could be missing?0
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You're welcome
Good luck
...it takes a few weeks to settle down ..don't forget it extrapolates to end of day based on activity already undertaken ...this can skew extrapolated estimates at the start particularly if you're active in the morning. It does learn over time though
Oh thank you!! I eat what it tells me I can eat & a couple of times I ate the full amount and then it put me in the red naughty zone
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LessthanKris wrote: »I have had my Fitbit for a few weeks now. It seems like when I log my exercise into MFP it still adds steps for that time frame. I got up to work out at six this morning and by the end of my 30 minute workout I had about 1300 steps. My calorie adjustment for Fitbit was still zero. Is there something I could be missing?
I don't start getting positive adjustments until I hit around 3,000 steps, even more if your set to lightly active.0 -
But it should not be counting any steps during my exercise time right?0
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LessthanKris wrote: »But it should not be counting any steps during my exercise time right?
Do you enter a start and stop time when you exercise? I've only got a fitbit zip, I whack it on in the morning and let it do it's thing, set and forget.0 -
I put the start time into MFP. Today I used the exercise tracker on the Fitbit and it still added steps. I am thinking maybe it just gives steps that equate to the calorie burn of the exercise. It definitely is giving me something during that time.0
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LessthanKris wrote: »I put the start time into MFP. Today I used the exercise tracker on the Fitbit and it still added steps. I am thinking maybe it just gives steps that equate to the calorie burn of the exercise. It definitely is giving me something during that time.
You should check out the FAQ section in the fitbit group. Every question and answer you could possibly think of is there.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users0 -
I got my 10000 steps today, but mfp only credited me 23 cals. I swam for 45 minutes and put that into MFP, so did fitbit create a number of steps for that?0
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You get a Fitbit adjustment if Fitbit reports you burning more calories (total for the whole day) than MFP expected. I'll try to explain.
When you setup MFP, based on height-weight-activity level-gender-age, MFP estimates how many you'll burn in a day. Lets assume 2400, its an easy number to work with for this example. MFP then assumes you burn 100 cals per hour. Because the software can't really comprehend how you burn different amounts at different periods of the day.
Part 1:
When you connect Fitbit, it estimates your calories burned also. But it uses your actual activity level, not a stated activity level. So lets say your BMR is 75 per hour. And you wake up at 6am. From midnight to 6am, you burned BMR only while you slept, so Fitbit shows you've burned 450. If you sync, MFP takes that data, and says you are now on course to burn 450 (actual so far) + 100/hour for the remaining 18 hours of the day. So you're behind by 150. You're only destined to hit 2250. But then you go for a run, and Fitbit shows you burn an additional 420 from 6am-7am so now you're at 870 total. At 7am, MFP expected you to be at 700, so you're ahead by 170. Every time you sync, MFP does these calculations. And changes your adjustment accordingly.
Part 2:
So what happens when you enter exercise into MFP? It ADDS those exercise calories to what it expects you to burn today. Say you log a 30 minute swim from 11:30am-noon, and it was 200 calories. MFP adds those calories to the 2400 it expected you to burn, so now it expects you to burn 2600 total for the day. So now if Fitbit shows you've burned 1200 so far as of noon, and MFP expects you to burn 1200 from noon til midnight, you'll actually be behind by 200. Because you're on course to hit 2400 today, and MFP expects 2600. If you log the exercise into Fitbit instead of MFP, then it does not increase the # that MFP expects you to burn.
Note: no matter where you log the activity, your total burn for the day should come out to be the same. If log in MFP and end the day with 2450 cals burned, MFP will show a -150 for Fitbit adjustment. If you end the day with 2450 burned and logged it in Fitbit, you'll have a +50 Fitbit adjustment. But you still burned 2450.brynncody09 wrote: »I got my 10000 steps today, but mfp only credited me 23 cals. I swam for 45 minutes and put that into MFP, so did fitbit create a number of steps for that?
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Fitbit tracks step based exercise ...you log other types of exercise like swimming or cycling which it can't log ...I log my gym workouts on MFP, estimated by HRM
Normally log on MFP so that it overwrites any steps during those time periods ...make sure your goals, time zones are the same on both apps
It works for me
I have 2 questions:
1) What do you mean overwrite the steps? Do you mean you can enter an exercise and Fitbit will associate steps with that exercise?
2) I just read on another forum that by logging in MFP, MFP ends up counting exercises twice if you sync with Fitbit?
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I log mine in Fitbit AND mfp including step based. My workouts don't usually match what Fitbit or mfp credits me, especially biking. I use a Garmin HRM. My cycling is generally higher and running is lower. The only real I log them in mfp is because I like that little announcement lol0
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