An Inconvenient Truth About FitBit Challenges and MFP
JamericanBoy
Posts: 484 Member
Good afternoon yunguns'..
Today I spent the better of the morning trying to science my way around yesterday's Fitbit step challenge debacle where I logged 32,990 steps according to my FitBit dashboard but only showed 22,784 steps in all my challenges.
I finally figured it out what happened and even have a a solution that doesn't make me happy. Here goes... If you are on MFP and you log your activities either :
a) directly via MFP website or app or
b) via another app that synch with MFP (MayMyRun, Runtastic, etc.) or
c) device that synchs with MFP (HRM, etc)
.. you should NOT compete in any FitBit challenges.
FitBit challenges only count steps taking from the FitBit device BUT it will COMPARE those steps against what MFP cardi activities you have logged and SUBTRACT steps that were accrued over that same time period. Yesterday I walked/jogged 5 miles and did 90 minutes worth of Spinning while wearing a Polar HRM. This accounted for approx. 10,000 extra steps which was added to the Steps Total on my FitBit dashboard but on the challenge screen these steps were not included because they were logged in my MFP diary (automatically by the Polar app).
My question is this: While I can understand that FitBit Challenge Rules will not count steps from an activity that user manually adds either through the FitBit dashboard, why does it take away from valid steps added by FitBit device that happen to coincide with activity that synched from another app/device. That is double dipping in the highest form. It should only not count synched/manually added steps.
SOLUTION: Don't synch your FitBit with MFP if you want to compete in challenges....
So endeth the lesson.
Today I spent the better of the morning trying to science my way around yesterday's Fitbit step challenge debacle where I logged 32,990 steps according to my FitBit dashboard but only showed 22,784 steps in all my challenges.
I finally figured it out what happened and even have a a solution that doesn't make me happy. Here goes... If you are on MFP and you log your activities either :
a) directly via MFP website or app or
b) via another app that synch with MFP (MayMyRun, Runtastic, etc.) or
c) device that synchs with MFP (HRM, etc)
.. you should NOT compete in any FitBit challenges.
FitBit challenges only count steps taking from the FitBit device BUT it will COMPARE those steps against what MFP cardi activities you have logged and SUBTRACT steps that were accrued over that same time period. Yesterday I walked/jogged 5 miles and did 90 minutes worth of Spinning while wearing a Polar HRM. This accounted for approx. 10,000 extra steps which was added to the Steps Total on my FitBit dashboard but on the challenge screen these steps were not included because they were logged in my MFP diary (automatically by the Polar app).
My question is this: While I can understand that FitBit Challenge Rules will not count steps from an activity that user manually adds either through the FitBit dashboard, why does it take away from valid steps added by FitBit device that happen to coincide with activity that synched from another app/device. That is double dipping in the highest form. It should only not count synched/manually added steps.
SOLUTION: Don't synch your FitBit with MFP if you want to compete in challenges....
So endeth the lesson.
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Replies
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I complete in challenges and never have an issue with syncing.0
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I've never noticed an issue with this. Then again, I log my exercises in Fitbit instead of MFP.0
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A different solution - don't log exercise in MFP. Don't link things like MapMyFitness to MFP. (I have MapMyWalk connected to Fitbit, but as far as I can tell, Fitbit and MMW don't actually exchange any information, so I might as well not connect it at all.)0
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Are you sure the problem isn't just that the Challenge timezone is different to yours?
Fitbit still counts the same number of steps you've done in any time period, but the start and end dates of the Workweek Challenges are always (for me) 5 pm Monday to 5pm Saturday.
Fitbit still sends the number of steps I've done from midnight to midnight every day to MFP.0 -
I don't have this problem either. I take part In multiple challenges through FitBit and also sync with MFP. All looks fine. Don't log activity on MFP, only food0
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Are you sure the problem isn't just that the Challenge timezone is different to yours?
Fitbit still counts the same number of steps you've done in any time period, but the start and end dates of the Workweek Challenges are always (for me) 5 pm Monday to 5pm Saturday.
Fitbit still sends the number of steps I've done from midnight to midnight every day to MFP.
I think the issue you are experiencing is related to time zone differences as Orphia has suggested0 -
I'm confused. I have been using the Fitbit Charge HR for about 1.5 yrs now and just re-joined MFP after discontinuing it around the same time. I rejoined MFP because the Fitbit food and exercise log leaves much to be desired. However, I thought I read in the MFP instructions to NOT log food and exercise into the Fitbit dashboard, only the MFP diary to prevent syncing issues. Yet, many of you are logging your food in MFP and your exercise in the Fitbit app. Which app causes the least amount of syncing issues and why input food and exercise into two different apps? Has anyone else had issues with steps recorded from the Fitbit not syncing with MFP? I just want to avoid the headache of using both tools at the same time.0
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@IAKAB : I'd recommend that you read the FAQ in the stickies, if you haven't already, for an in-depth discussion of how to get the most out of both MFP and Fitbit. Here's a handy link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy/p1
However, the short version is: The food interface and database are much better in MFP, so use that for food. Your Fitbit is designed to detect most of your exercise and for manually entered exercise, its algorithm for estimating calories burned is thought to be superior, so use that for exercise. I'm used to using both tools and don't find it a headache at all - they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
As far as I know, using MFP for food and Fitbit for exercise neither causes, nor prevents, syncing issues between the two. For me, the vast majority of the time, they sync seamlessly and invisibly in the background and I don't even think about it. The only way to never have syncing issues is to not link your accounts, but then you lose out on the benefits. Frankly, if I had to stick to one or the other, I'd have to give up MFP because my Fitbit is an essential tool for me, but the Fitbit food log would probably frustrate me so much I'd quit logging my food.0 -
Thank you for answering my questions and providing the link.0
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JamericanBoy wrote: »Good afternoon yunguns'..
Today I spent the better of the morning trying to science my way around yesterday's Fitbit step challenge debacle where I logged 32,990 steps according to my FitBit dashboard but only showed 22,784 steps in all my challenges.
I finally figured it out what happened and even have a a solution that doesn't make me happy. Here goes... If you are on MFP and you log your activities either :
a) directly via MFP website or app or
b) via another app that synch with MFP (MayMyRun, Runtastic, etc.) or
c) device that synchs with MFP (HRM, etc)
.. you should NOT compete in any FitBit challenges.
FitBit challenges only count steps taking from the FitBit device BUT it will COMPARE those steps against what MFP cardi activities you have logged and SUBTRACT steps that were accrued over that same time period. Yesterday I walked/jogged 5 miles and did 90 minutes worth of Spinning while wearing a Polar HRM. This accounted for approx. 10,000 extra steps which was added to the Steps Total on my FitBit dashboard but on the challenge screen these steps were not included because they were logged in my MFP diary (automatically by the Polar app).
My question is this: While I can understand that FitBit Challenge Rules will not count steps from an activity that user manually adds either through the FitBit dashboard, why does it take away from valid steps added by FitBit device that happen to coincide with activity that synched from another app/device. That is double dipping in the highest form. It should only not count synched/manually added steps.
SOLUTION: Don't synch your FitBit with MFP if you want to compete in challenges....
So endeth the lesson.
You should connect any other apps you are using to ftbit.com, do all exercise logging on fitbit.com NOT MFP. Log your foods in MFP that is what it is best at, fitbit is best at the exercise tracking.0 -
Fitbit has several 3rd party sites they sync with where walking/running and steps and/or distance come across as part of the workout.
MFP is not one of those - only the start time, duration, and calorie count sync over to Fitbit, wiping out the calorie count Fitbit came up with.
Steps is maintained.
But other sites, and the Fitbit app itself if you select to start a workout and chose the option to log distance per the GPS of device - will come across as steps and/or distance, and start/duration time, and calories.
In those cases the calories still wiped out, if only distance comes across then steps is recalculated from your stride length stats and no longer valid for challenges, and if the steps syncs across to, even exactly the same, it makes them invalid.
So one of those probably happened. The fact you logged it in MFP manually doesn't matter, whatever else was being synced to Fitbit directly does.
What really annoyed folks doing step challenges when Fitbit's own app logging a walk or run synced basically a manually logged workout in, replacing whatever the device itself estimated - invalidating the steps for a challenge.
Perhaps that has changed since January with several updates - but it sounds like you've shown it hasn't.0
This discussion has been closed.