Need Advice! Keeping Fitbit Charge HR sync or remove and add exercise manually?

geminimcm
geminimcm Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
I am having SUCH difficulties with the exercise part and I need help! I have searched and searched on this community to try to find answers, but I still don't feel like I have a clear answer.

Ok so I have a Fitbit Charge HR that I use to track my workouts every day. So then I decided to sync the Fitbit with My Fitness Pal's app on my iPhone. So I can see that my steps appear on the exercise part of the diary, but I also have been manually adding my actual workout with the exact calories and time from my Fitbit. Is this correct? I have a feeling that it's double counting. If I just leave the steps on the exercise part of the diary, and don't manually input my exercise, then it is extremely low and looks like I barely did anything that day. But if I manually add my exercise, I can show that I burned 200 or 300 calories, for example. So I'm beginning to think I need to just delete the Fitbit sync and just manually add my workout so I can see the actual calories burned.

Does this make sense? I am so frustrated. Any advise? Please help. I just want to make sure that my calories burned from my workout are showing so I am not starving to death.

Thanks!

Replies

  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    edited April 2016
    i use fitbit for steps, endomondo for non-step related exercise. fitbit won't add walking calories till it tops the amount of exercise calories your MFP account is showing, so no double-dipping. keep in mind that your first few thousand steps on your fitbit are part of the daily calorie allotment that MFP already figures into your day.

    btw, if you get hungry before your normal eating time on a workout day, have an unsweetened non-fat greek yogurt or a half a protein drink. they'll be low in calories and will help you build muscle.
  • OhMsDiva
    OhMsDiva Posts: 1,073 Member
    I think it depends on the type of workout that you are doing. If the walking is not part of your workout, then I would say that you would enter the workout separately. My workout is only walking so I just let Fitbit add my steps and my calories for each day. I don't sync until the end of the day, but that is just my own preference because I dont want to see the extra calories until I am done eating for the day.
  • trswallow
    trswallow Posts: 116 Member
    Unless you take off your Fitbit during workouts, all activities should be logged in the Fitbit app to avoid double counting. If you manually create an activity in the Fitbit app, then that activity will override the step count and calories calculated during the activity (http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-do-I-track-my-exercise-and-activities-with-Fitbit/?l=en_US&c=Topics:Dashboard&p=charge_hr&fs=Search&pn=1).
  • ridge4mfp
    ridge4mfp Posts: 301 Member
    You state you have a FitBit HR. Do you not use workout mode? When you start your workout, press and hold the button until it vibrates. When your workout ends, press and hold again to stop workout mode. Then your exercise will be logged already on the Fitbit site and app, along with the heart monitor information and calories burned. If you are synced with MFP, that's all you need to do. For exercise where you cannot wear the Fitbit (like swimming or water aerobics and such), enter it manually on Fitbit (only).
  • howekaren
    howekaren Posts: 159 Member
    I like for my activities to show up on my MFP feed since my friends and I like to comment on activities. Unless I manually input my activities into MFP, it won't show on my news feed, but it does affect my days calories. For instance, if I go to the gym, I'll start a workout on my fitbit (I have a blaze), and at the end I note the calories and time. I will then log into MFP and enter that as a workout. When you do this, it is important that you put the start time as accurately as possible so as to avoid double counting your calories. MFP and fitbit will sync so that the calories are then deducted from fitbit. If, however, you have no real need or want to see your workouts on your MFP feed, there is no need to do this. The calories you burn are automatically counted by fitbit and synced to your MFP and will show up as an adjustment on MFP. I hope that is somewhat clear.
  • WeaselbeanzMum
    WeaselbeanzMum Posts: 23 Member
    howekaren wrote: »
    I like for my activities to show up on my MFP feed since my friends and I like to comment on activities. Unless I manually input my activities into MFP, it won't show on my news feed, but it does affect my days calories. For instance, if I go to the gym, I'll start a workout on my fitbit (I have a blaze), and at the end I note the calories and time. I will then log into MFP and enter that as a workout. When you do this, it is important that you put the start time as accurately as possible so as to avoid double counting your calories. MFP and fitbit will sync so that the calories are then deducted from fitbit. If, however, you have no real need or want to see your workouts on your MFP feed, there is no need to do this. The calories you burn are automatically counted by fitbit and synced to your MFP and will show up as an adjustment on MFP. I hope that is somewhat clear.

    @howekaren - I have just got a Charge HR and was utterly confused by which overrode what, I knew about the need for accurate start time but not why, etc... - this is THE most useful post I have read - BIG big thank you!! :smiley:

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