FAQ - Syncing, logging food & exercise, calorie adjustments, activity levels, accuracy

1202123252628

Replies

  • hollyfranklin44
    hollyfranklin44 Posts: 2 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    My frustration level is about maxed out trying to get MFP to sync with my fitbit Blaze. I've revoked access and tried over and over again to get it to show up in my Fitbit account but it won't. MFP keeps saying that my iPhone is the selected method for tracking steps and it won't let me deselect it. I've turned off fitness tracking for the Health app on my iPhone, but still no luck. Any suggestions?

    Hit the main group topics where many people read them - and actually many topics are on this already you might find something you missed.

    The stickies are specific to their topic, in this case the FAQ - and those reading it for helping are very few in comparison.

    I tried all of the suggestions in the main post. I haven't read through all of the pages yet. I guess I will need to do that.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    My frustration level is about maxed out trying to get MFP to sync with my fitbit Blaze. I've revoked access and tried over and over again to get it to show up in my Fitbit account but it won't. MFP keeps saying that my iPhone is the selected method for tracking steps and it won't let me deselect it. I've turned off fitness tracking for the Health app on my iPhone, but still no luck. Any suggestions?

    Hit the main group topics where many people read them - and actually many topics are on this already you might find something you missed.

    The stickies are specific to their topic, in this case the FAQ - and those reading it for helping are very few in comparison.

    I tried all of the suggestions in the main post. I haven't read through all of the pages yet. I guess I will need to do that.

    No - not the FAQ topic you are posting in, and not reading all the pages of the FAQ, which is a topic specific to the FAQ.

    It sounds like you have missed the fact there are a ton of topics in this Fitbit group - search for a topic title like "syncing stopped".

    The stickies are this FAQ and a bunch of topics for device owners to add others - that's why they are at the top. Scroll on down and there are all the non-sticky ongoing daily topics that change.
  • ddveedub
    ddveedub Posts: 140 Member
    I just need to be able to find this again.
  • sweetkisses143
    sweetkisses143 Posts: 11 Member
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    Ok I've read everything and even had my hubby read it. I still need a little help :/ I have my Fitbit synced to MFP. I am logging my food in MFP and exercise in Fitbit like you said. However the calories burned are different from my workout. So when I started my workout timer on Fitbit and then ended it said that I burned 582 calories. Then it updated and synced to MFP but MFP only said 469 for the entire day burned instead of the 582 that I got from the workout. Am I missing something?

    Someone like @heybales can probably figure out the actual math for you, but here are my thoughts.

    MFP has an estimate of what it thinks you burn in a day from your BMR and non exercise activity (NEAT). This is based on your stats and the activity level you put in when you set up or updates your profile. It then takes a deficit from that, based on the goal rate of loss you selected (if 1 lb/week then it would subtract 500 cals). What is that number?

    FitBit tracks all your movement and estimates your total calorie burn including the exercise you do. It provides those totals to MFP throughout the day. At the end of the day, the adjustment you see on MFP is the difference between what MFP thought you burned via NEAT and what FitBit says you actually burned. If the adjustment is less than that one individual workout burn, that just means that MFP had already accounted for some of that in its total estimate for you.

    You can also check this if you are using the app by clicking into your calories burned from FitBit. It will tell you the amount MFP thought you would burn and the amount you're getting credit for from FitBit.

    Hope that helps. I've found it's better to not stress over slight differences between those two systems since they work off of different algorithms. If you trust that they work it out, and you see the results you're looking for overall, then over analyzing the details just isn't helpful. At least for me.

    Thank you so very much! This was the best answer I received. Thank you for not pointing me back to something I already tried to understand and couldn't. This broke it down for and I really appreciate that you took the time to do that. Have a blessed day and a happy Valentine's Day!
  • clcoble
    clcoble Posts: 9 Member
    Just to be 100% clear - MFP uses the Fitbit's "Calories Burned" and not just steps, right? I have a Charge HR and want to make sure my workouts are being seen by MFP as opposed to just my step total.

    Thanks!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    clcoble wrote: »
    Just to be 100% clear - MFP uses the Fitbit's "Calories Burned" and not just steps, right? I have a Charge HR and want to make sure my workouts are being seen by MFP as opposed to just my step total.

    Thanks!

    Right. MFP only sees the total calories burned and doesn't know whether those are from your exercise, general activity, or BMR.
  • pttrsnbd
    pttrsnbd Posts: 3 Member
    Help - why am I not seeing my fitbit calories burned on MFP? When do they synch?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    pttrsnbd wrote: »
    Help - why am I not seeing my fitbit calories burned on MFP? When do they synch?

    You'll want to check the general Fitbit topics for that common problem. Not nearly that many read the FAQ.

    Confirm you read question 4 though about workout calories NOT being the adjustment, and enabling negative adjustments.
  • journeyrock92
    journeyrock92 Posts: 64 Member
    I've noticed that since I installed the newest update this morning, my fit bit steps are not syncing with the app anymore. It won't update the steps I'm now up to. What is the problem?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    I've noticed that since I installed the newest update this morning, my fit bit steps are not syncing with the app anymore. It won't update the steps I'm now up to. What is the problem?

    Please read the post directly above yours. I upgraded MFP this morning and have no problem with my Fitbit adjustment.
  • journeyrock92
    journeyrock92 Posts: 64 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    I've noticed that since I installed the newest update this morning, my fit bit steps are not syncing with the app anymore. It won't update the steps I'm now up to. What is the problem?

    Please read the post directly above yours. I upgraded MFP this morning and have no problem with my Fitbit adjustment.

    Which is where? Can you kindly direct me there?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    I've noticed that since I installed the newest update this morning, my fit bit steps are not syncing with the app anymore. It won't update the steps I'm now up to. What is the problem?

    Please read the post directly above yours. I upgraded MFP this morning and have no problem with my Fitbit adjustment.

    Which is where? Can you kindly direct me there?

    In this topic you are reading.
    I'm guessing reading through the app, because on the website view, just scroll up to read the post above yours.
    In the app, which I don't use for forums, I'm guessing there is a way to read all the posts in a topic you responded to. Just read the one above yours.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    edited March 2017
    Okay, so I inadvertently hit the delete button instead of the "i" button on the exercise page for the Fitbit adjustment. (I know - they don't really look alike). Will it sync again later? Or is there a way to reconnect? I'll go back through this thread and see if it's answered here...if so, I'll delete this post.

    Any ideas?


    Never mind...figured it out...
  • DerCribben
    DerCribben Posts: 2 Member
    If I manually log all of my gym workouts in FitBit, do I still need to manually log them here on MFP also? I keep a record while I'm training and just enter them as "weights", "bike", "stairs"(not stairmaster, an actual set of stairs that = floor in FitBit), and "stretching". Which are all the specific things I do every day that FitBit doesn't auto recognize like walking/hiking, running, etc. But I've noticed that MFP doesn't seem to see those extra workouts aside from the steps generated during them. Should I manually log them in both places, FitBit only, MFP only? Thanks for this btw, it does answer pretty much all of my questions.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    There is no NEED to log them on MFP.

    If it's for the benefit of friends reading your wall knowing you worked out - just make a wall post about it with more details.

    If you think MFP's exercise diary with a generic entry is more useful than Fitbit's, sure, double log.

    Otherwise, there is no need.

    Double posting like that actually requires a sync back to Fitbit, then Fitbit back to MFP for adjusted values, even if exactly the same, all Fitbit knows is a manual workout entry came across.
    You are just making your odds worse for having a sync glitch. Of which there are enough already.

    Also, if you start a workout on your device so the Activity Record is created, you can edit the name of it later to something more meaningful, rather than manually entering a whole other Workout Record that replaces the stats.
  • DerCribben
    DerCribben Posts: 2 Member
    First and foremost, thanks for the great reply, that's exactly what I was wanting to know. It doesn't really matter to me who sees these stats, my struggle is just wanting these apps to record my stats as accurately as possible for me (which I'm already having issues with due to them all using a photosensor instead of an ECG chip to log heart rate). I'll be running stairs and know I'm in peak heart rate and look down at my FitBit Charge HR showing 95bpm, it's nice to feel like a ninja sometimes, and to also know that I'm doing way better than my stats are showing me but c'mon, what I REALLY want is to see real accurate stats on the work I'm doing. So when MFP gives me goal feedback, as well as FitBit I just want them to reflect the work I'm doing as accurately as possible. For a cyclist or a runner they seem pretty dialed in, and I'm willing to bet that logging in "crossfit" as a manual log would give decent results also but I'm just doing classic, gym based strength training, with decently heavy weights, lots of stairs between sets, and finishing up with cardio on the rowing machine or exercise bike and I feel like a lot of my efforts are going unrecorded because the apps don't actually know what I'm doing.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited April 2017
    Ya, for some the HR reading ability just loses accuracy as the HR goes up.

    And since workouts use HR-based calorie burn - that is a killer if having good workouts and needing to refuel properly to keep making progress.

    Now, if those stairs are between lifts - it's inflated HR not related to the effort of the stairs anyway, but the fact you just had some max efforts.

    And that's why HR-based calorie burn isn't valid for anything that isn't aerobic steady-state same HR for 2-4 min.
    And even then, you can have inflated HR related to heat, exhaustion, dehydrated, prior workout, ect. Not purely related to your level of effort.

    You should be logging Weights in Fitbit though for the chunk of time it applies.
    But that entry is for sets and reps 5-15, and rests 2-4 min between. Not stairs between. So it would be giving much lower calorie burn than reality.

    So with that specific workout you are doing - HR-based calorie burn inflated, manually logged deflated.
    Tough one.

    If this is a small % of your otherwise active lifestyle, like 3 x weekly say 30 min, and otherwise you get over 10K steps anyway - I'd say use the HR-based if you can get it to read you accurately, might try spinning the watch around to read different vessels, and/or higher up the arm.

    But if this is say 6 x weekly 60 min and rest of life is pretty sedentary, no family activity, no pets, up to 4K steps only - then inflated calorie burn is a bigger % of your weekly life now and inaccuracies could cause you to be overeating using HR-based calorie burn.
    Might manually enter Weights and Stairs for the amount of time done.

    The devices really were designed for avg person doing what is considered some average workouts - mostly increasing step counts.

    The could make some tweaks to make it better. Like if you selected Weights on the device, it could show you your HR info, but use the database rate of calorie burn.
    Sadly that still wouldn't help your workout routine with accuracy - but it would be better normally.

    This is why I'm fine with my Zip still, and using the Garmin on all cardio workouts, and logging lifting manually.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    My fitbit One hasn't synced itself in days. Both the app/blue tooth or laptop/dongle won't sync. Forcing sync doesn't work. I have uninstalled /reinstalled app .

    Thanks in advance :smile:
    Ruth
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    My fitbit One hasn't synced itself in days. Both the app/blue tooth or laptop/dongle won't sync. Forcing sync doesn't work. I have uninstalled /reinstalled app .

    Thanks in advance :smile:
    Ruth

    The FAQ thread isn't for troubleshooting issues, most don't read it frequently as it has a specific purpose, once read and understood, don't need to come back.

    You'll want to read many of the group topic posts about syncing issues - there are many to get some ideas already written out.
  • mystery2decor
    mystery2decor Posts: 17 Member
    MFP and FB wont sync. Is anyone else having this problem? Have any suggestions?