Any other Apple Watch users notice they don't get adjustments for their steps?
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Is there anything helpful in this thread?
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10202007/mfp-not-reading-step-data-from-apple-health-app#latest
I dont know if apple health is the same as a apple watch??0 -
So apparently 1 calorie for 7,248 calories is "accurate" according to the person I spoke with from MFP. Smh..
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Then tells me Fitbit users don't require as much effort to get an adjustment but Apple Watch users do. Then again made a suggestion that I "switch" my tracking device. I don't have a problem with my device but the way this site is set up. Funny how I get adjustments on other apps but this one.
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When I had a non-HR Garmin, my steps adjustment was low. 10-20 calories extra per 1000 steps. Now, with an HR, it's very accurate. And higher. A slower pace gets me fewer calories.
I know that doesn't help, but it does account for the differences of different trackers and how they interact with MFP. And my two were both Garmin and I used the same Garmin app to sync with MFP.
Have you set a custom stride length with your Apple watch? I don't know what that could do, but it is something with steps that *might* make a difference of some kind. Maybe MFP thinks you have reeeeeeeeally long legs and your 7,248 steps is equivalent to 1 step for a shortie like me. LOL!
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When I had a non-HR Garmin, my steps adjustment was low. 10-20 calories extra per 1000 steps. Now, with an HR, it's very accurate. And higher. A slower pace gets me fewer calories.
I know that doesn't help, but it does account for the differences of different trackers and how they interact with MFP. And my two were both Garmin and I used the same Garmin app to sync with MFP.
Have you set a custom stride length with your Apple watch? I don't know what that could do, but it is something with steps that *might* make a difference of some kind. Maybe MFP thinks you have reeeeeeeeally long legs and your 7,248 steps is equivalent to 1 step for a shortie like me. LOL!
Yes I've calibrated my Apple Watch for my stride length. All I had to do was select outdoor walk and take a 20 min walk on a flat surface.
But what gets me is the lady from MFP basically said users with fitbits don't have to put in much effort to get adjustments but Apple Watch users do?
I'm almost the same size as my friend. She's 5'4 and I'm 5'3. She weighs 153 and I weigh 158. We both have our activity level set at sedentary. My calorie allowance is 1400 and hers is 1380. We both will do the same exercise an roughly burn close to the same amount.
Yesterday she walked a little over 12,000 steps and had a adjustment of 133 calories, where I walked 13,500 and had a adjustment of 0. She has a Fitbit blaze. We have done this multiple times on purpose to see, and every time she has an adjustment.
I brought up to the lady at MFP that either one is being over calculated or under calculated. She assured me that wasn't the case by telling me I just don't understand calorie burn and suggested I go with another device (second time I've heard that now). Almost feel like MFP gets a kick back for prompting users to switch to a Fitbit. This has been a known issue with Apple Watch users since 2015.
Again and it adjusts calories on other apps.
She also told me adjustment calories are only to be eaten if I wanted to maintain weight?
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This was yesterday's progress from my Apple Watch
This looks like your extra calories beyond BMR are 714, and beyond basic goal are 364, which line up with the +372 that you got (my guess is the 350 lines up with what would be expected of someone sedentary -- it's consistent with about 1.25 for me, and I'm also 5'3, and 1.25 is the MFP sedentary multiplier). So that seems to make sense.
Apple watch calories are often less than people think for moderate exercises especially because it backs out the calories you'd be burning anyway from the active (MOVE) calories. So if I use Runkeeper for a run I get more calories than if I go by Apple watch.
No real adjustment for 7000-some steps seems reasonable to me -- after that is really when it would be kicking in. The tiny adjustment for 14,000 steps seems extremely weird, but the question is what does Apple Watch have for the Move calories on that day? Maybe that's odd somehow.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »
This was yesterday's progress from my Apple Watch
This looks like your extra calories beyond BMR are 714, and beyond basic goal are 364, which line up with the +372 that you got (my guess is the 350 lines up with what would be expected of someone sedentary -- it's consistent with about 1.25 for me, and I'm also 5'3, and 1.25 is the MFP sedentary multiplier). So that seems to make sense.
Apple watch calories are often less than people think for moderate exercises especially because it backs out the calories you'd be burning anyway from the active (MOVE) calories. So if I use Runkeeper for a run I get more calories than if I go by Apple watch.
No real adjustment for 7000-some steps seems reasonable to me -- after that is really when it would be kicking in. The tiny adjustment for 14,000 steps seems extremely weird, but the question is what does Apple Watch have for the Move calories on that day? Maybe that's odd somehow.
Apple explained to me that the move calories is what you have burned in a given day with exercise and any activity that elevates your heart rate, and the total calories is basically how I understood is your TDEE for that given day? So I know 372 of the 714 is my exercise calories and there's no issue with it syncing over my workouts. But the steps adjustment is weird. Going back through my diary one day I walked 5000 something steps and it gave me a 30 something adjustment and I was under the 350 move calories on my watch. But then days I'm extremely active no adjustment is given or it's low like 3.
The 350 move calories on my watch is set by me. You set your own goal for that. I leave it at 350 so on my days I am sedentary I try to at least hit that.
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This is a little low for me, since my running around campus involves hills, stairs and trying desperately not to be late when my meetings run late and overlap, but it might be a good basis for you. And, unfortunately, further illustrate the MFP adjustment is off.
https://verywell.com/pedometer-steps-to-calories-converter-3882595
I've heard some folks say their FitBit adjustments seems high, but your don't appear to be (when you used one).
Based on your understandings of the conversations, it doesn't seem like the MFP person with whom you spoke understands MFP, NEAT or TDEE very effectively.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »
This was yesterday's progress from my Apple Watch
This looks like your extra calories beyond BMR are 714, and beyond basic goal are 364, which line up with the +372 that you got (my guess is the 350 lines up with what would be expected of someone sedentary -- it's consistent with about 1.25 for me, and I'm also 5'3, and 1.25 is the MFP sedentary multiplier). So that seems to make sense.
Apple watch calories are often less than people think for moderate exercises especially because it backs out the calories you'd be burning anyway from the active (MOVE) calories. So if I use Runkeeper for a run I get more calories than if I go by Apple watch.
No real adjustment for 7000-some steps seems reasonable to me -- after that is really when it would be kicking in. The tiny adjustment for 14,000 steps seems extremely weird, but the question is what does Apple Watch have for the Move calories on that day? Maybe that's odd somehow.
Apple explained to me that the move calories is what you have burned in a given day with exercise and any activity that elevates your heart rate, and the total calories is basically how I understood is your TDEE for that given day? So I know 372 of the 714 is my exercise calories and there's no issue with it syncing over my workouts. But the steps adjustment is weird. Going back through my diary one day I walked 5000 something steps and it gave me a 30 something adjustment and I was under the 350 move calories on my watch. But then days I'm extremely active no adjustment is given or it's low like 3.
The 350 move calories on my watch is set by me. You set your own goal for that. I leave it at 350 so on my days I am sedentary I try to at least hit that.
That inconsistency seems weird. Without seeing the connection between Move calories and the adjustment it's hard to know, but that one date you showed looked okay (and the 14,000 step day seemed off, but I don't know if Apple was off with the Move or what).
The 714 includes all activity including steps and exercise and whatever.
I know the 350 is set by you, but doesn't it prompt you based on expected activity and all that? (And then you can let it adjust weekly if you are over.) In guessing the 350=sedentary, basically, I started with a BMR of 1500, which seemed reasonable for you and then calculated 1.25, which is MFP's sedentary multiplier, and got 1875. So 1874-1500=375 -- that would be the expected adjustment from just sitting about on a sedentary day, I think, and the adjustment would come in above that. Even on a day I'm what I would consider sedentary -- do nothing but walk to the L, go to work, walk around at work (I have a desk job), go home, I get close to 350 or so (and my BMR is lower than yours is). Sedentary doesn't mean no movement at all
But beats me -- I have an Apple Watch but don't sync it with MFP.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »
This was yesterday's progress from my Apple Watch
This looks like your extra calories beyond BMR are 714, and beyond basic goal are 364, which line up with the +372 that you got (my guess is the 350 lines up with what would be expected of someone sedentary -- it's consistent with about 1.25 for me, and I'm also 5'3, and 1.25 is the MFP sedentary multiplier). So that seems to make sense.
Apple watch calories are often less than people think for moderate exercises especially because it backs out the calories you'd be burning anyway from the active (MOVE) calories. So if I use Runkeeper for a run I get more calories than if I go by Apple watch.
No real adjustment for 7000-some steps seems reasonable to me -- after that is really when it would be kicking in. The tiny adjustment for 14,000 steps seems extremely weird, but the question is what does Apple Watch have for the Move calories on that day? Maybe that's odd somehow.
Apple explained to me that the move calories is what you have burned in a given day with exercise and any activity that elevates your heart rate, and the total calories is basically how I understood is your TDEE for that given day? So I know 372 of the 714 is my exercise calories and there's no issue with it syncing over my workouts. But the steps adjustment is weird. Going back through my diary one day I walked 5000 something steps and it gave me a 30 something adjustment and I was under the 350 move calories on my watch. But then days I'm extremely active no adjustment is given or it's low like 3.
The 350 move calories on my watch is set by me. You set your own goal for that. I leave it at 350 so on my days I am sedentary I try to at least hit that.
That inconsistency seems weird. Without seeing the connection between Move calories and the adjustment it's hard to know, but that one date you showed looked okay (and the 14,000 step day seemed off, but I don't know if Apple was off with the Move or what).
The 714 includes all activity including steps and exercise and whatever.
I know the 350 is set by you, but doesn't it prompt you based on expected activity and all that? (And then you can let it adjust weekly if you are over.) In guessing the 350=sedentary, basically, I started with a BMR of 1500, which seemed reasonable for you and then calculated 1.25, which is MFP's sedentary multiplier, and got 1875. So 1874-1500=375 -- that would be the expected adjustment from just sitting about on a sedentary day, I think, and the adjustment would come in above that. Even on a day I'm what I would consider sedentary -- do nothing but walk to the L, go to work, walk around at work (I have a desk job), go home, I get close to 350 or so (and my BMR is lower than yours is). Sedentary doesn't mean no movement at all
But beats me -- I have an Apple Watch but don't sync it with MFP.
Yeah It will ask if you want to up your goal once you hit all 7 days closing all 3 rings. I just keep it at 350. I'm probably more like lightly active but because I have some days where I may only get 5000 steps I keep it at sedentary.
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Another thing that's weird is my steps are correct on my homepage but lower in my diary?0 -
It's 846 steps short?0 -
Weighing in even though I don't have an Apple Watch. (I was reading to see if you've found a workaround of some sort.) I'm seeing similar issues with my Gear 2 and S Health (android user) that you're reporting with the Apple Watch. Horribly inconsistent calorie adjustments. Added in with a recent bug that is double counting my steps.
It was reported 3 and a half weeks ago, yet despite a few app updates, neither of these issues have been fixed. I would say that MFP telling you to spend $$$ to get a different tracker is an issue... it's cheaper to get an app that works properly! 0 -
.[/quote]lemurcat12 wrote: »
No real adjustment for 7000-some steps seems reasonable to me -- after that is really when it would be kicking in. The tiny adjustment for 14,000 steps seems extremely weird, but the question is what does Apple Watch have for the Move calories on that day? Maybe that's odd somehow.
Per the posted images, it gave her 536 exercise calories for the 14000 step day (which seems reasonable to me for a non-obese female unless she's really tall) - the "adjustment" figure was 0 because that amount was already added as other exercise entries.0 -
.lemurcat12 wrote: »
No real adjustment for 7000-some steps seems reasonable to me -- after that is really when it would be kicking in. The tiny adjustment for 14,000 steps seems extremely weird, but the question is what does Apple Watch have for the Move calories on that day? Maybe that's odd somehow.
Per the posted images, it gave her 536 exercise calories for the 14000 step day (which seems reasonable to me for a non-obese female unless she's really tall) - the "adjustment" figure was 0 because that amount was already added as other exercise entries.[/quote]
This is what I was suspecting, and it seems to make sense. The Move includes all active calories, steps, added exercise, so on. (OP is 5'3, same height as me.)0 -
.lemurcat12 wrote: »
No real adjustment for 7000-some steps seems reasonable to me -- after that is really when it would be kicking in. The tiny adjustment for 14,000 steps seems extremely weird, but the question is what does Apple Watch have for the Move calories on that day? Maybe that's odd somehow.
Per the posted images, it gave her 536 exercise calories for the 14000 step day (which seems reasonable to me for a non-obese female unless she's really tall) - the "adjustment" figure was 0 because that amount was already added as other exercise entries.[/quote]
I didn't post a image of the day I walked 15,000 steps and received a 3 calorie adjustment. I didn't work out that day either. I'll have to go back and look what my move calories were.
Some days I can only walk 5,000 steps and get a 35 calorie adjustment (no exercise).
Then 7000 steps and 1 calorie adjustment.
3200 steps and 14 calorie adjustment
I talked to a different rep from MyFitnessPal and he said that once a sedentary person hits 2000 steps by a certain time of the day that person should start getting a adjustment as MFP predicts they will have more then 5000 steps total in for the day.
Once that person does a workout and logs it into MFP it should cancel out the calorie adjustment until the person goes 5000 steps beyond the steps taken during exercise.
He agreed that MFP doesn't work correctly with Apple Watch and it's more intended for Fitbit, jawbone and Garmin users. Where Lose it is aimed more towards Apple and thats why it shows a adjustment on there. But they hope to one day have it sync to the Apple Watch directly and show move calories instead of going through the health app.
Also said that ones who have fitbits their added exercise is suppose to cancel out their calorie adjustment but doesn't so that's why they don't recommend a Fitbit user eating back their steps adjustment unless they take 5000 steps over their intentional exercise steps.
He said that on the day I walked 13,500 steps at least half of those steps should of been adjusted.
He definitely went more in depth.
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TilKingdomCome wrote: »Is it because your calories granted in the activities is more than what the adjustment would have been?
I suspect this may be the reason. When you look at the screenshot, it's clear that the activity entries from HealthKit are separated out from what the Watch is carrying over.
I'm really unhappy with the integration between the Watch and MFP. The calorie adjustments are *only* step-based, and those disappear immediately if another activity supercedes it -- like, I usually enter things separately from Runkeeper because of the data (I see a dietitian, and she keeps an eye on the activity, so this makes it easier for her to view everything in one place). I understand that I don't want to double dip (I set a custom goal, so I don't eat back the calories anyway), but it's ridiculous that if I do a three-mile walk *and* do a swim, that the swim will cause MFP to take away all of the calories for the walk. There's something with how MFP thinks the Watch is calculating the burn -- I know this, because when I look at the projected for the day, it's very different from what the Watch is saying. This changes based on the activity level -- but it isn't changing within the Watch. Something in the interface is telling MFP that the Watch is assigning X calories automatically based on whether you are sedentary, lightly activity, etc. -- but that doesn't actually match the reality of what the Watch is calculating on its own.
I trust the Watch more than I trust the MFP burn, so I go with that.
OP, what I've done is to average the TDEE over a week from the Watch in the activity pane that you show. I then enter that as a custom goal with TDEE-250 a day -200 for hypoglycemia treatment (I'm type 1 diabetic, so subtracting 200 off the bat means that I'm not doing the head games on logging hypo treatment foods). But, the caveat with that is that I never ever eat back exercise calories.
I know that although my day-to-day exercise may not always be the same, over a week-to-week perspective (and month to month, if I'm not dealing with injury) it typically is. So this approach works well for me.
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collectingblues wrote: »TilKingdomCome wrote: »Is it because your calories granted in the activities is more than what the adjustment would have been?
I suspect this may be the reason. When you look at the screenshot, it's clear that the activity entries from HealthKit are separated out from what the Watch is carrying over.
I'm really unhappy with the integration between the Watch and MFP. The calorie adjustments are *only* step-based, and those disappear immediately if another activity supercedes it -- like, I usually enter things separately from Runkeeper because of the data (I see a dietitian, and she keeps an eye on the activity, so this makes it easier for her to view everything in one place). I understand that I don't want to double dip (I set a custom goal, so I don't eat back the calories anyway), but it's ridiculous that if I do a three-mile walk *and* do a swim, that the swim will cause MFP to take away all of the calories for the walk. There's something with how MFP thinks the Watch is calculating the burn -- I know this, because when I look at the projected for the day, it's very different from what the Watch is saying. This changes based on the activity level -- but it isn't changing within the Watch. Something in the interface is telling MFP that the Watch is assigning X calories automatically based on whether you are sedentary, lightly activity, etc. -- but that doesn't actually match the reality of what the Watch is calculating on its own.
I trust the Watch more than I trust the MFP burn, so I go with that.
OP, what I've done is to average the TDEE over a week from the Watch in the activity pane that you show. I then enter that as a custom goal with TDEE-250 a day -200 for hypoglycemia treatment (I'm type 1 diabetic, so subtracting 200 off the bat means that I'm not doing the head games on logging hypo treatment foods). But, the caveat with that is that I never ever eat back exercise calories.
I know that although my day-to-day exercise may not always be the same, over a week-to-week perspective (and month to month, if I'm not dealing with injury) it typically is. So this approach works well for me.
For the devices I know, the step counter server estimates a total TDEE from your step data and pushes this over to MFP. MFP adds an adjustment to make their TDEE (which already includes separately logged exercise) match the step counter server's. So- It will screw you out of the calories that the step tracker doesn't see at all (ie swimming, cycling-at least on garmin, some dance styles). If your activity level is set to sedentary, and you swim or cycle, you may want to disable negative adjustments.0 -
Somewhat unrelated, but for those who regularly manage to do 15,000 to 20,000 steps in one day...how the heck do you manage it? Isn't that like 3-4 hours of walking?
I get between 3000-5000 steps at work and walk 1.5hrs (about 6km) or on running days I run 5-6km and maybe a 30min walk if required.
If I need to get my steps up I'll do a mile of a Leslie Sansone walking DVD which takes about 15mins.
That will give me 15000-20000 every day.0 -
collectingblues wrote: »TilKingdomCome wrote: »Is it because your calories granted in the activities is more than what the adjustment would have been?
I suspect this may be the reason. When you look at the screenshot, it's clear that the activity entries from HealthKit are separated out from what the Watch is carrying over.
I'm really unhappy with the integration between the Watch and MFP. The calorie adjustments are *only* step-based, and those disappear immediately if another activity supercedes it -- like, I usually enter things separately from Runkeeper because of the data (I see a dietitian, and she keeps an eye on the activity, so this makes it easier for her to view everything in one place). I understand that I don't want to double dip (I set a custom goal, so I don't eat back the calories anyway), but it's ridiculous that if I do a three-mile walk *and* do a swim, that the swim will cause MFP to take away all of the calories for the walk. There's something with how MFP thinks the Watch is calculating the burn -- I know this, because when I look at the projected for the day, it's very different from what the Watch is saying. This changes based on the activity level -- but it isn't changing within the Watch. Something in the interface is telling MFP that the Watch is assigning X calories automatically based on whether you are sedentary, lightly activity, etc. -- but that doesn't actually match the reality of what the Watch is calculating on its own.
I trust the Watch more than I trust the MFP burn, so I go with that.
OP, what I've done is to average the TDEE over a week from the Watch in the activity pane that you show. I then enter that as a custom goal with TDEE-250 a day -200 for hypoglycemia treatment (I'm type 1 diabetic, so subtracting 200 off the bat means that I'm not doing the head games on logging hypo treatment foods). But, the caveat with that is that I never ever eat back exercise calories.
I know that although my day-to-day exercise may not always be the same, over a week-to-week perspective (and month to month, if I'm not dealing with injury) it typically is. So this approach works well for me.
I downloaded lose it and I'm giving that a try. It does seems to work better. At least it gives a step adjustment lol. Granted I don't plan on eating those adjustments back especially on workout days. But it at least gives me something to go by if I'm feeling weak and fatigued then I know I should probably eat more.
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The Watch does log swim (no cycle, although it claims to have figured it out based on heart rate ... I don't spin much anyway, so whatever) -- but no, there's definitely a miscalculation between the Watch TDEE and MFP.
Case in point:
Today, so far, I've got 51 "active" calories on the watch and 518 "resting" calories. I know based on how my day usually goes, that if I do no workouts tonight, I'll probably see ~200 calories or so by end of day.
If I extrapolate that 518 (divide it by 9.5, since that's accurate as of 9:30, and then multiply it by 24), that gives me around 1308 for the day.
Adding the two together takes us to around 1500. And that's fairly accurate for a day when I have no activity.
MFP, on the other hand? It says that the Watch says I'll burn 1715 over the course of the day. And it has already given me 9 calories from the Watch for today. (The MFP projected burn was 1706.)
If I were going by MFP, that's basically eating my entire deficit.
Likewise, if I adjust to sedentary (I'm in the ballpark of non-activity steps [AKA, not including my runs] in the average of 5,000 a day, so lightly activity works best for me), it doesn't actually give me a negative adjustment. Instead, it lowers both the Watch projection and the MFP projection. I could understand it lowering the MFP projection, but it shouldn't be lowering the Watch projection.
I simply don't trust the MFP adjustments. It's much easier and safer for me to go by the Watch and enter a custom goal, especially in light of some of the recent studies that say that the Watch is more accurate than Fitbit and some of the other models on the market.0 -
TilKingdomCome wrote: »Somewhat unrelated, but for those who regularly manage to do 15,000 to 20,000 steps in one day...how the heck do you manage it? Isn't that like 3-4 hours of walking?
I get between 3000-5000 steps at work and walk 1.5hrs (about 6km) or on running days I run 5-6km and maybe a 30min walk if required.
If I need to get my steps up I'll do a mile of a Leslie Sansone walking DVD which takes about 15mins.
That will give me 15000-20000 every day.
When I worked in healthcare I would get 20,000 steps just at work. Now I'm lucky to get 5000 on a rest day unless I'm running errands or go for a walk around my neighborhood. I don't ever log my outside walking as exercise because I'm just doing it to get to 10,000 steps lol
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I get 1 calorie for taking over 200 steps
But 1 calorie for over 7200 steps is accurate lol
Just showing my point of how inconsistent it is
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I think MFP adjustments have something to do with time of day too. That's one reason that never was my favorite approach, even with Fitbit.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »I think MFP adjustments have something to do with time of day too. That's one reason that never was my favorite approach, even with Fitbit.
That's what the guy I talked to from MFP said last night. It projects how many steps are taken by a certain time. He said usually after you hit 2000 steps by a specific time. But I'm at 261 and it's 10:33am here. There's days I already have 3000 steps by now and a 0 adjustment lol.
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I'm having this issue, too. It gives me step credits until I add a workout, then nada. It's really irritating.
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