MFP Subtracting exercise calories
Corbi11
Posts: 5 Member
I'm having an issue with MFP subtracting my exercise calories... I tried updating the "negative calorie adjustments" multiple times and hasn't worked.
Here's an example of what it's doing:
Calorie goal 2000 - Food intake of 1500 - Exercise calories of 500 = No calories remaining
Instead it should be:
Calorie goal 2000 - Food intake of 1500 + Exercise calories of 500 = 1000 calories remaining
It just started doing it and I have no idea why. I don't recall changing any settings to do this. Suggestions? (also tried logging out and back in and restarting my phone)
Here's an example of what it's doing:
Calorie goal 2000 - Food intake of 1500 - Exercise calories of 500 = No calories remaining
Instead it should be:
Calorie goal 2000 - Food intake of 1500 + Exercise calories of 500 = 1000 calories remaining
It just started doing it and I have no idea why. I don't recall changing any settings to do this. Suggestions? (also tried logging out and back in and restarting my phone)
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Replies
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1 How are you tracking the exercise? Fitness tracker, manual input?
2 What is your activity level set at on mfp?0 -
It's happening to me too! I've tried disconnecting and reconnecting my misfit multiple times and it fixes it until the next day when it happens again. Super annoying!0
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Aw yeah, I think therr was another post from someone w the same issue and also used a misfit. I'd say there is something wrong w the formula that is being used between misfit-mfp.1
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I am using Samsung health and it is negating any exercise that I do.0
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PennStateChick wrote: »1 How are you tracking the exercise? Fitness tracker, manual input?
2 What is your activity level set at on mfp?
1 - I'm just talking about the steps tracked on my iPhone. I added an exercise as well, but only put 1 calorie. I don't have a fitbit or anything else, just tracking my steps.
2 - no idea what activity level is or where I can find that info0 -
Your activity level is chosen when you set up your goals, you can check/amend them by going through the guided set up again. If you have it set too high with negative adjustments enabled, it will subtract the difference.1
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Yea.. so exactly what tinkerbellang83 said about how calories are determined. I'd start with looking in your goals to see where you activity level is set.
I have mine set to sedentary and I have a Fitbit that imports my step count. I let those steps adjust to add more calories in throughout the day. I usually start getting positive calories once I have 2500ish steps for the day. If my activity level was set higher (active), I would get more calories to start the day with the assumption that I would do 10000 steps before getting the extra calories. Anything under that would have the negative adjustment and over would begin to be positive.2 -
do you have an activity level set in MFP than is different from what you actually are?0
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PennStateChick wrote: »1 How are you tracking the exercise? Fitness tracker, manual input?
2 What is your activity level set at on mfp?
1 - I'm just talking about the steps tracked on my iPhone. I added an exercise as well, but only put 1 calorie. I don't have a fitbit or anything else, just tracking my steps.
2 - no idea what activity level is or where I can find that info
When you added that exercise, did it have the option to enter a Start Time? I do not use iOS, so I am not sure if using your iPhone as a step source automatically turns on that option - using an all-day activity tracker does turn on the Start Time option. If you do have to enter a Start Time, make sure you are entering it correctly.
If there is no option to enter a Start Time, then it is possible that adding that exercise activity (and even changing it to only 1 Calorie) is causing the negative adjustment in your iOS step adjustment. Have you done this before with no similar adjustment?
The other possibility is that there is a new bug. Search the Help/FAQ pages for the issue or post your question there.
Edited to add: I thought of another possibility, MFP may only take the number of minutes you logged for that exercise and use the full estimated Calories when determining the iOS step Calorie adjustments. In other words, MFP may ignore the manual override of Calories you entered. If that is the case, that would be a software design flaw (and might explain a lot of the reports of weird Calorie adjustments from users using the iPhone as a step source who also log individual MFP exercises). Hmmm.1 -
To disable negative adjustments go to the Food heading and then Settings. On that menu, under the "Calorie Adjustments" heading on the left, there is a checkbox titled "Enable Negative Adjustments" that I think is selected by default. If you haven't already, try unselecting that.tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Your activity level is chosen when you set up your goals, you can check/amend them by going through the guided set up again. If you have it set too high with negative adjustments enabled, it will subtract the difference.0 -
jeanstudies wrote: »
To disable negative adjustments go to the Food heading and then Settings. On that menu, under the "Calorie Adjustments" heading on the left, there is a checkbox titled "Enable Negative Adjustments" that I think is selected by default. If you haven't already, try unselecting that.tinkerbellang83 wrote: »Your activity level is chosen when you set up your goals, you can check/amend them by going through the guided set up again. If you have it set too high with negative adjustments enabled, it will subtract the difference.
If there is such a massive adjustment it makes sense that the wrong activity level has been set, by disabling negative adjustments OP could find that they are eating more than they intend.0 -
Thanks for your help all...
I have had my activity level set to "Not very active" for years (I figured if I set it on the lowest, it would set my calorie goal lower than if I was at a higher activity level).
Hopefully this sheds some more light on the issue as I noticed something today. It started like this:
Calorie goal 1780 - Food intake of 360 + Steps calorie adjustment 40 = 1460
Then, I added an exercise to test it out:
Calorie goal 1780 - Food intake of 360 + Cardio exercise 500 + Steps calorie adjustment 40 = 1960
It then "magically" changed the steps calorie adjustment to have a negative adjustment on my calories so it now looks like this:
Calorie goal 1780 - Food intake of 360 + Cardio exercise 500 - Steps calorie adjustment 40 = 1880
Negative calorie adjustments are enabled. Activity level remains at Not very active. So odd...0 -
PennStateChick wrote: »1 How are you tracking the exercise? Fitness tracker, manual input?
2 What is your activity level set at on mfp?
1 - I'm just talking about the steps tracked on my iPhone. I added an exercise as well, but only put 1 calorie. I don't have a fitbit or anything else, just tracking my steps.
2 - no idea what activity level is or where I can find that info
When you added that exercise, did it have the option to enter a Start Time? I do not use iOS, so I am not sure if using your iPhone as a step source automatically turns on that option - using an all-day activity tracker does turn on the Start Time option. If you do have to enter a Start Time, make sure you are entering it correctly.
If there is no option to enter a Start Time, then it is possible that adding that exercise activity (and even changing it to only 1 Calorie) is causing the negative adjustment in your iOS step adjustment. Have you done this before with no similar adjustment?
The other possibility is that there is a new bug. Search the Help/FAQ pages for the issue or post your question there.
Edited to add: I thought of another possibility, MFP may only take the number of minutes you logged for that exercise and use the full estimated Calories when determining the iOS step Calorie adjustments. In other words, MFP may ignore the manual override of Calories you entered. If that is the case, that would be a software design flaw (and might explain a lot of the reports of weird Calorie adjustments from users using the iPhone as a step source who also log individual MFP exercises). Hmmm.
Yes I entered the correct start time as well as the minutes performed. It did not correct itself later on in the day. Clearly adding the exercise is changing the steps for some reason. Instead of giving me more calories to use, it's stealing them away!
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Also, another weird quirk is that if I simply delete my exercise, it still leaves the steps as SUBTRACTING calories. Whereas before I added the exercise, the steps ADDED more calories. I thought if I just delete the exercise, it might switch back... but no luck0
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there's been a lot of threads about this recently, I'd contact support as I don't think it's down to user error when it's affecting so many people.0
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Can you unconnect any other apps/devices from MFP?0
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So how does it work? If your settings are set lower you get more calories later in the day? And if it's set to higher you get more calories in the morning? Confused. Mines at lightly active and my fitbit syncs0
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Famof72015 wrote: »So how does it work? If your settings are set lower you get more calories later in the day? And if it's set to higher you get more calories in the morning? Confused. Mines at lightly active and my fitbit syncs
That's exactly how it works. If you choose a lower activity setting, you get fewer calories "up front," but you start earning adjustments at a lower level of activity than someone with a higher setting. Someone who chooses a higher activity setting gets more calories at the beginning of the day, but needs to move more in order to begin getting adjustments.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Famof72015 wrote: »So how does it work? If your settings are set lower you get more calories later in the day? And if it's set to higher you get more calories in the morning? Confused. Mines at lightly active and my fitbit syncs
That's exactly how it works. If you choose a lower activity setting, you get fewer calories "up front," but you start earning adjustments at a lower level of activity than someone with a higher setting. Someone who chooses a higher activity setting gets more calories at the beginning of the day, but needs to move more in order to begin getting adjustments.
So wouldn't I want my setting to be higher so I have to "earn" those extra calories? By getting up and walking more.
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Famof72015 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Famof72015 wrote: »So how does it work? If your settings are set lower you get more calories later in the day? And if it's set to higher you get more calories in the morning? Confused. Mines at lightly active and my fitbit syncs
That's exactly how it works. If you choose a lower activity setting, you get fewer calories "up front," but you start earning adjustments at a lower level of activity than someone with a higher setting. Someone who chooses a higher activity setting gets more calories at the beginning of the day, but needs to move more in order to begin getting adjustments.
So wouldn't I want my setting to be higher so I have to "earn" those extra calories? By getting up and walking more.
I don't think anyone in this thread has expressed any judgment about what people should do. Some people do prefer to have their activity setting higher, some don't. It's a preference thing, there's no wrong or right way to do it.1 -
All I was saying or I guess asking was.... if I want to earn those extra calories, I would need to up my activity level? Is that right0
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Famof72015 wrote: »All I was saying or I guess asking was.... if I want to earn those extra calories, I would need to up my activity level? Is that right
You will have the same result either way.
Let's just assume you and I have the same stats and move the same amount in a given day. You choose sedentary and you get a goal of 1,500 and you move enough to get 300 more calories for a total of 1,800. I choose lightly active and I get a goal of 1,800. We're both in the same spot, you're just getting there through adjustments.
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What do you see if you click on your Fitbit adjusted calories?
Open your diary, click on the adjustment, click on the "extra calories burned." It should tell you why/how the adjustment was made and should help you to figure out if it's calculating based on the previously entered exercise calories.0 -
wdedoelder wrote: »I am using Samsung health and it is negating any exercise that I do.
Me too. I contacted them about it several weeks ago (a month?) and the tech guy said they are working on it. lol....
They (it's just that one guy really) sure are taking their time.
I'm not holding my breath.0
This discussion has been closed.
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