Apple Watch + MFP settings help!

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1fit_mamma
1fit_mamma Posts: 101 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

Quick question if anyone knows...

I used to have a Fitbit which I loved, I had MFP set to sedentary and then I ate back all my activity/exercise calories Fitbit gave me on top of BMR each day and found that really motivating. Fast forward and I was gifted an Apple Watch which is great, but I’m really confused by the rings and my move calorie setting, does it impact what MFP will give me as calories burned?
Basically I am looking for settings across both apps (Apple and MFP) that will give me similar output as the Fitbit, ie- BMR + calories burned = available calories for the day

Any help would be appreciated, have tried to look at posts but can’t find the answer.

Replies

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    edited December 2017
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    The Move rings do not do anything to MFP. Try to think of them as a personal goal of general activity level. However, deliberate logged AW workouts will port over to MFP and be added to your available calories for the day. Unlike Fitbit, you do have to start and stop a workout for it to register, as the AW steps up its HR monitoring during that time.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    Yeah, I switched from a Fitbit to an Apple Watch back in October, and although I find the move and exercise rings independently motivating, neither of them translates particularly well to calorie counting. I use MFP's activity setting and my own data for general burn and the watch for intentional exercise through the workout app. It will show you "active" and "total" calories, the latter of which I assume includes BMR. I've also found the step adjustment to be pretty accurate, although there is an occasional glitch where a giant negative deduction will show up after a workout is logged. I just delete it manually and the correct step adjustment usually shows up the next time the apps sync.
  • 1fit_mamma
    1fit_mamma Posts: 101 Member
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    Thanks @MelanieCN77, good to know about the workout function- will make sure I start/stop. Yes just need to adjust thinking regarding what the Apple Watch offers, hopefully I can get what I need from it :)

    @MegaMooseEsq thanks that’s helpful. Just to clarify, in those instances when you need to delete the workout to get the step count, do you add back in manually? Can you do that with Apple? Otherwise I’m guessing it would effect your total active calorie burn right? Also, do you use negative adjustments in your MFP settings?

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    You can't manually add to the Apple stuff, but you can to MFP.

    There's a small bug in the interface that erases my step calories if I log a workout (so, every day) and I actually let it be. For my casual steps in a day I don't think there's anything there worth eating back. Unless you're super active during the day outside of workouts, I recommend setting MFP to sedentary, turning off negative calorie adjustments, and being thorough in logging your workouts on AW and accept just those calories as your extras.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited December 2017
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    1fit_mamma wrote: »
    Thanks @MelanieCN77, good to know about the workout function- will make sure I start/stop. Yes just need to adjust thinking regarding what the Apple Watch offers, hopefully I can get what I need from it :)

    @MegaMooseEsq thanks that’s helpful. Just to clarify, in those instances when you need to delete the workout to get the step count, do you add back in manually? Can you do that with Apple? Otherwise I’m guessing it would effect your total active calorie burn right? Also, do you use negative adjustments in your MFP settings?

    I don't delete the workout, I delete the extra step adjustment. That said, I was watching closely this morning, and I think the bug has been correcting itself. I got up around 6:00, walk around a little bit feeding pets and making coffee, at which point MFP shows a few hundred steps and a 0 adjustment. I then do a 17 minute stationary bike workout, after which, MFP shows three entries: 90 calories for the workout, 0 calories step adjustment, AND -260 step adjustment. I've been deleting that last entry, but this time I left it alone. After my standard 10 minute walk to work, the workout is still there, the -260 is gone, and there's just a single step adjustment of -15, which sounds just about right given that I did not walk the dogs around the block this morning like I often do. For context, I am set to "active" on MFP and do have negative adjustments enabled.

    So long story short, be aware of the bug, but see if it works itself out (or just disable negative adjustments if it's driving you bonkers). The Watch will get smarter as it learns your habits. Like all of this calorie counting stuff, it's all an educated guess, and only your own data over time will tell you if you're on track.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    edited December 2017
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    Is the pedometer accurate on the Apple watch for just everyday steps, like in housework and walking around, stairway, shopping and steps in the apartment etc?
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
    edited December 2017
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    Gamliela wrote: »
    Is the pedometer accurate on the Apple watch for just everyday steps, like in housework and walking around, stairway, shopping and steps in the apartment etc?

    I got the Apple Watch 3 Nike GPS+Cellular version this month and it is spot on with my step count. I’ve had them all and this one seems to be the best in terms of accuracy. It even does a great job of tracking my HR and sleep thanks to the “AutoSleep” that I’m using.
    I had the Fitbit Ionic for a day or 2 to compare it to the AW 3, but it didn’t do a great job of tracking my HR during my intense workouts and also gave me more steps then I had actually taken. The longer you use your Apple Watch it will learn your daily patterns.

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