Frequently Asked Questions about the Apple Watch 3
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Edited because the second pic hadn’t shown up.0
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okiewoman510 wrote: »Edited because the second pic hadn’t shown up.
Are your time zones set correctly on MFP? That could be throwing off the sync a bit.0 -
I have MFP and FITiV (activity tracker) and Watch2 - I use the MFP for food only and the watch & FITiV track the activity. Everything is 'sposed to go through Apple Health. I get consistent data when I have logged in to MFP on the mobile app. If I don't log in on the mobile MFP app, the exercise data doesn't show up (even though they are all hooked up through Apple Health). So if your data is wonky and you usually deal with MFP using the net rather than your mobile app, try using the mobile app.
In terms of calorie differences, my watch and FITiV have somewhat different algorithms. But it's usually fairly close and I don't eat them all back in any case. I also have my FITiV set up to "give" only 75% or what it tracks. Somehow, it all seems to work.1 -
I find that my steps are being double counted. After a walk there are two separate lines showing my walk and calories burned. I saw someone mentioned this at one time but I can't figure out how to correct the problem. Can anyone help this new apple watch owner?0
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So I am poking around my data on MFP coming from the Apple Watch. So far I have experienced:
1. I often get two calorie corrections, with the second being the equivalent of workout calorie burns. (For example, maybe I walked for 30 minutes and did yoga, the second negative correction is the equivalent of the calorie burn from these two exercises.
2. Apple's total calories burned for the day on the activity app does not equal what MFP says the IOS app is telling it.
3. Several days exercises transferred over twice.
Is this worth it? Any workarounds?
For the next couple of days, I am going to wear my old Fitbit (which I disconnected from MFP) and see how the daily calorie burns compare. Already I now that the step counts between the watch and the Fitbit One are different (which I am less concerned about than the estimation of calorie burn)
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TomDavisSr wrote: »I find that my steps are being double counted. After a walk there are two separate lines showing my walk and calories burned. I saw someone mentioned this at one time but I can't figure out how to correct the problem. Can anyone help this new apple watch owner?
Are the entries identical? Can you post a screenshot? There's should be one entry for "calorie adjustment" and then a separate line/s for each workout entered. The calorie adjustment should make sure double-counting doesn't happen, but it's possible something is wonky.0 -
I have MFP and FITiV (activity tracker) and Watch2 - I use the MFP for food only and the watch & FITiV track the activity. Everything is 'sposed to go through Apple Health. I get consistent data when I have logged in to MFP on the mobile app. If I don't log in on the mobile MFP app, the exercise data doesn't show up (even though they are all hooked up through Apple Health). So if your data is wonky and you usually deal with MFP using the net rather than your mobile app, try using the mobile app.
In terms of calorie differences, my watch and FITiV have somewhat different algorithms. But it's usually fairly close and I don't eat them all back in any case. I also have my FITiV set up to "give" only 75% or what it tracks. Somehow, it all seems to work.
I wonder if this might be what's throwing your total calories off, @okiewoman510 and @fougamou. Mine are often close but not perfect. Ultimately, I've had to accept that the Watch is giving estimates and is helpful but far from perfect. All the numbers have to be taken with a grain of salt.So I am poking around my data on MFP coming from the Apple Watch. So far I have experienced:
1. I often get two calorie corrections, with the second being the equivalent of workout calorie burns. (For example, maybe I walked for 30 minutes and did yoga, the second negative correction is the equivalent of the calorie burn from these two exercises.
2. Apple's total calories burned for the day on the activity app does not equal what MFP says the IOS app is telling it.
3. Several days exercises transferred over twice.
Is this worth it? Any workarounds?
For the next couple of days, I am going to wear my old Fitbit (which I disconnected from MFP) and see how the daily calorie burns compare. Already I now that the step counts between the watch and the Fitbit One are different (which I am less concerned about than the estimation of calorie burn)
1. Does the second negative correction go away after a while or by the end of the day? I wonder if this is the same as the glitch that temporarily shows a single giant negative correction or two negative corrections.
3. Workouts transferring twice seems like a glitch that might need a reinstall. Alternatively you should be able to manually delete entries, although it would be annoying if it happened often. Is it always the same type of workout?0 -
For those with the apple watch 3. Apple Health does not sync the Total Calories figure over thats why you see the discrepancy. What is does is take your number of steps and calculates your estimated calories. It does not read the calorie data from the Apple Activity app. It sucks. You can sync your workouts and use it that way but the adjustment feature is garbage. I'll try to find the help desk thread where they confirmed this.
The lose it app does read that data and it works splendid on it but I prefer the food database on MFP.
ETA:
Below is the link where they confirm they don't read the calorie data. All they read is step data and then calculate an estimate based on steps. It is ridiculous.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/15921444-myfitnesspal-and-apple-watch-calories-don-t-match2 -
Here is thread where they only talk about using "step data" which is different from the Total Calories figure.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/16766306-how-do-i-get-apple-activity-which-is-on-the-iphone-and-the-apple-watch-to-sync-with-mfp-1 -
DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »Here is thread where they only talk about using "step data" which is different from the Total Calories figure.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/16766306-how-do-i-get-apple-activity-which-is-on-the-iphone-and-the-apple-watch-to-sync-with-mfp-
Not that you're necessarily wrong on the sync issue, but that post is from December 2016, well before the Watch 3 was released, and I can confirm that at least one part is out of date (syncing "other" exercises works fine now). I don't think that "answer" is doing anything other than copying the FAQ, and doesn't directly address the steps vs. activity question.
I don't have time to dig into it right now, but I am curious. MFP is certainly getting workouts from the Activity App, so they're talking somehow. It wouldn't shock me if they were only adjusting based on steps less logged activities, though, which you're right is a drag, but at least it's probably mainly erring on the side of underestimating calories burned.0 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »Here is thread where they only talk about using "step data" which is different from the Total Calories figure.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/16766306-how-do-i-get-apple-activity-which-is-on-the-iphone-and-the-apple-watch-to-sync-with-mfp-
Not that you're necessarily wrong on the sync issue, but that post is from December 2016, well before the Watch 3 was released, and I can confirm that at least one part is out of date (syncing "other" exercises works fine now).
I don't have time to dig into the total calories vs. step sync right now, but I am curious about it. MFP is certainly getting workouts from the Activity App, so they're talking somehow. It wouldn't surprise me if they were only adjusting based on steps less logged activities, though, which you're right is a drag, but at least it's probably mainly erring on the side of underestimating calories burned.
That doesn't explain why adjustments for someone like me who does just walking - and I'm not talking about a dedicated activity, just movement throughout the day - is seeing a less than 50 calorie adjustment for 11k+ steps. With Fitbit, I would see 300 or more. And the projections aren't right, either. The Activity app on my phone will be on par with what Fitbit would report, but the MFP adjusted estimation is off by hundreds of calories.
Maybe I've got a setting wrong along the way? I'll include some screenshots from a while back for reference. My watch is set as first source for Step data in the Health app - is there something else I should be looking at, too?
ETA: I do have a custom calorie goal with exercise adjustments turned off, but that shouldn't affect the reported numbers, right?
~Lyssa
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »Here is thread where they only talk about using "step data" which is different from the Total Calories figure.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/16766306-how-do-i-get-apple-activity-which-is-on-the-iphone-and-the-apple-watch-to-sync-with-mfp-
Not that you're necessarily wrong on the sync issue, but that post is from December 2016, well before the Watch 3 was released, and I can confirm that at least one part is out of date (syncing "other" exercises works fine now). I don't think that "answer" is doing anything other than copying the FAQ, and doesn't directly address the steps vs. activity question.
I don't have time to dig into it right now, but I am curious. MFP is certainly getting workouts from the Activity App, so they're talking somehow. It wouldn't shock me if they were only adjusting based on steps less logged activities, though, which you're right is a drag, but at least it's probably mainly erring on the side of underestimating calories burned.
See the post I edited into my original post where they flat out say they don't read the calorie data from the app but they would update that thread as new functionality is added.
You can see for yourself if you go into the health app > sources > Allow "MyFintesspal" to Read Data section you can see workouts, steps, and distance can be read but not active energy and resting energy.
If you compare that to the lose it app source read data you can see MFP is not ingesting the neccessary info needed to use the apple watch in any significant way for excercise adjustments other than a basic calculation based on your personal stats and number of steps. You can also use the watch to track your workouts and have them sync over without having to manually add them.
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DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »Here is thread where they only talk about using "step data" which is different from the Total Calories figure.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/16766306-how-do-i-get-apple-activity-which-is-on-the-iphone-and-the-apple-watch-to-sync-with-mfp-
Not that you're necessarily wrong on the sync issue, but that post is from December 2016, well before the Watch 3 was released, and I can confirm that at least one part is out of date (syncing "other" exercises works fine now). I don't think that "answer" is doing anything other than copying the FAQ, and doesn't directly address the steps vs. activity question.
I don't have time to dig into it right now, but I am curious. MFP is certainly getting workouts from the Activity App, so they're talking somehow. It wouldn't shock me if they were only adjusting based on steps less logged activities, though, which you're right is a drag, but at least it's probably mainly erring on the side of underestimating calories burned.
See the post I edited into my original post where they flat out say they don't read the calorie data from the app but they would update that thread as new functionality is added.
You can see for yourself if you go into the health app > sources > Allow "MyFintesspal" to Read Data section you can see workouts, steps, and distance can be read but not active energy and resting energy.
If you compare that to the lose it app source read data you can see MFP is not ingesting the neccessary info needed to use the apple watch in any significant way for excercise adjustments other than a basic calculation based on your personal stats and number of steps. You can also use the watch to track your workouts and have them sync over without having to manually add them.
The second link you added is from mid-2015, so I'm not sure it addresses the "out of date" problem from the first link. That said, you're totally right that active and resting energy doesn't show up on that read data list. I wonder if that's because there's no way for the watch itself to actually read "energy" - it's only extrapolating based on steps and heart-rate and so on. It makes sense that the estimates don't line up perfectly, because there's no actual data point as active and resting energy so there's no specific data set the programs can share. As far as I know, the only way to actually directly measure caloric burn is by putting someone in a special room - everything else is just a guess.0 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »Here is thread where they only talk about using "step data" which is different from the Total Calories figure.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/16766306-how-do-i-get-apple-activity-which-is-on-the-iphone-and-the-apple-watch-to-sync-with-mfp-
Not that you're necessarily wrong on the sync issue, but that post is from December 2016, well before the Watch 3 was released, and I can confirm that at least one part is out of date (syncing "other" exercises works fine now). I don't think that "answer" is doing anything other than copying the FAQ, and doesn't directly address the steps vs. activity question.
I don't have time to dig into it right now, but I am curious. MFP is certainly getting workouts from the Activity App, so they're talking somehow. It wouldn't shock me if they were only adjusting based on steps less logged activities, though, which you're right is a drag, but at least it's probably mainly erring on the side of underestimating calories burned.
See the post I edited into my original post where they flat out say they don't read the calorie data from the app but they would update that thread as new functionality is added.
You can see for yourself if you go into the health app > sources > Allow "MyFintesspal" to Read Data section you can see workouts, steps, and distance can be read but not active energy and resting energy.
If you compare that to the lose it app source read data you can see MFP is not ingesting the neccessary info needed to use the apple watch in any significant way for excercise adjustments other than a basic calculation based on your personal stats and number of steps. You can also use the watch to track your workouts and have them sync over without having to manually add them.
The second link you added is from mid-2015, so I'm not sure it addresses the "out of date" problem from the first link. That said, you're totally right that active and resting energy doesn't show up on that read data list. I wonder if that's because there's no way for the watch itself to actually read "energy" - it's only extrapolating based on steps and heart-rate and so on. It makes sense that the estimates don't line up perfectly, because there's no actual data point as active and resting energy so there's no specific data set the programs can share. As far as I know, the only way to actually directly measure caloric burn is by putting someone in a special room - everything else is just a guess.
The total calories the apple watch gives is actually a very simple Active Energy + Resting Energy Calculation. Yes they are estimates but that is the formula. There are other apps, the Lose It app that I know of, that read that data directly from the health/activity app API's. As a result at the end of the day it lines up perfect with the apple activity app calories burned numbers. MFP, for reasons unknown, has just never integrated that functionality.0 -
DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »MegaMooseEsq wrote: »DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »Here is thread where they only talk about using "step data" which is different from the Total Calories figure.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/16766306-how-do-i-get-apple-activity-which-is-on-the-iphone-and-the-apple-watch-to-sync-with-mfp-
Not that you're necessarily wrong on the sync issue, but that post is from December 2016, well before the Watch 3 was released, and I can confirm that at least one part is out of date (syncing "other" exercises works fine now). I don't think that "answer" is doing anything other than copying the FAQ, and doesn't directly address the steps vs. activity question.
I don't have time to dig into it right now, but I am curious. MFP is certainly getting workouts from the Activity App, so they're talking somehow. It wouldn't shock me if they were only adjusting based on steps less logged activities, though, which you're right is a drag, but at least it's probably mainly erring on the side of underestimating calories burned.
See the post I edited into my original post where they flat out say they don't read the calorie data from the app but they would update that thread as new functionality is added.
You can see for yourself if you go into the health app > sources > Allow "MyFintesspal" to Read Data section you can see workouts, steps, and distance can be read but not active energy and resting energy.
If you compare that to the lose it app source read data you can see MFP is not ingesting the neccessary info needed to use the apple watch in any significant way for excercise adjustments other than a basic calculation based on your personal stats and number of steps. You can also use the watch to track your workouts and have them sync over without having to manually add them.
The second link you added is from mid-2015, so I'm not sure it addresses the "out of date" problem from the first link. That said, you're totally right that active and resting energy doesn't show up on that read data list. I wonder if that's because there's no way for the watch itself to actually read "energy" - it's only extrapolating based on steps and heart-rate and so on. It makes sense that the estimates don't line up perfectly, because there's no actual data point as active and resting energy so there's no specific data set the programs can share. As far as I know, the only way to actually directly measure caloric burn is by putting someone in a special room - everything else is just a guess.
The total calories the apple watch gives is actually a very simple Active Energy + Resting Energy Calculation. Yes they are estimates but that is the formula. There are other apps, the Lose It app that I know of, that read that data directly from the health/activity app API's. As a result at the end of the day it lines up perfect with the apple activity app calories burned numbers. MFP, for reasons unknown, has just never integrated that functionality.
That’s a good point. I meant more that there’s no reason to think that Apple’s algorithm for calculating total energy is more or less accurate than MFP’s, and they’d be using the same data. I know for me, it seems to come out in the wash over time. I looked at s couple of weeks of data, and although some days the difference between MFP and Apple was a couple hundred calories or more, it averaged out to -7 over the couple of weeks.0 -
DawnOfTheDead_Lift wrote: »For those with the apple watch 3. Apple Health does not sync the Total Calories figure over thats why you see the discrepancy. What is does is take your number of steps and calculates your estimated calories. It does not read the calorie data from the Apple Activity app. It sucks. You can sync your workouts and use it that way but the adjustment feature is garbage. I'll try to find the help desk thread where they confirmed this.
The lose it app does read that data and it works splendid on it but I prefer the food database on MFP.
ETA:
Below is the link where they confirm they don't read the calorie data. All they read is step data and then calculate an estimate based on steps. It is ridiculous.
https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/15921444-myfitnesspal-and-apple-watch-calories-don-t-match
This is making sense, at least for some of my confusion.0 -
The Pilates Activity in the Apple Watch does not sync with the app.1
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