Fitbit sync and MFP question
ejoyk113
Posts: 7 Member
I've looked for this answer around the thread, but I can't find it (so if it's somewhere I didn't see, please let me know!) I have a fitbit and I connect it to MFP. My fitbit tracks most of my exercise (although it's bad at tracking my swimming) and I read that the calories from the fitbit exercises and my cardio go into MFP. The only thing is, the actual exercises (ex. 30 mins of running) don't go into MFP. I've tried to add exercise via MFP but when I add it, it tracks back to my fitbit and double my exercise for the day, thus changing the calories. Can someone explain this to me? I'm new to this and just want to make sure that I'm actually getting the right calorie count.
I think the biggest question is, if my fitbit doesn't track the exercise (I swam laps for 30 minutes today and it tracked 9 minutes), what is the best way to add it into MFP without having it track the calories back to Fitbit? for example, If I add 30 mins to MFP, it adds the 30 to the 9 minutes I already had. I guess I could technically just add 21 mins to MFP but...idk if that is correct either.
Thanks in advance for help or direction to the right thread!
I think the biggest question is, if my fitbit doesn't track the exercise (I swam laps for 30 minutes today and it tracked 9 minutes), what is the best way to add it into MFP without having it track the calories back to Fitbit? for example, If I add 30 mins to MFP, it adds the 30 to the 9 minutes I already had. I guess I could technically just add 21 mins to MFP but...idk if that is correct either.
Thanks in advance for help or direction to the right thread!
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Replies
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Fitbit uses your all day movement (including exercise) to estimate your calorie burn.
MFP uses your user-stated activity level to estimate how much you will burn in a day.
Both use you stats and a formula for BMR as well.
When you sync Fitbit to MFP, MFP gets your total cals burned as of the sync time, and compares to what it expected.
An example may help...
Lets say my BMR is 1200 per day and based on my activity level, MFP expects me to burn 1800 per day. Note that 1800/day averages to 75/hour and 1200/day averages to 50/hour.
MFP assumes the burn is consistent all day - as it cannot factor in how we sleep some hours, are active other hours, and how part of the day falls somewhere in between. Fitbit, however, tracks movement so it does not make any assumptions.
I wake up at 6am. I sync. Fitbit says I have burned 50x6=300 cals and MFP thinks I should have burned 75x6=450. So I am -150 adjustment at the moment. I do regular morning stuff, and get in an hour run. By 8am, Fitbit says my total burned as of NOW is 670. MFP expected 75x8=600, so now I am +70.
Each time you sync, MFP does this calculation. It takes what Fitbit shows as your actual burn and compares to what it calculated.
Fastforward to late in the day: Its 9pm, and Fitbit says I have burned 1800. As of 9pm, MFP expected 21x75=1575 so I'm +225. But I'm going to bed. I am not going to burn 75 per hour (what MFP expects) from 9pm-midnight. This is why when I sync tomorrow, the adjustment for today decreases. My midnight #s from Fitbit will be about 1950, so +150 will be the final adjustment.
Fitbit does NOT send your exercise data to MFP, just your total calorie burn.4 -
PS-for how to handle untracked data? Best way is to log it in Fitbit, in my opinion. Then it will be in the calories tracked that Fitbit sends to MFP.2
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If you want to show the activities on your MFP feed but want to avoid double logging, just log them as 1 minute/ 1 calorie. Offset the time slightly from when Fitbit recorded it so it doesn't overwrite. That's what I used to do (I don't bother anymore though).2
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stacimarie1015 wrote: »PS-for how to handle untracked data? Best way is to log it in Fitbit, in my opinion. Then it will be in the calories tracked that Fitbit sends to MFP.stacimarie1015 wrote: »PS-for how to handle untracked data? Best way is to log it in Fitbit, in my opinion. Then it will be in the calories tracked that Fitbit sends to MFP.stacimarie1015 wrote: »PS-for how to handle untracked data? Best way is to log it in Fitbit, in my opinion. Then it will be in the calories tracked that Fitbit sends to MFP.stacimarie1015 wrote: »PS-for how to handle untracked data? Best way is to log it in Fitbit, in my opinion. Then it will be in the calories tracked that Fitbit sends to MFP.
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There is no double-logging issue.
Fitbit is a replace only database, not add. Unless you get the time wrong of course and leave original entry, manual entries always overwrite original data.
Need this to understand.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy/p1
So if swimming wasn't tracked at all, then adding on MFP merely replaces a chunk of time with nothing but sleeping level burn there.
If it tracked 9 min and you log 30, it's replaced.
Suggest adding on Fitbit though since it's database usage is better, also more intensity levels for many workouts the device is bad at estimating - like intervals or lifting type stuff that is best NOT done with HR-based calorie burn.
Then on MFP - if you want friends to see workout - merely make a wall post about it, with more info than you'd get otherwise.
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If you want to show the activities on your MFP feed but want to avoid double logging, just log them as 1 minute/ 1 calorie. Offset the time slightly from when Fitbit recorded it so it doesn't overwrite. That's what I used to do (I don't bother anymore though).
Is it better to log your daily nutrition using Fitbit and let it sync to MFP or vice versa? I’ve been logging my exercise using Fitbit and nutrition using MFP.
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elizabethrhoads78 wrote: »If you want to show the activities on your MFP feed but want to avoid double logging, just log them as 1 minute/ 1 calorie. Offset the time slightly from when Fitbit recorded it so it doesn't overwrite. That's what I used to do (I don't bother anymore though).
Is it better to log your daily nutrition using Fitbit and let it sync to MFP or vice versa? I’ve been logging my exercise using Fitbit and nutrition using MFP.
I use MFP for nutrition entry. Database is much larger and easier to use.1 -
elizabethrhoads78 wrote: »If you want to show the activities on your MFP feed but want to avoid double logging, just log them as 1 minute/ 1 calorie. Offset the time slightly from when Fitbit recorded it so it doesn't overwrite. That's what I used to do (I don't bother anymore though).
Is it better to log your daily nutrition using Fitbit and let it sync to MFP or vice versa? I’ve been logging my exercise using Fitbit and nutrition using MFP.
Absolutely do NOT follow that advice about logging as 1 cal.
When you log 1 calorie for say an hour of exercise on MFP - that will feed over to Fitbit and replace that whole calorie burn hour with 1 calorie.
Talk about useless info at that point. And totally wrong.
You are doing it correct.
Fitbit for activity info and goals.
MFP for eating info and goals.0 -
There is no double-logging issue.
Fitbit is a replace only database, not add. Unless you get the time wrong of course and leave original entry, manual entries always overwrite original data.
Need this to understand.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy/p1
So if swimming wasn't tracked at all, then adding on MFP merely replaces a chunk of time with nothing but sleeping level burn there.
If it tracked 9 min and you log 30, it's replaced.
Suggest adding on Fitbit though since it's database usage is better, also more intensity levels for many workouts the device is bad at estimating - like intervals or lifting type stuff that is best NOT done with HR-based calorie burn.
Then on MFP - if you want friends to see workout - merely make a wall post about it, with more info than you'd get otherwise.
So I'm thinking of going back to using my fitbit for tracking workouts. As it seems more accurate than my smartwatch for monitoring specific activities. However, I still use my smart watch as a daily wear item and use it to track my steps which are imported to MFP from Shealth. I have all other activities turned off from the smart watch.
No auto detect activities. Just manually track specific workouts using UA record.
Now I want to use my fitbit on for exercise tracking instead. So I will put it on when I do a workout, and turn on the proper workout tracking setting. So my question becomes will fitbit try to do this complicated calculation your are talking about, or can I set it to simply import my workouts to MFP. Right now I'm not seeing anything come from fitbit. But I wonder if its because I used both yesterday so I could compare and the UA record sync'd to mfp. Maybe because of the time stamp fitbit didn't import? MFP and Fitbit both say they are sync'd but I'm not seeing any impact to myfitnesspal as of yet. Not sure if its a MFP sync issue, it seemed like my UA record took about 24hours to finally sync up the first time. Just curious if you know how this would work.0 -
If you have Fitbit on for only a workout, it's going to estimate all the other time as BMR rate of calorie burn.
Which it will send to MFP if you sync the 2.
Which is of course incorrect and will likely result in negative calories.
Workouts are not synced to MFP from most activity trackers - merely the daily calorie burn. The workout is part of that of course.
I'm not sure how you could tell the Shealth to ignore workouts if it still sees the steps associated with a workout and attempts to estimate a calorie burn on it.
Because the steps synced into MFP aren't used for any calculations, merely display.
There is one I recall though that itself tracks activity above and beyond expected, and syncs that and steps over to MFP, but I don't know if it gets a read of MFP activity level and does the math, or MFP is actually doing the math. I'm thinking the former, because looking through MFP API's doesn't show the latter as an option. I'm sure if a company threw enough money at MFP they might budge though.
I'd hope MFP would only allow syncing with 1 activity tracker as a messing problem otherwise - so that's probably why no sync showed up. I'm surprised it would even allow it.
I've seen people setup a loop sync between 3-4 accounts and cause problems too.
If MFP says Fitbit is connected, you might confirm if Negative calorie adjustment is enabled - as I mentioned above - that usage so far should cause it.
But it's wrong.
I'd disconnect accounts if that's the only usage of Fitbit.
Take it's recommendation of calorie burn for a workout and manually create one on MFP.
Only have your SHealth synced, so steps and it's estimate of daily calorie burn should come across.1 -
Thanks that what I was afraid of, in regards to the fitbit.
For your information, when setting S Health its very detailed in what it will receive versus send. So I can have it send only steps. Its capable of sending workouts, food, weight and sleep info as well. Its also can receive and record workouts from other apps, etc. I have all that turned off so it doesn't double dip. I send my workouts direct from UA record (3rd party app on the watch and phone) to MFP and they come in as recorded workouts not generic cal burned for the day. So my exercise diary will look something like 400 kcal from UA Weights and 500 kcal from Shealth adjustment. In this case the SHealth adjustment is only steps, because I turned off auto detect and I'm not recording workouts with Shealth software. There will be some overlap due to the steps taken during the workout.
That's what I was hoping for with the Fitbit, but it sounds like fitbit will send data as a lump sum for the day. That stinks because the UA record from what I'm hearing from others is commonly over estimating even more than other trackers., I guess I can unsync and manually enter the fit bit data.0 -
elizabethrhoads78 wrote: »If you want to show the activities on your MFP feed but want to avoid double logging, just log them as 1 minute/ 1 calorie. Offset the time slightly from when Fitbit recorded it so it doesn't overwrite. That's what I used to do (I don't bother anymore though).
Is it better to log your daily nutrition using Fitbit and let it sync to MFP or vice versa? I’ve been logging my exercise using Fitbit and nutrition using MFP.
Absolutely do NOT follow that advice about logging as 1 cal.
When you log 1 calorie for say an hour of exercise on MFP - that will feed over to Fitbit and replace that whole calorie burn hour with 1 calorie.
Talk about useless info at that point. And totally wrong.
You are doing it correct.
Fitbit for activity info and goals.
MFP for eating info and goals.
That's why I said 1 minute and make sure the time doesn't overlap so the exercise doesn't get overwritten... I personally don't do it that way anymore, but losing 1 minute of TDEE isn't going to cause most people problems, and I did that very successfully while losing 70 lbs, using Fitbit to determine my exercise calories & send them back to MFP via the adjustment, eating back 100% of them and recording food on MFP, and logging 1 minute/1 calorie exercises to MFP listing what I did once per day.0 -
Ah, ok, that's not so bad.
But in that case, the exercise diary on MFP is useless log of workouts of 1 min and 1 cal - so why even bother logging a workout.
I mention this because people still give the 1 cal advice and it gets passed on - sadly NOT with reference to 1 min at different time.
And that's pretty bad effect without it.
So I always recommend to just make a wall post of more useful info about your workout - it's the chance to inspire others!1
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