Apple Watch not syncing workouts

pattonsm
pattonsm Posts: 1 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

I have an Apple Watch, and my health app has everything checked (although it is not showing up under My Apps in MFP).

My problem is that MFP doesn't always sync my workouts from the watch, sometimes they show up, sometimes they don't. I don't think I'm doing anything different on the days that the workouts sync.

Is anyone else having this issue? Do I need to log in right after for the workouts to show up?

Thanks!
Sandee

Replies

  • kevinbohan4
    kevinbohan4 Posts: 1 Member
    That is annoying that 2 years later your question has still not been answered.
  • twatson4936
    twatson4936 Posts: 121 Member
    I see lots of posts for Garmin and fitbit. Maybe not as many Apple Watch users. I found this on Apple thread.
    "You just need to make sure that health kit integration is active in MyFitnessPal. What happens when I use my watch is that I start a workout, and then when the workout is done, I stop the workout on my watch, and then save the workout. Usually within a minute or two the activity is sync'd up to MyFitnessPal."
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Ya, 2 years ago it was just starting, and not nearly as many using it then.

    MFP doesn't sync as in ask for workouts - the 2rd party sends the info.
    MFP may have failed to add it, or Apple may have failed to send it.

    I know the way Apple sends the 2 vital pieces of info is wrong so the math MFP does to correct itself is wrong.

    Apple does not send a daily calorie burn that includes workouts, or the extra activity above what it considers sedentary base level.
    But it does send the workouts.

    Well, MFP is expecting a daily calorie burn to be just that - the whole daily calorie burn, workouts and extra activity included.

    So it does math that results in a screwed up eating goal.

    You really can't sync directly from Apple.
    Several have found another app that does sync with MFP and Apple, and sends the data as expected - TDEE is TDEE.
    Workouts are workouts.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Do you use regular run or walk or are you using "other" and naming it something specific? If MFP doesn't have that particular names exercise in its database it won't import it. The good news is if you leave it as "other" without naming it, it is exactly the same but MFP will indeed synch it.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Ya, 2 years ago it was just starting, and not nearly as many using it then.

    MFP doesn't sync as in ask for workouts - the 2rd party sends the info.
    MFP may have failed to add it, or Apple may have failed to send it.

    I know the way Apple sends the 2 vital pieces of info is wrong so the math MFP does to correct itself is wrong.

    Apple does not send a daily calorie burn that includes workouts, or the extra activity above what it considers sedentary base level.
    But it does send the workouts.

    Well, MFP is expecting a daily calorie burn to be just that - the whole daily calorie burn, workouts and extra activity included.

    So it does math that results in a screwed up eating goal.

    You really can't sync directly from Apple.
    Several have found another app that does sync with MFP and Apple, and sends the data as expected - TDEE is TDEE.
    Workouts are workouts.

    If it's not sending just some workouts, I put money on it being a simple naming issue, as mentioned above.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Very true.

    But since the math done on the syncing as a whole is screwed up, better to just avoid direct syncing.

    Because even if the workout failed to come over - a correctly sent TDEE would mean it's still accounted for in the daily stats. And MFP could do correction math.

    But the way it stands now, sent or not, the math MFP does with the info sent is incorrect.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Correct on the technicalities but nothing wrong with just syncing workouts and allowing MFP to ballpark the NEAT based on chosen activity level.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Can you select to sync only workouts to MFP?

    Normally if a workout shows up in the Exercise diary, whether synced from the tracker, or manual enter or another 3rd party (MMR for instance) (if not from the tracker then MFP syncs workout to it) - MFP assumes the tracker sending TDEE info already has the workout within that calorie burn, since that's what TDEE means.

    Since MFP already knows about it, it must subtract it from the TDEE figure before it does math or it would be double counted.

    But since Apple is sending a sedentary TDEE figure, and not actual which includes the workouts - it results in the workout being removed in essence.
    Say this happened:

    Apple 2000 - 2000 MFP estimated - 200 workout = neg 200 adjustment.

    Base eating goal 1500 + 200 workout + neg 200 = 1500 eating goal.


    Problem is that Apple 2000 does not contain the 200 workout, or any activity above sedentary.
    Even if you were sedentary with only that workout, it should be like this:

    Apple 2200 - 2000 MFP - 200 workout = 0 adjustment

    Eating 1500 + 200 workout = 1700 (which keeps the 500 deficit from the 2200 TDEE)


    Add the extra activity you may have above and beyond sedentary, and the deficit just gets worse because that's not seen at all by MFP.
    Do this during the day when MFP is trying to estimate rest of the day calorie burn - it can really create a bigger deficits.

    That's why some special care and methods needs to be done with syncing with Apple straight away.
  • twatson4936
    twatson4936 Posts: 121 Member
    Glad I bought a Garmin instead of Apple
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    heybales you're overcomplicating this OP's question, like a lot.
    twatson4936 wrote: »
    Glad I bought a Garmin instead of Apple

    And the problem isn't the Watch.
This discussion has been closed.

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