Why are my steps not adding to my exercise ?

I have the same question. My Garmin logged a 4+ mile/6.6 km brisk walk, MFP calorie count does not reflect that.

Joshua_hill wrote: »

I just wanna make clear that i don't use anything other than just the phones health app for the steps.

Well, first of all, is that app synched to MFP?

Joshua_hill wrote: »

autumnblade75 wrote: »

Well, first of all, is that app synched to MFP?

I would assume so because the steps are being tracked in the MFP app. is there something specific you have to do with the iPhone health app to get it to sync your steps on MFP properly ?

Just checking. I'm assuming that your app works the same way as a Fitbit, and MFP is only giving you credit for the steps that would indicate that your activity level is greater than the level you set when you created your account. That means, if you told it you were sedentary, you'll probably start getting a credit fairly early on - but if you said you were Really Active, you're going to have to work a lot harder to see a calorie credit.

Does that help at all?

@cool_chick_47 I'm really sorry to tell you that I found Garmin to be SUPER stingy with the calorie adjustments. I never got credit for anything but the runs I logged. Either I was doing something wrong (and therefore don't know how to help) or Garmin works a bit different.

Joshua_hill wrote: »

autumnblade75 wrote: »

Well, first of all, is that app synched to MFP?

I would assume so because the steps are being tracked in the MFP app. is there something specific you have to do with the iPhone health app to get it to sync your steps on MFP properly ?

Steps are merely a figure and have nothing directly to do with calories on MFP. On the activity tracker sure, but not MFP.

iPhone directly doesn't work with MFP.

MFP must have been so thrilled Apple was finally willing to spend the money to make a sync, they either didn't tell them they needed a correction or Apple said that's it.

Either way the info given to MFP is wrong and you'll never get good numbers directly.

Need to use another app like Pacer that reaches into Apple Health to get the figures, and then presents them correctly to MFP to do math with so the results are correct.

Right now the more active you are or more workouts - the more you actually have removed, not added, to eating goal.

heybales wrote: »

Joshua_hill wrote: »

autumnblade75 wrote: »

Well, first of all, is that app synched to MFP?

I would assume so because the steps are being tracked in the MFP app. is there something specific you have to do with the iPhone health app to get it to sync your steps on MFP properly ?

Steps are merely a figure and have nothing directly to do with calories on MFP. On the activity tracker sure, but not MFP.

iPhone directly doesn't work with MFP.

Eh? That’s not true at all. I have Apple Health connected to my MFP and it works perfectly.

My steps are counted on the iPhone and the step data is read by MFP. Those calories (what few they are) are added back into my daily calorie equation.

I think I see what you mean.

The calories I get back from walking seems low to me but I prefer it to be a low estimate. Wouldn’t want to eat back too much.

And on my treadmill I’m starting to use more incline. That burns more calories but neither the iPhone nor MFP (nor any other step tracker) can sense or adjust for that.

I might disconnect Apple Health from MFP and manually calculate and add my treadmill exercise calories.

echmain3 wrote: »

I think I see what you mean.

The calories I get back from walking seems low to me but I prefer it to be a low estimate. Wouldn’t want to eat back too much.

And on my treadmill I’m starting to use more incline. That burns more calories but neither the iPhone nor MFP (nor any other step tracker) can sense or adjust for that.

I might disconnect Apple Health from MFP and manually calculate and add my treadmill exercise calories.

If HR-based calorie burn is being used (seems most activity trackers have that, though purely step trackers would not) then increased work load does increase HR and therefore would be noticed for the increased calorie burn.
Because indeed going by impact of steps only, distance will seem shorter and calorie burn lower on an incline otherwise.

When disconnected and you add the workout - the math is correct compared to syncing accounts.
Since MFP is expecting the total daily burn to contain everything, the workouts it knows about are subtracted out before estimates are done. Since Apple sends the workout, but not a correct daily burn - it means not only do you not get credit for the workout, it's removed.

You can still use their base burn and increased daily though to manually set your eating goal or help pick an activity level in MFP.
Recommend a running 3 week average of normal weeks - not a super busy week, nor a sic week.
Not sure if Apple Health gives a nice weekly view of your daily average burn minus the exercise calories.

That's a good point - because while you can pick your eating goal as custom setting - MFP will still have an estimate of your daily burn which it uses with the math for syncing. Can't see or change that value except by changing Activity Levels.
The results of that math MFP does are merely added (or subtracted) to your custom eating goal. Or not as you discovered.
That effect could be alright and desired, or could be total mess up to a plan.

Joshua_hill wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

Please reread - I wasn't commenting on the Steps figure, that's usually not a problem.

You may also be merely using the iPhone as a step reader for MFP to use - but not actually synced between accounts - MFP & Apple.

If you click on the Adjustment for more info - time of sync and the daily burn at that point - and compare to what Apple is saying, you'll see a major flaw if you have the accounts synced (not just allowing MFP to get steps).

Apple is sending to MFP a base burn figure -their estimate of Sedentary.
Apple is sending to MFP any workouts they have listed and their calorie burn.
They are not sending the extra activity figure for calorie burn above Sedentary but not part of workouts.

Those 3 things are different than what the API's and MFP's instructions say to send - and therefore MFP does the math wrong.

If you didn't sync accounts, but merely using the MFP app option to designate a step source as the iPhone, sorry about the confusion.
In which case your option is better than a true sync of accounts, though it's now reliant on MFP getting a distance from those steps and estimating a calorie burn.

Sorry I dont 100% understand what you are saying here, I dont really mind if they are not accurate I would just like for the calories for steps over the activity level goal to be calculated in someway.

You mention not properly syncing the Health app with MFP could you run me through the exact process on how to do this?

MFP has the ability for people that don't actually have an activity tracker, but do have a cell phone, to treat their cell phone as an activity tracker - it'll count steps, estimate a distance from them, and get calories.
And then do the adjustment.

It's confusing on like S-Health and Apple - because you could tell MFP app on phone to treat the cell phones as step counters.
And then MFP does all the math from there.
There is no sending of food/meal info to anything - because there isn't anything to send to.

Or, you actually have an Apple Health or S-Health account, the phone or other app on it talks to that account and sends data to it.
Then that account is actually synced with your MFP account.
It's the other app that is then doing steps and distance and calories - and may import food/meal info back across to maintain it's own record of your daily calorie burn/eating - and may make goals too.

The really confusing part on this is within the MFP app for Step Source - it's the same in either case selecting what may appear to be the same device - so it totally depends if you've established a sync between accounts already.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps

Then on right look under Your Apps.

I haven't kept up with MFP app versions as to how the data is displayed for Calorie Adjustment when only using step source as cell phone, not the accounts.

But you tap on that entry in the Exercise Diary for more info - it should make it easy to see which is which - besides the above view into what apps are synced. Which is again bad terms - it's not the apps that are synced - it's the accounts that are. Don't even have to use either app really.