Garmin connect showing more calories burned than MFP

BobbyGosbee
BobbyGosbee Posts: 16 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone. So after looking for hours I have not found a satisfying answer so I will keep this simple.

Garmin connect shows that I burned 1480 calories today however when I send the exercise and the steps to MFP it calculates to only 1146.

Which one should I trust? Why is there such a difference?

Replies

  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I'm almost positive that Garmin also includes the calories you burn via just existing. For instance, on my FR935 right now (as of shortly before 6:30pm) it shows that I've burned 2224 calories. 568 "active" and 1656 "resting".

    That said, you said that MFP says that you burned 1146 calories once you sent the exercise and steps to MFP. That sounds like you have your Garmin in some sort activity recording mode throughout the day instead of when you're only doing intentional exercise. If that's the case, that's not how your Garmin device was meant to be used and it means you're double counting calories in a very major way.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Is the 1480 your active calories on Garmin connect?

    Your resting calories come from your activity level setting on Garmin connect (one of 10 levels). Everything over that is your active calories (which will include workouts and other active times during the day).

    If you look at the calories in-out tab in Garmin connect, it will show your mfp calorie goal plus your active calories.

    When Garmin syncs with mfp, Garmin sends your total calories burned for the day. Mfp then subtracts out whatever it expects you to burn for your mfp activity level (one of 4 options) plus any workouts showing in mfp (synced from Garmin or entered manually).

    So the 1146 is the difference between what Garmin says you burned and what mfp thinks you burned.

    Your “active” calories don’t factor into the sync with mfp at all.

    Here’s an example:
    Garmin resting calories: 1500
    Garmin active calories: 500
    Garmin total calories: 2000

    One 300 calorie workout logged on Garmin

    Mfp expected calories burned for my activity level: 1600
    Workout (synced from Garmin):300
    Total calories mfp expected me to burn:1900

    Garmin total calories burned-mfp total calories burned: 2000-1900=100 as a Garmin adjustment.

    Total exercise calories on mfp=300+100

    If my calorie goal on mfp is 1400, I will have 1800 calories total (1400+300+100).

    Garmin connect’s calories in/out tab will show an allowance of 1900 (1400+500 active calories).

    The numbers that matter for your adjustment are Garmin’s total calories and what mfp thinks you burned (your activity setting plus workouts showing on mfp).

    The other 27499495 numbers and the way it displays in Garmin connect just confuse things.

    If you happen to pick a Garmin activity level that closely matches your mfp activity level-“active” calories will be reasonably close to your mfp exercise calories. But-Garmin gives you 10 levels, mfp gives 4 - so even close isn’t going to match. But it also doesn’t matter. Your active calories don’t factor into the mfp sync.



  • BobbyGosbee
    BobbyGosbee Posts: 16 Member
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    Is the 1480 your active calories on Garmin connect?

    It was the calories remaining. Basically my issue is that connect tells me I can eat/have burned a little over 300 more calories than myfitnesspal. Just trying to figure out which one to trust
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    BobbyGosbee wrote: »
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    Is the 1480 your active calories on Garmin connect?

    It was the calories remaining. Basically my issue is that connect tells me I can eat/have burned a little over 300 more calories than myfitnesspal. Just trying to figure out which one to trust

    Garmin connect is adding your active calories to your mfp calorie goal and giving you that number on the calories in/out tab.

    That’s not how the mfp sync works. The mfp calorie goal is coming from a different place than Garmin’s active/resting calories - so the calories in/out tab on Garmin Connect is mixing apples and oranges.

    Go by mfp. That’s the only number that’s calculated using all the same starting point.

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited August 2019
    BobbyGosbee wrote: »
    Duck_Puddle wrote: »
    Is the 1480 your active calories on Garmin connect?

    It was the calories remaining. Basically my issue is that connect tells me I can eat/have burned a little over 300 more calories than myfitnesspal. Just trying to figure out which one to trust

    Recommend don't try to follow 2 roads to the same destination. Just causes frustration and confusion.

    MFP for food related goals & logging.
    Garmin for activity related goals & logging.

    Only thing that matters is when you look at GC for Total Calories burned in the day, then go find that MFP entry in your Exercise Diary for Garmin Adjustment and tap/hold for more details.
    On that screen is the time stamp showing total calories burned around maybe the last hour (updates only synced when 100 higher than prior sync), and is the total close?

    And you'll see it removing exercise calories which should match what GC sent to MFP as workouts.
    There have been issues of repeat workout sends, and since MFP is an add on system (compared to trackers being replace-only), that is a bad effect.
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