Apple Watch

Hi Amber - you can have your steps counted too, on MFP, go to the tab that says steps and you can change the setting to use the Apple Watch to track your steps separately from your workouts. Does this help?

I have the watch too. My days vary greatly - some days I have work and can do 20k steps and some days no work and I spend half the day in bed! I put my lifestyle down as sedentary just to be safe and I let Apple and MFP figure the rest out. I have been losing plenty of weight. You're probably not sedentary if you're walking as much as you said each day. If you're not actually eating the calories you earn it doesn't really matter anyway.

AmberGebell wrote: »

Good morning, I have a question regarding activity level. I have my Apple Watch synced to MFP, and not sure if I should put sedentary or lightly active or does it even matter? I work a job where I move around a lot, I track between 16,000 - 22,000 steps a day. I do cardio 45 minutes 5-6 times a week and do 2 days of strength training, I have about 10 lbs to lose so I have it set to lose 1 lb a week which gives me 1400 calories a day, It does sync any workouts I do and gives me extra calories but doesn’t give me any extra for all my steps which I am fine with, but I certainly don’t want to double dip so should I put to sedentary and let MFP and Apple figure it out or because I believe I am moving pretty much all day then keep to lightly active?

Doesn't matter what activity level you set - Apple sends the incorrect figures to MFP to do math with - it's screwed up no matter what.

A tracker is expected to send your TDEE (total day burn up to that point of time stamp) to MFP.
MFP compares that figure to what it was expecting you to burn per your selected activity level in setup.
An adjustment up or down (if negative calories enabled) is given to make MFP match the device.
Deficit is taken.
Eating goal is given.

Problem is Apple doesn't send TDEE, they send a sedentary level burn figure, about the same MFP would be using when set to sedentary.
The extra activity you do above sedentary is not sent or known by MFP.

Exercise is sent to MFP, but because of what it's going to do with that burn figure in your eating goal - it removes it from the TDEE figure that should of course include it already (Total means Total burned).
Well, since it was never there, it means all exercise actually causes your adjustment to go the wrong way.

Totally hosed up. The more workouts and more active you are - the worse the effect.

First, you should be set to 1/2 lb weekly for only 10 to lose - that's reasonable and hopefully won't stress body out to adapt.

Second, disconnect the direct sync.

Third, find the App Pacer in the list - sync to that after you setup Pacer account.
Set your Pacer account to sync to Apple Health account (not your device).

Now MFP can get the correct settings, and you'll get correct adjustments.