Is it worth bothering?

sarahcandlin9352
sarahcandlin9352 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, taking into account that mfp only carries over Steps from fitbit. Is it worth doing exercise at the gym? How on earth would l log this on mfp?
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Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    edited November 2019
    sarahcandlin9352 wrote: »
    So, taking into account that mfp only carries over Steps from fitbit. Is it worth doing exercise at the gym? How on earth would l log this on mfp?

    You can manually log exercise.

    Edited because I skimmed the OP
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    Are you sure it only logs steps? I have MFP synched with my Garmin and it logs my exercise as well. Or is it that your Fitbit doesn’t track anything but steps?
  • sarahcandlin9352
    sarahcandlin9352 Posts: 5 Member
    Perhaps I should simplify the question so that it doesn't sound ODD
    How would I go about logging a gym workout with cardio and weights?
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    sarahcandlin9352 wrote: »
    So, taking into account that mfp only carries over Steps from fitbit. Is it worth doing exercise at the gym? How on earth would l log this on mfp?

    You can manually log exercise. The question of whether or not it is worth bothering depends on how many calories you typically earn at the gym or if you would prefer to go to a TDEE calorie goal system instead of MFP which expect you to eat back at least some exercise calories.

    I misread the OP. I thought it asked if it was worth logging the exercise in MFP or not.

    It is definitely worth going to the gym and doing exercise. If that amounts to very little calories then it may not be worth logging it into MFP until it does. However seeing an exercise number on the screen makes me want to increase it even when it has not been enough calories to eat more.
  • AliNouveau
    AliNouveau Posts: 36,287 Member
    sarahcandlin9352 wrote: »
    Perhaps I should simplify the question so that it doesn't sound ODD
    How would I go about logging a gym workout with cardio and weights?

    Go into the exercise tab and choose whatever exercise seems appropriate. I have created a bunch for myself to use. Like butt stuff or no jiggle workout. Partly cause the names make me laugh 🤣 but ya there's a whole list to choose from to enter yourself and get credit for
  • byroman
    byroman Posts: 75 Member
    sarahcandlin9352 wrote: »
    Perhaps I should simplify the question so that it doesn't sound ODD
    How would I go about logging a gym workout with cardio and weights?

    Load the cardio as Cardio. If you do 20 minutes of on a treadmill, you can log that as "Stair-treadmill ergometer, general"

    Load the weights as Cardio, as well. If you do 20 minutes of weightlifting, log it as "Strength training (weight lifting, weight training"). I wouldn't put the time between sets, just the actual training time.
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,214 Member
    Exercise is about more than the calories it burns. IMO, staying active in some form is vital to longevity and graceful aging. Find something you enjoy doing and it's a fun hobby and not a chore; Weightlifting, rock climbing, raquetball, cross-country skiiing, ultimate frisbee, badminton, walking your pet ferrets... anything
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,538 Member
    edited November 2019
    If your Fitbit is already integrated with mfp it is already counting more than just your steps.

    Whether the automatic logging or manual logging of the activity would be more accurate in your particular case remains to be seen.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    sarahcandlin9352 wrote: »
    Perhaps I should simplify the question so that it doesn't sound ODD
    How would I go about logging a gym workout with cardio and weights?

    I actually log my exercise in the Fitbit app and let Fitbit square away any overlap between steps and the workout, then it all gets synced over in my calorie adj. I would log that as either interval or circuit training in Fitbit.

    And yes, of course it's worth it!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    For a mix of cardio and weights there's something called circuit training. I think it tends to be high so when I logged I'd cut the amount of cals, but something is better than nothing.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    I struggle off and on with this mentality as well - kinda like the phrase “pic or it didn’t happen.” I switched over to a Garmin for the water resistant option since we spend huge chunks of time on the river - kayaking and SUPing are my go-tos. I was bummed when I paddled around for a couple hours but didn’t have data to show for it. I had to take a step back and remind myself that my body still gained something from it, even without set numbers. I enjoy a fitness tracker for the data and motivation, but hate how it messes with my mindset.

    That being said, you can manually enter in your workouts by doing as search as described above. I tend to underestimate energy output just in case (like being out on the river for a couple/few hours I would log 30 minutes of kayaking... I know I did more than that, but knew it was a safe estimate).
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    sarahcandlin9352 wrote: »
    Is it worth doing exercise at the gym?

    What an odd question for the health and fitness forum!
    Exercise isn't just about burning calories.

    Truth. While cardio and lifting (to some degree) add some extra calories into the TDEE, that's not the primary purpose of exercise. Or at least it shouldn't be.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    moonangel12 wrote: »
    I struggle off and on with this mentality as well - kinda like the phrase “pic or it didn’t happen.” I switched over to a Garmin for the water resistant option since we spend huge chunks of time on the river - kayaking and SUPing are my go-tos. I was bummed when I paddled around for a couple hours but didn’t have data to show for it. I had to take a step back and remind myself that my body still gained something from it, even without set numbers. I enjoy a fitness tracker for the data and motivation, but hate how it messes with my mindset.

    That being said, you can manually enter in your workouts by doing as search as described above. I tend to underestimate energy output just in case (like being out on the river for a couple/few hours I would log 30 minutes of kayaking... I know I did more than that, but knew it was a safe estimate).

    I would record it as some kind of outdoor activity and have a map and HR chart to show for it. I think Garmins even have a SUP mode now.
  • PrismaticPhoenix
    PrismaticPhoenix Posts: 65 Member
    I think that FitBit profoundly overestimates the number of calories burned during exercise. I still log that I did exercise (using the wristband thing) because I want to keep track of the exercise that I did, but I don't calculate calories burned into what I should eat.

    I'm thinking about entering exercise into MyFitnessPal instead of into the Fitbit wristband in the future and seeing how that goes as a test run. Who knows.

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