Apple Watch confusion

chloepops1
chloepops1 Posts: 2 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Bit confused that MFP app will log calories from steps but doesn’t recognise a 6k run from the watch help!

Replies

  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    I do not have an Apple watch - but with all trackers, there is a limitation in that MFP only reports the data sent over from the device.

    The Fitbit for example sends info on calories burned but not actual workouts logged or recorded with Fitbit. The Apple watch is probably similar. It is not that MFP does not 'recognize' that I walked on the treadmill this morning (even though Fitbit shows this as a workout) but that Fitbit does not send that detail to MFP.
  • chloepops1
    chloepops1 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanx for that nanastaci2020 was starting to think it was something I wasn’t doing properly with app settings tbh 🤷‍♀️ Technology obv isn’t that good yet 😂
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,387 Member
    Have you synced your watch with MFP?

    Did you select an activity level (sedentary - highly active)?

    Did you start a running exercise? It does not count calories unless you specifically start an exercise by pressing the little green guy and selecting your workout type.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Apple does send workouts.

    Even when you do not link accounts but install the MFP watch app and tell MFP to use the watch as step source, it'll pass on the workouts to be logged.
    If a workout was created anyway.

    The steps should still be there anyway, even if that didn't happen.
    Sadly as purely a step count, that leaves MFP to attempt to do some rough estimates on calorie burn, compared to what Apple would do.

    That watch app and method of working is to overcome Apple sending otherwise incorrect info compared to other trackers.

    So does your step count show as higher and match the total Apple reports too when the run is included?

    MFP Exercise Diary and line regarding the Apple Adjustment, you should tap and hold to see more details.
    That can be screen shot to this topic to confirm it appears to be working right.
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,135 Member
    If I remember right, I had to link MFP to the Apple Health app to get the workouts to map over correctly. I did a google search on connecting Apple Watch to MFP and a handful of links came up that walked me through it.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    It's actually a bad idea to link them directly unless your only purpose is for workouts to show up on your news feed for friends to see.
    It which case just make a wall post that is more interesting.
    I'm sure Apple's diary is better than MFP too for actually seeing workouts and reviewing, so not like MFP is useful there.

    Otherwise you get no calorie credit for workouts as you should, and you get no credit for being more active than sedentary.

    Now if you want them linked to benefit as other trackers do, you need to sync MFP with Pacer App/account, and then Apple Health with that same Pacer account.

    Now the correct calorie info is brought over to MFP to do some math with and help you maintain a reasonable deficit.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,387 Member
    edited October 2020
    That’s not my experience at all.

    I just did a simple sync between my Apple Watch and MFP.

    My activity level is set at the highest. Apple, and thus MFP, do not credit me for general steps because they are part of my chosen activity level.

    Any time I start and end an exercise session, Apple Watch sends the calorie info to MFP and it posts against my food diary, making additional calories available.
    11ya7lxuznit.png

    These exercises from my watch tally on my diary like so. I’ve found my watch to be pretty accurate over the past two years. You’ll also note I didn’t get calorie credit for the 13,000 steps (outside of about 6,000 that were part of the recorded walk) , because the other 7,000 are part of my activity level.
    lt8czlagmnb7.png
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    You would have to tap and hold on that Adjustment and snapshot the detailed screen for me to show you where it's all going wrong.
    A prior day is just fine.

    Having Negative adjustment disabled prevents the exercise part of the problem at least, but many enable that.

    Having your activity level actually around reality helps the daily part of the problem somewhat, but many follow the general advice to select sedentary on MFP.

    So you have somewhat mitigated the issue, but that other screen show will show it's still there.

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