Steps —> Calorie Adjustment

Can my steps/exercise be used to adjust my daily calorie goal? I cannot figure out how to change that. TIA!

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,841 Member
    They can potentially be used. It will depend on where your numbers are coming from: are you using a fitness tracker, step counter app, or how are you tracking your steps and exercise?
  • JMGraydee18
    JMGraydee18 Posts: 7 Member
    I’m using my Apple Watch
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,841 Member
    Ah well, I don't have an Apple watch myself, but syncing directly to MFP seems to work well for some and badly for others.

    You can sync your device in your settings in the app, under Apps and Devices.

    If syncing directly doesn't work well, some people recommend syncing your Apple watch to the Pacer app and then syncing the pacer App with MFP (so no direct link between Apple and MFP).
  • JMGraydee18
    JMGraydee18 Posts: 7 Member
    I’m synced, that’s not my question: I was hoping to “earn” extra allowed calories, based on the calories I burn with activities. Is that possible?
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,841 Member
    edited March 2021
    I guess I don't understand the question then. If you're synced, you should be getting extra calories for exercise and steps above your activity level selected in MFP.
    Don't you get a calorie adjustment, in your diary?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I’m synced, that’s not my question: I was hoping to “earn” extra allowed calories, based on the calories I burn with activities. Is that possible?

    What is your activity setting at? If you choose a higher activity level in your MFP account, you'll need to move more to begin "earning" adjustments (because you get more calories upfront each day). It's possible that you're just not moving enough to generate adjustments given your starting activity level.
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    Do you see steps listed in your diary on MFP?

    Here is an example showing the bottom of my diary (Android app, Fitbit):

    jlr413dngc2m.png

    Here's another example when I didn't get enough steps to earn any exercise calories (day after second Covid vaccine):

    dfpgxzgs0hr6.png

    What do you see on your diary? That might help you figure out if it's a link issue or an activity setting issue (both described above by other posters).

    BTW, I set my activity to not very active aka sedentary.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I’m synced, that’s not my question: I was hoping to “earn” extra allowed calories, based on the calories I burn with activities. Is that possible?

    No.

    That's the issue with what Apple sends - wrong info.

    No you will not get credit for extra daily activity over sedentary.

    Trackers are supposed to send a Total Daily Calorie burn, MFP corrects itself and you get extra calories.

    Apple though sends a Sedentary burn figure, doesn't include extra daily steps or exercise calories.

    Totally screws up the math with the way it's supposed to be - shown in the Fitbit info above.
  • LeeAWatt2021
    LeeAWatt2021 Posts: 14 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    I’m synced, that’s not my question: I was hoping to “earn” extra allowed calories, based on the calories I burn with activities. Is that possible?

    No.

    That's the issue with what Apple sends - wrong info.

    No you will not get credit for extra daily activity over sedentary.

    Trackers are supposed to send a Total Daily Calorie burn, MFP corrects itself and you get extra calories.

    Apple though sends a Sedentary burn figure, doesn't include extra daily steps or exercise calories.

    Totally screws up the math with the way it's supposed to be - shown in the Fitbit info above.

    This is good to know. I used a fitbit but I also have an Apple Watch. I have not used my Apple watch to connect to MFP so this is great information should I switch it up.
  • carriebeary8
    carriebeary8 Posts: 8 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    I’m synced, that’s not my question: I was hoping to “earn” extra allowed calories, based on the calories I burn with activities. Is that possible?

    No.

    That's the issue with what Apple sends - wrong info.

    No you will not get credit for extra daily activity over sedentary.

    Trackers are supposed to send a Total Daily Calorie burn, MFP corrects itself and you get extra calories.

    Apple though sends a Sedentary burn figure, doesn't include extra daily steps or exercise calories.

    Totally screws up the math with the way it's supposed to be - shown in the Fitbit info above.



    My Apple watch sends my exercise calories to MFP...It also sends my steps. You should check your health App to make sure it's set up to send that information to MFP... (go to profile in health, then apps and make sure that info it checked off)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    I’m synced, that’s not my question: I was hoping to “earn” extra allowed calories, based on the calories I burn with activities. Is that possible?

    No.

    That's the issue with what Apple sends - wrong info.

    No you will not get credit for extra daily activity over sedentary.

    Trackers are supposed to send a Total Daily Calorie burn, MFP corrects itself and you get extra calories.

    Apple though sends a Sedentary burn figure, doesn't include extra daily steps or exercise calories.

    Totally screws up the math with the way it's supposed to be - shown in the Fitbit info above.



    My Apple watch sends my exercise calories to MFP...It also sends my steps. You should check your health App to make sure it's set up to send that information to MFP... (go to profile in health, then apps and make sure that info it checked off)

    Let me show you why it's wrong info.
    Pick yesterday in MFP Exercise diary - screen shot would be great.
    Otherwise write down the Adjustment line and any workouts line.

    Now tap and hold on the line that say Adjustment to see further details on the math behind that.
    Again screen shot, or write down the small text as to time of sync and amount of daily burn then, and what the day ended up - should match.
    Now write down the small text as to how many exercise calories were part of the figure, and the MFP estimated daily burn.

    Now a screen shot or note all the figures from Apple's side as to your TOTAL daily burn, or provide the base, daily activity, and workouts might be more interesting.

    I'll show you the math.

    Maybe it's been corrected after all these years - but I doubt it.
  • JustaNoob
    JustaNoob Posts: 147 Member
    Letting my nerd flag fly here. But I started my own little study on how accurate the Apple Watch Calories are for me. I am using the TDEE method for counting calories now and banking a few weekend calories, but I'm watching my weight over the next couple months to see how accurate the Apple burns are.

    I just started this this week.

    z8599bnvcs1t.png


    Your weight loss overtime is a good measure for how much you should eat. If you bump your calories and are still losing at a good rate, then that is perfect. If you lose too fast/too slow, then you can adjust. At least this is what I'm trying to do because I want to eat all the calories I can LOL!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I’m synced, that’s not my question: I was hoping to “earn” extra allowed calories, based on the calories I burn with activities. Is that possible?

    If it's synced, it should do that automatically. When a device is synced, you get calorie adjustments...but not for a specific activity or exercise. You get an adjustment when your activity per your watch or device indicates your actual activity exceeds that which has been manually set on MFP. For example, you're set as sedentary for your activity level on MFP, but your actual exercise and other activity per your device is indicating that your are lightly active or moderately active, etc...in this case, you would get an adjustment to reconcile that difference.

    This reconciliation process is beneficial and likely more accurate than manually adding in calories or having a device send over data for a specific exercise in that your activity level is already accounting for a certain amount of activity...even a sedentary setting is going to account for, I believe, around 5,000 steps in a day if memory serves me. This reconciliation as opposed to just sending over data for a specific exercise or activity helps prevent "double dipping" into calories that have already been accounted for in your activity level setting.

    I don't have an apple watch, but I am aware of certain issues with the apple watch and MFP not synching properly...basically, Apple has a long history of not playing well with others that aren't aren't also Apple...though there also seems to be regular issues with FitBit and other devices.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,254 Member
    edited April 2021
    Apple historical issues are apparent synchronization but incorrect math that result in non logical (irrational) adjustments.

    Fitbit issues have more to do with the synchronization not taking place. Traditionally, when Fitbit sync has been working and not "messed with" by exercises that are manually entered in mfp... the math works and results in rational adjustments.

    Please note that regardless of whether the values either match or fail to match people's observed results the issue with apple is faulty logic due to the transmission of different than expected values (unless this has been fixed since q4 2020 when I last looked into it )
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Go to the Goals tab. Check the convert exercise to food box .