Garmin Connect and MFP calorie differences

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NerdyScienceGrl
NerdyScienceGrl Posts: 669 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’m curious if anyone else uses Garmin Connect linked to MFP and knows why the to apps show differences in the number of calories burned. I have days where they are over 25% off.

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,127 Member
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    I have MFP synced with my Garmin, I can't say I've noticed large differences like that.

    Differences in which calories? Exercise calories? Total calories burned for the day?
    Some screen shots would be useful :smile:
  • NerdyScienceGrl
    NerdyScienceGrl Posts: 669 Member
    edited August 2021
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    Exercise calories — I wouldn’t care but I tend to look at full week’s total calories instead of dailies. Once I get to the end of the week, calorie deficits based on the Garmin can be significantly more.

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,127 Member
    edited August 2021
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    You can't compare Garmin's active calories and MFP's calorie adjustment:
    - the calorie adjustment will depend on your activity setting on MFP: the adjustment is anything above the activity level setting you chose (so the higher your chosen activity level setting is, the lower the adjustment will be)
    - active calories = calories above sedentary/inactive/RMR or whatever Garmin uses as a baseline (which I don't think is the same as sedentary in MFP)

    What you should compare is total calories burned according to Garmin (look under Calories, not Calories In/Out) and the number MFP receives from Garmin (tap on your calorie adjustment in your MFP diary and then tap on that adjustment again in the second screen to then see the total number of calories sent over by Garmin). Choose a completed day, that'll be easier than an incomplete day with a projection for the rest of the day.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited August 2021
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    Garmin sends to MFP for logging as exercise the total calorie burn during that chunk of time.

    Garmin on it's own though displays as Active only the part of the exercise that burns more than you being Sedentary would have burned anyway.

    That's why the exercise won't add up.

    As to the eating goal, that difference is because of that method, and the fact they get the MFP eating goal to do math with.
    Incorrect math.

    Garmin does send to MFP your Total Daily burned calories - MFP basically corrects itself, subtracts the deficit, and there is your new eating goal. That's correct, TDEE minus deficit.

    Garmin on it's own though takes that eating goal (which they know has a deficit in it if set for loss), and adds on the Active calories, which as you've seen is not the workout, nor the daily burn exactly.
    Their math doesn't work out correctly.

    Hence the advice is to not attempt 2 routes to the same destination - at the least aggravating, at the most confusing.

    MFP for food logging and goals.
    Garmin for movement tracking and goals.

    ETA:
    This was a change this year. It appears to be come closer in style display to Apple for base, active, exercise calories.
    At least they tried to work with MFP for better syncing - they just didn't understand what was going on and the best way to do it.
  • NerdyScienceGrl
    NerdyScienceGrl Posts: 669 Member
    edited August 2021
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    Thanks! Between both answers, I got what I was looking for 😊. I had a feeling that there was an adjustment there since on days I do not log exercise there are still calories showing up on MFP.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Yes, that adjustment is just the fact you were more active and burned more calories than your MFP selected activity level expected.

    So shown in exercise totals on MFP, Active on Garmin.
  • MikeRunsDaily2021
    MikeRunsDaily2021 Posts: 68 Member
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    I never noticed any of this 🤣🤣🤣 now I’ve got to check mine 🤣🤣🤣

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