Exercise from Galaxy watch seems to be double counted

ceiswyn
ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
in MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions
I recently synced my new watch to MFP. This morning I went for a run, and got over 600 calories added to my exercise. But I also got a 'calorie adjustment' of around 700 calories based on my step count (which of course includes the steps that I ran).

I've now got over 1400 exercise calories adding to my allowance, but I know I only actually burned half that number so I'm having to do mental arithmetic to figure out where I actually am. I had the same issue yesterday, tried deleting the adjustment, and let's just say that chaos ensued.

How can I prevent this happening?

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Answers

  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    edited January 2
    If my exercise is not being double counted, I am intrigued to know why I’m getting 1400 exercise calories rather than the 700-ish that I know from experience is correct.

    And if my calorie adjustment isn’t based on my step count, why today did it suddenly change from 300-odd (definitely wrong) to -77 (plausible) shortly after I set MFP to not count steps?

    It looks a lot like if MFP is set to count steps using my watch, all the steps I take give me a positive calorie adjustment in addition to the exercise that involves those same steps - that is, they’re double counted. Is that how it’s meant to work?
  • durden
    durden Posts: 3,540 MFP Staff
    Without directly looking at the data, I can't 100% tell you if there is an issue here or not. I'm only speaking from general knowledge here.
    And if my calorie adjustment isn’t based on my step count, why today did it suddenly change from 300-odd (definitely wrong) to -77 (plausible) shortly after I set MFP to not count steps?

    There's naturally going to be a pretty big difference in your calorie adjustment if you stop recording your steps/general activity, versus if you only count your exercise.
    It looks a lot like if MFP is set to count steps using my watch, all the steps I take give me a positive calorie adjustment in addition to the exercise that involves those same steps - that is, they’re double counted. Is that how it’s meant to work?

    The adjustment is actually not based on your step count, but instead based on your entire activity for the day. The step count is there as an incentive and though it does contribute to part of your activity level, it's not the sole contributor.

    Therefore x amount of steps does not mean you will receive x amount of extra calories.

    The way the adjustment is derived is by comparing your total calories burned from your tracker against the total calories already provided by MyFitnessPal.

    When you have earned more calories than MyFitnessPal has already provided, you will then see the difference as your adjustment.

    ** You can view a breakdown of this calculation by tapping on the adjustment line and then on the adjustment itself (above the Learn More button) in the app, or by clicking the "i" next to the adjustment line in the Cardiovascular section online at www.MyFitnessPal.com **

    Please also note: the total calories from MyFitnessPal will include any calories instantly provided by adding separate exercises (outside of your partner adjustment) to MyFitnessPal, along with the calories needed to reach the goals you set when joining the program.

    If you're still concerned there is an issue, I encourage you to reach out to our support team who can look into this deeper than I can through the forums.

    To reach our support team for assistance, please visit https://myfitnesspal.zendesk.com/hc/en-us or email directly to support@myfitnesspal.com
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,256 Member
    I have now reached out to the support team, as there seems to be a misunderstanding; my calories from exercise are definitely being double-counted. That is not in doubt. My question is why, and how to stop it; and the system does not appear to be behaving as you describe.

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