MFP reduces the number of calories I have walked after I log an workout session

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doncboston
doncboston Posts: 1 Member
in Fitness and Exercise

My calories go down after I log a workout session. I am confused.

Answers

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,775 Member
    edited June 2

    They shouldn't go down, can you post a screenshot? Or explain more.

    The site should be giving you more calories to eat when you log exercise if you've chosen your Goals correctly….but if you are synced with a device, it COULD be lowering your calories due to your settings. More details needed..

    Device, Activity Setting, Exercise, weight loss rate goal (like, one pound per week, etc.)

    Here's the explanation: How does Myfitnesspal calculate my initial goal

  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,351 Member
    edited June 7

    Do you mean it removes some of your “calories burned through steps” because you added a workout? Thats because it doesn’t want you to double dip. So the steps you just took during your workout are counted only in the workout. Is this what you are referring to? I saw this on my own account yesterday. I had some immediate apple watch sync calories that were then removed and replaced with my workout.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,636 Member
    edited June 17

    do you have Apple Watch calorie adjustment enabled? (I think there may be a similar setting for Garmin and/or Fitbit?)

    What activity level are you set at?

    This is my diary from yesterday:

    IMG_6341.png

    I’m set at highly active, but because I’m under the weather right now, I spent the bulk of yesterday on the sofa, except when I made myself get up to walk to keep my achy joints limber. MFP/Apple recognize that I was not highly active yesterday, and didn’t get in the activity/steps I would normally have not bothered to record. So it deducted calories to balance me out.

    The more exercises you record, the higher the deduction can be. I often get -400+ deductions on particularly active days.

    It’s a balancing entry to keep from awarding you too many calories. Irritating as all get out, but I find it to be pretty accurate.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,636 Member

    OP hasn’t been back since his original post over two weeks ago. Sigh. I’ve got to stop falling for this. Maybe it will help someone else out. 🤦🏻‍♀️

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,636 Member
    edited June 17

    to continue, I’m going to try to remember to track today, each time I add an activity to show how it deducts

    This is me after I’ve been up for a couple hours and taken the dog for his morning “sniffy” walk :

    IMG_6343.png

    MFP has now deducted 25 calories. I usually do 1,000 steps simply taking the dog to the pocket park for his morning wee, and making breakfast for me and the critters. So deducting 25 calories, or 25% of roughly 4000 steps thus far makes sense.

    This is after some time on the recumbent stationary bike:

    IMG_6344.png

    An additional 49 deducted. I can’t have my cake and eat it, too, so MFP is adjusting my highly active choice against activity actually recorded to make sure I don’t get double credit.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,636 Member
    IMG_6347.png

    by 11:30 am I’ve added a cardio class and a swim. Apple calorie adjustment is now -225, since I already got a higher daily goal because I selected “highly active” during setup. As a highly active person, I should’ve “already” experienced high activity during the two hours it took to complete these workouts. Again, no double credit!

    Hope this helps!

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,867 Member

    This is a really helpful illustration, @springlering62 : I hope others with similar questions are reading, because your posts here are excellent.

  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 9,636 Member
    edited June 18

    This was how I ended my day yesterday. An adjustment of -302 taken from my total exercise calories.

    It stormed long and noisily during my prime walking time,and on one of our earlier ealks, the heat was getting to the dog, who insisted on coming back early, so I didn’t get in as many steps as usual. My “high activity” setting assumes I’ll be taking lots of steps and had already given me extra calories as a result. I didn’t take those anticipated steps, so the “deduction” was fairly stiff.

    IMG_6355.png

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