Double counting calories burnt when syncing with MyFitnessPal

[ogie97]

I use the myfitnesspal app and have a polar heart monitor tracker (which I had bought way before getting the flex). when I run I use my polar tracker in order to get my actual calories burnt while also using my fitbit flex. am I double counting the calories burnt if I enter the amount into myfitnesspal which is synced to fitbit? please help since double counting will throw me off my weight loss goals. thanks!!!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[SilviaFitbit]

@ogie97 It's my pleasure to help you! We recommend logging activities that aren't step based like tennis or yoga because by logging them it will improve the accuracy of the calories burned that you're going to get from this activity. 

Since you're using your Flex and later manually log the activity it will double count the calories that you're getting for running meaning that you shouldn't be logging that activity in MFP. 

[SunsetRunner]

I have a similar question to ogie97's.  I have been using the LoseIt! app for several years, and I always log in excercise, including both combination cardio + aerobic workouts that I do 3 or 4 times a week, time spent on a stairmaster, and certain types of yardwork.  I now have a new Charge HR, and I suspect that I'm double-counting. 

One of the cardio+aerobics workouts I do includes a lot of step-based activities like running in place, jumping jacks, and lunges, which I suppose my Charge counts.  But it also includes a lot of weightlifting which is not counted.  Any ideas to improve the accuracy of my calorie burn count?

[CaptDad]

I have similar concerns. I have a Fitbit surge and I use MFP for intake and I use a HR monitor linked to DigiFit for workouts. My question is, if I have my Surge on & DigiFit tracking my workout, am I seeing calories burned tracked by Surge added to the calories burned tracked by DigiFit - or does FitBit account for the 3rd party data imported.
Should I stop using DigiFit & strictly track with surge or simple take Surge off when I workout? Love the Surge - just don't want to cheat my efforts with mis-leading information.

[slysam]

@SilviaFitbitI have used various Fitbit's for years. In the past it has always been that when you log an activity that whatever you log replaces the Fitbit tracker's estimate for that time duration. That is why you log a start time and duration. This has always worked, I have seen my calorie burn increase, decrease or stay exactly the same depending how what I logged compared to Fitbit's estimate. It did not double count. Has this changed?

If so, why? It makes no sense that Fitbit would remove a useful function to replace it to one that would ruin people's results (especially for those eating based on their Fitbit calorie burn). I haven't been logging workouts recently since wearing a Surge, but I am confused by the advice about double countingsince that is something that didn't use to happen. It also seems inconsistent if so, because some are asking why their calorie burn decreased after logging exercise. The decrease makes sense if the Fitbit burn is replaced when an activity is logged. Is it different for different trackers? There just seems to be confusing conflicting information including from moderators.

[slysam]

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@CaptDad wrote:
I have similar concerns. I have a Fitbit surge and I use MFP for intake and I use a HR monitor linked to DigiFit for workouts. My question is, if I have my Surge on & DigiFit tracking my workout, am I seeing calories burned tracked by Surge added to the calories burned tracked by DigiFit - or does FitBit account for the 3rd party data imported.
Should I stop using DigiFit & strictly track with surge or simple take Surge off when I workout? Love the Surge - just don't want to cheat my efforts with mis-leading information.

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I use to use Digift all the time. I trust their calorie burn more because I did the assessments and have custom zones set (my heart rate zones are a little weird). I use to use my Fitbit One for all day tracking and walking and Digifit for non-walking workouts (and a non-bluetooth waterprof polar for water workouts that I manually logged). That actually seemed very accurate for me in calorie burn as I was dieting and would lose a pound when I had a deficit slightly higher than the 3,500 (I assume my food logging wasn't perfect aspecially as I ate out a couple times a week then). At that time there was no double counting, Digitfit was replacing Fitbit's burn. The way to test, pick a day to sacrafice your logged exercise. Look at the numbers and note them (calorie burn, etc). Then delete the logged activity and see how it changes things. Though, I should say my Digifit and Fitbit One gave the same estimate for jumping rope, zumba, cardio kickboxing and jogging for me so it would show no difference. I found the biggst difference with circuit training either bodyweight curcuits or weight curcuits. But I don't know that the Surge would show the same difference.

I use a Surge during workouts now. I don't actually feel that the calorie burn is as accurate for me as Digifit, but since I am not counting calories I am not that worried about it. So I actually have not logged exercise since using the Surge. The other test would be to manually log a 1 calorie hour long workout and see if it decreases your calorie burn. If replacing rather than doubling it should. You can always delter the test workout after you are done and it should restore the fitbit numbers. I tend to do this over a sedentary time period or one where nothing is logged to avoid messing with my actual logged workouts. If you log multiple at the same time it will count each one (I had that once when Digifit had a glitch and sent 3 of the same workout to Fitbit).

[KristenEden]

@slysam did you ever get an answer to this?  I use FitBit Flex, but ANY workout I do I use my Polar HR monitor which then syncs with MFP to get an accurate calorie count.  I delete in MFP whatever it says I recorded for that workout through FitBit and just record what my polar says I burned since that's more accurate.  It never occured to me that it could screw up my calorie count in FitBit...

Does that make any sense?  lol I know it's confusing.

[SunsetRunner]

I never got an answer that I had complete confidence in. I decided not to record the calories burned in workouts that involve a lot of steps - walking, running, etc - with the assumption that my Fitbit is recording them. For other workouts - lifting, stair climbing, etc - I record the calories in addition to whatever Fitbit counts.

Sent from my iPad

[Ripley13]

Wondering how to set up on my HR fitbit both my exercise and food intake.  I was using MFP.  Will it sync automatically to my HR fitbit? 

[SilviaFitbit]

@Ripley13 Welcome to the Community! You can link Fitbit with MyFitnessPal by doing this procedure. As soon as your tracker syncs, MyFitnessPal app will be updated. Fitbit will sync steps and calories to MFP and MFP food and activities to Fitbit. 

Let me know how it goes.