MyFitnessPal and Fitbit

[Andy1973]

Hi,

New to both Fitbit One and MFP. I have a question about exercising and wearing the fitbit, do you take it off whilst doing an exercise and then add the calories burned from your heartrate monitor to MFP manually, and then put the fitbit back on after, or not? 

Bit confused it works things out incorrectly or counts calories burned twice etc.

Thanks

[tastybrew · Accepted solution]

If you're creating activities in MFP (or any other synced app), the calories burned should sync and overwrite Fitbit's estimation. No need to remove your Fitbit device, in fact that's the opposite of what it's intended for.

[Andy1973]

Thanks for the clarification, will keep wearing it.

[EMSguy]

I don't understand why MyFitnessPal would overwrite data that Fitbit collected.  One would think that the device attached to the person would have the most accurate information verses a third-party.  Also why would you say Fitbit's data is an "estimation" when again it is the device connected to your body?

I'm looking into this, but if you have any links to further support this, please reply with them.

Thank you in advance.

Follow Up:  The MyFitnessPal website states "Your daily calorie goal will automatically be adjusted to take into account your activity level as measured by your Fitbit." [cite: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps/show/30 ]

It reads "as measured by your Fitbit." so now I am definitely confused.

[tastybrew]

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@EMSguy wrote:

I don't understand why MyFitnessPal would overwrite data that Fitbit collected.  One would think that the device attached to the person would have the most accurate information verses a third-party.  Also why would you say Fitbit's data is an "estimation" when again it is the device connected to your body?

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I bet my HRM and Runkeeper synced through MFP to Fitbit provides a better estimation of my calorie burn than an acceleramoter strapped to my wrist. I want that data to overwrite the Fitbit data. Same with GPS and Runkeeper being more accurate than Fitbit's estimation of my distance traveled based on my stride length. I want that data to overwrite the Fitbit data as well. Fitbit is estimating calories burned and distance traveled by doing a best guess of steps taken an other approximate data. FWIW, my HRM estimates my calories burned based on an algorithm and my HR.

[EMSguy]

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@tastybrew wrote:

I bet my HRM and Runkeeper synced through MFP to Fitbit provides a better estimation of my calorie burn than an acceleramoter strapped to my wrist. I want that data to overwrite the Fitbit data. Same with GPS and Runkeeper being more accurate than Fitbit's estimation of my distance traveled based on my stride length. I want that data to overwrite the Fitbit data as well. Fitbit is estimating calories burned and distance traveled by doing a best guess of steps taken an other approximate data. FWIW, my HRM estimates my calories burned based on an algorithm and my HR.

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Now that I can agree with.  You didn't make mention that you had more accurate devices available to you.  Okay, so I clearly missed the actual headline of this post; I came upon it by searching for MFP on the website, so it's formatted a little differently.  I agree that a HRM will always be more accurate (it'd be silly for me not to, considering I'm in medicine).  GPS doesn't apply to me other than checking in at the gym that I'm at.  But in contexts I was thinking; just owning the Fitbit Flex, I wouldn't want a third-party website overwriting data obtained by the actual device connected to me.  FWIW- I'm about keeping it simple.  One device is good enough for me.