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My fitness pal
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Heathenlass
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It seems overly complicated, or maybe that's because it's the 1st generation iPad I use ? 
A
Avocado Sevenfold
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I guess it would depend on how much oomph you put into the exercise so I am not convinced it is very accurate.
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Well, it suggests 383 calories used on 20 mins swimming breast stroke, and surprisingly the same number used for 50 mins water aerobics. Really, gentle laps head up floating along hardly breaks a sweat, whereas 50 mins of gut busting water aerobics is not a stroll in the park so something is wrong there.
Will have a look at the mynetdiary one instead.
A
Avocado Sevenfold
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I have a very poor breast stroke technique. I bet I burn loads of calories flailing around compared to my pal who swims like a dolphin.
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So that would render the MFP one useless then? I was looking specifically for something to keep T track of calories in foods. The calories spent part is a bonus, but if it is just plucking figures from the air then it is not of any use.
Another thing about MFP that caught me out, (not paying attention to the maths) was that it subtracts the calories used from the cals consumed then tells you that you still have calories left to eat. Misleading me into thinking that I can pig out at the end of the day. Even if I do when I hit the 'complete entry' tab it gives me a telling off for not eating enough, and tells me to go eat another chip butty!
Ok, that last bit is just my interpretation, but it does tell me to eat more based on its calculation of the net value of calories, so if they get the calorie used bit wrong I am doomed to remain rather chunky.
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I know, but that takes time, and the MFP app was supposed to be designed to track it all for you.
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There's a thought. Maybe I need to flail about a bit in the deep end. Especially when there is that cute little lifeguard on duty to rescue me.
Natalie1974
Well-Known Member
There are a number of other aps and wearable devices that can be synced with MFP which might be a bit more reliable in terms of exercise and calorie burning,..fitbit springs to mind...but I've not tried any of them to be honest so not sure about their reliability.
phoenix
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I have a Garmin vivofit which .measures steps all the time so obviously on a day where you are less active it will show less calories burned and synchs them from MFP
For 'activities' you can also wear a linked heart rate monitor and the heart rate recorded is taken into account when calories are recorded.
Unfortunately, though the heart rate monitor doesn't work for swimming ( signal can't be sent from monitor to vivofit).The device is waterproof but doesn't really record strokes as steps.
(sometimes for long walks I use a forerunner from the same company, this tracks the route, measures distance and elevation and translates them into calories and these also synch to MFP)
They do now do an all singing, dancing activity tracker (vivo active) which can be used to record swimming as well as walking/cycling etc .I haven't tried that one though I'd love to ( can't justify the money at the moment, not cheap and it's quite new; sometimes it takes them time to work out the bugs!)
( Just to show you. I've been very inactive so far today but I've recorded breakfast on MFP and this is what my calorie expenditure/intake looks like so far) I've got an 11km walk this afternoon so that will change things somewhat. )
For 'activities' you can also wear a linked heart rate monitor and the heart rate recorded is taken into account when calories are recorded.
Unfortunately, though the heart rate monitor doesn't work for swimming ( signal can't be sent from monitor to vivofit).The device is waterproof but doesn't really record strokes as steps.
(sometimes for long walks I use a forerunner from the same company, this tracks the route, measures distance and elevation and translates them into calories and these also synch to MFP)
They do now do an all singing, dancing activity tracker (vivo active) which can be used to record swimming as well as walking/cycling etc .I haven't tried that one though I'd love to ( can't justify the money at the moment, not cheap and it's quite new; sometimes it takes them time to work out the bugs!)
( Just to show you. I've been very inactive so far today but I've recorded breakfast on MFP and this is what my calorie expenditure/intake looks like so far) I've got an 11km walk this afternoon so that will change things somewhat. )
I ended up losing interest in MFP after about a month. Far too much phaff.
But that month has really informed my eating.
I ought to do it again, nearly a year later, as a comparison.
Last time I wasn't eating enough fat for my goals, which astonished me, considering quite how much fat I was eating!
I love my fitbit. It is one of the wrist ones. Best alarm clock ever! (Vibrates silently so it doesn't disturb Mr B on a morning. At the moment it wakes me up, tells me it's bedtime, reminds me to feed the hounds, and tells me when to put the bins out on a Tuesday night). But the food recording is just as problematic as MFP. And just as boringly time consuming...
But that month has really informed my eating.
I ought to do it again, nearly a year later, as a comparison.
Last time I wasn't eating enough fat for my goals, which astonished me, considering quite how much fat I was eating!
I love my fitbit. It is one of the wrist ones. Best alarm clock ever! (Vibrates silently so it doesn't disturb Mr B on a morning. At the moment it wakes me up, tells me it's bedtime, reminds me to feed the hounds, and tells me when to put the bins out on a Tuesday night). But the food recording is just as problematic as MFP. And just as boringly time consuming...
dannyw
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No, not useless at all. Any app that encourages you to exercise regularly is fantastic. I'm just saying the results are not accurate. I guess if you treat it like our BG meters ( 15% either way ) then you're on to a winner. Nobody says BG testing is useless, we just accept the inaccuracy and focus on the trends.
vintageutopia
Well-Known Member
I use MFP. I don't sync it to my FitBit, because I don't want the excess calories to be tacked on to my caloric total for the day. So, I use the Fitbit app on my phone to track exercise and MFP to track my calories, fat, and carbs.
As far as underestimating caloric intake, the estimation is only as good as the food information that you enter. Just be careful about non-confirmed entries.
I have heard people mention that it does overestimate exercise calories burned, so you might be on to something there.
As far as underestimating caloric intake, the estimation is only as good as the food information that you enter. Just be careful about non-confirmed entries.
I have heard people mention that it does overestimate exercise calories burned, so you might be on to something there.
YorkshireAli
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I've just downloaded this app today (well, yesterday now) and am trying to get to grips with it - I wonder if anyone can help, please?
I've been doing low-carb for a year and a bit so far (under 30g per day) and don't have a problem sticking to that for the most part, since I feel so much better and all my numbers are hugely improved. What I'm wrestling with is tailoring the carb/fat/protein ratios on MFP from the standard ones they have. What percentage carb/fat/protein figures should I be looking at?
A typical day's food would be:
Breakfast - one slice Vogel soya & linseed bread toasted & buttered, with two scrambled eggs
mug of coffee with double cream
Supper - 4/5 chicken thighs, roasted with 5-spice, or salmon fillets (Saucy Fish Co ones with chilli sauce), with veg.
Veg part would be a bag of salad with avocado, ribbons of courgettes (2 large) with pesto, roasted broccoli (whole one) or stirfry cauliflower(again a whole one) done in butter.
I'll usually have another couple of coffees through the day, again with double cream.
So far the app is telling me I need to eat more - more calories, more carbs - but I don't feel hungry, am trying to lose weight and reduce my insulin, so I don't feel I want to do that.
I'm certainly not eating 45-50% of my daily amount in carbs, so I need to reduce this on the app, but as far as working out a figure for the fat & protein I might just as well pluck a figure from the air. Does anyone have any rough guidelines that might help?
I've been doing low-carb for a year and a bit so far (under 30g per day) and don't have a problem sticking to that for the most part, since I feel so much better and all my numbers are hugely improved. What I'm wrestling with is tailoring the carb/fat/protein ratios on MFP from the standard ones they have. What percentage carb/fat/protein figures should I be looking at?
A typical day's food would be:
Breakfast - one slice Vogel soya & linseed bread toasted & buttered, with two scrambled eggs
mug of coffee with double cream
Supper - 4/5 chicken thighs, roasted with 5-spice, or salmon fillets (Saucy Fish Co ones with chilli sauce), with veg.
Veg part would be a bag of salad with avocado, ribbons of courgettes (2 large) with pesto, roasted broccoli (whole one) or stirfry cauliflower(again a whole one) done in butter.
I'll usually have another couple of coffees through the day, again with double cream.
So far the app is telling me I need to eat more - more calories, more carbs - but I don't feel hungry, am trying to lose weight and reduce my insulin, so I don't feel I want to do that.
I'm certainly not eating 45-50% of my daily amount in carbs, so I need to reduce this on the app, but as far as working out a figure for the fat & protein I might just as well pluck a figure from the air. Does anyone have any rough guidelines that might help?
