Garmin VivoSmart Active Calories vs MyFitnessPal Exercise Calories; Discrepancy?

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?189131-Inconsistency-with-Active-Calories-on-the-Reports-section

I am having trouble getting Garmin tech support to understand the issue, not helped by the fact it takes them up to 3 days to reply to every email!

Latest exchanges:

Hi Zoe,

I think you have misunderstood. The 920 watch is recording all step data and activities, and is showing the calories burnt including BMR so far each day. So how can the Garmin Connect site get extra calories from step data on top of that?

Can you please re-read my last email? I am happy to explain this via phone if that would help :=)

Paul

From: [email][email protected][/email] [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: 26 January 2015 11:50
To: Collyer, Paul, SI
Subject: RE: Active calories not matching on Connect <Q#:1000104> << Reference ID: 3841626 >>

Hi Paul, thank you for emailing Garmin Europe.

Thank you for the provided examples and answers

Please be advised that the additional calorie count is due to the recorded step data.

When you sync all the data to Garmin Connect and then to MFP it takes in account not only the activity you have done but also the steps made up unto then. Hence, the variable calorie count.

Please help us improve our service with a quick survey by clicking here.

If there&#8217;s anything else you need help with, please let me know.

Kind Regards,

Zoe

Garmin Europe

______________________________________________________________

PO Box 392 | Southampton | SO40 0FW | UK

T: 0808 238 0000 | F: +44 (0)23 8052 4004 | www.garmin.co.uk

Registered office: Liberty House, Hounsdown Business Park , Southampton , SO40 9LR , UK . Registration no. 2724437 VAT Reg. No. GB568 6978 58



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>> Original Message ...
>> From: me
>> To: [email][email protected][/email]
>> Subject: RE: Active calories not matching on Connect << Reference ID: 3841626 >>
>> Sent: 23/01/2015 11:43 AM
>>
>>

Hi Zoe,

Thank you for the reply. Yes I wear the 920XT day round and track steps as well as record any runs with it etc.

To clarify further, my confusion arises as there seem to be 3 different sets of numbers going around:

- On the watch history for the last 3 days in terms of calories burnt : Tuesday 3455 Weds 2226 Thurs 3034

- On the GC website &#8211; All Activities section of the report widget under Active Calories burnt: Tuesday 1775 Weds 66 Thurs 1323

- On the GC website &#8211; Under Total calories on the same page : Tuesday active 1872 ( total 3823 ) Weds active 275 ( 2226 ) Thurs active 1234 ( 3185 )


MFP seems to be taking this last total number and using that to create an adjustment. This matches with the watch only on Weds, which is a day when I recorded no activity and just counted steps. So my suspicion is that when the 920 records an activity on top of steps, things get out of sync. On Tuesday this difference was as you can see more than 300 calories ( 3823-3455 ), so I felt I had to delete the adjustment from MFP as it was clearly inaccurate. The Thursday one is out by less ( 3185-3034 ) but still&#8230;&#8230;

You can also see from my numbers that the active calories recorded on the 2 different GC website sections are also inconsistent for each day&#8230;&#8230;.

What I am asking for is either:

- An explanation of the differentials if Garmin consider the numbers to be correct

- Acknowledgement that there is a bug in Garmin Connect and that it is being worked on, and a timeframe.


Many thanks,
Paul

From: [email][email protected][/email] [mailto:[email protected]]
>> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2015 11:12 AM
>> To: Collyer, Paul, SI
>> Subject: Re: Active calories not matching on Connect << Reference ID: 3841626 >>

Dear Paul Collyer,

Thank you for contacting Garmin Europe.

Could you please advise whether you are using the step tracking function on your Forerunner 920XT?

As this feature also calculates calories burned, thus the small discrepancy in the total amount when synced to MFP.

Please help us improve the service we offer you by taking our Customer Support survey. Please click the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GarminCustomerSurvey
If there is anything else I can help you with then please let me know. Alternatively you can search for a solution here: http://www.garmin.co.uk/support

Kind regards,

Zoe

Garmin Europe

______________________________________________________________

PO Box 392 | Southampton | SO40 0FW | UK

T: 0808 238 0000 | F: +44 (0)23 8052 4004 | www.garmin.co.uk

Registered office: Liberty House, Hounsdown Business Park , Southampton , SO40 9LR , UK . Registration no. 2724437 VAT Reg. No. GB568 6978 58



AOL users: Please select all text in previous emails before replying to this one



>> Original Message ...
>> >> From:me
>> >> To: [email][email protected][/email]
>> >> Subject: Re: Active calories not matching on Connect << Reference ID: 3841626 >>
>> >> Sent: 22/01/2015 12:28 PM
>> >>
>> >>

There is still an unexplained discrepancy.

>> >>
I just now finished a run which is logged on MFP correctly via Garmin Connect. However, the 920xt says 2039 calories burnt at 12.22 while the Garmin calorie adjustment on MFP is based on 2185 at 12.22.

>> >>
Can you explain this difference of 146 calories between watch and connect/MFP?

>> >>
Thanks,
Paul
>> >>
>> >> Sent from my iPhone

>> >> On 22 Jan 2015, at 08:47, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> >>
>> >>
Hi Paul, thank you for emailing Garmin Europe.

I am happy to inform you that the issues with Garmin Connect have been resolved and the webpage should be working properly now.

Please accept our apologies for the inconveniences caused.

Please help us improve our service with a quick survey by clicking here.

If there&#8217;s anything else you need help with, please let me know.

Kind Regards,

Zoe
>> >>

Garmin Europe

______________________________________________________________

PO Box 392 | Southampton | SO40 0FW | UK

T: 0808 238 0000 | F: +44 (0)23 8052 4004 | www.garmin.co.uk

Registered office: Liberty House, Hounsdown Business Park , Southampton , SO40 9LR , UK . Registration no. 2724437 VAT Reg. No. GB568 6978 58



AOL users: Please select all text in previous emails before replying to this one


>> >>
>> >>
>> >>

>> Original Message ...
>> >> >> From: me
>> >> >> To: [email][email protected][/email]
>> >> >> Subject: RE: Active calories not matching on Connect << Reference ID: 3841626 >>
>> >> >> Sent: 20/01/2015 16:42 PM
>> >> >>
>> >> >>

Hi Wayne,

I hope so, but it&#8217;s not a matter of trying as the adjustment comes across fine. It&#8217;s a matter of believing the adjustment! For example today after I logged a run activity on GC my active calorie total suddenly jumped up by nearly 300. The 920 watch states right now I have burnt 2527 so far today, but Garmin is telling MFP I have burned 2836 so far! That is way out and the uninitiated observer might think they could eat that within their calorie target which could be disastrous for them, MFP and Garmin if repeated over weeks.

My other main concern is that not one email back from your support team has indicated an understanding of the issue raised. There is also no indication of the issue on your status page which worries me.

I love the hardware but without the software matching it there is no way I can continue to use Garmin for weight control and total activity tracking beyond this product, which is a massive shame.

Paul

I found that the Total Calories number for yesterday included 387 Active Calories, but my Active Calories graph contained only 205 Calories (26 Running, 80 Walking, and 99 Fitness Equipment.)

I discovered that Active Calories in your Total Calories is defined differently than Active Calories in your Active Calories Chart. In Total Calories, it adds in addition Walking. Expanding Total Calories out to a full page, I get 26 Running, 99 Fitness Equipment, and 262 Walking based on 9900 steps.

The Total Calories number is what is sent to MFP, and seems to be accurate.

Nope, Garmin have admitted to me via email that it is incorrect and are working on a fix.

I quote:

"Hi Paul, thank you for emailing Garmin Europe.
I have passed your data onto our technical team to have a look at, it would appear to me that something is being miscalculated when the data is being transferred, however our technical team have more experience in this area than we do.
Case ref no:1114651"

And when I asked for an update a week or so ago:

"Hi Paul, thank you for emailing Garmin Europe.
I am very sorry for the time it is taking.
Please be advised that your case is being looked in to and we will update you as soon as there will be a resolution.
Please accept my sincerest apologies for the inconvenience."

Note this is only noticeable when I do a significant activity like a run at eg 800+ calories. The higher the burn in that activity the higher the discrepancy between 920XT and MFP adjustment.

Ultimately I have to delete my steps adjustment from MFP if I do a significant run or ride on any given day. So I would argue it's a major issue for MFP users.