Goals from Garmin Connect

Bugabee
1

Hi,

I’m new to Beeminder. I use Garmin Connect for Steps (Forerunner 25), Runs (Forerunner 25), Cycling (Edge 1000) and Weight (via oldish ANT Tanita scales and an Ant weight app on my phone).

I can setup goals for steps and distance but I can’t see

a) how to get my weight from Garmin Connect

b) how to differentiate between running and cycling.

All my data is synced with Strava but I don’t think you have Strava support either.

Thanks

1 Like
2

Try the following

  1. create a MyFitnessPal (MFP) account and link it to Garmin
  2. Garmin should start sending weight data to MFP
  3. create a Fitbit account and link it to MyFitnessPal
  4. MFP will start sending weight data to Fitbit
  5. Add a weight goal on Beeminder, connected to Fitbit

@bee perhaps something to look into making less difficult?

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3
  1. Create a RunKeeper account and link it to Garmin
  2. Garmin will start sending activities to RunKeeper
  3. create a RunKeeper goal on Beeminder, you can choose which sport to focus on
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4

Thanks for both (quick) replies!

I’ll have a go with both these. However, the proliferation of accounts and links feels a bit fragile, hard to debug and hard to remember how it all connects over the long term. For example I don’t want to end up paying beeminder because 1 link in the long chain broke.

Dave

3 Likes
5

I don’t have anything Garmin, but could this help in any way?
https://apps.garmin.com/en/apps/04890351-a25c-40ad-afae-f3c6907fe05f

6

It’s definitely a good goal to prefer simplicity over complexity, but I wouldn’t worry about actually having to pay money because a complicated goal broke.

Beeminder is really good about not charging for “not legit” derails.

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7

Ain’t gonna happen. If part of the chain breaks, but you did the cycling/running/whatever, email support and we’ll stop the charge before it goes through.

2 Likes
8

Thanks for the suggestion.
My watch is one of the more basic ones that can’t run apps.
However, I’m not interested in per activity tweets but in a how did I do today at the end of the day.

Eg
Today you weighed 98kg which is 1kg below the hard limit. You did 5600 steps (600 more than goal). Ran 5k (1k behind target) and cycled 20k (2k above target)

9

From my 14 months of experience as a Beeminder user, I can say there is 0% of having to pay for something like that. Whenever something went wrong and I derailed, all I had to do was sent a message to support, no questions were ever asked.

2 Likes
10

I’m using both setups myself. My data entering for weight happens in MFP so i’m not sure how well the backwards connection works.

As for Garmin/RunKeeper, the transfer of distances is fine. If you wanted to beemind calories, RunKeeper is making it’s own calculations but there is a way around it.

I realise writing all this, this situation can be quite irritating, but it’s the current state of app/companies trying to give out as little as possible of our own data… :slight_smile:

1 Like
11

I’ve set them all up. Just waiting for the first data to come through.
I’m not intending to count calories. I feel that the various exercise targets and monitoring weight give enough of the picture especially as it can all be automated.
One other to add into the mix is https://tapiriik.com I wonder if it might be worth talking to Collin because he has quite a few connections working and if he supported Beeminder that might fill in a few gaps for people.

Dave

3 Likes
12

I actually use Tapiriik to connect Garmin and RunKeeper. It has the benefit of having the exact same data in RunKeeper. Otherwise, RunKeeper ignores the calories number from Garmin and calculates it’s own…

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13

My first bike ride has just come in from runkeeper. Sadly it shows as a bike ride in garmin connect but as a run in runkeeper.

14

Did you connect Garmin and RunKeeper directly, or though Tapiriik ?

15

I went directly. I have now set it up through Tapiriik which seems to be working better.

Dave

1 Like
16

In case other users are like me, “just email support” sounds similar to “just write down the problem on a piece of parchment, put it in a bottle, and throw it in the ocean!”.

I mean, it’s not like that, baby, we swear it, but that’s how it would sound to me if I didn’t know about our superpowers (ie, @chelsea and @alys).

Fortunately, we actually send you an email when you derail and you can just reply to that. Which I think, though kind of the same thing, sounds far more palatable.

Anyway, note to selves: “reply to the legit check email” not “email support”. I think @faire puts it nicely in the ELI5 video. “Right when you derail you actually get an email asking if that was a for-real derailment. You can say no and Beeminder will believe you.”

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17

Thanks for all the reassurances regarding payments!

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18

These are all great suggestions, but since there is already Beeminder integration with Garmin and Garmin now sells their own scales, it would be great if Beeminder added support for Weight tracking direct from Garmin.

Thanks!

2 Likes
19

I agree pxr3.

Weight and a proper separation of running and cycling are needed. However, the $5,000 price for using the Garmin API is not helpful.

1 Like