FitBit Seem Stupid?

GoddessLotus

I purchased the Fitbit Charge HR last weekend and was extremely excited. However, after wearing it for a week, and it seeming like a big waste of my time.. I was wondering if others have had an issue with the device?

It calculates my calories I burn daily and adds that to my caloric intake in MFP every day, so I'm always under my calorie budget. The steps taken are wildly drastic.

Has anyone found a way to incorperate a fitbit and yet find it useful to losing weight with MFP?

Alluminati

Unsync it from MFP.

CherryChan81

i am loving it sooo far!!! kinda obsessed with it!

GoddessLotus

I did remove it this morning from MFP. However, if its telling me I'm taking 17k steps a day, and I'm burning 2000 calories without any exercise at all.. it seems almost pointless.

I am a preschool teacher and my classroom is on the second floor, but I read the average person barely makes 3k steps a day, and a teacher typically 7k. So when I hit 17k, I thought this was a pointless little device. I mean, while driving - I'll gain 300 steps.

I'm just thinking its a waste and maybe I dont know how to read it or whatever

DemoraFairy

larhaefreeman wrote: »

I did remove it this morning from MFP. However, if its telling me I'm taking 17k steps a day, and I'm burning 2000 calories without any exercise at all.. it seems almost pointless.

I am a preschool teacher and my classroom is on the second floor, but I read the average person barely makes 3k steps a day, and a teacher typically 7k. So when I hit 17k, I thought this was a pointless little device. I mean, while driving - I'll gain 300 steps.

I'm just thinking its a waste and maybe I dont know how to read it or whatever

Maybe try exchanging it for a different Fitbit. I use the One and find it to be very accurate in terms of knowing when I'm walking or driving/on the train/whatever.

kindrabbit

I have fitbit on my phone and it's connected to MFP. Any time my phone is in my pocket I am 'earning' calories. I have no way of knowing if it's wildly inaccurate or not but it hadn't occurred to me that it is. I aim to leave 50% of the exercise calories 'outstanding' at the end of the day, but if I want to eat them I do.

Do you have it set correctly with your age, sex, height, weight etc?

Alluminati

DemoraFairy wrote: »

larhaefreeman wrote: »

I did remove it this morning from MFP. However, if its telling me I'm taking 17k steps a day, and I'm burning 2000 calories without any exercise at all.. it seems almost pointless.

I am a preschool teacher and my classroom is on the second floor, but I read the average person barely makes 3k steps a day, and a teacher typically 7k. So when I hit 17k, I thought this was a pointless little device. I mean, while driving - I'll gain 300 steps.

I'm just thinking its a waste and maybe I dont know how to read it or whatever

Maybe try exchanging it for a different Fitbit. I use the One and find it to be very accurate in terms of knowing when I'm walking or driving/on the train/whatever.

Agree. Maybe yours is defective OP. Call the company and see what's up.

GoddessLotus

Yes. I set it all up correctly.

yarwell

I'm not sure the wrist ones are as good at step counting as one clipped to your waist. They are all based on acceleration so shaking your arm or driving will clock up movement.

3k steps a day is what I do if I stay at home, working in a warehouse for 8 hours got me up to about 30,000 a day. I do about 120 steps a minute when walking, so if you figure out how much time you walk or are on your feet in class it might help reconcile the numbers.

As it's the HR version your heart rate could be a factor too.

SammieePaigee

Try changing the settings, wear the device on your non-dominate hand but set it to dominate it worked for me. Also, have you set up the 'food plan' its a part of fitbit that helps you lose weight, you need to set it to the same goals you have for MFP

serenity1097

I have the Fitbit One and love it...seems to be very accurate counting steps for me so far!! And I try to only eat back 1/2 my calories just in case it's off a little

FitForLife2015

I'm getting the Fitbit One, the wrist ones are nowhere near as accurate as they should be.

Sued0nim

larhaefreeman wrote: »

Yes. I set it all up correctly.

as in goals, stride length, time zones, negative adjustments enabled

Love my fitbit (not the HR one), credit with a lot of my success .. well it's impact on my motivation to move more when not working out.

I am unconvinced by the HR ones, don't see how the formula can underpin all types of activity like that .. my polar ft hrm with chest strap is designed for steady-state cardio only

patrikc333

i've got a charge HR, and looks pretty accurate so far for runs, not as much for walks.

just remember it is a simple device that detects movements in the smartest way possible, what matters is the trend and not the actual number, and it's not...yourself! so it cannot understand if you are brushing your teeth or hiking for example

adjust your running/walking stride and you'll see a better estimation of the distance

set it as dominant arm to be less sensitive

ignore the extra calories if you think it overestimates

GoddessLotus

I'll give it a week and see if some fine tuning and switching of the arms help.

shadow2soul

larhaefreeman wrote: »

I did remove it this morning from MFP. However, if its telling me I'm taking 17k steps a day, and I'm burning 2000 calories without any exercise at all.. it seems almost pointless.

I am a preschool teacher and my classroom is on the second floor, but I read the average person barely makes 3k steps a day, and a teacher typically 7k. So when I hit 17k, I thought this was a pointless little device. I mean, while driving - I'll gain 300 steps.

I'm just thinking its a waste and maybe I dont know how to read it or whatever

The only time this statement applies to me is if I'm home and have my husband do everything (example: c-section recovery when my incision re-opened). I'm a stay-at-home mom and I actually don't get out of my tiny apartment all that often (yes, that's sad, I'm aware of that).


As for your calorie burn, MFP estimates I burn 1990 without any exercise at all. Fitbit says closer to 2100 which I know to be closer to accurate(based on loss vs intake). Depending on your height, weight and activity level 2000 calories without exercise could very well be very accurate.

shadow2soul

rabbitjb wrote: »

larhaefreeman wrote: »

Yes. I set it all up correctly.

as in goals, stride length, time zones, negative adjustments enabled

Love my fitbit (not the HR one), credit with a lot of my success .. well it's impact on my motivation to move more when not working out.

I am unconvinced by the HR ones, don't see how the formula can underpin all types of activity like that .. my polar ft hrm with chest strap is designed for steady-state cardio only

I'm not sure it's used until your HR gets to a certain level. I'm not 100% sure. I know with the non-HR model it was about 200 or so off and now it's only around 50 off (under with both).

Alatariel75

larhaefreeman wrote: »

I did remove it this morning from MFP. However, if its telling me I'm taking 17k steps a day, and I'm burning 2000 calories without any exercise at all.. it seems almost pointless.

I am a preschool teacher and my classroom is on the second floor, but I read the average person barely makes 3k steps a day, and a teacher typically 7k. So when I hit 17k, I thought this was a pointless little device. I mean, while driving - I'll gain 300 steps.

I'm just thinking its a waste and maybe I dont know how to read it or whatever

I'm an office worker and I hit around 12k a day. I didn't trust it and ran a couple different apps on my phone to calibrate and it turns out I do. 2000 cals a day isn't over the top, it's calculating ALL the calories you burn, for breathing, eating, moving, digesting etc etc

Mine was overestimating so I wear it on my non-dominant hand and tell it is onmy dominant - that made it more reasonable.

sgthaggard

larhaefreeman wrote: »

I did remove it this morning from MFP. However, if its telling me I'm taking 17k steps a day, and I'm burning 2000 calories without any exercise at all.. it seems almost pointless.

I am a preschool teacher and my classroom is on the second floor, but I read the average person barely makes 3k steps a day, and a teacher typically 7k. So when I hit 17k, I thought this was a pointless little device. I mean, while driving - I'll gain 300 steps.

I'm just thinking its a waste and maybe I dont know how to read it or whatever

I'm not exactly seeing your issue - are you saying there's no way you walk 17k steps? I'm work in an office and I have little problem hitting 10k steps on work days. If I were on my feet all day, 17k wouldn't be much of a stretch.

ncboiler89

larhaefreeman wrote: »

Yes. I set it all up correctly.

Do you have it set (in settings) to your dominate wrist? If so change the setting to your non-dominate wrist.

SandyCoils

I have the regular Charge (not HR) and mine is very accurate. I have it synced to MFP and I have it on my non-dominant wrist. It sure as hell subtracts calories if I am not active enough and it will give me calories when I have walked. I have never gotten extra calories or steps from driving - not even playing Wii. I guess it's a good thing I didn't get the HR. This isn't the first time I've read about this happening. Maybe they are basing it off of your HR like a previous poster said.