All about fitbits...
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Your MFP setup has a deficit built in. If your device shows you've earned calories, that is above and beyond your deficit.
Example: MFP thinks you're going to burn 2000, you want to lose 1 pound a week so your goal is 1500. Fitbit communicates that you are on course to burn 2250. A 500 deficit would be 1750, you've earned 250 more. Its ok to eat them, you still have a 500 deficit.RolemodelmomT wrote: »Why does everyone eat back the calories? I thought you wouldn't want to eat back the work out calories?!?! What am I not understanding?
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StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Your MFP setup has a deficit built in. If your device shows you've earned calories, that is above and beyond your deficit.
Example: MFP thinks you're going to burn 2000, you want to lose 1 pound a week so your goal is 1500. Fitbit communicates that you are on course to burn 2250. A 500 deficit would be 1750, you've earned 250 more. Its ok to eat them, you still have a 500 deficit.RolemodelmomT wrote: »Why does everyone eat back the calories? I thought you wouldn't want to eat back the work out calories?!?! What am I not understanding?
Thanks so much, I totally understand now!!0 -
I have the flex and absolutely love it. The final selling point for me is that it is water resistant so it can be worn 24/7, even in the shower and while swimming. You have to remember to clip the One or the Zip to your clothing and to remove it before laundry. I found a seller that has the bands for about $3 each so I have several and can change colors to match my clothing.
I found the calories burned to be reasonably accurate. I eat back about 75% of my extras earned.0 -
I was just looking on the Fitbit site as I too have been interested in getting one. I have a few friends that have one and they love it!! But as mentioned above, there are quite a few to choose from...I am debating between the Flex, Charge and ChargeHR. Of those three, besides price, which one is better for determining activity level that isn't just walking? Someone mentioned that wearing it on your wrist doesn't accurately measure steps, has anyone else found this? Too many choices
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RolemodelmomT wrote: »Someone mentioned that wearing it on your wrist doesn't accurately measure steps, has anyone else found this? Too many choices
No, I haven't found this at all. There is a fallacy going around that you have to swing your arm in order to count steps but it isn't true. Some have noticed that when holding on to something that vibrates your arm a little like a stroller or grocery cart you might not get every step counted but that is because the tracker counts steps by registering vibrations going through your body and it occasionally gets confused by continuous vibrations rather than the ones caused by steps. Unless the majority of your walking is pushing a stroller or grocery shopping it is not enough to be an issue.
I have tested this a number of times. I have held my arm still and run "continuous sync" on my phone and manually counted steps. I got all the steps I manually counted. I have also sat in a chair and swung my arm like I do when walking and I did not get any steps counted. If you jerk your arm (or like me hit a door jamb or something) you might get a false step counted but again, it isn't enough to be an issue. Nothing is going to be perfect.
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I just bought a FitBit Flex and it's already helped quite a bit. I can see my sleeping patterns and determine exactly why I'm so tired every day (turns out I'm up 7 or 8 times a night - which would make sense). I wore it on the elliptical this morning and the MFP corrected calories burned for the FitBit were only 3 off from what the actual machine said. For me, I couldn't spend $150 on the Charge HR, but the Flex was on sale and I've already fallen in love with it
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I love my Flex, most of the time. I never forget it because I rarely take it off. The only real problem I have is that there is a general design flaw in how it charges. If it doesn't sit in the charger just right it won't take the charge, or worse will start to charge and then drain itself. I have found ways around that, but they are hit or miss. But aside from that, I love having it and don't think I would have lost as much weight as I have without it. (Someday I would like to upgrade to the Charge HR, but it's not in my budget for now.)
Editing to add a thought about the sleep tracking. I don't use it because I don't find it helpful. I have sleep apnea and have had tests done, and what I saw on the Fitbit sleep tracking did not jive with what I know doctors have told me about my own sleep patterns. But I can't speak for how well it works for people who don't have sleep disorders, so take my thoughts on it with a grain of salt. 0 -
I've had a flex since Christmas
Pros:
- cheap compared to other trackers
- tracks my sleep which is cool even if it's not that useful
- silent alarm is GREAT
- calories burned seem to be pretty accurate
- waterproof
- can set activity records to track my runs (then compare calories to online calculators or HRM!)
- allows me to eat different amounts based on my activity, because it varies a lot
- motivates me to hit my step target on relatively active days
- syncs well with MFP and lots of other apps (Mapmyrun)
Cons:
- doesn't pick up all my steps at work because I'm pushing a trolley the whole time, seems to be 50% accuracy, so I put it in my pocket which works fine
- doesn't have MFP's security to stop you undereating (if you want a 1000 calorie deficit but only burn 1500 calories, Fitbit is happy to tell you to eat 500!) but if you sync with MFP, you still get that
- makes me upset to miss my step targets on inactive days!!
- has a really bad food database (might be because I'm UK and it has only US options)
If you've got a lifestyle that's more than sedentary, I'd recommend getting one, especially if your activity varies through the week. Fitbit allows me to eat more on busy days without having to calculate simply "being busy" as exercise, or set a higher activity level that means I'm overeating on lazy days!
Personally, the Flex really suits me. I won't forget it, because I can see/feel if I've got it on. The silent alarms are useful, the sleep tracking is kind of fun. I work around it not picking up my steps at work very well (if you have young kids and will be using a pushchair a lot it might be an issue, otherwise can't see it being a problem for people who don't do my job!).0 -
Get a zip
You can put it on your waistband or in your bra
It is cheaper and the best model I've found tbh (I also have a flex but had no reason to track my sleep)
I do not buy into the rationale behind the HR versions - there is no point in tracking your HR 24 hours unless you have a heart condition, it certainly doesn't give you any more accurate TDEE calorie estimate because the formulae underpinning HR to calories are for steady-state cardio (like jogging at a steady pace) only
I personally have used a fitbit every day for the last 8 months or so to track my movement, my MFP is set to sedentary with negative calories enabled, I am far from sedentary but it works for me. I also use an HRM (Polar FT4) for my workouts.
@rabbitjb Great info shared, Thanks! No reason to purchase something more than one needs... glad you mentioned that
Interested if one exists that tracks in water... I heard of an off brand from Scheels that works pretty good while swimming but don't have personal experience with it. Does the fit bit brand handle water workouts well?
EDIT: ha obviously I scanned far too quickly as I see a response for the water question up above. 0 -
I have had the Surge HR for about a month now, and I love it! I love all of the activity tracking you can do along with the GPS and HR monitor included. I love having everything in one little device on my wrist, and the HR monitor is really accurate!
I was originally going to get the Charge HR because it is a thinner band, but I'm really glad I went for the bigger screen on the Surge. I don't think I would have been happy with the smaller screen on the Charge HR0 -
Get a zip
You can put it on your waistband or in your bra
It is cheaper and the best model I've found tbh (I also have a flex but had no reason to track my sleep)
I do not buy into the rationale behind the HR versions - there is no point in tracking your HR 24 hours unless you have a heart condition, it certainly doesn't give you any more accurate TDEE calorie estimate because the formulae underpinning HR to calories are for steady-state cardio (like jogging at a steady pace) only
I personally have used a fitbit every day for the last 8 months or so to track my movement, my MFP is set to sedentary with negative calories enabled, I am far from sedentary but it works for me. I also use an HRM (Polar FT4) for my workouts.
I bought the HR and can attest to the fact that other than being interesting for the first week, once the luster wore off - its pretty useless. It doesnt account for heart rate when you are cooling down, and in turn, ends up telling me I burn way more (as in, 1000 calorie over estimate) than what I actually burn...
That beaing said i do like the social aspect of it... i never thought I was a competitive person until mid way through my first 'wprk week hussle" - now Im absessed with winning every week...hey.... whatever gets you moving!0 -
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I got the $250 Surge (practically brand new) from a guy on Ebay that didn't want his for $95. It has an HRM, GPS, Bluetooth (syncs and music controls for my phone), call and text notifications (great when I have my phone in my pack), tracks many different exercises. It is big and bulky. I love it!0
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It keeps me extremely motivated, which makes it 100% worth it for me. I started with the Flex but switched to a One because I didn't like having it on my wrist all the time.
I love it. When I started I was getting 5000-6000 steps a day, now I'm averaging 15,000-20,000.
They are not perfect, they are not 100% accurate, but in my opinion, nothing is. It's helped me immensely on my weight loss journey, and I would recommend it to anyone.0 -
I was originally going to get the Charge HR because it is a thinner band, but I'm really glad I went for the bigger screen on the Surge. I don't think I would have been happy with the smaller screen on the Charge HR
I was worried that the bigger band would look odd on a smaller woman's wrist. What do you think?? Is it something I ought to save my pennies a little longer for when it's time to upgrade from the Flex??
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Except the Flex. That is the only model that is water resistant (to a depth of 10 meters).
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CoachJen71 wrote: »I love my Flex, most of the time. I never forget it because I rarely take it off. The only real problem I have is that there is a general design flaw in how it charges. If it doesn't sit in the charger just right it won't take the charge, or worse will start to charge and then drain itself. I have found ways around that, but they are hit or miss.
I have the same issue. I just prop the charging end of the cord up on something so it is sitting at an incline, which seems to keep the contacts together.0 -
CoachJen71 wrote: »I was originally going to get the Charge HR because it is a thinner band, but I'm really glad I went for the bigger screen on the Surge. I don't think I would have been happy with the smaller screen on the Charge HR
I was worried that the bigger band would look odd on a smaller woman's wrist. What do you think?? Is it something I ought to save my pennies a little longer for when it's time to upgrade from the Flex??
I was worried about it looking too large as well, so I tried on my brother's because he got one before I did and I still thought it was too big for my wrist. The features outweighed the size for me, and I went for it! Now, I don't even notice the size of it and in pictures it doesn't look too big/bulky. Just looks like a watch. I would go for the surge if you want the features!0 -
I have a Flex and it has definitely motivated me to get up and get steps in. If the band bothers you go to etsy and you can get some cute handmade fabric bands for it. It says not to put on your ankle, but I have a band and have worn on my ankle and it seems accurate for steps there, if you have to push a stroller or cart or can't wear on your wrist for some reason. I like that you can set an alarm. I enabled the negative calories on MFP to encourage me to get moving or lose some calories. I don't wear in the shower or pool. There is some conflicting info on that with some people having failures with it. I personally don't want to chance it.0
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MissMissle wrote: »Get a zip
I bought the HR and can attest to the fact that other than being interesting for the first week, once the luster wore off - its pretty useless. It doesnt account for heart rate when you are cooling down, and in turn, ends up telling me I burn way more (as in, 1000 calorie over estimate) than what I actually burn...
That beaing said i do like the social aspect of it... i never thought I was a competitive person until mid way through my first 'wprk week hussle" - now Im absessed with winning every week...hey.... whatever gets you moving!
Does the plain Charge still have the social aspect? I like that idea as I can be quite competitive as well!0
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