Types of Fitbit

fr3smyl

For those of you who use a fitbit, what types of fitbit do you use and why?

MakePeasNotWar

I use the Surge because I hike a lot and I like to keep track of my route and elevation. I also like the display.

arobed53

I have a one. It was a gift but I like it cause I can see how many steps even if I'm not at the computer and I like that I wear it on a pocket so it's not out for all to see. I've had it almost 5 months now and it has gotten me to walk more and that is basically what I do is walk.

fr3smyl

Also, have you found them to be fairly accurate?

editorgrrl

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

It's entirely a matter of personal preference. I could never use a clip-on Fitbit—I just know I'd forget to wear it. And/or put it in the washing machine by mistake.

trina1049

I have a Charge and Charge HR and love them both. I've checked them for accuracy against my Polar FT7 HRM and pedometer and they're very close so I consider them to as accurate as possible for any activity monitor. I love both because they keep me conscious of getting my 10,000 steps in every day which is one of my goals. I also love the sleep monitor function and found it very accurate. I have both set for dominant hand, normal sensitivity. I highly recommend them both, well worth the price.

I've had no problems syncing the devices to MFP. They're working great. The Fitbit dashboard is easy to read and correlate with MFP. You want to make sure that you have MFP and the Fitbit settings set for the same goals and the same time zone.

Psychgrrl

I've been thinking abut upgrading my tech and found these PC Mag reviews helpful. Maybe they'll shed some light for you!

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404445,00.asp

ncfitbit

I've used the One and now I have the Flex. I liked the One, but was constantly forgetting it when I changed clothes after working out (wore it clipped to my bra) and I didn't like always reaching into my shirt to see my steps! Lol. I do miss the stair counting ability from the One, but I love my Flex. Having it on my wrist is a constant reminder of my goals and I like that the bands can be changed (just got three new colors for Mother's day. Love them! )

I love the sleep function, too, and it's easier for me with the Flex than it was with the One because it's already on my wrist and I don't have to keep track of the special sleep sleeve or whatever the little fabric wrist band is called that comes with the One.

I have been considering either going back to the One or getting the Charge because I miss seeing my steps on my device (you only see some flashing lights on the Flex--although I can see exactly how many steps I've gotten when it syncs with my phone), but I do love the small size and colors of the Flex so I will stick with it for now. If I didn't have a smart phone or didn't carry my phone with me all the time, I would probably go with one of the other Fitbits.

I love the fitbit app on my phone and have found that is syncs wonderfully with MFP.

Dagoob

I use the charge hr and love it so far. I play tennis and it has helped me see that I actually get little cardio and mostly fat burn when I play....

fr3smyl

Thank you guys for the info!

ncfitbit

I forgot to answer your question about accuracy. I never used to use my fitbit to determine my TDEE until recently, but I've been looking at the trends lately and I think it's actually really accurate. When I look at total calories burned per week and total calories eaten, it's a pretty good predictor of whether I will gain or lose weight.

editorgrrl

fr3smyl wrote: »

Also, have you found them to be fairly accurate?

I lost the weight & have maintained for ten months thanks to MFP + Fitbit.

jgnatca

I use the zip. I don't like wrist bands, and I have no need to track my sleep.

terizius

Here's a review from an MFP member on the Fitbit One, highly recommended: realbodiesrealresults.com/blog/fitbit-i-have-used-a-fitbit-product-almost-247

Eudoxy

I got the zip, I was driving myself crazy trying to decide which one so just went with the cheapest to try it. I love it, it seems very accurate.
Damn thing's got me pacing the yard when I should be relaxing, though (my sister's on there, too, so I can see when she's catching up with me).

Sued0nim

I use a zip and yes in terms of my weight loss and maintenance I have found it accurate (I also use a Polar FT4 HRM for gym workouts)

I originally had a flex and loved it - but I wanted to wear it unobtrusively and be able to wear bracelets again and the zip fits in my jeans pocket or in my bra. I also don't need to track my sleep

I considered the new HRM ones because I love my gadgets but came to the rapid conclusion that they are a marketeers dream .. there is no point I can see, beyond heart conditions, of tracking your HR over a 24 hour period .. it does not / cannot equate to any greater accuracy in calorie burn as the formula, from what I understand, that underpins HR to calorie burn conversion is based on steady-state cardio only ... so perhaps when jogging / cycling etc it is more accurate but over the day nope


So I am happy with my cheaper version - have worn a fitbit daily for the last 10 months .. find it very motivating

saires_au

I use a zip. I clip it to my bra. I don't like the look of wrist activity monitors myself and I can't wear anything on my hands/arms at work.

It has been accurate in terms of calculating TDEE for me when I calculated my intake and weightloss and compared it to my fitbit reports

fr3smyl

Sometimes I do stuff outside. Stuff like digging a pond, building wooden structures, or moving feed sacks, farm type work.
Will it track something like digging, or driving in posts for a fence if my feet aren't moving just my arms?

Sued0nim

fr3smyl wrote: »

Sometimes I do stuff outside. Stuff like digging a pond, building wooden structures, or moving feed sacks, farm type work.
Will it track something like digging, or driving in posts for a fence if my feet aren't moving just my arms?

Probably not

But neither would an HRM .. because it's not steady-state cardio

so just take it as a bonus or enter it as exercise .

StaciMarie1974

I use the One because I don't wear anything on my wrists - and don't intend to start. For body-clipon styles, they have the One and Zip. One tracks a bit more info than the Zip. My daughter (age 13) has the Zip. That way she can participate in friendly family competition, but doesn't need the extra features. Before giving it to her - I did wear both the Zip & One for a couple of days and #s were pretty similar. I like my One. Its easy to use, doesn't get in the way.

Hubby just got a One. He had a Polar Loop (wrist style) but felt he was missing the social aspects, challenges, etc. that Fitbit has. Wanted a wrist wearable but the Surge, Charge are not waterproof/water resistant. His job has his hands/arms in water several times a night and he would not want to take the device off regularly. The Flex is water resistant, but shows no info on the display so he didn't like that. So he went with the One. After comparing the One & Polar Loop stats he figured out all his arm movement led to many extra steps showing on the Loop.

Got son (16) the Flex. He & Hubby had been discussing doing more together, walking the dogs, etc. to hold each other accountable. Son has been very inactive-often in front of a computer/tv - and we want him to be more aware of his activity level. Got him the Flex honestly because it was on sale for $20 less than the One this past weekend. He didn't really have any preferences - but he likes it so far. He started out by setting his goal to 5k per day, and has already moved it to 7.5k.

fr3smyl wrote: »

For those of you who use a fitbit, what types of fitbit do you use and why?

StaciMarie1974

As for accuracy. I'm in maintenance now and have learned that if I eat at/under what Fitbit says I've burned, I lose weight. So I feel the calorie burn overall is accurate or underestimated. I have worn it with a heart rate monitor during cardio and the results, in my opinion, were as expected:

• Walking on treadmill at an incline: Fitbit underestimates my burn. It doesn't know I'm at an incline, so doesn't know I'm working harder than the steps per minute indicate.
  
• Running in place: it overestimates. Running in place gets a higher step per minute rate but is not as much of a workout as running. Based on heart rate, I'd say its just below a 4.0 mph brisk walk for me.

For me these two examples result in a +/- 1 calorie per minute, roughly speaking, error rate. So I try to offset them. If I have a day where I spend a good bit of time running in place, I walk at an incline on the treadmill!

For general activity throughout the day - I do have a desk job. So there are times I'm at my desk, typing, or whatnot. And I probably burn a tiny margin over BMR but the Fitbit doesn't pick up any movement, so it just credits me with BMR. (This is based on my own logic.) So I figure that is why my total daily burn reported by the Fitbit is a little lower than actual - based on losing weight if I don't eat above it.