Fitbit?

Neondays

I'm wanting to get a FitBit (or something like it) but the prices are kinda high. Is it worth it? Are their any cheaper alternatives?

skcrossley

I would highly recommend the FitBit Charge HR. Yes, it is a more expensive FitBit, but you get the heart rate monitor which gives you a more accurate estimate of calories burned every day. Having the FitBit not only helps me eat the right amount of calories, it motivates me to move on days where I don't get enough physical activity doing my regular daily tasks. I'm an esthetician and some days when I'm really busy at work work, I get in over 10,000 steps easily. Other days, if I have the day off, I realize how lazy I am and having the FitBit motivates me to go to the gym. I also love knowing how many calories I burn during workouts. It's a great tool for creating a calorie deficit when trying to lose weight and then also prevent over eating when maintaining weight. It's definitely worth it.

skcrossley

Also, the Fitbit app links directly with myfitnesspal, so when you log your food in myfitnesspal it goes right into your Fitbit app so you can track calories consumed versus calories burned.

chelsmaee7

I had wanted a Fitbit forever but the price was just too much for me when I thought about how my phone can do basically the same thing. I ended up buying a misfit flash for $30 at best buy. I decided on the misfit because my phone or any pedometer can track my steps but the misfit also tracks cycling and can be worn in the water for swimming. I also like that the misfit doesn't need to be charged, just replacing the cheap battery every few months. The customer service is great also!

mom2ava07

skcrossley wrote: »

I would highly recommend the FitBit Charge HR. Yes, it is a more expensive FitBit, but you get the heart rate monitor which gives you a more accurate estimate of calories burned every day. Having the FitBit not only helps me eat the right amount of calories, it motivates me to move on days where I don't get enough physical activity doing my regular daily tasks. I'm an esthetician and some days when I'm really busy at work work, I get in over 10,000 steps easily. Other days, if I have the day off, I realize how lazy I am and having the FitBit motivates me to go to the gym. I also love knowing how many calories I burn during workouts. It's a great tool for creating a calorie deficit when trying to lose weight and then also prevent over eating when maintaining weight. It's definitely worth it.

This.

Yes, a tad pricey but totally worth it.

editorgrrl

Neondays wrote: »

I'm wanting to get a FitBit (or something like it) but the prices are kinda high. Is it worth it? Are their any cheaper alternatives?

The Fitbit Zip is US$60. It calculates your TDEE (maintenance calories) and syncs with MFP.

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

Azexas

Different fitbits will track different things.

http://www.fitbit.com/home The product descriptions are pretty good. ( I would type out a what does what list but I'm on mobile)

I agree with the above and check out the group. There is a lot of good information there.

Personally- I have the fitbit charge (non-HR). It counts steps, active minutes, floors climbed and goes into automatic sleep tracking mode. It's not waterproof just as a heads up.

editorgrrl

Troutsy wrote: »

Different fitbits will track different things.

I have the fitbit charge (non-HR). It counts steps, active minutes, floors climbed and goes into automatic sleep tracking mode. It's not waterproof just as a heads up.

Yes, which model you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference (and money). I lost the weight & maintained just fine with a Flex, but upgraded to a Charge HR because it has a real buckle (like a watch) and a heart rate monitor.

Azexas

editorgrrl wrote: »

Troutsy wrote: »

Different fitbits will track different things.

I have the fitbit charge (non-HR). It counts steps, active minutes, floors climbed and goes into automatic sleep tracking mode. It's not waterproof just as a heads up.

Yes, which model you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference (and money). I lost the weight & maintained just fine with a Flex, but upgraded to a Charge HR because it has a real buckle (like a watch) and a heart rate monitor.

Kinda sorta off topic- How accurate do you think the HR on the Charge HR is? I decided to get the non HR because I was a tad skeptical of a wrist HR accuracy.

editorgrrl

Troutsy wrote: »

How accurate do you think the HR on the Charge HR is? I decided to get the non HR because I was a tad skeptical of a wrist HR accuracy.

The Charge is only, what $30 less than the Charge HR—and has a flimsy clasp rather than a buckle + no heart rate monitor.

The only downside upgrading from Flex to Charge HR is how much bigger it is. I love having more data—and a display.

Azexas

editorgrrl wrote: »

Troutsy wrote: »

How accurate do you think the HR on the Charge HR is? I decided to get the non HR because I was a tad skeptical of a wrist HR accuracy.

The Charge is only, what $30 less than the Charge HR—and has a flimsy clasp rather than a buckle + no heart rate monitor.

The only downside upgrading from Flex to Charge HR is how much bigger it is. I love having more data—and a display.

That's not really what I asked lol. I'm curious how accurate the HR actually is.

and 30$ can be a big difference for some people

CandiceMcD

I like my Fitbit Zip. Its rather cheap - $50 on amazon right now - and it tracks steps, calories, water, calories remaining and syncs with MFP. I didn't want to get something that tracked heart rate and sleep, because that wasn't what I was into & I didn't want to spend the money unless I knew that I was going to use it. I may upgrade after this one bites the dust, but I am happy.

shadow2soul

Troutsy wrote: »

editorgrrl wrote: »

Troutsy wrote: »

Different fitbits will track different things.

I have the fitbit charge (non-HR). It counts steps, active minutes, floors climbed and goes into automatic sleep tracking mode. It's not waterproof just as a heads up.

Yes, which model you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference (and money). I lost the weight & maintained just fine with a Flex, but upgraded to a Charge HR because it has a real buckle (like a watch) and a heart rate monitor.

Kinda sorta off topic- How accurate do you think the HR on the Charge HR is? I decided to get the non HR because I was a tad skeptical of a wrist HR accuracy.

For me Fitbit's HR is accurate (in that it matches my HRM with strap...I will say it has a few second delay. When my HRM w/strap registers a number it can sometime be 1-2 secs before the Fitbit gets that reading. I think that's just the difference in placement though). I don't have the Charge HR specifically, but I assume it's the same technology that's in the Surge.

earlnabby

Neondays wrote: »

I'm wanting to get a FitBit (or something like it) but the prices are kinda high. Is it worth it? Are their any cheaper alternatives?

What do you want it for? How do you plan to use it?

If you want a step counter and don't need the phone or computer interface, you can get a good pedometer for less than $20. If you want something a little more than a step counter that can be worn 24/7, something like a Fitbit Flex or Misfit Shine ($25 less) come highly recommended and both can be worn in water. The Fitbit One does pretty much the same as the Flex and is the same price but cannot be worn in water. If you want something even more involved, be prepared to spend $200 or more so you need to research their capabilities and decide if the additional info is worth it to you.

Personally, the Flex or One give me all of the info I am looking for and I think the $95 I spent for my Flex was totally worth it. It encourages me to get off my backside and it does a good job calculating my burn and my TDEE. I chose the Flex because I swim and take water aerobics classes (and kayak in the summer) so I needed something I can wear in water.

Azexas

shadow2soul wrote: »

Troutsy wrote: »

editorgrrl wrote: »

Troutsy wrote: »

Different fitbits will track different things.

I have the fitbit charge (non-HR). It counts steps, active minutes, floors climbed and goes into automatic sleep tracking mode. It's not waterproof just as a heads up.

Yes, which model you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference (and money). I lost the weight & maintained just fine with a Flex, but upgraded to a Charge HR because it has a real buckle (like a watch) and a heart rate monitor.

Kinda sorta off topic- How accurate do you think the HR on the Charge HR is? I decided to get the non HR because I was a tad skeptical of a wrist HR accuracy.

For me Fitbit's HR is accurate (in that it matches my HRM with strap...I will say it has a few second delay. When my HRM w/strap registers a number it can sometime be 1-2 secs before the Fitbit gets that reading. I think that's just the difference in placement though). I don't have the Charge HR specifically, but I assume it's the same technology that's in the Surge.

Thank you.

ruthtruman

I just hooked up my new Fitbit Flex yesterday and I love it. Paid $99 at at Target. I had purchased an ITEK from Fed-Ex store on sale for $29 down from $49 but it was very hard to set up and use and it got terrible reviews so I returned it and spent my precious money on the Fitbit Flex. This is the one the ladies at my weight watchers class use too. I loved how it worked yesterday, my first day out. I exceeded my goal of 10,000 steps and rang up 11.444 for the day and burned lots of calories, ate well and ended up under my calorie expenditure. The MFP site syncs easily with the Fitbit Flex and you log food through MFP (if you like that method better, which I do) and both the Fitbit and MFP store and sync all
your data. IT's pretty darn motivating, and gives you a real boost. Yes, I gulped at the price (especially since I thought I had a great deal spending $29 on the ITEK) but sometimes the better quality devise at a higher price delivers a better experience. I'm not tech savvy but the Fitbit product manual online answered all my set- up questions so I got it going in about 30 minutes of studying.