Looked into FitBit, should I consider Jawbone UP?

DeguelloTex

If you're not gaining or losing, you found your maintenance level. Congrats.

Anything from an activity band isn't going to be 100% accurate, anyway. It certainly won't change how much you can eat without feeling hungry. Best case, it's going to give you a relatively dependable number that your going to have to adjust to match your actual results, anyway.

_rachel_k

I had MFP set for 1700 calories, I ate 1300, worked out for approx 200 calories (depending on accuracy of Map My Walk) meaning I was at 1200 calories net. My calories in vary between 1300 and 1700 and my calories burned vary between "200" and "700"

Terpnista84

_rachel_k wrote: »

I thought I was able to figure it out myself but I can't. My TDEE says it's 1900ish so I eat 1700 and depending on how much I work out I will either eat some back or leave it and I don't lose weight or inches (but I am constantly hungry!!)

I am sticking to 1500 calories regardless of how much I workout. I was eating back exercise calories and found my progress to be really slow compared to last year. Granted I weigh less so that could be a factor. But when I looked at my diary last year I saw that I stuck to around 1,500 calories plus exercise and the weight fell off.

If you are constantly hungry you should eat foods that have more fat and more protein.

_rachel_k

I am currently adding Ideal Protein foods to my daily routine, almost everything I eat actually but I won't follow the plan of 800 calories a day and no exercise

Psychgrrl

I used to have a BodyMedia arm band (2.5 years--JawBone bought them out). I credit it with keeping me accountable as far as activity intensity and calories burned goes.

I did a lot of research and recently bought a Garmin Vivoactive watch and chest strap. I was considering a Fitbit Surge, an Apple Watch, Mio Fuse and a Runtastic Orbit (I already use Runtastic to map my runs). I decided on the Garmin as a "best fit for me" for the following reasons:

I don't care about heart rate on a minute to minute basis, but do care about it when I'm training. Everything I've read says there's a larger margin for error with the wrist HRMs. I also don't like things tight on my wrist. So I wanted something with a chest strap.
I like getting the notifications on my phone. It's much more subtle during meetings to check my wrist for a text than to reach for my phone to see if it's something to which I need to respond.
I like getting the notifications, but I like that it only vibrates and doesn't make noise.
I like the apps and they are constantly adding new ones for more functionality.
I like the different settings for indoor vs. outdoor exercise.
I like the color interface.
Set-up was super easy.
Good phone app and website interface with the device.
Battery lasts well and charges really fast.


I love Apple, so it was hard to resist the watch, but I really want the HRM functions I get with what I've got.

Hope that helped a little! Here's a site with lots of reviews that I looked at:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404445,00.asp[\url]

_rachel_k

Psychgrrl: I considered the chest strap HRM but I would probably always forget to put it on before my runs/walks.

Bshmerlie

So which is the best Fitbit to get? Charge, Charge HR, Surge or Flex?

JeffLauniere

I had a Fitbit and liked it a lot, though the one problem for me is it was not waterproof. I then bought a Misfit Shine and like it since it is waterproof and thin, I can wear it all the time. It is also much more accurate than my Fitbit was. It does not give as much as feedback as the Fitbit does, since it does not have a display. It also does not have a website like Fitbit, but syncs to MyFitnessPal perfectly. I have not used the Jawbone, though they were advertising the Up3 as waterproof. Apparently it was not though as after they released it they changed it to water resistant. Being in Florida, waterproof ended up changing my mind as to what is best.

_rachel_k

Everyone seems to like and want FitBits, this is a tough decision...... unless I just don't get anything lol

editorgrrl

_rachel_k wrote: »

I'm looking to track my activity and hopefully get a more accurate calorie burn than what I get from MapMyRun and my treadmill and it would appear that the cost is a little cheaper with Jawbone, and I could get it used......

I had a couple discussions posted about the FitBit Charge HR and for almost $200 I couldn't justify the cost.

I have both a Fitbit and a Jawbone UP. Jawbone's customer service is horrible—I wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

Which Fitbit you choose is entirely a matter of personal preference—they all calculate your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and they all sync with MFP. The Fitbit Zip is only $US60.

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

bbontheb

I have a Fitbit charge HR. I haven't run out of battery because every few days I plug it in while having one of my showers/getting ready . It doesn't take long. It's kind of like a phone ...I charge that, so this isn't really much different. I take off to have shower anyhow so meh, it gets charged enough. I haven't noticed that much drain but it would maybe make 5 days if you weren't playing with it all the time checking stats, etc.

I don't have my fitbit synced to MFP. I keep separate for now because it seems like more of a headache. I think that the app is nice, and I like the stats it tracks. It was worth the cost for me because it's worked for my main objective: to encourage myself to move more. Second, I use to gauge how many calories are burned during some cardio workouts. I think it's pretty accurate. There is a small delay in heartrate at times when you go from resting to intense pretty quick lol. But other than that, it's pretty good!

Liftng4Lis

I love my Jawbone!

karahm78

I recommend the Fitbit One. DH and I have both been very happy with ours, if you don't care about the HR monitor it is very accurate for both of us. It records steps and floors climbed, and tracks sleep. I clip mine on my bra, and DH clips it in the watch pocket or waist of his pants. You can get them around $99. I personally like that I don't have to wear it on my wrist.

bambione

I have the Jawbone Up Move. I just got it a few days ago and I love it. At first I couldn't decide what to get. I originally wanted a watch like tracker but this one is a clip on. I have it clipped to my bra and never even notice it's there. I have the Up app on my IPad and it sinks with that via blue tooth. Also MFP is linked to it as well. I watched a few you tube videos about it before I made my purchase. You can buy it directly from Jawbone or I got mine from Amazon. The best part was the price. On sale for 39.99. So far I love it. It's really motivating me to get up and move and go on walks to get my 10,000 steps.

tam71

I just bought a Jawbone UP24 yesterday. I'm liking it. I was going to buy a Fitbit Flex but after a bit of research I think the Jawbone UP24 is slightly better and has a better app.

lps1dragonfly

I've had my Jawbone up24 since Dec 2014. No problems with Bluetooth or data yranfers between apps. I ha e it synced with MFP and its just awesome. Been thinking of upgrading to the newsest version for heart rate tracking. Wish y friend ds used it so I could ha e buddies on my app but no biggie it's got me exploring MFP more!

_rachel_k

I ended up getting the Jawbone up24 because I would rather spend $55 and not like it than $120. I have only used it for one full day but I notice I don't swing my arm much because I always carry stuff with it.

I may only use it for a week, see what kind of numbers I get between daily work days, days I walk to and from work, days I run and days I play ball and the sell it or take it back to the store. I don't know if it will help me to have it all the time

MamaFunky

Following this thread, as I was looking to get a tracker for DH for Father's Day. How does the Fitbit HR track your heart rate? Do you have to wear a chest strap? I would think DH wouldn't mind wearing one while jogging, but curious how it would accurately track throughout the day.

editorgrrl

MamaFunky wrote: »

Following this thread, as I was looking to get a tracker for DH for Father's Day. How does the Fitbit HR track your heart rate? Do you have to wear a chest strap? I would think DH wouldn't mind wearing one while jogging, but curious how it would accurately track throughout the day.

Fitbit Charge HR & Surge are wristbands. No chest strap.

MamaFunky

editorgrrl wrote: »

MamaFunky wrote: »

Following this thread, as I was looking to get a tracker for DH for Father's Day. How does the Fitbit HR track your heart rate? Do you have to wear a chest strap? I would think DH wouldn't mind wearing one while jogging, but curious how it would accurately track throughout the day.

Fitbit Charge HR & Surge are wristbands. No chest strap.

ok, thank you! That is what I thought. I think DH would like that better.

editorgrrl

lps1dragonfly wrote: »

I've had my Jawbone up24 since Dec 2014. No problems with Bluetooth or data yranfers between apps. I ha e it synced with MFP and its just awesome. Been thinking of upgrading to the newsest version for heart rate tracking. Wish y friend ds used it so I could ha e buddies on my app but no biggie it's got me exploring MFP more!

The heart rate sensors in the UP3 don't work throughout the day. Jawbone keeps saying they'll release a firmware update.

You can find teammates in the Jawbone UP Bracelet group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/13420-jawbone-up-bracelet

futuresize8

I had the Fitbit Force, and the strap fell apart after a year (came detached from the actual monitoring portion of the device). The service was awesome: they gave me the full refund they were offering for the recall (some had issues with a metal part of the clasp) which was $149...nearly the cost of the Fitbit Charge HR. So I got to start over with a new device for virtually nothing. Also, I have read online about people who have lost or broken their Fitbit products and have said how gracious Fitbit was to replace at no cost. I am very impressed with the products and ongoing service! I take the burned calories with a grain of salt because I've read that across the board, most of these devices are a little generous on what's actually burned, but it's still good intel generally. Works great for me!