Garmin and fitbit

Dmederos

I'm thinking of getting a fitbit type device and I'm wondering if it's worth it. Suggestions comments and testimonials please

brianpperkins

What activities do you do? What data points do you want to track?

Dmederos

I am low impact only so I Walk, eliptical and light on total gym swimming also when i am available to. I am wanting to track my steps, calories, and sleep

foxlme

I've had a fitbit charge hr for about a month and I love it. I've been consistently tracking my food for about 2 years and decided to give it a shot after plateauing for a long time. It's been really helpful- I always considered myself very active, but the fitbit reports kept showing me as LIGHTLY active. It's really depressing to realize a 30 minute hard run is totally wiped out by my 9 hour desk job. I mostly focus on meeting my calorie burn goal and my activity calorie burn goal (the calories you burn by working hard as opposed to just existing).

ZyheeMoongazer

I have both a Fitbit Flex and Garmin Vivosmart. Each has pros and cons.

I like Fitbit's website way better than Garmin Connect for 24/7 activity tracking, but like Garmin Connect for more detailed workout metrics. Connect seems more geared towards athletes than lightly active folks, but my goal is to be more active so its motivation for me.

Vivosmart connects to a HR monitor strap so I don't need to use both Fitbit and my Polar HR monitor. However, the Garmin strap does not work under water, a fact I didn't notice when purchasing so I still need to use my Polar when swimming.

Vivosmart is much easier to charge. I hated the charging thing for Fitbit Flex, it would take 15 minutes to get it to work each time.

Another option I was looking at was the Polar 24/7 watch. It also connects with a HR strap but is very bulky on the wrist.

I considered upgrading from Fitbit Flex to Fitbit Charge HR, but I am not a fan of wrist based HR monitors. You need to wear them tighter than what I find comfortable for watches or bracelets. I also heard they are not as accurate, and don't give constant readings during workouts.

wochlikgm

I have the Garmin Fenix 3. It is a fully fledged GPS smartwatch. Great on hikes and outdoor activities. Barometric altimeter measures elevation changes in 1m increments. The calories from activities can be uploaded to MFP. My overall rating is about 8/10.

editorgrrl

Dmederos wrote: »

I am low impact only so I Walk, eliptical and light on total gym swimming also when i am available to. I am wanting to track my steps, calories, and sleep

Fitbits don't track swimming, so you need to log it either in Fitbit (that's what I do) or in MFP.

When you connect your accounts and enable negative calorie adjustments, MFP adjusts your calorie goal every day to TDEE minus deficit. Fitbit challenges are great motivation—and fun.

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

mdalton802

I have had a fitbit one for about 6 months now and LOVE it! Love that it clips on (versus a band) so it is discreet. It's also super durable.... Dummy me full on washed and dried my one and it worked like nothing had happened. It's fun with the app to see all the green smiley faces as I'm reaching my goals- and I can link it with MFP.

crubio360

Love my Fitbit charge HR. It motivates me to stay moving throughout my day and it checks heart rate so it motivates me to take the stairs. It's an everyday all day tracker. My garmin vivo broke so I decided to try Fitbit and prefer it now.

dubird

Have the Fitbit Charge HR and really like it. It did take some fiddling around to get the settings right, but now that I have, it's very very helpful. I would recommend that whichever way you go, make sure it has a heart rate monitor. Those will be a lot more accurate in terms of calculating your calories burned.