Is a fitbit worth it?

tiffanyfoundit

Depends on what you are tracking/what you do.
For me, tracking my every step was NO GOOD. I already was working out a lot and I was starting to get crazy tracking all my movements throughout the day. So then I was trying to even more and I was exhausted and burnt out and was more focused on steps instead of the quality of my workouts.
So that's something to keep in mind before purchasing.
That being said, it works really well for a lot of people. So I may be the outlier here.
Also - I got mine from Target and was able to return it and get a full refund after two weeks of use.

girlwithcurls2

I'd get a second hand one. I had the Zip, and yes, I got bored with it. However, it is what really got me moving because I realized how few steps I was taking each day (I've heard that teachers walk an average of 5 miles a day-ha! I was walking about 1.5 on a good day.) I started out using it to reach 10,000 steps/day with a walk or run. Eventually, I was used to moving that much, and I'd forget to use the Fitbit, and then months went by when I was exercising regularly, but not tracking steps. That's when I realized that I didn't need it anymore. I have maintained an active lifestyle, incorporating lots of other activities that can't be tracked (mostly in the pool), so it doesn't work for me anymore.

Try one that you don't have to pay full price for. And what's the sleep feature going to do for you? It's interesting information, but can you change the results? It might not be worth paying extra for. (By the way, even my tiny Zip that clips on the pocket had a clock.)

P.S. my colleague gets "steps" for petting her cat... (?) Get the Zip because only steps are counted as steps.

laurenpjokl

coreyreichle wrote: »

That is one of the good things about the fitbit line, specifically: Social motivation works great for some people. Others find "losing challenges" to be demotivating.

So, if you've got a competitive drive already, this can be a real key driver for you. Garmin Connect has nothing on Fitbit in this regard as of yet, although they are trying to work on it.

I can't speak to other vendors in this regard, however.

Yeah, it's just a shame I don't really know many others with a fitbit, but I think it would be great to set myself step challenges.

laurenpjokl

Tedebearduff wrote: »

laurenpjokl wrote: »

My birthday is coming up soon and I'm thinking of asking for a fitbit.

I quite like the look of the fitbit charge. I'm willing to pay the extra money almost just for the clock feature, as I don't want to wear a watch and a fitbit at the same time.

At the moment I track my walking to and from places using MFP, but I also do quite a bit of walking around campus etc. which is difficult to track.

I also like the idea of the sleep tracking features and alarm.

The only issues are:

It's a lot of money for something I might get bored of. On the other hand, even though I've been on and off MFP for the past two years, exercising regularly and getting fitter is something that has stuck as a habit even when control of my diet has slipped.

The other issue is that I start work in September where I'll probably be in a factory at some point everyday and I'll have to take the fitbit off. However, I'll still be able to use it the rest of the time and I know people in the same situation who still like their fitbit.

I say no, didn't like it much. I would say that Apple Watch is worth it if you have an I Phone. I have one and love it, I had a fitbit and it only counts steps ... so doesn't really do much IMO. Apple watch is a HRM so it's more accurate in the world of inaccuracies

I know the second most expensive fitbit has a HRM. Apple watch is really out of my price range, unfortunately.

moe0303

I like it for the convenience of entering exercise calories into mfp and some of my other apps. It is made to just wear with whatever you are doing. So you don't have to worry about finding out how much you burn for say a aerobic kickboxing class, or a 20 minute jog. It's not perfect, and I think it underestimates some of the activities that I do, but I would rather it do that than overestimate.

ETA: To clarify, it enters in your activity calories to mfp automatically. So I don't have to worry about tracking that.

moe0303

laurenpjokl wrote: »

coreyreichle wrote: »

That is one of the good things about the fitbit line, specifically: Social motivation works great for some people. Others find "losing challenges" to be demotivating.

So, if you've got a competitive drive already, this can be a real key driver for you. Garmin Connect has nothing on Fitbit in this regard as of yet, although they are trying to work on it.

I can't speak to other vendors in this regard, however.

Yeah, it's just a shame I don't really know many others with a fitbit, but I think it would be great to set myself step challenges.

There are groups on fitbit and there is a big group here on mfp as well. You can also let it find friends using your facebook, I think, although I don't do that kind of thing. The challenges are fun though.

laurenpjokl

moe0303 wrote: »

There are groups on fitbit and there is a big group here on mfp as well. You can also let it find friends using your facebook, I think, although I don't do that kind of thing. The challenges are fun though.

Ah, it's good to know I'll be able to find people to connect with. :-)

WakkoW

I've had the One, the Flex, and I just got the new Alta. If you want something with a clock face, I like the Alta very much so far. I wouldn't waste the money on one with a HR monitor. HR monitors are really only useful when determining exercise zones and then using a HR monitor with a strap is the way to go.

But I love the Fitbits.

SaraBelle0312

For those of you that have had the Alta, are you noticing a significant drain on your battery with the bluetooth connect? Do you have to have BT connected at all times to use the call, text, calendar alerts?