Fitness trackers- what do you get from them

climberpilot

Hey all,
I'm just curious, what data does your fitness tracker give you that you find particularly useful, and how do you use that knowledge?

I am looking at maybe getting one out of curiosity, particularly about my sleep patterns, but I'm unsure if this data will have any value to me....

kksmom1789

Hello, I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. I have had it since Jan 26th and I have lost 9lbs since then. I just recently linked it to MFP and I wish I would of done it sooner it shows me how many calories I lose just by normal everyday activities even if I do a workout I don't log them anymore because it automatically adjusts my calories. Also it has automatic sleep recognition which is nice and it's interesting to see how much I actually sleep and toss and turn.

blackflaggirl

kksmom1789 wrote: »

Hello, I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. I have had it since Jan 26th and I have lost 9lbs since then. I just recently linked it to MFP and I wish I would of done it sooner it shows me how many calories

Congrats on your loss!! How does it sync to MFP? is it automatic?

harrybananas

Used mine to mainly track training sessions. The data for more as a nice to know, as I didn't do much with it nor did it affect my life any differently before or after have a tracker.

Btw, I only used it daily for about 2 months before it became another forgotten purchase.

I think it's somewhat worth it if the data it tracks really meant something to you that will make a change for the better in your life.

Otherwise, if you've gotten your diet and training down to a good habit, then any health tracker provides nice to know data since it may not change your fitness and diet plans.

_qO_op_

blackflaggirl wrote: »

kksmom1789 wrote: »

Hello, I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. I have had it since Jan 26th and I have lost 9lbs since then. I just recently linked it to MFP and I wish I would of done it sooner it shows me how many calories

How does it sync to MFP? is it automatic?

Yep. I have a Fitbit Surge. I have mine set to all day sync so periodically my Fitbit syncs with my phone and updates MFP automatically. No fuss no muss.

DaisyHamilton

I've had my fitbit Charge HR since last August and still wear it daily. I had trouble with it over-counting my steps when I was working in retail, because folding a shirt would count for anywhere between 5-15 steps. Now that I'm working an office job, though, I don't find that it tracks any extra steps. I had problems with my first Charge HR, but I contacted Fitbit's customer service, and they sent me a new one. My husband bought one on eBay, and when we contacted them with issues for his not holding a charge, they sent him a brand new one still in the box.

I sound really negative about it but honestly I really love it and have convinced about 6-7 other people to get them, too, and they all love it. I really like the sleeping pattern options, and the "activity" setting that'll tell you how many calories you burned during a specific workout.

kksmom1789

blackflaggirl wrote: »

kksmom1789 wrote: »

Hello, I have a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. I have had it since Jan 26th and I have lost 9lbs since then. I just recently linked it to MFP and I wish I would of done it sooner it shows me how many calories

Congrats on your loss!! How does it sync to MFP? is it automatic?

Thank you! no the sync is not automatic I found a forum here regarding how to sync it properly and I did it that way. basically you only log your food in MFP and turn off the food plan on the fitbit app.

brrrrito

I have a Jawbone UP2 and I love it! it is a lot cheaper than a fitbit and doesn't have a heart rate monitor (which isn't something i specifically wanted) i find it incredibly accurate in how many steps i'm taking and how much exercise i'm doing. after i do a workout my phone will vibrate and say something like "were you active between 6 and 7 a.m.?" and then after you say yes, it asks you what you were up to (running, elliptical, etc, lots of things are listed)

it has auto sleep detection and it's very interesting to see my sleep stats. it's connected to my android phone via bluetooth, and also synced to MFP so all my calories burned are added.

it has something called "smart coach" that gets to know you and gives you little motivation tips and stuff. the battery life gives you about 8 days on a 4 hour charge.

the only thing i don't really like about it is the "food score" where it just gives your meals scores based on healthiness, i just feel like it doesn't take enough into account (for example if i eat a lot of fruit i get a low food score because of the sugar, to me, sugar content of an apple shouldn't really be taken into account...) the only thing that usually gets a high food score is my protein shake in the morning... so...

anyways, if you are into keeping data like this about yourself, i highly recommend! i'd rather rely on MFP for the food portion anyway

snowflake930

Biggest thing that I get from my Charge HR is the motivation to move more, and trust me, for me, that is a very good thing. Totally sedentary 4 years ago, now I get over 20K daily.

kksmom1789

DaisyHamilton wrote: »

I've had my fitbit Charge HR since last August and still wear it daily. I had trouble with it over-counting my steps when I was working in retail, because folding a shirt would count for anywhere between 5-15 steps. Now that I'm working an office job, though, I don't find that it tracks any extra steps. I had problems with my first Charge HR, but I contacted Fitbit's customer service, and they sent me a new one. My husband bought one on eBay, and when we contacted them with issues for his not holding a charge, they sent him a brand new one still in the box.

I sound really negative about it but honestly I really love it and have convinced about 6-7 other people to get them, too, and they all love it. I really like the sleeping pattern options, and the "activity" setting that'll tell you how many calories you burned during a specific workout.

I have an office job too and I have had it synced for the past week and it really has helped!

gramarye

I feel like if you're the sort of person who doesn't need a motivator to keep active, it's probably not necessarily. However, I'd rather curl up on the couch with a book and eat potato chips, so I use the Fitbit the same way I use MFP -- to change, modify, and monitor habits. I'm extremely data motivated, so I use the Fitbit to track activity trends and habits. It helps me maintain better activity habits, and as a general guide I find it's estimate of my calories out to be helpful. I can check what my deficit was at the end of the week, and see when I'm doing well and when I need to be more active or tighten up.

heatherheyns

I have had different fitbits for years. I recently upgraded to the new Blaze. What I like, is it helps me be active, and makes sure I am eating enough by adjusting my calories based on activity. This has been pretty accurate for me. That means on days where I have an exercise class, plus walk, and remain very active, it adjusts my calories goal higher. Prior to synching them I underestimated my activity and often ate too little, resulting in headaches and fatigue. I am a data person, though, so I love having graphs and comparing and all of that.

itsbasschick

i've had my fitbit one for a little over a year and a half, and i like the way it shows my daily steps in MFP. the fitbit dash is good way to get an idea of your daily activity (well, as long as it's walking) and how it's spread out through the day.

Menix8

I'm a data nerd, so I just like having the data and comparing it to others to determine correlation/causation. I've a massive spreadsheet, where I track calories, macros, steps, weight, time of the month, etc. And a bunch of graphs that help compare data. Do I eat more carbs when my step count is high? Do I lose more weight when my steps hit a certain average that week? I just like having the info to answer those questions.

I don't really use it in terms of how many calories I've burned, since I don't trust its accuracy in that.

shadowfax_c11

I got a Flex for my birthday last year. For me it is 1) motivating. I have a bunch of friends and co-workers that I do challenges with. Those challenges motivate me to look for ways to increase my step count for each day. 2) data that helps me track CICO. I don't manually log much of my added exercise and I live a pretty active life on most days. Using the Fitbit to determine how much I should eat every day based on my actual activity. No need to guess which activity level category I should be in. Especially motivating on my less active days when I see my calorie goal get a lot smaller. I like to eat so I am often inspired to find something to do instead of giving in to my inclination to spend a whole day sitting on the couch reading a book.

Not that I don't still sometimes take a day to do just that. rest days are also important. But must be carefully planned.

My Fitbit has made me a lot more aware of my daily habits and how they affect whether I gain, lose or maintain weight.

I may soon upgrade to the Charge HR. A friend of mine is getting the Blaze and may sell me his. Seeing the heart rate data may also prove educational.

Lyenny

After tons of research, I just got the Garmin VivosmartHR. I went with it over the FitBit ChargeHR because it is waterproof...I wanted to be able to swim in it and wear it in the shower. So far, I love it! It's been great to see an accurate estimation of how many calories I'm burning during my workouts, and I feel motivated to get those steps and stairs in!I also love how it tracks sleep! I synced it up with MyFitnessPal, so I can easily see how many calories I've consumed versus how many I've burned each day...helps keep me in check! An extra perk is that I can see all of the notifications from my phone on it...texts, phone calls, updates from FB, SnapChat, Instagram, etc....that isn't completely necessary at all..but it is nice if you are out for a run or working out, and you get an emergency call/text...you can tell right from your wrist instead of having to get your phone out. You should definitely get a fitness tracker! Do the research and that will help you decide which one is right for you.

derek3891

Went my first week without my fitbit, then wore it to work one day. It added all my steps like it's supposed to, but because of this, it also showed calories gained. (Extra to use) so I did use them, I ate more calories than normal that night. So for me, it slows my progress in weight loss

Lady756

I use a Fitbit Charge HR and an Apple Watch. I work in Finance and I am very data driven so I actually keep spreadsheets of all my workouts (I used this method before when I lost over 40 lbs). The number of steps, floors, and calorie burn are the main things I look at throughout the day. The heartrate is also important when I want to see how hard I've worked out. I like the challenges with Fitbit as well and the reminders on the Apple watch are also extremely helpful as well.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I've had Garmins for years. Pace, distance, etc. is important information for my running. When I was actively losing weight, having a more accurate calorie burn that what MFP estimates was important.

My BFF and running partner has a Polar, which calculates steps, sleep patterns and all that jazz. It seems a bit like data overload to me, but she loves it.

Gamliela

My fitbit was given to me by a family member who got it as a Christmas gift from the company he worked for. I put it on and it did so many things. steps counting, time, alarm, calories needed and more. But I realized it was wrong when we drove from Santa Caterina to Venice. While I was riding along it said I was burning calories and counted steps I wasn't taking!
Eventually my husband threw it in the garbage. He thought it was evil. Lol! I guess I got a little obsessed with it.

rileysowner

Gamliela wrote: »

My fitbit was given to me by a family member who got it as a Christmas gift from the company he worked for. I put it on and it did so many things. steps counting, time, alarm, calories needed and more. But I realized it was wrong when we drove from Santa Caterina to Venice. While I was riding along it said I was burning calories and counted steps I wasn't taking!
Eventually my husband threw it in the garbage. He thought it was evil. Lol! I guess I got a little obsessed with it.

That is why you could/can go to the fitbit site and tell it you were driving in a car. It is the bumping along that gives you steps, and properly used, that is entering those corrections for things like long drives, they seem to work well.

climberpilot

Wow, thanks for all the feedback folks! You're all pushing me that much closer to getting one of these things!

ElizabethOakes2

I have a Vivofit, (replaced my Fenix, which was too big and bulky on my tiny wrist and I was afraid I'd break it).
The thing that's surprised me most is how much I like to have the sleep data. I can say "I didn't sleep well." And look back and see when I was awake and figure out why. (I'm having some dental pain- surgery scheduled on the 11th, but you can see where i wake up in pain, toss and turn, finally get up, take more painkillers, and the drift back to sleep).
I do get a little annoyed because it's wrist based, so it doesn't count me as active when I'm doing things like making dinner, washing dishes, or folding laundry. I just spent an hour and half cooking, eating, and cleaning up brunch, and it says I've been inactive for over an hour and is blinking at me to get up and move.