Fit-bit--is it worth it?

CaitlinS311
CaitlinS311 Posts: 6 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all. I'm curious to hear how many of you have Fit Bits? Do you like them or did they make you obsessive and a little crazy over steps and calories burned. I kind of like the idea but I'm trying to do everything in more moderation this time around and not have weight loss and fitness be the center of my life....

Replies

  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    I have had my fitbit for almost a year I really like it. If you have the store called Bargain Hunt near you that is where I got mine over $80 off retail and brand new
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    edited May 2016
    I love mine. The information is there, use it how you want. I don't always hit my goal steps, but it doesn't make me crazy... I know it's generally because I did yoga or pilates that day for my workout instead of cardio, and that's okay.

    I mainly like it because it gives a pretty accurate reading of how many calories I burn, and gives an estimate for the day of how many I'm likely to burn and gives me a little push when I need it to hit that next milestone.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    yes to both questions
  • NewMEEE2016
    NewMEEE2016 Posts: 192 Member
    To me, it always just seemed like a very expensive pedometer.
  • kiittenforever
    kiittenforever Posts: 478 Member
    I ended up returning mine and I purchased it for 99 plus tax.. because there are Free apps on iPhone and android phones that do the exact same thing as the fitbit and you don't have to wear it on your wrist. I agree with the above it is like a very expensive pedometer.
  • GreyKnight120
    GreyKnight120 Posts: 60 Member
    I think it's good for some folks and not as much for others. I was given mine for Christmas 5-6 months ago and I don't think it really did anything to change my fitness levels, accountability, etc. I got the Charge HR and I will admit that I like seeing what my heart rate does during some of my HIIT workouts. I also like the sleep tracking features. Other than those two features - which can easily be replaced by free/cheap droid apps - I really don't think it's helped that much and have been pondering not utilizing the thing as much, or scaling use back to a few days a month just to observe trends instead. Everyone is different though. Your mileage may vary.
  • NewHealthyBug
    NewHealthyBug Posts: 39 Member
    CaitlinS311 wrote: »
    Hi all. I'm curious to hear how many of you have Fit Bits? Do you like them or did they make you obsessive and a little crazy over steps and calories burned. I kind of like the idea but I'm trying to do everything in more moderation this time around and not have weight loss and fitness be the center of my life....

    I had same questions, so thanks for doing this. Be back if I get.
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    Given that there are more fitbits on Craigslist than there are treadmills two months after New Year's, I'd say they've got a pretty high abandonment rate. Which is not to say they don't work for some people.
  • rachelr1116
    rachelr1116 Posts: 334 Member
    I bought my Fitbit a little over a year ago. In the beginning, when I was just starting to exercise, I really liked it. I was mostly walking for exercise and it was fun to try to get to 10,000 steps everyday and earn the Fitbit badges. Now, I'm doing a lot of exercise that isn't step based (swimming and biking) and when I'm on my bike the Fitbit counts steps when I ride over bumps and it's a pain to have to go into the Fitbit app and track "Driving" during my cycling time so that I'm not getting credit for steps I didn't take. So, I decided this weekend to stop wearing it. I do think Fitbits have their place and for people that do a lot of walking or running for exercise they are a good way to measure progress and track calories burned.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    NewMEEE2016 wrote: »
    To me, it always just seemed like a very expensive pedometer.

    This. I got a free fitbit charge hr from work and gave it to my girlfriend since she'd been wanting one.
    I wouldn't benefit from using one in any way.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Depends on the person. I don't obsess, but I do pay attention to it. I started with a Zip a couple of years ago, and loved the information it gave me. I like gadgets and I liked the info it gave me, and was pretty eye opening to see how little I moved some days!

    I eventually got a One, which did a little more, and enjoyed the chance to track my sleep habits and to get some stairs logged whenever I was around them, which was and still is rare. Meeting my sleep goal, as well as step goal, are little challenges for myself.

    I now have a Fitbit Charge HR, which I resisted for quite awhile since I didn't really want something on my wrist - that's what I liked about the Zip and the One, they were out of sight. But my old HRM finally died on me, and my One needed a new case, so I decided to go for the Charge HR and see how I liked it. And I do like it. I like being able to see my progress on my wrist rather than having to check my phone, or in private, peek down at the Zip or One! :blush:

    It's a motivational thing for me. I have friends who have them, and we routinely set up the challenges to see who can get the most steps during the work week or weekend, or even hit goal first just for one day. Gives me an extra push to get up and move.

    So yeah, I'd say for me, it's worth it.
  • stephenallen1977
    stephenallen1977 Posts: 1 Member
    Just get an Xiaomi Mi Band from Gear Best.
    Only $12 and will do much the same thing.
    http://www.gearbest.com/smart-wristband/pp_259237.html
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited May 2016
    CaitlinS311 wrote: »
    Hi all. I'm curious to hear how many of you have Fit Bits? Do you like them or did they make you obsessive and a little crazy over steps and calories burned. I kind of like the idea but I'm trying to do everything in more moderation this time around and not have weight loss and fitness be the center of my life....

    I have had one for over 3 years.
    Love it. Perfect for me as all of my exercise is step based (I hike, walk and use the elliptical and treadmill mainly).
    I never pay attention to calories burned as it is not important at all to me.
    Very motivational to get me to move more, so it has made me obsessive in that regard. I routinely get over 20K per day.
    I don't consider it expensive, worth every penny spent. I have had a One, Force, and now a Charge HR. I will be getting a Blaze for my birthday in September.
  • Ruatine
    Ruatine Posts: 3,424 Member
    I've been wearing my Charge HR practically every day for over a year now. I love it. It helps me be more mindful of how (in)active I am. Because I have it sync'd to MFP, it shows me when I'm more active than my sedentary setting I have for my MFP activity level, which gives me a little breathing room in my calorie goal when I'm active enough.

    Fitbit recently updated the software so that it recognizes when I am doing an activity (based on my heartrate). Granted it mistakes me mowing my lawn with cycling, but the fact that it recognizes that I'm being purposefully active and not just my daily routine is impressive to me.
  • gnarlykickflip
    gnarlykickflip Posts: 49 Member
    edited May 2016
    I had been using the Samsung app to track my steps through my phone for a while before I decided to get one. I leave my phone on the counter to charge during the evenings after work so I wasn't getting all my steps recorded, so it made sense to buy my own separate pedometer. I needed a wrist one because I knew I wouldn't put one on my hip every day. Overstock.com was having a sale so I got my Flex for like $45 with shipping, figured it was worth a try and I could always sell it to recover part of my losses if I didn't like it.

    One of the biggest benefits for me is that I can easily and quickly use the app to set up friendly competitions with my friends, family, and coworkers (different competition groups of course). I have to be careful not to get obsessive over the numbers at the end of the day, but the competitive drive is enough for me to get up and away from my desk for a few minutes every hour, which is something I desperately need for my back problems.

    I've had mine for a week now and I would say that I've already gotten my money's worth out of it. I think it largely depends on what you want it for, it suits my needs very well. The social aspect, convenience of use, and numerical data make it a very useful tool for me. I am keenly aware of the danger of obsession, however. I do worry.... I hope I can bring myself to ditch it if I start stressing over my step count. I have found that lowering my daily step goal makes the pressure much more manageable!

    Hope this helps.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    GreyKnight120 wrote: »
    I got the Charge HR and I will admit that I like seeing what my heart rate does during some of my HIIT workouts. I also like the sleep tracking features. Other than those two features - which can easily be replaced by free/cheap droid apps - I really don't think it's helped that much and have been pondering not utilizing the thing as much, or scaling use back to a few days a month just to observe trends instead. Everyone is different though. Your mileage may vary.

    Which free or cheap apps can you use to track your heart rate during high intensity interval training, and to track your sleep?
  • GreyKnight120
    GreyKnight120 Posts: 60 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    Which free or cheap apps can you use to track your heart rate during high intensity interval training, and to track your sleep?

    I have used one called "Heart Rate Pro" (I think there's a free version as well but I felt it was worth the couple $'s or w/e to upgrade it. It was a little quirky at first fumbling with it while keeping leg movement going on my stationary bike rides, but it takes a one-time HR reading. This served my purpose - taking a few readings at different points/intensities during my rides. There may be an app out there that can record your HR over time but I haven't found one that gives a chart like on the Fitbit - arguably my one favorite feature with the Fitbit HR.

    For sleep there are a number of good apps. I've used Sleep Cycle, but Sleepbot and Sleep As Android are also supposed to be good apps. You could probably search the AppStore for either and find some. Most are free or offer some sort of free trial, and probably worth playing around with to see which you like best before dropping coin on.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    edited May 2016
    I'm confused. How do you use a one-time reading for HIIT workouts? Maybe we're using the same words to describe different things, or we have a different approach to it. I think of a HIIT workout as a series of repeats, like "go 30 seconds at 90 % max HR then 15 seconds rest, do this 5 times." At that level of intensity I'm too engrossed in my exercise to be able to interact with my phone, and also I want to know that I actually hit my target. Are you maybe going by pace targets instead?
  • kirstinethornburg
    kirstinethornburg Posts: 300 Member
    I had mine for a very short frustrating time. Ended up returning it and never want any kind of a pedometer ever again for me they are a waste of money and cause too much stress. Besides I do strength training and cardio I do not run or walk as workouts. I ride an ellipitical seated bike and use weight machiunes at my gym 4 days a week as a work outs
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    I'm glad I'm not the only one that doesn't have one. I'm old enough to have seen every fitness fad come and go. This one will probably last awhile and if someone wants to give me one with a heart rate monitor I'd probably try it. My phone tracks my steps and has a heart rate app to measure heart rate (it's a pain to use though), and I use the Map My Hike app to track my hiking distance, elevation and calories.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I love my fitbit. One of the best features is that it syncs with mfp. So I don't have to play exercise calorie guessing games.. It's also an incentive to see my calories increasing throughout the day in my diary
  • AvrilC1971
    AvrilC1971 Posts: 13 Member
    I just got one for Mother's Day... I'll let you know. :smiley:
  • GreyKnight120
    GreyKnight120 Posts: 60 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I'm confused. How do you use a one-time reading for HIIT workouts? Maybe we're using the same words to describe different things, or we have a different approach to it. I think of a HIIT workout as a series of repeats, like "go 30 seconds at 90 % max HR then 15 seconds rest, do this 5 times." At that level of intensity I'm too engrossed in my exercise to be able to interact with my phone, and also I want to know that I actually hit my target. Are you maybe going by pace targets instead?

    I just take one-time readings at various points. Same basic exercise, but yes there is a difficulty factor in getting the metric while in a intenssity spike. It took some practice, and there may be some app that does it over time (I haven't explored this but someone else may know and I would be interested if there is), however for my purposes before getting the Fitbit it worked well enough to fetch my HR at different times. I'm doing this on a stationary bike so that probably makes it somewhat easier as well, since most of the rapid motion isn't occupying my arms and hands so much. I can see where this might be much more difficult on a walk/sprint HIIT or swinging around k-bells or such.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    A month ago I was given a hand me down charge hr. I am still trying to decide if it is something worth having :wink:

    Some of the things I really enjoy:
    -I love the sleep tracking!
    -I love the vibrating alarm!
    -I have my doubts about the accuracy of the hr tracking but it is neat to see a graph for the day and correlate activity with the increases. Or to see how quickly it rises as soon as a wake up.
    -I didn't think I would care but I enjoy the notification of getting 10k steps.

    Some of the things that are kinda irritating:
    -The daily calorie goal is low for me. If I ate what it told me - I would be losing weight. I have been maintaining my weight for over a year and already know what I need to eat. If the calories were closer to accurate I would probably order a new one if this thing broke.
    -It is annoying to wear with some long sleeve shirts.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    I went with a Misfit Flash for a few reasons. It's cheaper. I can use it for cycling (it also does swimming, plus the usual step based activities) and wear it on my shoe if I'm pushing a stroller or pulling a wagon. It uses a watch battery rather than requiring charging every few days. I've only had it a week, but I'm very happy with it. It syncs with MFP and updates my calorie goal as I go.
  • Syneea
    Syneea Posts: 451 Member
    Yeah, I love mine as well. Loved seeing my resting heart rate drop so significantly during the last six months... Love the challenges with co-workers which pushes me to exercise even harder (not that I need too much outside motivation).. I love seeing the calories burned when I exercise intensely... More than worth the money to me... Albeit I WAS a bit obsessed when I first purchased it. Lol I'd turn the car around in a minute to go back for it...didn't want to move unless I was wearing it, as that is a waste of uncalculated steps. Lol
  • beautifulwarrior18
    beautifulwarrior18 Posts: 914 Member
    I like my fitbit but I will tell you it hasn't done anything for my waistline. I might walk a little bit more but not enough to really have large effects on my physical fitness.

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