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Gadgets? Yes/No - Debate
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xDesertxRatx
Posts: 80 Member
in Debate Club
I see lots of people with wrist bands on or looking at watches or checking pedometers. You get the drift. But are they more of a hindrance than be of any use?
I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.
Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.
So community, what do we think?
I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.
Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.
So community, what do we think?
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Replies
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If someone said to me, "I love this red hat with a feather and the only reason I walk is so I get to wear the red hat with a feather" - then I say go for it. If it makes you happy, motivated...
As for accuracy, any device, even apps, in most instances are only as good as the user knowing how to use them properly, knowing the devices' pitfalls and adjusting their expectation accordingly IMO.18 -
Am a no gadgets person. Too old school in function. It'll feel like I'm erasing my dad from my memory. Stick to my dad's methods. So, no.
Enjoyed the vid on your other thread btw.5 -
I have a cheapo Mi Band I use it because it's cheap and gives me a step estimate which helps me be more active (at least in theory)! I've found it has also helped me with my sleep hygiene3
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I have a Garmin watch. One just for running. All I need to know is distance, pace, and calories burned. It does its job1
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How is a Fitbit that different from an app for the phone?
I have a Garmin which I sometimes use and apps for running and biking when I don't. I like them, in various ways they can be motivating and helpful in training, although I'd make do without them if they did not exist.
I had a Fitbit when I started (it broke, at that point I didn't care about replacing it) and it was extremely motivating early on. Walking was my main exercise and it was fun to see what I was already doing (more than I'd realized) and add to it, and inspired me to walk at times I might otherwise have driven or cabbed. Not helpful now, for me, but it was then, so depends on the person but overall possibly good, not bad, IMO.7 -
I'm not sure I see how a Fitbit is any differently than this website or the MFP app where I log my calories or for that matter, a food scale. If anything it's easier since once I got the step adjustment right, it does what it's supposed to do. Whereas here I have to weigh most everything I consume, find the correct entry in the database, etc. I have a Fitbit One. It's usually clipped to my bra. It syncs with an app on my phone. I do check this periodically so that I can see if I need to get in more stairs or steps or whatever, but otherwise, it's not like I'm constantly checking it.
That's as high tech as it gets for me. I am old enough to remember the little booklets where you would have to look up calories and then constantly do the math. Heaven help you if you had anything that wasn't in those booklets. I am positive you can lose weight without the benefit of MFP and Fitbit, but this is working for me. Not going to change that now.
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I have a $15 pedometer. I do walk more when I wear it and check it occasionally.
I don't think a gadget like a fitbit is necessary. If someone likes it and finds it helpful then good for them. It is their money.
I think they can be accurate enough to help people increase their fitness.
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Science says they aren't helpful for weight loss.
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2553448
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Science says they aren't helpful for weight loss.
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2553448
I think this is an example of a misuse of a study. What it indicates is that on average they don't improve results as an "intervention," when combined with many other interventions (that most people don't have).
That does not mean that someone (particularly someone who is self-directed and thinking about what might help with adding activity) who finds that wearing one is an easy way to help remember to get in activity during the day or to motivate oneself to move more is not getting a benefit from it.8 -
xDesertxRatx wrote: »I see lots of people with wrist bands on or looking at watches or checking pedometers. You get the drift. But are they more of a hindrance than be of any use?
I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.
Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.
So community, what do we think?
I don't use any "gadgets" either. I don't own a digital scale, a Fitbit or anything else.
I also don't measure my food, not even with measuring cups or spoons (oh horror!). I eyeball everything and have a pretty good idea about the amounts I should be eating -- I eat regular meals, am definitely not starving myself, and have lost almost 30 pounds since July 2016, down to the last 10.
I do use the calorie and time count when I walk on the treadmill at the gym.
Either way is fine, with or without, whatever helps people and motivates them. There is no right or wrong, just whatever works for you.5 -
xDesertxRatx wrote: »I see lots of people with wrist bands on or looking at watches or checking pedometers. You get the drift. But are they more of a hindrance than be of any use?
I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.
Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.
So community, what do we think?
This isn't really a debate because there are no facts to debate. It's purely a matter of opinion. Some people are motivated by the data, the reminders to get up and move, the goals to try to attain each day, etc. Those same things drive other people crazy and would be detrimental to their efforts.
My wife tried a Fitbit and hated it. She's not a data person nor is she a gadget person. She doesn't even like using MFP to log/track her calories, she'd rather just keep rough running counts in her head. She's also not an exerciser, so workout tracking is of no use to her whatsoever. They're not a hindrance per se, but for her, gadgets are just useless.
In contrast, I'm a gadget person and I love numbers/data - the more the better. I've worn an Apple Watch for 14 months and have found it extremely useful. I like the Move, Exercise and Stand goals for each day, they motivate me to get up off my butt almost like having a coach. I also have a Garmin Edge 520 computer on my bike, which I pair with a HRM strap. I have a wi-fi scale which uploads my weight every morning to several different apps/sites for tracking/trend analysis. I find all of them useful and beneficial. OTOH, I've tried several iPhone apps for tracking my weight workouts and have hated every one of them, I prefer to use a spiral notebook and a pen to log/track my lifting.7 -
xDesertxRatx wrote: »I see lots of people with wrist bands on or looking at watches or checking pedometers. You get the drift. But are they more of a hindrance than be of any use?
I am from the camp that does not use any gadgets for fitness. Apart from the Garmin (basic one) on my bike for logging rides i do not own or use any gadgets.
Now i am not talking about apps for phones as we already know they can be pretty useful. But the Fitbit craze we have here in the UK for instance. I am not convinced they can be accurate and for me can give you a false idea of your fitness.
So community, what do we think?
This isn't really a debate because there are no facts to debate. It's purely a matter of opinion. Some people are motivated by the data, the reminders to get up and move, the goals to try to attain each day, etc. Those same things drive other people crazy and would be detrimental to their efforts.
My wife tried a Fitbit and hated it. She's not a data person nor is she a gadget person. She doesn't even like using MFP to log/track her calories, she'd rather just keep rough running counts in her head. She's also not an exerciser, so workout tracking is of no use to her whatsoever. They're not a hindrance per se, but for her, gadgets are just useless.
In contrast, I'm a gadget person and I love numbers/data - the more the better. I've worn an Apple Watch for 14 months and have found it extremely useful. I like the Move, Exercise and Stand goals for each day, they motivate me to get up off my butt almost like having a coach. I also have a Garmin Edge 520 computer on my bike, which I pair with a HRM strap. I have a wi-fi scale which uploads my weight every morning to several different apps/sites for tracking/trend analysis. I find all of them useful and beneficial. OTOH, I've tried several iPhone apps for tracking my weight workouts and have hated every one of them, I prefer to use a spiral notebook and a pen to log/track my lifting.
^This.
If it's not your thing, don't use one.
If it suits you, have at it.
I like using one. Do I take it as gospel? Sort of. It's a loose TDEE calculator for me. I allow wiggle room with it, and I've done well allowing some breathing room for there to be a margin of error in both my logging and its accounting for my activity.
I like being competitive with myself. Having the data my Fitbit gives me allows me to see what I've done and keep improving on it.4 -
I use a Fitbit for one main reason: to see if I'm being active enough. I don't rely on the numbers, just whether or not I moved about the same as I did before.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Whats to debate? Are they necessary for weight loss? No.. I predict that devices drive the same people just as crazy as the calorie counting can.. Some use the devices and apps as necessary tools to aid in their efforts, some could care less. Heck some do not even want to weigh their food on a gadget.
Not techy? not into wearable devices? do not get one.
I just asked my self if I could train for my next half marathon without one and the answer is yes now I Don't want to though. I need it for various functions, It takes the need for me to walk around with a note book, pen and pencil and even my phone around at all times during times of exercise. It makes training so much easier for me.. I do like to see sleep, step counting, and my running data, etc.. it helps me perform better.0 -
I love my Fitbit Zip. It motivates me, it helps me keep a reasonably accurate log of my activity, and it's cute. I don't think gadgets are necessary, but I do think they can be helpful.1
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I like my fitbit, but I don't assume the numbers are accurate. I tend to look at trends instead of single instances, so taking 10000 steps in a day translates to a general level of activity not actual steps. If I take 7000 steps the next day I know I've moved less, 12000 and I've moved more. If I look at daily steps over 30 days and I see the line is more or less straight I'm confident I'm maintaining a steady rate of activity. not that I'm actually taking that number of steps.0
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I have never joined a gym....I drive by one a few years back.
I do recognize that activity is healthy, regardless of how mild or extreme and that being sedentary is not healthy.
I would never gone out and bought any type of pedometer.....however, thru my work we are enrolled in the Humana vitality program and I was able to get a Fitbit Charge HR for free with my vitality bucks. Then I upgraded to a surge.
I am a competitive person and all the various group and individual challenges keep me up and moving. I no longer just lounge around on weekends and I can tell a difference. In short, it helps keep me motivated to be healthier.0 -
i like my fitbit one. i joined challenges this year to get me moving more. bit of competition helped
i never check the calories it says i have burnt.
but as someone else said, if you dont like them you dont have to have one.0 -
I bought a Misfit Shine a few years ago, but once it popped out of the band for the final annoying time and was lost for good, I wasn't sad at all (apart from the waste of over $100). That had the cute factor but the accompanying app was dodgy to start with and got worse as they "updated" it.
Then my lovely husband bought me an Apple Watch for Christmas 2014 and I've worn it just about every day - so that's coming up towards 2 years. I really like the fitness options on there - having immediate feedback on my wrist as to how active I am has been really useful, it does get me up and moving at least once an hour on in-office days and I like being able to look back at the months (and years now!) of coloured circles on my phone to see when I've been most and least active.
I'm not currently logging my food on MFP, but when I did, I found the Apple Watch syncing worked well almost all the time and the cals were pretty accurate for me - in other words if I logged accurately and "ate back" my exercise cals I could lose weight steadily and pretty easily.
I agree with just about everyone else though - they are a fun gadget and if you like them, go for it, if not, of course they aren't needed.0 -
I played some trial and error with mine and found that I need to eat ~100 calories less than its adjustment to lose at my expected rate. Very similar to playing with a TDEE calculator to adjust for your individual TDEE.
However even if I didn't use it for that, it still encourages me to be more active. Why would that be a bad thing?
Where people go wrong is if they assume it's 100% accurate for everyone and don't make adjustments to make it accurate for them. Or they still don't pay attention to their food and expect to lose weight because they're walking more (they might, but also might not).
It's a tool. If you're going to use it effectively, you need to understand it's limitations.0
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