Peoples opinions on buying Fitbit or not????

feroshus

Oh and I also think some people are confused about extra steps - if you just leave your Fitbit on your counter all day, it will still "register" your base calories, like 1500 or so. These are calories, not steps.

It only registers steps (and extra burnt calories) for when you move.

foxandflora

I don't think it is necessary; however, it can be a really great motivator if you have friends or family members with them. I don't own one, but since my entire family now has them, I'll get them for the social-fitness aspect of it. It's cool to have challenges and to see how others are doing. (I'm also that type of person- I love having lots of friends on MFP. Some people just need to have the app, track their calories and actually dislike the social aspect of it.)

TamaraYacoub

It's not that important. ..Was excited about it in the beginning but now forget to wear it

Fitgirllife72

I personally love mine. I have the surge. I did buy my son the Garmin vivoactive hr for Christmas though and it is a much nicer product than Fitbit in my opinion. I am switching to Garmin either next Christmas or when my surge bites the dust

cambridgestylist

I just got a Charge 2 and I love it.

suruda

I had one, it didn't really motivate me. I had a 10,000 step goal. If I was within a few hundred, I would work hard to make it happen. If I was too far off I just blew it off. My husband though loves his! If it is something that will motivate or inspire you, go for it!

cwolfman13

It depends on whether you want/need that data. None of my deliberate exercise is step based and at this point I don't need a gadget to give me an estimate of what my energy expenditure is so it would be a waste for me.

For many people it's a good reminder to be more active...it's also an eye opener for many in regards to what their energy expenditure is on a daily basis...it seems to me that a lot of people are often surprised at their energy expenditure and in many cases are expending more energy than they thought.

yoyopensioner

I've had my Blaze since May and used it in conjunction with MFP and have lost 31.5 kgs, so for me it's been brilliant. My daughter thought they were a gimmick and not worth the money but since getting one has found it very good and has also lost a good amount of weight. It depends what you want a tracker for as to whether it is worth it for you. I love being able to make sure I exercise more than I eat and enjoy being able to challenge family and friends to get the most steps. As others have mentioned it might not be totally accurate and maybe there are better trackers available, but the social and support side of it is very motivating.

Beautywalk

I love the charge HR for many reasons, and the dashboard report on the fitbit site gives me lots of info. But the one thing that makes it worthwhile for me is the sync with MFP so that it's easy to track my 1,000 cal per day deficit.

jennifer_417

I have a One and have found it very helpful, but I lost weight just fine before I got it, too.

trudie_b

Susieq_1994 wrote: »

Charge 2 doesn't have the heart rate option, as far as I know.

Yes, it does.

I'm really happy with mine. I'd recommend it.

jacmo24

I've worn a Fitbit for years. I have an Alta now. I love it. It got me moving from 3k steps a day to 10-15k regularly. The reminder to walk every hour is a big deal for me. Desk job and it is really unhealthy to sit for such long periods. Really like the social aspect and the challenges.

Tacklewasher

Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »

Tacklewasher wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

fittnessForever0820 wrote: »

lisa_roberts wrote: »

I am debating whether to buy a Fitbit charge 2

Or just to save my money and not bother are they good and worth the money or not??

the fitbit doesn't count right you can get 1000s of steps without taking a step in all day

That's because it's taking in to consideration your BMR. It's why you put your stats in.

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

They said steps. Nothing to do with BMR. No idea if it is true or not, but if it is showing steps when the person has not taken a step all day, that's an issue.

Mine has never given me extra steps. The only issue with it is it doesn't count steps properly if your arm isn't moving (if you're pushing a stroller or holding a dog leash) When I'm doing those things I put it in my pocket and it's accurate.

Typical of any wrist tracker. Figured this out my first walk on a treadmill. No steps because I was holding on. Stopped that bad habit right away. I get steps fun holding the dogs leash (but it's a small dog if that makes a difference) and I don't push a stroller. Guess that means I get more steps than I think grocery shopping.

ftloy

I bought my FitBit Charge HR in May of 2015 and wore it up until about 3 or 4 months ago -- I finally put it to rest [mostly] because the band started to fall apart.

Personally, I thought the data and analytics aspects of it were fun and interesting at first, but that wore off pretty quickly for me; it got to the point where it was being used more as a watch than what it was actually designed to be used for. Also, as far as the built-in HR monitor was concerned, I only used it for a few weeks at the beginning as it was a severe battery drain.

With that, would I recommend a FitBit product? Why, yes ... yes, I would*. As cwolfman13 said, they work really well as a reminder to be more active and as a great tool for challenging yourself. They also provide insight into the evolution of your new lifestyle change. And, of course, we can't overlook the fact that they sync up to MFP, making logging exercise so much more efficient, which is not a bad thing!

*On the flip-side, do I think they're for everyone? Definitely not, but if you want and/or need the cues and data that a FitBit wearable can provide, then I say good on you, go for it.

amp3435

i love my blaze!
everyone feel free to add me on fitbit same user name

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WinoGelato

I started MFP almost 4 years ago and didn't have a FitBit at the time, I was largely sedentary then. I was logging calories and using MFP estimates for exercise burned when I did any, and was losing weight. After about 6 months I got a FitBit Flex and was pleasantly surprised to learn that through my efforts to become more active I was averaging 10k steps/day and having the confidence of syncing the two tools together made me more comfortable eating back the exercise adjustments. I used that to lose the remainder of my weight and am now successfully maintaining fairly effortlessly because I trust the numbers and know that the total calories burned on my FitBit is what I need to not exceed. It has also demonstrated that it's possible to be a petite female over 40 with a relatively high TDEE (2200 for me) and that you don't have to be destined to eating 1200 cals to lose weight.

I upgraded to the ChargeHR about 6 months ago and like it really well even though I don't heavily rely on the HR measurements. The challenges are fun but not something I really rely on. For me the biggest selling point of these is a reasonably accurate estimate of your TDEE, for me that is much more reliable than what I got from various calculators.

Rumandpepsi

I got the Charge 2 for Christmas and already love it! Won a challenge against 2 friends Saturday:)

successgal1

I use the fitbit charge HR, I believe the fitbit charge 2 DOES have HR.

It is very accurate to HR I find. In fact, I bought it for that reason so that I don't over stress my heart when cycling. And now I can see what was 165 beats at 10 lbs ago is now 135 having lost 10lbs and becoming more fit. And now I know I can up my intensity without having a heart attack or something. My resting heart rate has gone from 95 22 pounds ago, to around 72. These stats are useful. I'm the type of person that likes more information, the more the better. I like measurable results and I get that with this device.

I don't really care about reaching a step goal, but I like that when I am working around the barn and house it does automatically note any potential intensity of activity based on my heart rate, and I get more calories to eat if I want to, for that activity. I only eat actual activity minute calories, not just random step calories. I think I'm fit enough that casual walking isn't enough to gain me food, lol. To me the step count is only useful if I'm walking around a theme park or something. But if thats the case I'm taking a day off from counting anyway. I HAD thought the fitbit was overmeasuring steps based on arm activity, but then I strapped it to my ankle and discovered I walk more then I thought I did. The drawback with that is that I'm so still then, when watching TV, that it records the non-movement as sleep, and it threw off my sleep hour count, which I DO pay attention to since I often don't get enough, and this effects recovery, water retention and thus weight loss in me. When I get a really good, restorative sleep the pounds that have been stuck, drop off. So I find tracking sleep important.

An apple watch is only useful if you have an iphone, and I find that concept nauseating to this firm Android user.

I like the idea that the Garmin Vivosmart HR is waterproof. I would find that useful and it looks like they are $99 right now, with the HR+ being 150 (adds GPS I don't need).

I will have to check the Garmin reviews to see if they are up to my standards. Not really interest in wasting $100 on another device though right now, but maybe in the future if my fitbit wears out. I'm not having the strap problems others have said they have had, I think fitbit fixed the problem so to see a bad strap review around years later may be not the most up to date information.

JoKnowsJo

I love mine I have been through 3 Surges, 2 Ones and I currently have a Charge 2. The one is very accurate, the surges were great but the band was a problem, but I love those things. They have corrected that with the Charge 2 you can change the band. I do more strength training, however I also try and get in 12,000 steps in a day.

23susu23

I have a Fitbit Flex -- first version. It is a great motivator for me to get up and move. It has a few alarms you can set to buzz you but I recently found a phone App called Stand up that has great alarms you can set and it reminds me every 30 min (or whatever you set) to get up and move. Yes, I am that lazy! I know you really aren't supposed to but I wear my Flex on my ankle. I found a really comfy stretchy fabric band on Etsy that someone makes and I can't even feel it. She makes wrist ones too. Anyway, no you don't have to have one and if you don't care about steps, you don't need one. I really find it motivating and I use the Fitbit software as a game to get steps every hour.

Heartisalonelyhunter

The sleep tracker is also very accurate. Even though I know what time I go to bed and wake up, I didn't realise how much I am restless or awake during the night. Basically I suck at sleep.

Maxematics

I have a Charge 2; it indeed has a HRM. I had the Charge HR for over a year before I upgraded. I love mine. I don't get the crazy amounts of false steps some people claim to get nor do I receive the grossly overestimated TDEE that some people claim to receive. It got me from 139 pounds down to 107 pounds, back up to 118 after a much needed bulk, and back down to 113 where I am now. I don't need it, no, but I have it, I enjoy using it, and it keeps me motivated.

successgal1

Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »

The sleep tracker is also very accurate. Even though I know what time I go to bed and wake up, I didn't realise how much I am restless or awake during the night. Basically I suck at sleep.

I did too until I invested in a new mattress. And I went to Mattress Firm prepared to spend what I had to and laid for 5-10 minutes on at least 6 mattresses and I tried at least twice after trying others. I brought my own pillow as suggested. The mattress that felt the best turned out to be the cheapest one. I fully darkened my room, and turned on a box fan for white noise. I take magnesium before bed, and sometimes ibuprofen for my random aches and pains.

Now I sleep like a log.

singingflutelady

Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »

The sleep tracker is also very accurate. Even though I know what time I go to bed and wake up, I didn't realise how much I am restless or awake during the night. Basically I suck at sleep.

I don't find it accurate. I wake up several times a night and am restless and mine says that I mostly sleep through the night.. um ok

WifiresGettingFit

I got my FitBit Flex 2 last month on Black Friday. It was a splurge buy because it was $30 dollars off and caught my eye on the way to the register. I think it can be a useful tool as any. It's become a huge motivator for me. I really, really like the sleep tracker and have found out like @Heartisalonelyhunter that I also suck at sleep. I also found out that I am more sedentary than I thought so I enjoy the reminders to move and having various goals to work towards. I've also found that it keeps me more in line with my eating because there is no "working it off." For me, I can't really imagine being without it now but I also enjoy data so that may have something to do with it. haha

RetiredAndLovingIt

I have a One which i wear on my wrist for sleep. I think I sleep pretty good, but it does not agree. It says I am very restless.

msalicia116

I got my Fitbit last July, and found my average steps were 5,000-7,000 (on a good day). By October I was averaging 17,000-22,000 steps. November my son hid my charger, so after weeks of it not turning up, decided I needed to just buy one. I got it late December and found that my steps had gone back down to 5,000 tops! That's what happens when I don't have it. Now I'm back up to 12,000 and working my way up again.

Moral of the story, it's a complete game changer. It has paid for itself over and over again, and I will more than likely always have one. The best part is, the shape of my body was completely changing, just from taking more steps. I unpacked a box of clothes that didn't fit anymore, and decided to put some jeans on for motivation, and they actually fit, yet I only weighed about 5 lbs less (I was 17 lbs lighter when I wore those jeans).

Go for it! Best purchase I ever made!

atky90

Use a Garmin Vivosmart HR+, got the other day as a pressie, great bit of kit, and good on the reviews. Used a couple of other makes before, but prefer this one by a mile

glitterrainn

I have a Fitbit Blaze. I love it when I use it. I haven't used it in awhile because I've become lazy. I also lost my charger and my new one doesn't come in until tomorrow. But, when I did use it, it was pretty accurate with +/- about 100 steps. My sleep tracker was also pretty accurate. I liked the touchscreen and how I could put different faces on it. I liked how I could see my texts and calls so I didn't have to pick up my phone if I didn't need to. It also has Fitstar which is like a few quick workouts if you only have a small amount of time or need a quick boost (abs/legs, etc). I've lost 20lbs so far and now I'm trying to dig myself out of this rut I've so comfortably put myself in.