Fitbits - waste or worth it?

mmmmaidservice

Just wondering what everyone thinks about fitbits. I really want one but my husband says reviews on them are poor.

MariannePhoto

I just got mine and love it. Keeps me motivated. Charge 2 is what I have.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

I have a charge HR and this is my second one*(they had to replace the first one) and I have had nothing but issues with it off and on. I would never buy another one is all I can say

dianemvalentino

Love mine. Have Charge. Have worn every day for over a year. No issues.

fitpal4242

Worth it.. who cares if the calorie burn stated is not accurate? The point of the Fitbit is that it encourages movement. If I see that I'm not going to get to 10,000 steps in a day, it is a motivator to go out and take an extra walk. The Fitbit app links you to friends with Fitbit, and you can see each other's steps and 'cheer' or send messages of encouragement

DiamondRubyMom

Depends if you are a numbers person. personally I will pace the halls at night to hit my target number. I have an HR and love it.

fitpal4242

Also- there is no reason to buy the expensive one. The basic model is just fine. I've been wearing one daily for 4 years! My original (the basic model) started malfunctioning eventually, and then I replaced it with the One. I've replaced that once, but only because I lost it.

Bluwaves1

I have used one for a month now and it really is good to look back to see how your week was, how much sleep you got, your resting pulse etc. you can see improvement in the numbers. unfortunately the place where I work just banned them so I probably won't use it because the 40 hour gap will make it kind of useless. But I would recommend it to anyone, just make sure you can use them at work first before buying.

try2again

I just picked one up used on ebay to test it out, and the first couple of days have been eye opening. I don't need all the bells & whistles though, and don't want to sync with anything, so to pay any more would have been a waste for me. After I bought it, I did see some rather sophisticated pedometers on Amazon that seemed like they would be just fine if that's all a person wanted.

mmmmaidservice

Bluwaves1 wrote: »

I have used one for a month now and it really is good to look back to see how your week was, how much sleep you got, your resting pulse etc. you can see improvement in the numbers. unfortunately the place where I work just banned them so I probably won't use it because the 40 hour gap will make it kind of useless. But I would recommend it to anyone, just make sure you can use them at work first before buying.

I own my own business which is a housecleaning business (would love a Fitbit that counted stairs). But out of curiosity...how can an employer ban them? That's terrible!

wheninroam

I currently have two fitbits (one is HR and the other for swimming/water) and I love them. They really help motivate me to move.

I had read similar stories to what your husband refers to, so I initially bought a Garmin vivofit 3 (it was waterproof but didn't have the HR) I hated it. It seemed far less accurate and the app was a mess (I *think* they have since updated it) but the experience and the desire for a HR monitor convinced me to give Fitbit a go. I'm really pleased with the features, the app, and most importantly, the motivation it provides.

All that said, you know yourself best. If you're a numbers person and like to see/react to your activity levels, then go for it, if you're not, then it could be just a waste of money for you. Good luck

mmmmaidservice

wheninroam wrote: »

I currently have two fitbits (one is HR and the other for swimming/water) and I love them. They really help motivate me to move.

I had read similar stories to what your husband refers to, so I initially bought a Garmin vivofit 3 (it was waterproof but didn't have the HR) I hated it. It seemed far less accurate and the app was a mess (I *think* they have since updated it) but the experience and the desire for a HR monitor convinced me to give Fitbit a go. I'm really pleased with the features, the app, and most importantly, the motivation it provides.

All that said, you know yourself best. If you're a numbers person and like to see/react to your activity levels, then go for it, if you're not, then it could be just a waste of money for you. Good luck

I'm a MAJOR numbers gal. So I think I'd really like it. Thank you!

And thanks to everyone who responded! I may look for a used one first and see how I like it but really the one I want is $129.99 which I feel is reasonable.

rollerjog

i would not waste my money on one, i would rather spend money on food, if your eating right, training right , and know what your doing, i see no reason to have one thats just me

CharlieBeansmomTracey

mmmmaidservice wrote: »

wheninroam wrote: »

I currently have two fitbits (one is HR and the other for swimming/water) and I love them. They really help motivate me to move.

I had read similar stories to what your husband refers to, so I initially bought a Garmin vivofit 3 (it was waterproof but didn't have the HR) I hated it. It seemed far less accurate and the app was a mess (I *think* they have since updated it) but the experience and the desire for a HR monitor convinced me to give Fitbit a go. I'm really pleased with the features, the app, and most importantly, the motivation it provides.

All that said, you know yourself best. If you're a numbers person and like to see/react to your activity levels, then go for it, if you're not, then it could be just a waste of money for you. Good luck

I'm a MAJOR numbers gal. So I think I'd really like it. Thank you!

And thanks to everyone who responded! I may look for a used one first and see how I like it but really the one I want is $129.99 which I feel is reasonable.

just to let you know, Im not sure about the newer ones but some of the fitbits for some people dont sync half the time,or its not found by the app and so on. some only last a year battery wise. so those are some cons to take into consideration as well. my charge HR is like this often which is why I would never buy another fitbit.I dont know how many times I had to unpair it and then pair it back up with the app and so on.

starryphoenix

I love my Fitbit charge! I got mine for Christmas a year ago though. I really want a Blaze. Tracking is fun for me.

RosieS_1980

I got my charge hr about 5 weeks ago and I love it! I've had no issues with it at all. I wore my chest strap at the same when working out for a couple of days and the calorie burn it gave me was within 10/20 cals of each other so I was happy with that.

I've got mine synched to mfp so enter food on here and exercise on the Fitbit and it does all the numbers for you

I wouldn't be without mine!

RAinWA

I've had a One for several years and love it. I don't like wearing things on my wrist so having one I can clip to my pants or bra is perfect. Based on my personal experience, it seems to be accurate - I have maintained just a predicted using the numbers it gives me. It is really motivating to see my steps climb and see if I can beat friends on steps. It doesn't do heart rate, etc. but I really don't think I'd use those feature anyway since walking is my main exercise.

I've only had two issues - I hated the sleep band that came with it so I just cut a hole in the seam of a wrist sweat band and pop it in there at night. I broke the clip holder but you can find those cheap on Amazon in pretty colors.

sparks9777

I use three flex and wear a separate heart monitor. So I can put the fitbit in my pocket. When was working on a ladder it said I did 3000 STEPS. So put it in my pocket. The only one I'm cheating is me. I love my fitbit

jagodfrey08

I have my alta, and I love it. When I first started losing weight, it really helped me reach my step goals. Now, I like that it tracks calories burned throughout the day.

MontyMuttland

mmmmaidservice wrote: »

Just wondering what everyone thinks about fitbits. I really want one but my husband says reviews on them are poor.

Fitbit, just like any other activity monitor, is worth it providing you wear it and use it.
The majority of bad reviews come from people who claim they don't work or are unreliable because they actually expect Fitbits to do magic and you get slim/toned just by owning one.
Mind you, those same people will tell you they are serious about their health and achieving weight-loss whilst still eating "food" from Fast Food outlets and having cheat days...

virginiadj

I just purchased my fitbit, but find that it challenges me each day. I love it!

alexp44

I've had a fitbit one since Jan 2013 and I love it. It's still going strong and I still wear it on placement when I'm in a hospital and have to be bare below the elbow.
I've also had a fitbit charge hr since Jan 2015. I'm on my 3rd one of them at the minute due to issues with the strap peeling but I do love it. I love seeing my resting hr go down as I get fitter (and I can tell when I'm stressed due to exams. lol). It's a handy way of checking where I am as the day goes on without always having to sync to my phone.
When I contacted their customer services this time they offered me a replacement again or 30% off a new fitbit so I've gone with a blaze which I'm picking up tomorrow from where I got it delivered to.
Although I've had issues with the charge hr I've had no issues at all with customer services and they've been brilliant each time. The new charge hrs should be better in theory as the issues were with the straps and they've changed the design now.

I'm a competitive person so I love taking part in challenges with my friends and pushing myself to hit targets. It also surprises me at times just how inactive I can be when I've spent a day sat down writing essays and not getting up so I feel guilty and do a bit of exercise on the wii fit. lol

marieamethyst

I've had a Fitbit for over 3 years now. My natural state is to be lazy, so it helps motivate me to get up and move more. A lot of my family and friends have one, so we get to encourage each other to get more steps. Definitely worth it for me!

GottaBurnEmAll

There were issues with the Charge HR which is why they released the Charge2.

I have had a Flex and upgraded to the Charge2. I made it a point to educate myself on how to use both devices and I've found them very useful and motivating.

My activity level has skyrocketed because I'm pretty competitive with myself (with other people, I'm not competitive at all), always wanting to set a new goal to do better than I have done in the past. Having data from Fitbit to do this has been really useful.

I have MFP set up in such a way as to entirely rely on data from Fitbit when I create my daily calorie deficit.

cwolfman13

Depends on whether or not you want/need that data.

priestp1

Any activity tracker is good imho. A few things (I am on my 3rd Fitbit.) -

1. They are sensitive to water and sweat. You will have to clean the charging contacts with alcohol periodically to get a good charge. I now have the Fitbit Flex 2 (you can wear while swimming / lower profile). This is the biggest complaint with Fitbit.

2. The biggest benefit for me is that MFP will sync with Fitbit under Apps. I get a better "estimate" on my activity / calorie deficit. This helps me make better decisions.

3. Finally - the challenges are cool (just another way to stay motivated). Fitbit Challenges can be like MFP groups where you get motivation. I participate in 2-3 challenges per week with different groups (some are runners, where I get crushed ) You can also do individual challenges (Walk the distance of different trails, where Fitbit will alert you to different sites / provide you tips / etc...

I will always have an activity tracker. I am with Fitbit now because of existing friendships. (There is a group on MFP where like individuals let other MFP users know they are on Fitbit - if you want to add them). If you get one, feel free to add me. www.fitbit.com/user/26BMTD

ladyreva78

I love my fitbit. I went from a 1k daily strong average to 8k. Still working on hitting that consistently (got a bit lazy over Christmas...). My next goal is 8.5K and the long term goal is 15K daily.

I'll probably get a second one this summer to track swimming.

I've never had synch issues that weren't fixed by rebooting my phone. And the only reason I replaced my charge hr and upgraded to a charge 2 is kitty damage. Oddly enough the warranty doesn't cover having your tracker bitten apart by an 4-legged furry terror.

mmmmaidservice

This is all very good info. I can see some cons for sure but most are pros. Think I'll try one. I love the idea of challenging myself and I didn't even know about challenge groups! Love it!

atlantafiend

I have the fitbit one. I used to have the flex, but I developed a nasty rash around my wrist because of it. I like it. It keeps me motivated and active.

rdmitch

Bought a Blaze as a reward for losing the first few pounds. If it helps motivate me to walk a bit more ,it will be worth it.
Like it so far, hate the band but ordered a replacement. The jury is still out on the final determination on the Fitbit.

zdyb23456

I bought my charge HR 15 months ago and haven't had any issues with it. I love it. It keeps me motivated to keep moving to get my 10k steps in every day.

I do wish it were a bit smaller, it's pretty bulky on my wrist, the Jawbone was prettier, but a piece of junk.

I'm not sure I care about monitoring my heart rate since I rarely look at my heart rate, so I might downgrade when this one bites the dust.