I need a tracker!

lynnseyj12

Hi all!

I'm fairly new to MFP (seriously at least) and I'm looking into getting a wearable fitness tracker like a FitBit or a Garmin device!

I'd like something that records my heart rate as well as calories burned throughout the day/during exercise. I don't necessarily need anything fancy (like text messages or phone calls), but that is always a plus if the price is right!

Any suggestions? Also, anyone who has one of these devices--how helpful have they been during your journey??

Thanks in advance!

4legsRbetterthan2

IMO 24/7 hr monitoring is a waste, and most devices that do that grossly overestimate calorie burns. If you want to track hr through workouts a chest strap is the most accurate way to do it.

What kind of exercises do you do? Walking or running will be tracked well by these types of devices, weight lifting, cycling, or crossfit type stuff not as much depending on the device.

Do you want GPS (garmin is better than fitbit)
Do you want something pretty (fitbit is better than garmin)

There are alot of questions you need to ask yourself, take some time to think about exactly what you want it to do before you put up money. Also, polar and misfit might be worth checking out.

Finally, I think the reviews this user does are well rounded: https://www.dcrainmaker.com but there are lots and lots of reviews out there, do your research.

pauliet7

Agree with above. I use Garmin vivoactive based om reviews from the excellent dc rainmaker site linked, also above.

LivingtheLeanDream

I found my Fitbit helped spur me on more and I enjoyed seeing the stats from it. However 4 years down the line, my workouts are consistent, my weight stable so I saw no need to keep wearing a device and haven't worn it in over 6 months - it was very liberating.

DulcimerRick

For me, the main benefit is that my tracker (Fitbit Charge HR2) spurs me on to move more. Instead of setting at the desk 8, 10 hours a day, it spurs me to get up, stretch, go take a walk several times a day. Even short movement is movement. I like the heart rate monitor, and I've found the sleep monitoring pretty accurate and helpful. I realize it's not 100% accurate at all times, but my belief is that if it gets me moving more and makes me more aware of what I'm doing (or not doing, for that matter) it's a worthwhile investment.

tinkerbellang83

I love my Garmin Vivoactive HR. I find it to be very accurate and eat all of my exercise (walking, running, weight lifting, cardio workouts and yoga) calories back whilst losing. The reason I picked it over a Fitbit was that it's waterproof and can be used for swimming and the GPS is built in so you don't need to be connected to your phone constantly which drains both your phone battery and the tracker's battery.

I would suggest you take a look at a comparison like this https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator?type=watch#select , to see what model best serves your own purposes.

Now that the newer vivoactive 3 is out, the HR ones will probably come down in price too.

ROBOTFOOD

Another vote for Garmin here.

ladyhusker39

I have to recommend against Fitbit. They're unreliable. I have 2. Started with the Charge HR which was extremely accurate. Then got the Alta HR and it was way off, drastically overestimating calorie burns. I went back to my old Charge and now it's drastically overestimating as well. I know how to wear them and the settings have always been the same. It's got to be something wrong with the devices or the software. I regret spending $130 on an unattractive watch.

My husband has a Garmin Vivosmart. It's very accurate and he loves it. I'm going to bite the bullet and get one of those and stick yet another Fitbit in a drawer. I don't have to heart to pawn it off on someone else.

clk142

Love my fitbit! My husband bought a Garmin with the cheststrap but I just didn't want to wear it. It may have been more reliable, not sure but I love how my fitbit tracks everything including my sleep and resting heart rate.

GOT_Obsessed

I was never a user of these devices. My motivation comes from my need to succeed but I understand every one is different. My friend kept bugging me to get one so we could compare steps. I agreed to just buy a cheap "Yoo" step tracker watch, $20.

After using it a half day I bumped into her and said "oh I am at xxxx number of steps. What about you?" I was surprised because She had to pull out her phone and sync her Fitbit. The thing had a weak signal and we still don't know who had more steps at the time. She texted me at the end of the day with her number from home.

Be sure you know what you are buying. I am glad I only spend the 20 bucks because what she has would not benefit me in any way.

4legsRbetterthan2

GOT_Obsessed wrote: »

I was never a user of these devices. My motivation comes from my need to succeed but I understand every one is different. My friend kept bugging me to get one so we could compare steps. I agreed to just buy a cheap "Yoo" step tracker watch, $20.

After using it a half day I bumped into her and said "oh I am at xxxx number of steps. What about you?" I was surprised because She had to pull out her phone and sync her Fitbit. The thing had a weak signal and we still don't know who had more steps at the time. She texted me at the end of the day with her number from home.

Be sure you know what you are buying. I am glad I only spend the 20 bucks because what she has would not benefit me in any way.

Oh yeah! get one with a screen, some of them don't have one, takes all the fun out of it!

stanmann571

Love my Vivoactive 1(non-HR) It's light weight, low form factor, GPS, and HRM compatible(I use a Wahoo). Refurbs and NOS(New Old Stock) can be found from on amazon and EBay, for 60-125.

lynnseyj12

Very true! I feel like it would definitely motivate me more to get up and moving and to challenge myself in that way! Thank you for your input!

Ps-- just commented on your status about which fitbit you had--sorry for the double question!

lynnseyj12

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

I found my Fitbit helped spur me on more and I enjoyed seeing the stats from it. However 4 years down the line, my workouts are consistent, my weight stable so I saw no need to keep wearing a device and haven't worn it in over 6 months - it was very liberating.

Congratulations!

boehle

I am on my 2nd fitbit.
I have the fitbit flex 2 now.
It is very generic but I love seeing the red dots that I met my steps each hour and it keeps me moving throughout the day (I have a desk job)

jenny_bean_6

Wondering if anyone has any feedback about Misfit or Jarv Fitness trackers? Good or bad all feedback is welcome At this point I think Fitbit is still in the lead but I am open to other options.

steveko89

I like the activity rings on my apple watch and stand reminders, though I don't think it's ultimately necessary to have something like that to be successful. I don't use my apple watch for workout calorie tracking either. I did use a Polar H7 heart rate monitor to track workout calories for a long while, but have since abandoned using it for direct exercise calorie burn as well. I have found the most accurate method for compensating for exercise is to back-calculate TDEE using a spreadsheet I found on Reddit that uses changes in weekly average weight and calorie intake to calculate actual TDEE from the input (accurate calorie tracking) rather than trying to measure the output. If you're looking for something to help encourage you to get up more and make a game of closing rings or hitting your 10k steps, have at it, though I wouldn't recommend them for exercise calories and/or adjusting calories for daily activity.

jjpptt2

Personally, I've had a number of garmin devices and find that, within the context of your post/question, really only help for as long as the novelty of having a new gadget lingers. Once it's not neat anymore, I don't care much about it... and it never really told me anything I didn't already know.

4legsRbetterthan2

jjpptt2 wrote: »

Personally, I've had a number of garmin devices and find that, within the context of your post/question, really only help for as long as the novelty of having a new gadget lingers. Once it's not neat anymore, I don't care much about it... and it never really told me anything I didn't already know.

I think it depends on the person and what kind of activity they do. If you already have a decent idea of what kind of stuff you do (I walk my dog everyday 2 miles, I know I do 2 miles) then it doesn't really tell you all that much. I found it educational when I first got my fitbit. There were some things (walking around my horse farm) that I thought I was getting more exercise than I actually was, and other things I discounted and didn't consider (shopping) where I got lots of steps.

I have had a tracker for several years now and still pay attention to it. Sometimes its nice to have something telling you in hard cold numbers you are being a lazy bum, makes it a bit harder to stick you head in the sand

tmoneyag99

Don't get Garmin. Their calculations are messed up and they way way way over count exercise calories

jjpptt2

4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »

jjpptt2 wrote: »

Personally, I've had a number of garmin devices and find that, within the context of your post/question, really only help for as long as the novelty of having a new gadget lingers. Once it's not neat anymore, I don't care much about it... and it never really told me anything I didn't already know.

I think it depends on the person and what kind of activity they do. If you already have a decent idea of what kind of stuff you do (I walk my dog everyday 2 miles, I know I do 2 miles) then it doesn't really tell you all that much. I found it educational when I first got my fitbit. There were some things (walking around my horse farm) that I thought I was getting more exercise than I actually was, and other things I discounted and didn't consider (shopping) where I got lots of steps.

I have had a tracker for several years now and still pay attention to it. Sometimes its nice to have something telling you in hard cold numbers you are being a lazy bum, makes it a bit harder to stick you head in the sand

I don't disagree. OP asked about our experiences, so I gave mine. I don't consider steps to necessarily equal exercise, so steps are simply an interesting but meaningless data point. But that's me. There are 100 ways to approach all this.

Gregory_Horton

Apple watch is what I use. Very accurate heart rate monitoring.

timadotcom

I have the fitbit charge HR and it is ok. I feel HR is underestimated during exercise compared with my Polar FT40 I previously had. However after researching this subject for years and trying so many gadgets, the most reliable item to track calories is a tracker with a chest strap. I just bought the Polar H10 chest strap which works on its own with the Polar App. I just spent $90.

I was about to upgrade to the Samsung Sport Pro and the reviews were not convincing at that price point for me. Then I looked at the gear fit pro 2, then considered a garmin and none of these items convinced me that it is worth to spend over $200 when they all do the same thing yet all have their short comings somehow. Also the one main factor among all of these devices is that the HR is always off somehow.

I haven't recieved the H10 chest strap to tell you for sure, but I have used a similar item 4 years ago called Wahoo chest strap and it worked ok. The reason I went with Polar is because I have used their products for over 5 years and never found a problem with them.

So now instead of purchasing another gadget for $250, I'm going to keep my current fitbit to track steps and I will use H10 chest straps for more accurate workouts. This strap can be used for swimming which I do a lot of with my kids, so that is a bonus for me.

m0nster2

I love my VivoFit HR. I didn't get the GPS because I'm not sure I want Garmin to know where I am every second of the day. Ha. I'm a swimmer so I want something that's waterproof. Garmin is, Fitbit is not. I don't care about sleep and usually take it off but the few times I've worn the VivoFit, it seems to be pretty accurate. The only reason I'd recommend FitBit over Garmin is if you want the social aspect. Garmin's is not nearly as robust as Fitbit's.