Is it worth getting a Fitbit?

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Mrs_P_6817
Mrs_P_6817 Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My husband has said he will buy me one for my birthday. I've been on the Which website though and they say they're inaccurate when it comes to calories burnt, it also says they count steps even if you're driving.

Have you got a Fitbit? Which one do you have? Would you recommend it in conjunction with MFP?

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Mine is accurate overall, if anything, it underestimates my calorie burns, although it does bug out occasionally and gives me crazy burns on walks, but then you don't have to eat all the exercise calories back. I've never had it count my steps while driving. I use the Charge 2 HR.

    I use it because it definitely motivates me to walk more (so I can eat more without gaining weight).
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
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    Mine overestimates my burns by about 300-400cals as per day. It's now retired in the drawer. (Fitbit Charge HR).
  • Boxn_n_Bellydancn
    Boxn_n_Bellydancn Posts: 171 Member
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    I have a Charge HR and love it. I use it for all aspects, including the gentle alarm, “get up and move” notifications, etc. As far as calories, etc I use it as a reference point.
  • cjttchris
    cjttchris Posts: 2 Member
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    I love my Fitbit, I've got a charge 2 and it's extremely helpful. The heart rate monitor has been spot on for me unless you are very sweaty on a workout where it struggles. All in all, it gets me up and moving when I realise I have only done 2000 steps by 4 pm!

    It is a great motivator and as far as a "smart watch" goes the battery lasts for a good 5 days too (if you use it 24 hours).
  • jnomadica
    jnomadica Posts: 280 Member
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    I love mine (I have an old model). I am much more active when I have this data (I’ve gone from walking about 6k per day to over 10k now that I see this info). The calorie burn has been very accurate for me.
  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 331 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I love mine. It is pretty accurate. I eat back 1/4 to 1/2 of what I burn depending how hungry I am at the end of the day. I have the fitbit charge 2
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    It really depends on the individual. I have an Alta (not HR) and have found it to be accurate, a learning tool, and a motivating factor in my daily movement.

    For those who say it gives them several hundred more calories than they believe they burn, I'd suggest changing your height in fitbit to be an inch shorter. I didn't have to do that, but that is one thing I have seen suggested by more than one person to improve its accuracy. I've also seen lots of people here on these boards say that theirs are accurate and they eat all calories earned.

    In my previous job, I moved a lot more than I thought I did and was underfuleing. I have since changed jobs and, while both are technically sedentary desk jobs, in this job I move a lot less during the day. Having this information clearly provided by my fitbit has shown me early on with the new job that I have to both take longer walks outside of work and I need to try to be more deliberate about getting steps while at work. Sure, I could have learned this over time if I saw my weight creeping up while eating the same amount, but my fitbit showed me that I really need to be more conscientious now. I aim for 12,000 steps a day Mon-Fri and 15,000 Sat-Sun (I often get over 15k).

    I have negative adjustments enabled. Without my fitbit calories, my MFP goal is about 1450 (at sedentary and not adding exercise). With my fitbit, my goal is about 2,000-2,100 on my 12k days. I tend to eat under that (1700-1900) Mon-Fri and then eat more on Sat and Sun (Sometimes around 3,000 on Saturday and normal on Sunday, sometimes around 2400 on both Saturday and Sunday).
  • krael65
    krael65 Posts: 306 Member
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    I love mine. I have a fitbit blaze. It motivates me to move more throughout the day. I like the reminders to move every hour, I've increased my step count to 15K/day average, the calorie burn is pretty accurate for me, you can do step challenges with fitbit friends! Even if it's not accurate for some people, I still find it to be a great motivational tool. So worth it for me. (and mine does not count steps while driving.)

    It keeps me more aware of how NEAT affects total daily burn.

    Also, it was a game changer for me when I "plateaued" during my weight loss. It helped me see that my calories out (TDEE) was not as high as I thought it was, thereby diminishing my actual calorie deficit. Once I started using the fitbit number, I was able to start losing again.
  • Mrs_P_6817
    Mrs_P_6817 Posts: 23 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your replies. I walk a lot at work (approx 12-16k steps depending how busy my shift is). On my days off I try to get to the gym for at least an hour. I’ve been using the step counter on my iPhone when at work, but I tend not to carry it around with me when I’m not at work. I’m pretty motivated at the moment so wondered if having a Fitbit would keep that motivation going or enhance the motivation I have. I think I might just bite the bullet and get him to get me one.
  • Meelisv
    Meelisv Posts: 235 Member
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    Getting a fitness tracker is worth f it:
    * Helps you to be more accountable, or actually motivates you to be more active.
    * if you're into data and want to have more precise info on your activities or workouts or even track your sleep.

    As far as "Fitbit" it seems to be another case where it a certain brand seems to be used for all fitness trackers. Though Fitbit is popular and usually good brand, there are lot more fitness trackers and sports watches out there, some of which can be better, or more affordable. But hat is of course down to personal preference.
  • Jetta1492
    Jetta1492 Posts: 48 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Alta (not HR) and the exercise calories burned are surprisingly accurate. I used to manually figure out my calorie burns for exercise based on my height, weight, age, etc. I find that the Fitbit numbers are very similar to my manual calculations.

    I do think that the total calories burned for the day are kinda high, though. I calculated my TDEE (daily calorie needs) manually and it is lower than what my Fitbit says I burn each day. I have found that I get better weight loss results going by my manual calculations than Fitbit's total calorie count. The manual calculation are about 500 calories lower. So, I have my Fitbit calorie deficit set @ 1,000. So, I eat 1,000 less than what Fitbit says I burn each day. And, I have lost 1 pound a week with a 1,000 calorie deficit.

    I do like the sleep tracker data. And, I like seeing the calories that I have left to eat. This has helped me avoid overeating.
  • Jetta1492
    Jetta1492 Posts: 48 Member
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    Oh, and the steps seem to be pretty accurate on the Fitbit. I was doing wrist exercises the other day because I have wrist issues. In spite of moving my arms a lot, it did not count the movement as steps. I have never had it count steps in the car. I've also compared it to the step count on my Samsung Watch and it was similar.
  • vix576
    vix576 Posts: 13 Member
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    I have a Fitbit charge 2 and love it. I have never really looked at the calories, however have always thought they were high. I find using the calorie tracker on here better than Fitbit, due the vast range of foods, scanning and recipe import.

    As for tracking steps - it does register some movement from your arm but definitely not that sensitive to pick up the movement when driving.

    The heart tracker, sleep tracker and steps tracker are fantastic and, as said by previous comments, very motivational.
  • Mrs_P_6817
    Mrs_P_6817 Posts: 23 Member
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    Another question for you all, will it pick up steps in my pocket? I’m a nurse and have to be bare below the elbow at work. I know that it won’t register my HR, but will it register my steps?
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,687 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Mrs_P_6817 wrote: »
    Another question for you all, will it pick up steps in my pocket? I’m a nurse and have to be bare below the elbow at work. I know that it won’t register my HR, but will it register my steps?

    Other than the fact that they tend to get lost more easily you can get a zip or a one. The one has more functions and almost the same abilities as the HR units except of course for the HR. It can also be worn as a pendant.

    Wrist units will pick up steps and you could even fiddle with your app and turn off the HR function but depending on the type of steps and amount of Impact the detection rate may vary.
  • idabentley
    idabentley Posts: 59 Member
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    I have 2 Fitbit one's. Why? Because they've stopped making them and I have a tendency to lose them. I put both in the same pocket and they were not accurate at all. One measured over 500 steps compared with the other!. However for me using a fitbit is motivational and is good when competing with others worldwide.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    morena2003 wrote: »
    Oh, and the steps seem to be pretty accurate on the Fitbit. I was doing wrist exercises the other day because I have wrist issues. In spite of moving my arms a lot, it did not count the movement as steps. I have never had it count steps in the car. I've also compared it to the step count on my Samsung Watch and it was similar.

    Depends on what you set as your main hand too. I always get random steps petting the dog or stirring food (and take my fitbit off when I grate cheese).

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