Do I need an Apple Watch for weight loss?

megan31114

I feel like my phone does a pretty good job of tracking my steps. Except for when I have it in my purse rather than pocket. I had a Fitbit for a week and it counted a step anytime I moved my arm. Does anyone recommend either? If Fitbit, tell me which model cause like I said, I could be reaching for a pen at work and it counted a step. Thanks!!

lx1x

Do you need Apple watch? No.

You need food scale to accurate measure your food (if you.sont have one already).. steps count is just a bonus to track your steps..

Gisel2015

No you don't.

PAV8888

megan31114 wrote: »

I feel like my phone does a pretty good job of tracking my steps. Except for when I have it in my purse rather than pocket. I had a Fitbit for a week and it counted a step anytime I moved my arm. Does anyone recommend either? If Fitbit, tell me which model cause like I said, I could be reaching for a pen at work and it counted a step. Thanks!!

You can adjust your Fitbit by telling it that you're wearing it on your dominant hand even if this is not the case. If your keyboard steps are a large percentage of your total this may lead to an "incorrect" caloric approximation. I record a LOT of keyboard "steps". They are still a very small fraction of my total steps. The accuracy of the caloric calculation has not been affected by too much...

TeaBea

First try wearing your FitBit on your non-dominate wrist. I have a FitBit One that I clip to my bra. There are pendant holders for FitBits. If you want to wear yours as a necklace, I bet there's a way.

That said people have been losing weight for centuries before activity trackers were a thing. I think you get used to the tracker you have and then adjust accordingly. It's not that the tracker has to be exact from day one; you find your calories by getting to know your tracker.

This group has loads of information: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

This thread is a really good place to start: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-amp-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy/p1

Pickle107

Not at all. I now own a Polar M430 but I just use it for running. It does give you your heart rate as well as your sleep pattern but really I just use it for keeping track on trying to improve my mins per mile and resting heart rate. So purely as a fitness aid. It was cheaper than a fitbit with the same spec. I really like mine.

durhammfp

Absolutely not.

MikePTY

I own a Garmin watch. It's sitting in a drawer somewhere. People have been losing weight long before step trackers. Some people might find one beneficial, but you most certainly do not need one to lose weight.

Panini911

no you don't. i certainly am not spending that kinda money! you don't need anything other than a food scale (even a cheap one!) to get an accurate calorie count of food in.

I do have a fitbit charger (an older model). Even if your step count isn't totally accurate it will give you a gist of how you compare day to day. which is really the key.

AnnPT77

Nope. I lost 50 pounds without an all-day fitness tracker, and with no idea of my step count, and maintained weight for a couple of years thereafter (then bought a Garming Vivoactive 3, which hasn't really changed anything, for me).

Just make your best guess at your daily-life activity level to set up your MFP profile, log and eat back a reasonable estimate of your intentional exercise, stick with it for 4-6 weeks, then adjust intake as needed to achieve/maintain a sensibly moderate weight loss rate.

You'll do fine.

texasredreb

Apple thinks you do, but the rest of the world thinks you can still effectively lose weight and walk without one.

amusedmonkey

If you're trying to convince yourself that you need an Apple watch because you want one, you can stop. It's okay to buy things you want from time to time if you can afford them even if they're not necessary.

Fitbit is also unnecessary for weight loss, but I have one because I like how it automates my calories. False steps are not a concern because I clip it to my bra, but even if I didn't, your weigh progress will determine how accurate it is for you and you can adjust how many calories you eat back from there.

Danp

Strictly speaking all you need to lose weight is to eat in a calorie deficit so it's possible without anything at all.

Are there devices that make it easier to achieve this deficit? Absolutely! The more information you have the more accurate you can be.

In my estimate:
- A food tracker/diary (MFP) and kitchen scale will get you 80% of the way (tracking calorie in take)
- A pedometer will get you another 15% of the way there (tracking the major usage of calories)
- Other stuff (gadgets, sporting/exercise equipment, etc) will make up the last 5%

sijomial

As you don't need to track or count steps to lose weight then the answer is no you don't "need" a tracker.
(Apple I believe doesn't integrate well with MyFitnessPal by the way.)

If it encourages you to move more then great. If it's just estimating what you are already doing then is that data really of any great value to you personally? Only you can answer that.

For me it wasn't necessary at all. It became clear very quickly that my activity setting was higher than sedentary despite having a desk job. When I retired and my activity went up again that was also obvious and I didn't need a gizmo to tell me that. I also don't feel any compulsion to try and eat precisely what I burn on any particular day - happy to average it out over an extended period of time.

neugebauer52

Nothing can replace your own will power to succeed. You can throw as much money as you like but it will not make you healthier / fitter. Just get back to basics, stick with MFP - prepare yourself a daily meal plan within the calculated MFP parameters and take it day by day, meal by meal. Go for a walk, appreciate nature around you, start healing from within.

MelanieCN77

FWIW Apple doesn't put step counting front and center in its approach.