Fitbits aren't worth it

ahagene86

I had one, dropped the extra cash to have the heart rate, and they aren't reliable. They don't track all your activity accurately. They don't track well automatically. Turns out some of the metrics are very accurate. For me it's like comparing it to some miracle diet pills, it could work, but most likely it's just hype and hope.

Fflpnari

I love mine!

PAV8888

ahagene86 wrote: »

I had one, dropped the extra cash to have the heart rate, and they aren't reliable. They don't track all your activity accurately. They don't track well automatically. Turns out some of the metrics are very accurate. For me it's like comparing it to some miracle diet pills, it could work, but most likely it's just hype and hope.

OK. Except that they work averagely well for the average person which on average means they work quite well for MOST people who get one.

Miracle diet pills only work for the advertisers... so at a guess that would add up to far fewer people.

thatjodiegirl

I bought the Versa, but after a week, I returned it and got an Apple Watch. I like the Apple Watch a lot better.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I had a couple Fitbits awhile back, last I had was a Surge. The battery life was terrible, so I got a Garmin and find it to be far better. However, I understand Fitbit has improved since then.

DarkTwain

After having 2 crap out on me, I just went for a smartwatch. A lot more reliable and better looking

NorthCascades

Fitbit makes no guarantees whatsoever about the accuracy of the data they provide you. Their device can be off by 500% and still be operating within spec.

A lot of people say they're "accurate" but have no way to actually measure that.

Yeah, no thanks. There are plenty of situations where that's at acceptable deal, when you go to the doctor there's no guarantee they can fix you, but you pay them to try. But in this case, it's not worth a couple hundred bucks for what you get.

For the people who benefit from them, awesome! Anything that helps is a good thing.

meganpettigrew86

I love mine and find it accurate for calorie tracking etc. Only time it messes up is on long car journeys and when on the ride on lawn mower. I previously had a Garmin which screen broke after 2 months with a screen protector on, cost to replace screen was the same as buying new watch... So despite garmen being better for tracking runs it was not robust or designed practically. My fitbit has been super durable.

amusedmonkey

I rely heavily on mine, so it's worth it. The heart rate model is not worth it to me because it introduces too many variables to be tweaked since my heart rate is not reliable, but the basic model is perfect for me. I tweaked the burn to at least 90% accuracy, if not more, and I reliably eat every single extra calorie it gives me to produce the exact weight trend I'm aiming for. It's a great fit for me because most of my activity is step based. To say it's not worth it for everyone just because you had a different experience with it is not really accurate either.

Jayz395

Different strokes for different folks, everyone like something different

Maxematics

Since you decided to make a post about it, it would have been helpful to read more detailed reasons as to why you find it not to be worth it. All of the reasons you have given are rather vague. You know your reasons for not liking Fitbit and that's fine, but to have a more productive discussion here some more information would have been great.

I like my Fitbit. I've been using Fitbit since July 2015 and I've found it to be extremely reliable. I definitely understand that it varies for each individual, but I'm always skeptical of the claims that Fitbit is wildly inaccurate. From years of reading Fitbit threads here, on the Fitbit forums, and other forums, I've found Fitbit users mostly fall into the following categories:

1. Those who thoroughly understand how the technology works, analyze the data, and adjust accordingly. Users in this category have reported their Fitbit to be spot on or to slightly over/underestimate by ~200 calories on average. Most of the time these users use a food scale so they're attempting to be as accurate as humanly possible with regard to CI.
   
2. Those who do not understand the technology, have an underlying medical condition, and/or are not accurate with their own data. Examples are: People who say they aren't losing weight based on their Fitbit calories but they don't use a food scale, so they aren't accurate about their CI, people who think the calories burned on Fitbit is what they eat in addition to their MFP calorie allowance/other calorie calculator they used online, people who rant about Fitbit counting steps when they drive when they can easily take it off during that time, or people who are well aware they have medical conditions which may affect the accuracy of their data but still think Fitbit is the problem anyway.

I don't think Fitbit is perfect because no fitness tracker is. There will be a margin of error no matter what as there are too many variables to consider. However, for the majority of users, the device provides decent insight as to what their TDEE is, as long as they are doing everything they can on their end to ensure the accuracy of their data and adjusting as necessary.

Keto_Vampire

Fitness activity trackers are simply a tool; got fit before such technology was available. However, they seem to make dieting much easier/predictable/less guessing/less decision fatigue/less unnecessary under eating & overeating.

DrizztGirl82

Fitbits aren't worth it to you. They are to me. I love their app. I love how it transfers data to here. It has given me results and keeps me motivated. I understand it's not 100% accurate (which no trackers are) so I adjust the results and use what I have discovered to work with me. When this Fitbit dies, I will buy another one because they are 100% worth it to me.

Terytha

Definitely seems to be a mixed bag on these things.

I bought a Garmin, its supposed to get here on Saturday. No idea if it'll work or not but there's a chance it will.

HollyPFlax

I love my fitbit charge 2. I've got two years of data proving its accuracy. They aren't accurate for everyone, but I have lost weight with it, maintained weight with it, and now I'm gaining a little bit as I build muscle from powerlifting. I find that it syncs well with myfitnesspal and I can accurately figure out how much I should eat on any given day to hit my goal. Since exercise has the potential to greatly (or barely or anything in between) increase your calories used, it's nice to have an idea of how many that is. It's just a tool. Is it necessary? No. But a lot of us really like fitness trackers!

cmriverside

I lost all my weight without any kind of body tracking device.

Just good old fashioned food and exercise logging plus weighing myself. I didn't even buy a food scale till the last 20 pounds (out of 75 total lost.)

Well, I guess it wasn't completely old fashioned. I used this site. Super easy, but computer.

Commander_Keen

I guess it all depends on what you are using it for.
Mine is a FT4 Polar, I use it to monitor how many calories I burn. The reset is all on me.

hesn92

I love mine. I don't rely on it but it's handy. (I lost weight the first time before ever having any kind of watch) I know it's not super accurate as far as steps and heart rate and distance etc. but calories burned seems to be pretty accurate for me, I love that it syncs to mfp and adjusts my calorie goal up and down, and it does it's job at keeping me motivated to move more.

sugaraddict4321

I think a person's success with an activity tracker depends on two factors - managing expectations and learning how to choose and set up the device so it gives you the most accurate information possible.

Managing expectations - Wearing an activity tracker doesn't make a person lose weight. It makes the person a bit more aware of how much they're moving, which in turn lets the person know whether or not to adjust calories in order to lose, gain, or maintain weight. For individuals training for events like a race, it can help the person know if they're on target with distance vs. time, and whether or not they need to fuel more.

Choosing/setting up the device - All trackers are set up based on averages. If you're not the average, it might take time to figure out which settings to change so the numbers are closer to reality. I'm shorter than an average person. I know that heart rate trackers are pointless for me due to medical reasons. Wrist trackers don't make sense for me because I use my hands and arms all the time, and even when I calibrated as dominant hand while using on the non-dominant one, I still had substantially inflated calorie burns.

I stick with a simple Fitbit Zip these days. It tells me if I'm moving my lower half often enough, and for me that's all I need. It's a motivation tool to remember to move more, and if I know I'm not going to move a lot (sitting in a class all day) then I should eat a bit less.

boyoamsterdam

I have a Polar H10. There were some troubling reviews on Amazon. I went ahead and purchased one from the company. I've used it for 6 weeks now in my home gym and on walks. Paired with the Polar Beat app it has been flawless.

BattyKnitter

I love my Fitbit! I've previously lost weight without one so it's totally doable but I love data so my Fitbit is great! I've been logging all my data into a spreadsheet for the last 9 weeks to see if the data is accurate and it's just a bit off, seems to overestimate by about 100-200 calories according to my deficit and how much I've actually lost, could always be user error too, I could be underestimating my calorie intake. Which I am fine with because once you know that kind of stuff you can make adjustments to your CI/CO.

Not everyone's cup of tea though I get that!

kimny72

I have a Fitbit Alta, non-HR. I had a Flex before that. I love them, they let me know if I've been a lazy *kitten* all day or if I'm staying active. When I'm close to a round # of steps or to my goal seeing that I'm close is motivation to get up and take a quick walk. It buzzes if I don't move for awhile, I tend to get lost in thought working or reading, and sitting for too long is no bueno. The calories it has given me for my steps (and the calories it gives me when I log my exercise on Fitbit) have worked out well for me.

I think a lot of folks who end up disappointed in trackers either depend too much on the HR component or expect that wearing one and getting all that extra data will make you lose weight faster. I just need it to keep me moving and it does that like a champ.

I'd also add, it can take a couple of weeks for at least a Fitbit tracker to "get used to" your pace and schedule.

amusedmonkey

sugaraddict4321 wrote: »

I think a person's success with an activity tracker depends on two factors - managing expectations and learning how to choose and set up the device so it gives you the most accurate information possible.

Managing expectations - Wearing an activity tracker doesn't make a person lose weight. It makes the person a bit more aware of how much they're moving, which in turn lets the person know whether or not to adjust calories in order to lose, gain, or maintain weight. For individuals training for events like a race, it can help the person know if they're on target with distance vs. time, and whether or not they need to fuel more.

Choosing/setting up the device - All trackers are set up based on averages. If you're not the average, it might take time to figure out which settings to change so the numbers are closer to reality. I'm shorter than an average person. I know that heart rate trackers are pointless for me due to medical reasons. Wrist trackers don't make sense for me because I use my hands and arms all the time, and even when I calibrated as dominant hand while using on the non-dominant one, I still had substantially inflated calorie burns.

I stick with a simple Fitbit Zip these days. It tells me if I'm moving my lower half often enough, and for me that's all I need. It's a motivation tool to remember to move more, and if I know I'm not going to move a lot (sitting in a class all day) then I should eat a bit less.

I'm the same. My heart rate is not reliable, I have anxiety, and it can affect my heart rate a lot, and I live where it could get really hot so my heart rate doesn't reflect real calorie burn when I exercise in the summer. I don't use a heart rate model for this reason. I also type for a living, so I don't like having it on my wrist. It's usually good at ignoring typing movements, but not always because I don't touch-type. Fitbit being a glorified pedometer with Bluetooth, it's great at tracking step-based movements, which most of my activity is. I have the Fitbit Flex 2, and I wear it in a clip on my bra. I'm not going to upgrade unless they come up with a new non-heart rate model with better battery life.

I don't believe tech is necessary for weight loss, but if I can simplify some aspects of the weight loss process, why wouldn't I? I also have a scale that syncs to my Libra app, and I would be the first to step out and say both the scale and the app are nothing but luxuries of convenience, doesn't mean I'll eschew all means of convenience just because they're not absolutely necessary. If I feel the convenience is worth it, I will happily pay for it.

gaelicstorm

I love my Fitbit. It is a great tool if you need motivation and want to look at overall trends concerning movement, weight, and heart rate. I don't need 100% accuracy with a device--that isn't possible. What I do need is something to help me understand how much I've been moving and how much more movement I need to do.

MFP, heart rate trackers, food scales, gym equipment, and wearable devices are just tools on this journey. The right match of tools is going to be different for each person.

smoofinator

I really like my FitBit. I've had the Blaze for like three years, and it's a reminder for me to get off my @.$$. I walk a lot, so it's made tracking way easier, and the charge holds for two to three days. I think one's satisfaction depends on what they're using it for. If you're doing traditional exercise, it is more useful than just plugging something into MFP (which overestimates calories burned, IMO), but if you're doing Korean kickboxing or something, it might not track accurately.

SillyGirl_6

I had a Fitbit HR for a couple of years. I liked it but I would wear it on my ankle. It seemed to be better at counting steps that way. Also, I am a nurse and needed a watch with a second hand to push IV meds. I wore a regular watch on my wrist. I bought a Fitbit Blaze 2 years ago. It has a second hand so I am back to wearing it on my wrist.

I like it a lot. If the steps are off I'm ok with that. I am moving more and that is the point for me. When I am counting steps and calories I lose weight. When I stop, I gain. I also like the timer and countdown feature for exercising. My HR tends to be elevated because of the medications I am on and I have an arrhythmia. The HR monitor lets me know if my HR is too high. Is it 100% accurate? Probably not. But, if I am having symptoms and my HR on the Fitbit is elevated I know to get checked out right away. I passed out in my car while at a stoplight from my HR spiking suddenly so having a way to monitor it helps.

I measured my stride to get a more accurate step count and entered that into the settings. I think that has helped too.

Bonus of seeing my kids texts from my phone if they need to let me know something important on my Fitbit while I'm at work.

I guess it depends on what your expectations are. I've lost about 11 pounds since the beginning of March when I started tracking steps and calories again. Maybe you just need to find something that works for you?