Does anyone own a fitbit and is it worth it?

Bubblywendy

Hi
I was thinking of buying a wristband version to help motivate me to lose some weight.

Anyone own one here? Opinions

joshdann

Lots of members here own them, and I think for the most part people will agree that it's very useful. For me, it helps keep me honest about how much activity I'm really getting. I like having the ability to set goals for number of steps, miles traveled, floors climbed, etc. I feel good when I meet my goals, and crappy when I don't. motivates me to get out and move more. FWIW, my wife loves hers too. Go get one!

airangel59

I got the Flex in early July. Not sure exactly how accurate it is, but again, have not bothered to figure out & plug in my stride info. I find wearing the band to be very comfortable, I don't even realize it's on (but again, I wore a POW bracelet for years as a teen). I sleep like crap and the band shows that. I love waiting to hit my goal and have it do it's happy flash dance on my wrist, lol

What I like most about it, and would be most likely the same with any Fitbit product, the Jawbone UP, Nike Fuel and other fitness gadgets out there, it MOTIVATES me to do more and for that fact alone, it's worth the price to me. I don't have to remember to put it on, it won't fall off, I won't throw it in the washing machine and it works with my cell (Samsung SG3) and of course here on MFP. I like being able to see the data (syncs in real time on the cell using Bluetooth), you can manually enter sleep if you fall asleep before tapping it to record.

I wish it showed steps and wish it showed the time, I'm wearing it on my non dominant hand and wearing a watch is a bit problematic but do able. You can wear it in the shower but I advise taking it off as water does collect in the thing and I'd rather not have some creeping crud or mold set up camp on my wrist, lol

So yep, I do love mine. Got mine at Best Buy as they had them in stock. Also got the slate band off eBay so I can switch out if I want to or if anything happens to the black band . Am sure there are better ones out there but this works for me. YMMV of course.

ceelg

I love my fitbit. I have the one tracker and it really motivates me, especially when I see that my steps are low for the day. I love the alarm function, which vibrates at a time you set. It wakes me up without waking up the boyfriend. Plus, they have awesome customer service. I had a problem with the ultra and they replaced it with the one. All I had to show was my proof of purchase within the last year. I think it's worth every penny.

jbwork

I have one, its got some good points and some bad. Its not going to give you an actual hard/specific data as far as calories, thats all kind of guesstimated. That said, its a wayyyyyyyy more accurate guesstimate than you will come up with on your own. For me its like this:

If I have an ideal week nutritionally, fitness wise, and I lose weight(if thats my goal), then I can kind of dial in how much "activity" I did that week, and try to maintain that. I can count calories, but as far as general energy expenditure, I don't really have a way of tracking that, so this helps me fill that data point, even if its not 100% accurate.

And it does make me move more, because I want to hit the goals I have setup in it, :P

KatyE213

I love my FitBit, I have the One and had the Ultra before that. Wouldn't be without it! And the way it interacts with MFP is brilliant.

LiftAllThePizzas

I've had mine since January. It's worth every penny. I have been able to gain/maintain/lose by eating above/at/below the fitbit's calorie burn numbers every day.

It also really helps me to see the difference between sitting around all day (0 extra calories I get to eat) versus if I'm active all day (even if it's just walking around the house a lot) where I can end up with an extra 800-1000 calories to eat. It helps to match my hunger levels with how much I really need based on the day's activities, too.

JeffersJJ

I was considering getting one for quite a while, but after I've done my research, I was persuaded by the data not to get one. Below is a current article comparing several of them to actual calories burned.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upgrade-your-life/accurate-fitness-trackers-150220254.html

I found that the best thing to do is to calculate your TDEE and use that as a constant baseline. I have seen much better results when I use this number for my calorie goal than when I add my exercise. I still track my food, but I no longer add my exercise. First, because MFP says you burn the same amount of calories for X minutes of an exercise if you're 135lbs or 250lbs. I personally don't find that a safe way to make sure I'm eating the right amount.

As for the trackers, I suggest you do your research as that is free when compared to the $100+ you'll spend on something that may not even be accurate.

~Jeff

kymarai

LOVE MINE! It so helps especially since in my business some days are slow and others are crazy. I really hate when I forget to put it on after work! It is great motivation. Just got my DD one too! Good luck on your journey. I think the Fitbit is a great tool!

FirecrackerJess

I want one soo bad. But I can't afford one. I want the Flex, the one you wear on your arm. *sigh* I think this would help me better keep track of calories lost playing my fitness video games.

joannedemarco

I have one and I do like it. I aim for the 10000 steps a day. I do move a lot at work, but once home, if I am not at 10000 I go for a long walk to get it in. Overall it does help. Good Luck!

phieaglefan

Please do some research before purchase. I REALLY wanted the Flex. After researching the differences between the Flex and the One, I chose the One. The One has an altimeter, which can track your stairs. Also, the accuracy test done for the article I read indicated that the One seemed a bit more accurate. Plus the One has a display you can look at, as well as syncing to your devices. I wear mine every day and every night.

I will say, if most of your exercise is cardio, it's great and pretty accurate. But I have now started lifting, and of course it will not track that automatically - it must be logged.

bert16

I have a Fitbit One; wear it day and night. Unlike most people here, it seems, I don't really find it motivating. For me, it's just trivia; an indicator of how active I am on my active days (and how truly sedentary I can be on rest days!). I enjoy the trivia, so I keep wearing it; but I don't find that it causes me to head out for a walk to hit my 10,000 step target if I'm fallling short on any given day. I suppose it depends upon both your personality and your workout routine. I'm a distance runner with a training plan; that dictates my exercise for each day. If Fitbit says I haven't hit 10,000 steps on my rest day, I'm still resting.

Bubblywendy

Thanks for the responses guys I really appreciate it. I guess I will do my research first and decide whether to buy the flex fitbit or buy a garmin

icimani

I just bought the FitBit One a few weeks ago and I have to say it wasn't worth the money for me.

- I also have a Polar HRM to track my exercise calories.
- It's interesting to see what my daily calorie expenditure is, but I don't eat back my calories so it's not really useful.
- Yes it tracks my sleep, but so what? What am I going to do with that info other than go to bed earlier? So I quit wearing the wristband to bed.

It's a gadget that I thought would be motivating for me, but it turns out not to be. It's all personal preference.

aggiekaren01

I have an old version of the body media link but it doesn't sync wirelessly so I decided to get the Flex. I just bought it yesterday so I can't say how much I like it specifically but I do like seeing my sleep and my steps per day.

I'm actually wearing both today just to see how the numbers compare at the end of the stay.

vet272

I have a fitbit one and a polar HRM. In conjunction with each other they do everything that i need to be done exercise wise. Great buys!

jetlag

I have the zip and have worn it every day since January. I have to say I do find it motivating, but for awhile, walking was the only form of exercise I could realistically do. If you're a gym bunny, you might find it less so.