FITBIT OR HRM

djwife03

FITBIT OR HRM.....GO!

Ready2Rock206

Depends on what you want to use it for. They are totally different things. FitBit for tracking all day activity. HRM for tracking workouts with an elevated heart rate. I have both but I really only use the FitBit.

enuff_fluff

I just returned my FitBit. I loved it but every time I got in the car, my steps would increase CS was no help at all. Good luck which ever way you go.

djwife03

does FIT BIT track workout calories burned also?

SarahMakePretty

The FITBIT does track daily calories burned, but I mean it's not 100% accurate. It's a decent guide line. I have a FB and HRM. I personally prefer the HRM because it gives better workout readings. You can use both and auto insert calories from the HRM during a workout into your FB profile. That is just too much for me. I'm not a major techno geek.

The FB is fun because it motivates but I never remember to put the sucker on. And I've washed it- twice. (it survived!). All in all I think the HRM is more accurate, because the FB is going off your age/sex/weight to calculate calories, and the HRM is using that plus how your body is physically responding.

WalkingAlong

If your 'workout' is running, walking, dancing or something else steps-based, the Fitbit tracks it. If you mean resistance, swimming, yoga or the like then no, you'd need to manually track that to add it to your total daily burn.

Two totally different tools made for different purposes, like was said above. If you want your workout calorie burn and to do HR zone work, use a HRM. If you want a good estimate of your total daily burn based on how much you move around the other 23 hours, use a Fitbit.

Mokey41

I have both. I like the Fitbit for giving me an idea of whether I need to move my *kitten* more during the day and it seems to be pretty accurate for anything step based. I use my HRM more now for keeping an eye on my HR when running to stay where I want it to be or for cycling just because I can wear it.

If I didn't have the HRM I could probably live without it. The Fitbit is more of a toy too but it is motivational when I look at it at 4 pm as I leave work and see less than 2,000 steps recorded!

morkiemama

For older products, the Body Media Fit from my own personal research is what I would go with (when compared to Jawbone, Fitbit, etc.). I personally did not purchase a BMF due to the subscription fees though. I am considering purchasing a Polar Loop.

Polar has come out with their own tracking device that can incorporate both normal daily activity and exercise (e.g. it is a combo of a daily tracking device and a HRM). It is the first to try and combine these two aspects. It is also waterPROOF (so you can wear it while swimming, etc.), which no other devices are. Since it is new, I have not been able to locate much data about it though.

http://www.polarloop.com/us-en/

Here is a discussion about it on MFP: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1128827-polar-loop-reviews-to-buy-or-not

NOTE: I do already own a Polar FT7 and it is AWESOME. However, it is a HRM only and not an "activity tracker." I love my Polar products and would feel comfortable purchasing another.

Edited to Add: HRMs are for tracking steady state cardio only. It is important to note that HRMs are not accurate for weight lifting and will not give you an accurate burn. They are also not meant for HIIT. Temperature extremes and daily burn tracking (e.g. I wear it all day to find out what I should be taking in) are also inaccurate. HRMs are for steady state aerobic exercise only! Hence why the Loop seems so great!

This is a helpful blog post for understanding HRMs:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

djwife03

thank you everyone! yes, i do run, so FIt Bit would be helpful there. I see there's a Fit Bit ultra also!. On the box it says,

Track your day

steps and distance
calories burned
stairs climbed
wireless uploads
Online graphs and tools.
and sleep tracker...??

WalkingAlong

The Ultra is actually one of the older Fitbit products. I believe the One, Zip, Flex and Force are all newer. They do track sleep. Well, I'm not sure if the Zip does. Just like it does in the daytime, it makes assumptions about your nighttime movements and gives you graphs of time spent asleep, restless, etc.

djwife03

I think anything will be better than what I have now, which is nothing! LOL! i am really interested in seeing a more accurate calorie burn. All i have right now is an app on my phone, where you input weight, minutes, and the exercise you did. then I shave 100-200 calories off of that because i know it's not accurate. I know i"m burning, but just don't know how many.

SouthernCountryGirl

I use an HRM. I prefer it for a more accurate burn because it depends on your heart rate. To me it's much closer to a true calorie burn.

Kevalicious99

does FIT BIT track workout calories burned also?

Not accurately ... you really need a HRM and then only for cardio type workouts is it really accurate.

Sarahnade42x

Right now I use a Fitbit Flex synced with MFP...I log cardio workouts on MFP (which Fitbit accounts for by negating from it's calorie burn estimate) and let my Fitbit figure out calorie burn/distance/steps on it's own throughout the rest of the day. At the end of the week, Fitbit's Calories In/Out estimate is usually pretty consistent with how much weight I actually lose that week. Not perfect (so many variables come into play with weight loss), but close.

chaoticdreams

I have the Fitbit zip. It doesn't track stairs or sleep like the Flex and One, but I only bought it to at least have something to motivate me. I have pre-ordered the Force and am looking forward to it immensely.

Another poster mentioned FB tracking while in a car..... A lot of people have said that, but if so, I haven't noticed it with mine. I have thought about getting a HRM, but at the moment I'm just walking so FB serves my purposes better. I like the tracking and I don't really pay much attention to the calories on FB and just mainly go by MFP's calculations with it in mind. Then there are days like today when my FB isn't syncing with MFP, so it's rather useless on that front.

I'm wanting to start running, so maybe when that gets going I'll get an HRM as well and use both.

WalkingAlong

I think anything will be better than what I have now, which is nothing! LOL! i am really interested in seeing a more accurate calorie burn. All i have right now is an app on my phone, where you input weight, minutes, and the exercise you did. then I shave 100-200 calories off of that because i know it's not accurate. I know i"m burning, but just don't know how many.

I've used about all the toys and I find for me that if you just need something to visually SEE your lack of activity staring you in the face to motivate you to move more, the Fitbit is pretty good for that. It has nice graphs of calories in vs. out and that sort of thing, too. They motivate me.

To be honest, if you just want to estimate your total daily calorie burn, the online calculators do about the same thing, you just have to be really honest about your activity level. Plus if you're really, really good at tracking all your calories and can wait for a month or so to do some averages, your own weight loss is the best indicator of what you burn in an average week. E.g., if you intake an average of 2000 calories a day and lose 5 lbs. per month on average, you know you burn about (3500*5)/30 = 580 more than you eat, or 2580 calories a day. That type of math is not going to be useful day to day or even week to week due to weight not being so linear, but over months, it should work out.

codycsweet

I have both and use my Fitbit everyday, I feel naked without it. I've had it since June of this yr. I also have a hrm and for me with the activities I do walk. Jog, Zumba, turbo fire, t25 the calories burned with both are pretty close, usually within 20-50 cal. With that said I have to have my Fitbit I do still wear the hrm on most of my intense workouts but since the calorie burn is pretty close with both it's not needed. Both are great tools. Knowing what I know now, the one I have to have is the Fitbit. Love love love my Fitbit.

Btw I have read posts where some don't get a similar calorie burn but mine is

bluntlysally

it is not an OR it is an AND - esp if you want everything.

if you want every day movement = fitbit, if you want exercise = HRM.

i have both and together they are a great motivator!!

LauraBalyk

hands down the HRM
I have had both, if you are looking for something that tracks your calories burned during specific workouts then get the HRM, if you are looking for your total calorie burn throughout the day then I would suggest the fitbit. With the fitbit you cannot specifically track a workout though, it just does it continually throughout the entire day. For myself personally I found the fitbit a waste, I didn't really want to know how many calories by body burnt throughout the day I wanted to track to see how much calories I burned during workouts or workout classes.

Belinda658

I find HRM annoying. I can never be bothered putting it on and its not that accurate anyway\

I LOVE my fitbit!

p4ulmiller

it is not an OR it is an AND - esp if you want everything.

if you want every day movement = fitbit, if you want exercise = HRM.

i have both and together they are a great motivator!!

Yep. This.

Me too.

_Zardoz_

Depends what you want them for. If you want to monitor daily activity (including non exercise) a fitbit. If you just want to monitor your exercise and need a training tool a HRM. Different tools for different jobs your really comparing apples with oranges

Racquel1

i love my fitbit flex!!

Always looks for friends on there and here so please feel free to add me.

www.fitbit.com/user/26R2ZC

ktsmom430

I have had a fitbit one for nine months now. I have only forgotten it once and felt lost without it.
All I really want it for is motivation to move more, and for that it is excellent! I do love it.
It is not accurate for logging steps when I use the elliptical at the gym (which I do everyday M-F), but I am ok with that. I just need the motivation to move more and I certainly get that.
I know I am getting my heart rate up when I use the elliptical (you can get the stats on the machine) for an hour 5 days per week. I am not that interested in the numbers, so for me an HRM is not necessary. I just want the motivation and the fitbit one works for me.

sheltony

Thanks for this post. I've been looking into the fitbit vs. up vs. other wrist worn calculators/measurement tools. It's wonderful to have all your perspectives on them! Still don't know what I'll end up with, but Christmas is the season of asking...

icimani

I have both.

I use the Fitbit to get a general idea of my activity level during the day.. I'm not as obsessive about getting to the 10K steps as I probably should be, but it does give me an idea. So if I find myself getting lazy and don't want to go to the gym and I've reached 8K steps then I can be lazy. But if I've only done 3K step then I'd better get my butt to the gym. I don't keep track of calories burned with the Fitbit.

I use the HRM to keep track of the calories I've burned during intentional workouts.

morkiemama

For older products, the Body Media Fit from my own personal research is what I would go with (when compared to Jawbone, Fitbit, etc.). I personally did not purchase a BMF due to the subscription fees though. I am considering purchasing a Polar Loop.

Polar has come out with their own tracking device that can incorporate both normal daily activity and exercise (e.g. it is a combo of a daily tracking device and a HRM). It is the first to try and combine these two aspects. It is also waterPROOF (so you can wear it while swimming, etc.), which no other devices are. Since it is new, I have not been able to locate much data about it though.

http://www.polarloop.com/us-en/

Here is a discussion about it on MFP: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1128827-polar-loop-reviews-to-buy-or-not

NOTE: I do already own a Polar FT7 and it is AWESOME. However, it is a HRM only and not an "activity tracker." I love my Polar products and would feel comfortable purchasing another.

Edited to Add: HRMs are for tracking steady state cardio only. It is important to note that HRMs are not accurate for weight lifting and will not give you an accurate burn. They are also not meant for HIIT. Temperature extremes and daily burn tracking (e.g. I wear it all day to find out what I should be taking in) are also inaccurate. HRMs are for steady state aerobic exercise only! Hence why the Loop seems so great!

This is a helpful blog post for understanding HRMs:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

I did more research on the Polar Loop and I was disappointed with the results. There is no good way for it to even try to estimate strength training burns, since it purely relies on the motion and HRM functions (both are inaccurate for lifting). Plus, it is having TONS of Beta issues (I think they released it too early). Not saying it won't turn out to be a good device, but I would definitely stay away for now. That is JMO.

I am again considering the BMF and I think I will purchase it. It seems to be quite accurate and there has been enough data gathered by users to make me feel comfortable with how it performs. I can use my Polar FT7 to substitute in for workouts the BMF cannot track accurately (e.g. cycling, etc.).

Ideabaker

My vote goes for both!

My Fitbit is on me at all times (even when I'm wearing the HRM). It tracks all of my activities, and I especially appreciate the sleep tracking, as rest is so important to overall health. Every now and then when I am relocating it to a new item of clothing, it flashes a personalised message with "Hug Me" or other stuff... yeah, corny, but it makes me smile. When I don't get my 10,000 steps, I find something to do until I get them!

The HRM is very important to me since the MFP calorie expenditure estimates are often three times higher than what I actually am burning. If I followed those estimates to determine what to eat, I'd be over on many days and would likely gain weight when my goal is to move in the opposite direction on the scale. With the HRM (I have a Polar Fit FT4), I know exactly what my burn is for any extended cardio activity...no estimate needed since it is measuring my own heart rate.

Am thinking of getting my mom one or the other for Christmas, and am leaning toward the Fitbit, since it does the daytime activity and sleep. If Fitbits were just a bit less expensive, I'd be giving them to everyone in my family for the holidays!

emilykatherine19

I just purchased a fitbit flex and currently use MFP to track food intake and workouts. Is it necessary to log my cardio and also strength training in the MFP app? Or only log strength training? I am trying to figure out the best way to let fitbit track calories burned even though I am assuming it doesn't track strength training.

clombardo7968

I just got the Pola RS300X and really like it. I use it with FitBit on myfitnesspal.com and it makes it so easy to keep tract of everything in one place. I was going to ask if I put it on for a full day would it tell me my calorie burn for that day, but I see you already answered that. Thank you.