FitBit or Bodymedia Item. Recommendations??

SpartyGirl35

I am interested in additional motivation. I'd like to purchase one of these tools. I'm not sure which one people prefer. I've read some reviews on amazon but am looking for more advice.

Thank you.

Kjdds1

Hi, I've had a fitbit One for about three weeks and I love it. It is fun to see your progress during the day, it adds or subtracts calories from your daily "Calories Remaining" in MFP depending on your activity level. I've even found myself pacing in the basement to make sure I make my step goals. It also tracks your sleep (hours asleep, minutes awake, minutes restless) which is interesting but not critical. the downside is that it is not accurate for calories spent during exercise - a heart rate monitor is much better. Good luck with everything!

jmcreynolds91

I have the BM and I love it. It gives you tons more data than a fitbit and puts all of your data into graphs so its easily readable. I did some research before buying it and it is supposed to be alot more accurate also. I love it.

my100plan

I believe BM has a monthly charge? I could be wrong. I'm using a fitbit force and really like it, but it is mostly a pedometer/sleep meter thing. It's comfy on my wrist and I barely notice it now.

Chelz2013

Following

iRun_Butterfly

I've had my fitbit flex for going on 3 months. I credit it for a lot of my success. I find it very motivational, every day I want to make sure I meet the goals I have set and will make sure I go that extra little bit to be sure that I do. I like how it intgrates into MFP, take a lot of the guess work out of figuring your calories burned. Its a very helpful tool.

Mokey41

I have the Fitbit Zip and I like it for motivation because it's small and unnoticeable. I don't want something stuck on my arm or wrist so everyone is asking what that is. I clip the Zip to my bra or the little pocket on jeans and just forget about it. It seems to be really accurate from what I already know about how much I burn from exercise and it prods me to move more by seeing how little I've done by the time I get home from work.

I don't care about how much I sleep or how many stairs I climb so the Zip was a cheaper alternative and does everything I want it to do.

WalkingAlong

I've had both and strongly prefer the Fitbit. Its overall calorie burn level was comparable to the BMF and is accurate for me, is free of ongoing charges, is discrete and isn't stuck to my skin.

ItsAliciaMarie

looking into this as well

*bump*

Collier78

I received a fitbit flex for Mother's Day and I love it. Bodymedia has a recurring monthly cost. Fitbit does not..

liz_pitt

I had a Fitbit One for a year, but kept leaving it clipped onto a bra and tossing it in the washer. The Flex is better for that, but I don't find the wristband to be especially durable. I also don't like the battery life as compared to the One. I'm planning to upgrade to the Force after theirst of the year, because the display options are better than the Flex. The wireless syncign to my iPhone is outstanding.

I use a HRM for most exercise and find that the Fitbit underestimates my calories burned when imported into MFP but leaves me comfortable that I'm not over-eating what i burned.

As for BodyMedia, I had one and didn't use it much at all. It wasn't as convenient and it was tough to tell when the battery was low.

ItsAliciaMarie

Hi, I've had a fitbit One for about three weeks and I love it. It is fun to see your progress during the day, it adds or subtracts calories from your daily "Calories Remaining" in MFP depending on your activity level. I've even found myself pacing in the basement to make sure I make my step goals. It also tracks your sleep (hours asleep, minutes awake, minutes restless) which is interesting but not critical. the downside is that it is not accurate for calories spent during exercise - a heart rate monitor is much better. Good luck with everything!

Do you know how inaccurate it is for working out? I'm currently using a HRM, but was thinking about switching to the FitBit.... bad decision?

moto211

I recently purchased a BMF Link and I love it. I'm a techie and love the detailed reporting. It seems very accurate so far. I'm liking the MFP integration - I enter my food intake into MFP and the BMF activity manager does the rest. I did get a stellar deal on it. My 24 Hour Fitness has the Bodybugg Link (BMF Link clone) for $54 after tax and it comes with 6 months free subscription ($42 value). So, the device itself only really cost me $12. I'll have to wait and see if I feel it's worth paying for when the 6 months is up.

Followingsea

Hi, I've had a fitbit One for about three weeks and I love it. It is fun to see your progress during the day, it adds or subtracts calories from your daily "Calories Remaining" in MFP depending on your activity level. I've even found myself pacing in the basement to make sure I make my step goals. It also tracks your sleep (hours asleep, minutes awake, minutes restless) which is interesting but not critical. the downside is that it is not accurate for calories spent during exercise - a heart rate monitor is much better. Good luck with everything!

Do you know how inaccurate it is for working out? I'm currently using a HRM, but was thinking about switching to the FitBit.... bad decision?

They aren't really the same thing, and can be used together. The Fitbit shines as a measure of your daily activity. The HRM is for telling you what you got out of a specific workout. If you don't have your Fitbit on for that workout, or if it wouldn't notice it (like swimming, or cycling, or lifting) you can plug the information from your HRM into MFP and Fitbit will find it.

Spresto2

I have used both the fitbit flex and the BM. My conclusion will probably not satisfy your question exactly, but maybe it will at least give you a little more to think about. I think it depends on each individual person! As for me, I wish I liked the fitbit better due to it being a lot easier to wear and not as OBVIOUS to other people (questions questions questions WHAT'S THAT????), but I ended up not following the fitbit as closely as I did the bodymedia and I stopped losing and started gaining...not because of the fitbit mind you...because my brain didn't like the way it tracked my daily intake/output...I didn't feel as motivated with fitbit for some odd reason. I was losing 1.5 lbs a week with BM however and consistently staying under my calories...all because of the magical deficit number it showed. The target deficit was 1000 daily and I would strive for that SO HARD daily and usually achieve it. AND..even if I was only say...at a 700 deficit...I didn't feel TOO discouraged. It still felt like I had made headway with my program, even if not exactly as much as I was aiming for daily. With fitbit...it puts you in RED RED RED all the dang time if you eat a calorie over. It felt like I didn't have as much I could eat either because it wasn't tracking my exercise AS closely so it missed things like biking, dancing wildly, etc. and it wasn't tracking my own individual metabolism's burn. With BM I get to eat a little bit more and it is more positively reinforcing with it's display of your daily info. Now, on the other hand....my husband did fitbit flex...EASILY lost 20 lbs. in 2 months. Not a problem. He went from size 36 waist to 33. He looks like he has lost even more since then...just because he gave up pop and eating such large meals. Men. Good Luck to you. As for me, I'm going back to BodyMedia. Fitbit and me do not get along. Since it's winter though...nobody will notice the crazy looking arm band under all the sweaters. haha