should I get a fitbit??

MRSpivey

Love my Flex but really want to get the Force!

FrontBoard

I have the Fitbit Flex activity monitor and honestly I don't think its very accurate. It gives me calories burned while I sleep..Huh? And the sleep mode is so unnecessary. I'm never gonna go back a week or a month to see how long I slept Lol. My opinion is buy a Heart Rate monitor and you will get a better view of calories burned.

Your body is always burning calories unless you are dead. The Fitbit is showing you that you are burning at, or close to, BMR when you are sleeping. If you take one 15min calorie value from their graph during sleeptime and multiply by 96 then you should get something very close to your BMR from the online calculators.

WAHMto5

I have the Fitbit One and LOVE it! For me, it is accurate for my calorie count/activity level through the day. It is also great as a motivator to let me know them days that I don't seem to be moving as much! I do use my Polar for a better accurate on my runs (and other cardio). I don't think I would like wearing it around my wrist. I clip mine on y underwear and don't even know it is there all day;)

pauldix

Definitely, just don't lose it like I have.

triskaidekaphile13

I love the sleep mode. I find it very helpful to keep track of how often I'm waking in the night. I often don't even know myself.

Mcmilligen

I really like mine.

If you are motivated by numbers, you will benefit from any tracking device such as the fitbit (jawbone makes one as well as several other brands). Do your research and find what works for you.

I no longer track my exercise calories on MFP, I let my fitbit subtract whatever given calories I've burned for the day. It doesn't do well for strength training, dancing or anything really other than walking- but it is still a great motivator. I suspect it likely does subtract a little more than what I've burned on some days, so when I do strength train I just eat whatever calories I have left on MFP. I figure it evens out.

All in all, it has motivated me to walk a heck of a lot more. I was shocked to see on average I was only taking about 4,000 steps a day (fitbit's goal is 10,000, or 5 miles a day), so I now try to walk more every day and usually hit my goal on my non-workout days. Other days I get as high as 15,000. Anyways, I say it's worth it! I wear mine every day. One charge lasts about 2 weeks for me.

EvelynBfly78

I have a fitbit zip. It motivates me to make sure that I get in those 10k steps a day. I like that I don't have to figure out how fast I'm walking & trying to remember how long I walked. It automatically gives me the extra calories for it on MFP because they're linked up. No recordkeeping involved. If you don't care about measuring stair or sleep activity the zip is the one for you. The zip works for me because it's simple.

rosevalleygirl23

I have a fitbit one. I love it and have used it everyday for almost three months. Right off the bat I set a goal of 10,000 steps a day. Doing things here and there to reach that goal has added a few extra good habits to my daily life.

I love the dashboard. Some evenings I'll just refresh the page a few times to see the green smiley faces and the "hooray's." The app/website interface does a great job of gamification.

captmiddy

I had a FitBit Zip (just mailed it off to my sister to try) and now have a FitBit One. My wife also has the One and we love them. My wife has been known to hand me her fitbit to walk up a flight of stairs for her if she forgot it on the charger and needs to recover her steps . My calorie number is almost entirely managed by what the fitbit tells me I am allowed to have. Between the Fitbit, MFP and my Treadmill desk I have been able to reach my current number since I started all of them on Christmas last year. Without the fitbit I doubt I would be anywhere near where I am today.

I use a treadmill desk and I am positive that the flex would not record my information properly, so for me the One is the way to go, but depending on your usage the Flex may be something you like better. Really for the cost the Fitbit is a great little device. There are others out there around the same price but I find most of the wrist based one as bad solutions for people who will be using treadmills as they won't capture all your steps if your arms are in a fixed position (holding the rail, leaning on a wrist pad while typing...)

crystal2point0

I have the Fitbit One and I love it! Yes I think it is a worthy purchase. They offer many different options, make sure you compare the different ones to get one with all the options you are looking for.

soehlerking

I love my FitBit Zip; I've had it for almost a year now, but here are a few notes:

Pros:
-great customer service--for 365 days they'll replace anything that breaks on it
-can't stress the customer service enough--i wrote in w/ an issue and got a response on a Sunday. love them.
-tiny--I generally wear it in my bra b/c many girl-pants don't come with pockets.
-easy--no wondering what to track and what not to track; it just records everything you do.

Cons:
-it is really JUST for walking/running. if you do Zumba or Jillian Michaels or swimming, you'll have to log that separately.
-my boob itches. TMI? it gets sweaty, and then it makes you itch if it's right against your skin.
-It really is exactly like entering your numbers into a calculator. There's no magic; it takes your steps and puts them through a calculation according to your height and weight, then tells you how many calories you burned. Call me silly, but this realization was like finding out Santa wasn't real.
-It gets you really obsessed with cardio. Personally I've been focusing more on heavy lifting, and I feel like I'm "failing" b/c my steps on my Fitbit are lower than they were during my Half-Marathon training.

Also:
-if you don't have an iPhone4s or higher, you have to use the dongle. It's itty-bitty so if you're disorganized there's the fear of losing it...and then what do you do?
-it does take a little bit to get used to how the calculations work. i.e. you'll wake up the first morning and see that they've already given you 400 calories (or whatever), and that's b/c the Fitbit is counting according to your BMR (what you're burning while sleeping).
-if you go for a run, don't log it--the Fitbit knows. it took me awhile to figure out I was double-logging.
-the steps will be accurate, but the distance won't necessarily be. don't sweat it. it's not a distance-logging device like Nike+, it's a pedometer.

That's all I've got. I don't regret getting mine; it makes my life easier. Sorry for the huge reply. It's a slow day.

ETA: I found this group really useful:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1307-fitbit-users

Ges220

I love my fitbit flex! Although for me to see a decrease in the numbers on the scale seems to be an ACT OF THE GODS - I can really keep track of all my numbers. I can see alot more muscle and tone when I can tell if I need to work harder, make more steps, burn more calories, etc. i have not paid for premium but I really do like it.. And it syncs with MFP so at the end of the week it tells you how you measured with calories in vs out - which is hard to keep up with on an excel spreadsheet. lol

thumps up

Let me know what you decide ......

smilesback

I love my FitBit One. I'd definitely buy this model again rather than one of the wrist straps. It's unobtrusive worn inside my bra, gives you a much better idea of your activity level and corrects your calorie goal here (if you sync your accounts) - and best of all - it's got me into the habit of walking every day (on top of my usual getting to work and back) to ensure I get extra calories. A lot of people don't realise that sedentary on here isn't inactive, for me it's around 2 miles, and if you don't walk enough FitBit will steal calories away from you with a negative adjustment so that you're still maintaining your deficit. This is all the incentive I need to get outdoors when I would rather slob out on the sofa!

If it's all day monitoring and incentive you want I heartily recommend it!

Here! Here! I use the FitBit little gizmo inside my bra. I found accuracy with BodyBugg using it for 4 years. I know my metabolic rate well. FitBit is on spot with telling me that I am not active enough. I am considering the Premium package for training and reports which is not even the cost of renting an online movie once a month! Go for it!

UnderwoodPD

I love my fitbit.

sandyz1977

I've had mine since May and I love mine. Like many others said, I now feel naked without it. I love how you can link your Fitbit to MFP and your activity will automatically update your calories. It's one less thing to have to worry about or track. It was money well spent.

crimsontech

I have me and 16 of my family and friends all wearing a FitBit One or Ultra. The small, clip-on types are the easiest to wear all day, every day, without getting in the way of your favorite outfit, or inviting unwanted questions (like a bulky wristband/watch or BodyMedia's huge arm band). Some people are happy with the Zip as well, but since I like to hike and I'm buying a house with stairs in the next couple of days, I want credit for steps going up!

I have found the calorie burn to be extremely accurate with regards to my deficit and weight loss progress (or lack thereof, sometimes).

Also, the FitBit has no upkeep/membership costs, you only have to charge it once every 10-14 days (for only like an hour), and their customer service is amazing!

mmm_drop

I think it all depends on the types of exercises you do. All the Fitbit really does is track your walking and running. I personally LOVE mine and am addicted to it! I bought the Ultra and Fitbit replaced it with a One when my Ultra crapped out. I love it and have it synced to my phone and my account here. I like that I know just how much I've done in a day or how little. It personally motivates me to move.

All that being said, it will not accurately track your calories burned while lifting weights or even while riding a bike, using an elliptical, etc.

PaulFields56

It really depends on what you want to get out of it. I don't think it is accurate enough to use for calculating calories, but it is better than nothing. I generally eat back about half of the calories MFP picks up from Fitbit.

On the other hand, it really motivates me to move. I compete with myself and against the goals set by the application. That alone gets me moving. There's also a social component. I have a group of friends and I can see their weekly steps, which are updated throughout the day. I can pick "target" and try to catch that person.

Since I am mostly deskbound, Fitbit has been a key to helping me remember to move more and to keep track of my activiity throughout the day.

I don't get enough sleep as it is. I go to bed too late and get up too early. On top of that, I have insomnia and used to suffer from apnea. I'm not sure how I can use the Fitbit to help me sleep more, but having the empirical evidence about my sleep habits is nice. Of course, if the sleep apnea becomes a problem again, I will not have to wonder why I'm so tired.... I will know why.

In the end, I really enjoy my Fitbit. I look forward to seeing the results of my efforts throughout the day.

corwinKB

i love my flex, i wear it when i play sports, walik around and sleep. It weighs barely anything at all and i often forget I am ever wearing it.

Amwhite1986

If anyone is thinking of getting one, wait a few weeks. The Fitbit Force will be out in a few weeks.... And counts stairs! It's on my Christmas list.

tracyowens22

I absolutely LOVE my FitBit. I've gone thru two Fitbit Ultras (broke one and lost one). That 3 weeks between my lost one and my new Zip were pure torture. I feel naked without my little Zip buddy tagging along. I couldn't care less about logging sleep or floors, I just want the steps. Like someone else shared, it keeps me accountable on the days I don't feel like going to the gym. If I'm close to 10K, I don't feel so bad about skipping the gym as the days when I get home and have only logged 5K. It's like anything though, you'll either love it or you won't. I have mine linked to MFP and my HRM. I'm an electronic junkie.

Cheece

I LOVE my fitbit one. I would never have realised how little I walk on a day to day basis (I work a desk job, but do park out of the CBD so thought I was getting more steps in than I am). I love the weekly emails to tell me how many steps I took this week, and whether it's an increase or a decrease in steps from the previous week. I am the sort of person who really enjoys seeing data, so the graphs and such are amazing for my motivation.

bird_3_lee

I got a jawbone up instead I it

bird_3_lee

I got a jawbone up instead I it

Smuterella

I loved mine but I sold it because I was skint....sigh. Might just get myself a basic pedometer...

Smuterella

I have the Fitbit Flex activity monitor and honestly I don't think its very accurate. It gives me calories burned while I sleep..Huh? And the sleep mode is so unnecessary. I'm never gonna go back a week or a month to see how long I slept Lol. My opinion is buy a Heart Rate monitor and you will get a better view of calories burned.

your body burns calories 24 hours a day, it burns calories just keeping you alive. Your BMR is what you would burn if you slept 24 hours. mine, which is low, is around 1260.

Samstan101

I have the Fitbit Flex activity monitor and honestly I don't think its very accurate. It gives me calories burned while I sleep..Huh? And the sleep mode is so unnecessary. I'm never gonna go back a week or a month to see how long I slept Lol. My opinion is buy a Heart Rate monitor and you will get a better view of calories burned.

Do you not breathe or have a heart beat when you're asleep then?! Of course you burn calories when you're alseep - just less than if you're awake and moving around. Fitbit appears to assume a linear calorie burn 24hrs a day so you'll see variances based on your actual activity level as it adjusts through the day.

I have a Fitbit One and love it. I genuinely don't think I'd have lost the weight I have without it as it keeps me motivated to move more. I have set my stride length for walking and running and find it pretty accurate. I always eat back most/ all my exercise cals so if it wasn't I wouldn't have lost the weight I have. I log all exercise via the Fitbit website and sync to here. I find its exercise calories burn estimates considerably more accurate than MFP's. I wear a HRM when I do cardio and if anything Fitbit under estimates slightly whilst MFP overestimates hugely. As an example I did a 35min run at 5.2mph yesterday. Fitbit estimated 357cals burned, HRM said 385 cals and MFP said 544.

lillivewire87

I love mine. No matter the actual accuracy...it helps to motivate me. I have the little one that has the smiley face dude on it. When he sticks his tongue out at me or turns into a potato...for some reason that turns my brain on and makes me want to do anything to make that little electronic gadget smile...which means I am being active instead of sitting on my bum!