To fitbit or not to fitbit?

lydiaannepage

Anyone had any experience with any FitBit products? I am looking into the wristbands they offer and would love to hear some pros and cons before pulling the trigger.

Thanks! :bigsmile:

WalkingAlong

I love mine, though the wristband one didn't suit me, but for style issues, mainly. Lots of reviews on Amazon and Bestbuy.com. Happy shopping!

pianolover2012

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my FItbit One. I chose this over the wristband, because I can easily wear it attached to my bra and no one knows that I am tracking. It really does help me track my steps and also motivates me to move more. I have had it for about 2 months and I think that it is one of the best tools that I have used.The Fitbit one also has a long battery life and recharges in just a few minutes.

niknokd

I have the Fitbit One and I LOVE it. It makes knowing how many calories I can eat in a day so much easier and way more accurate.

GadgetGuy2

The Flex (wristband) will record steps while you are watching TV if you just move your arm around (my brother has one).

Not my idea of accurate step counting.

I have used both the Ultra (old model) and the One for over two years. They both work great! Highly recommend the FitBit products (Flex if you want to cheat while watching TV).

donnaleighh

There are some comparative studies around which compare the One to the Flex - it doe appear that the One is more accurate but the rumour is that that is now improved with the new band that has just been released. I personally have seen that most women prefer the One as you can wear it discretely in your bra or somewhere else - whereas the band is exposed all the time.

Whether to get one or not is a no brainer in my book - its fantatsic and keeps me accountable to myself - but remember it is a pedometer not a HRM.

Enjoy

zanmarie

I have the Ultra and like it. Not sure if they're selling them anymore. The setup can be a hassle (repeatedly), but overall I enjoy using it.

ChrisRShaw

I have the FitBit Flex and love it. It works great with MFP and between the two I really feel like I am getting a good feel of my total calories in and out. Plus it keeps me motivated to move :-).
And yes, of course you can always cheat, but why would you bother, that sort of defeats the purpose.

kawookie

I really like my Fitbit One. It stays on well and has a really long battery life. It seems to be accurate and it is helpful in knowing when I need to move more. I like its badges and its integration with MFP.

mlfrailing

I lost my Flex and have been going nuts! It really does help you stay motivated. I am waiting for the new model to be released and getting that as soon as I can!

birdybirdybird

Hi,

I agree that the Fitbit One is great fun and ridiculously addictive (like monitoring my food intake is for me). That said, there are two things that keep me from using the One:

1. I have managed to lose them twice when they were clipped onto what I thought were secure spaces -- my pockets. I might find two Fitbits under the bed some day...

2. I'm a tap dancer, and a step is not just walking, just like running is not like walking and jumping is not like walking. There's a lot of extra effort going on when I'm exercising than walking. So the competition between me and friends and family is balanced against me.

I suppose it depends on the type of activity you do, and also whether you lose things like I do. If you lose things, you may want to go a step down and get the $60 version, which doesn't track sleep, which is maybe not that accurate anyway -- but also very fun and addictive.

Best of luck!

Broejen

I LOVE my FitBit One! I've been using it (& an Ultra before that) since August of last year and have nothing but good things to say about it & their customer service is top notch! I clip it in the middle of my bra facing inward so no one can tell that it's there.

piscesy2k

Absolutely get the fitbit - its awesome. I have the Fitbit One, had it since May, and it is part of me, no one knows I wear it, and it gives me a more accurate picture of my day. Also great motivation with the friends I have on Fitbit. Even my husband has one now and swears by it, it's gotten him off the couch and walking every day.

skelley331

I have the fitbit flex band and absolutely love it, I have not had any problems with it counting steps by mistake, I wear the band on my left arm but have it set for dominant hand. I use it mainly for the calories in calories out and sync it with myfitnesspal and it's working great, i'm losing weight every week as long as I stay on plan, but I also tend to move more to try and get steps in which burns more calories and you can wear it 24/7, the new force band that came out you cannot wear in the shower. But everyone has their own opinion. You have 30 days to return I believe it you buy it from Best buy or it may be 14 days.

lydiaannepage

Thanks everyone! Super helpful to hear from so many of you ! !

Serah87

Have the Zip. Love it.

GeminiFitness1

Fitbit is coming out with a new wrist one called the Fitbit Force it is little more expensive but it will show the exact amount of steps, flights, calories burned. Unlike the flex that shows light. I just ordered one I did have the Fitbit one but lost it.

i_am_stuck

Fitbit.

Use MFP to track your calories in and Fitbit to (automatically) track your calories out. It is a great combination.

P.S. I have had the flex for 4 months and my force is due to arrive on Thursday.

icimani

I have the Fitbit One. I didn't want the Flex mostly for fashion reasons.

To be honest, within about 2 weeks I was ready to return it. I'd heard people saying how motivating it was, that it made them work harder to get to that magical 10K steps a day. For me? Not so much. Which is strange because I tend to be fairly competitive and have been known to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to beat my own score in some video games.

But I stuck it out and I've found it to be useful.

I don't use it to get my TDEE or to count calories, I don't eat back my exercise calories, so I don't link it to MFP.

What it does do for me is keep me mindful, and that's huge for me. I don't get obsessive about reaching the magical 10K steps number but if I get lazy and don't want to go the the gym I check in with the Fitbit and if I've gone 8K steps I feel like I can take a day off. But if I've only gone 5K steps then I need to get my butt to the gym.

So, for me, it's not so much as a motivator but way to keep track of my daily activity level.

I use a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor when I do intentional cardio exercise, and I also use a simple iPhone app as a pedometer.


If I were just starting, I'd look into the Polar Loop. It supposedly does what the Fitbit does to monitor your daily steps, but also acts as an HRM.

astange83

i tried the flex and did not like it. For me it underestimated how many steps/miles I did. The last day I used it I did 8k/4 mi on the treadmill and it read out that I did 3.25 mi and like 6k in steps...It was too much of a difference to keep me motivated. I know what I have to do...I just don't always like doing it lol.

WalkingAlong

I'm curious... do you hold the rail while you use the treadmill? People say that throws off the Flex.

Also, there may be a problem with yours. I can't imagine 3.24 miles equating to 6000 steps, unless you set it at a huge stride length. I'm at 9000 steps for the day and it says that's 3.7 miles, using the default stride length.

astange83

no i do not hold the rails while on the treadmill. I used the default stride on it as well. my avg mile is 1800-2000 steps. Maybe my treadmill is lying to me lol. it was 6000 something I don't remember exactly and I can't look it up as I've already sold it off. I may not swing my arms as vigorous as I need too, I run/jog a lot to with a very closed arm position. Not saying they're all bad but letting the OP know its a possibility

tangy1

How does everyone have there settings set? To sync to 2 together I have activity on MFP set at sedatory and allow all my activity to be set by the fitbit.

danibu98

I LOVE MY FITBIT ONE!

Yes that was me screaming from the rooftops

I also find mine to be very accurate. It helps keep me accountable. I have found syncing gets wonky sometimes but I with the help of people on the forums here I was able to figure it out.

sami_83

I have the Flex and I love it :smooched:

I've found it pretty accurate with tracking my steps. I also love that it tracks my sleep, it's my alarm, it's comfy, it can get wet, and it syncs nicely with MFP. I log food in MFP because the Fitbit database is crap. Anyway I find it very motivating because I try and get all my stats in the green as often as possible. The past few months I've had my Fitbit are the most active I've been in years. I dig it :happy:

Amadbro

Bodybugg...I got a used one off Amazon for 50.00 with 3 extra armbands and the digital display watch. With the display you don't need a subscription which is awesome.

uhhhDoodle

I have a Fitbit Flex and really love it. While doing some research, I did come across other people saying that it will count steps when you are not really moving… This is true BUT I feel more encouraged to move so that I AM getting those extra steps in to make up for the 'cheating steps'.

rainbowbow

Eh. It was cool for a few weeks. I liked that it would sync with MFP automatically.

It may work for you if you are fairly sedentary or intend to get your work out in by walking or light cardio.

Otherwise it was pretty useless IMO.

Eta: just so you know (and this is why mine is in a drawer somewhere) my fit it showed my TDEE within 20 calories of 99% of calculators online on non workout days. So.... Just sayin.

Ramatang

I LOVE my Fitbit ONE.. I would be lost without it.. I think it is fantastic and would recommend it to anyone

jofjltncb6

I love my fitbit One. I like the concept of the Force, but suspect it will be slightly less accurate (or at least more sensitive about things like typing). And I'm impressed with the customer service stories of how the company has handled damaged units.

airangel59

I bought the Flex on July 4th weekend. Loved it. For me it was a huge motivating factor. YMMV.
Today I just got my "500 Miles Badge" LOL. I try to walk at least 3 miles daily.
I wore it on my non dominant wrist and never had any issues with it counting when I moved my arm. And you don't have to swing arm for it to register steps (never had it count when pushing shopping cart either). You can set sensitivity as well as your stride.

About a week ago I bought the Force as I really wanted the clock feature as well as seeing where I was at during my daily walks.
The Force is about 1.5x larger than the Flex, all one piece as far as charging it goes and yes one really shouldn't shower with it. I always removed my Flex to charge & clean it and the band when I showered.

Dashboard info (free) is easy to understand and both the web version and the cell app sync quickly. I use MFP to log my food and exercise. Love the silent alarm feature on the wrist devices.

Enjoy whatever you end up with.