HRM? Fit bit? Jawbone? Nike? Help!

sargessexyone

I have the fitbit one and love it but it is only good for step based activities. I had been thinking about a polar ft4 HRM but I saw this the other day

http://healbe.com/

think I might wait and see what the reviewers have to say about it.

ThinkInOregon

I have the Bodymedia Core band and absolutely love it! It also came with a year subscription, and find it very useful. I wear it every day, plug it in while I am in the shower, and certainly believe having the data linked to MFP has contributed to my weight loss.

Here's a referral link to save you 15%: http://bodymedia.extole.com/m/1270648960

abhull14

I was wanting to get a fitbit but it appears my wrist are to large. If anyone knows a solution for me let me know.

sargessexyone

I was wanting to get a fitbit but it appears my wrist are to large. If anyone knows a solution for me let me know.

You can get a Fitbit one. It's a clip on or you can keep it in your pocket.

beautifulwarrior18

I have an hrm which I love. Not a fan of my fit bit one. Its just an overpriced pedometer in my opinion.

PayneAS

I have an hrm which I love. Not a fan of my fit bit one. Its just an overpriced pedometer in my opinion.

It does much more than just count steps. If you are getting it just to count steps, then yeah, it is a bit "overpriced". I use it for so much more like the nifty website, sleep tracking, and stairs climbed to name just three things.

Starfish1277

I have the BodyMedia Link armband and I love it. I love data, and the reports really give you a lot. I really like that it connects to myfitnesspal and runkeeper. It has been very accurate and helpful for me. You can't wear it in the shower, but that is when I usually charge it. I think it was well worth the money. I ordered an extra armband with it initially, because I had heard they can be flimsy, but I haven't had any problems. It doesn't do heart rate, but is compatible with some HR monitors on the market if you want both. It is one of the most accurate monitors on the market. Plus, with the LINK armband, I love being able to see my progress on my phone.

It is a bit more obvious than other monitors. I am a teacher as well, and while it doesn't get in the way at all, kids will ask you about it, but it's just curiosity. Once I start talking about health, they lose interest.

jenn8278

Hi all!
I asked for and received a Polar FT7 as a Valentine's Day gift from my hubby (so dramatically romantic, right?!). In any case, i LOVE this little device. It comes with a chest strap that you wear while working out, and it pairs to a watch, monitoring your heart rate during your workout. You set your personal data, and it calculates calories burned once you stop the workout.
There are lots of things I still don't quite know how to do with it (mainly due to lack of time to sit and play with it). I know you can set fat burning zones and things like that, but again...just using it for the simple heart rate function.

In regards to the Fitbit, I actually had one in my hands, ready to purchase, but while looking at it, realized it was very similar to a pedometer. I decided to do some research on it first, and found it just wasn't right for me. A lot of reviews said that it would log activity not done (like one had it in her pocket on a 6 hour car ride, and it logged 4,000 steps for her!!!). If pedometers are your thing, totally get it! I'm not knocking the Fitbit...it just wasn't for me.

If you have any questions about the Polar system, let me know! I'll do my best to get an answer for you!

beautifulwarrior18

I have an hrm which I love. Not a fan of my fit bit one. Its just an overpriced pedometer in my opinion.

It does much more than just count steps. If you are getting it just to count steps, then yeah, it is a bit "overpriced". I use it for so much more like the nifty website, sleep tracking, and stairs climbed to name just three things.

That really doesn't help me either. I can tell how I sleep by how I feel and as far as stairs, it measures stairs by barametric pressure. That doesn't help me either because I live in a one floor building and my work is a one for building. If I want to do stairs I use the stairmaster, so it doesn't track that. A glorified pedometer in my opinion. If I wanted a rough estimate on the amount of calories I was burning I'd just use the MFP tracker.

beautifulwarrior18

Hi all!
I asked for and received a Polar FT7 as a Valentine's Day gift from my hubby (so dramatically romantic, right?!). In any case, i LOVE this little device. It comes with a chest strap that you wear while working out, and it pairs to a watch, monitoring your heart rate during your workout. You set your personal data, and it calculates calories burned once you stop the workout.
There are lots of things I still don't quite know how to do with it (mainly due to lack of time to sit and play with it). I know you can set fat burning zones and things like that, but again...just using it for the simple heart rate function.

In regards to the Fitbit, I actually had one in my hands, ready to purchase, but while looking at it, realized it was very similar to a pedometer. I decided to do some research on it first, and found it just wasn't right for me. A lot of reviews said that it would log activity not done (like one had it in her pocket on a 6 hour car ride, and it logged 4,000 steps for her!!!). If pedometers are your thing, totally get it! I'm not knocking the Fitbit...it just wasn't for me.

If you have any questions about the Polar system, let me know! I'll do my best to get an answer for you!

I have the Polar FT4 and I love it!!! $60 on Amazon

Lifeisgood4

bump

ThinkInOregon

I have the Bodymedia Core band and absolutely love it! It also came with a year subscription, and find it very useful. I wear it every day, plug it in while I am in the shower, and certainly believe having the data linked to MFP has contributed to my weight loss.

Here's a referral link to save you 15%: http://bodymedia.extole.com/m/1270648960

It's the Bodymedia Link band that I have...

carrie_lou

Are any of them water proof for the water exercises? I just joined OneLife and I know they have the Exerspy but I don't even have a smart phone. So what can I use? I also have the same dilemma with what music source to buy....ugh, and I thought joining a gym would be the hard part!

carrie_lou

aires87 wrote: »

I recently purchased a Garmin Vivofit- I'm a runner and use one of their GPS watches to track my distance and speed so wanted to keep all my devices in the same family! It's awesome, it tracks your steps during regular activity, such as being at work or shopping, but also counts strides on the elliptical and treadmill. It can be purchased with a HRM too so it will give you an accurate idea of how many calories you burn while you are doing different exercises, like cycling or a yoga class or whatever.

It has a screen on it that shows you how many steps you have taken, how many you have to go to make your daily goal (which changes depending on your previous days results), how many calories you've burnt and how many miles you've walked. It also has this red bar that shows up across the screen if you've been still for too long, which I love- you have to get up and walk around for a bit to make it go away. Best of all, the batteries last for a year before needing to be replaced, and it is totally waterproof, you can wear it in the shower, swimming, playing in the rain

It's relatively new to the market (it just came out earlier this month) so they are still working out some kinks with their phone app and stuff but it's definitely worth looking into, I have become so much more aware of how little I move around while I am at work and I am always making a conscious effort to do a lap around the building when I see that annoying red line!

This sounds like exactly what I might need to look into! Is the HRM waterproof as well? Thanks for the info because I haven't even heard of it before reading your post

crunchywhit

I have the MisFit, which I wear all of the time, and I also have the Polar RT7. I like having something that I wear constantly and can track sleep (I found out I was sleeping for 9 hours but only 5 hours of restful sleep!), but I like something super accurate for work-outs (thus the Polar).
I find my misfit to be about dead-on. It was $89 on amazon, you can get different colors, it's reasonably attractive, you can wear it in a necklace and stuff if watches aren't your thing. Some people have problems with losing it (it can supposedly pop out of the band) but I've never had that happen. Then again, I am wary of that after reading some reviews.
I have never tried anything else. My best friend has a FitBit that she loves and her experience is what got me interested in wearing a HRM full-time.

AlicesNirvanaHealthWellness

bump, I have been looking at these things for over a year and still can't decide, maybe this will help

crunchywhit

P.s. The MisFit syncs with myfitnesspal and mapmyrun. Both of which have phone apps as well.

maradanielle

Hello! I have a Jawbone up. I have had it about 6 months but have only worn it about 4. the charge doesn't seem to last as long as it says it should. to me it was uncomfortable (may have needed to get a smaller size). getting it to the right setting can be a little annoying and there have been times that I though I set it to timer but it only timed for about a min. one good thing was it was kind of cool to see how I slept...

Shalaurise

My husband and I both have fitbit ones at the moment. We are, however, looking into getting one of their newer products that are due to release early next year. I would love to get a Charge HR when they are released and the hubbs is looking at the surge.

Langk411

I have a Wahoo Bluetooth HRM, and I love it. I have the Tickr X. Connects over Bluetooth to your phone, and partners with alot of apps, MFP, Runkeeper, Nike+, strava, etc. It even saves data to the unit if there is no phone connected for up to 16hrs of work outs, then syncs once you get back to within Bluetooth range.
Never any problems with picking up heart rate, even with the pads totally dry and no sweat. It's flat and pretty small so doesn't stick out under my shirt, and I know girls wear it under sports bra, so if you feel a little self conscious no one knows you have it on.
I know the new thing is the fitness bands with optical heart rate monitoring, but seems like there is still some controversy over the accuracy there. HRM's are pretty well proven at this point.
If anyone has any questions about the Wahoo just send me a message

_Ben

This is a post I made on another site, so it may be a bit out of context, but these are my suggestions for people who are looking to make a fiscal investment into their weight loss. This was in reference to someone asking about the best way to keep track of their metabolism and weight loss, and how to determine what their basal metabolism is. It was related to an earlier discussion about "starvation mode" which I dont want to get into an argument in this thread about, but I would be more than happy to discuss in a more appropriate area. Nevertheless, this is my breakdown. -

MFP does a decent job. There is no super accurate way to determine it all, without an obscene amount of cables, wires, and monitors. Everything plays into how much calories you burn, even whether your having a nightmare or a pleasant dream (not drastically, but it wil change the numbers). There is no real great way to get an exact number. So Im gonna give you the simplest way that I try to be more accurate with my weight loss and calorie tracking. Obviously having a doctorate/being a scientist, accuracy is important to me! This will give you a more honest assessment of your daily metabolism

1. Use MyFitnessPal. This is a great way to keep track of your calories. Make sure your height, weight, age, etc are all completely up to date. Enter in all the food you eat, all the drinks you consume. Dont do any of that, well its only 3 crackers, doesnt matter. Just add it. It takes just as long as it does for you to read some stupid FB post. Just do it.
2. Get a pedometer. I personally use the Fitbit One, which is one that attaches to either my belt line or my pocket. It has a battery life that lasts about 2 weeks (only takes maybe 2 hours to charge), and automattically uploads when I walk past my docking station on my computer, or I can sync it on my phone via bluetooth. I prefer these over wrist ones as I do a lot on the computer, and I am constantly worried that that would report false data. Whats great about a pedometer is if you have one like the Fitbit, it does a MUCH better job of assessing your daily activity. When I was in school, Id get up, do a 1 hour workout at home (which was ~400 calories) and then go for a walk for an hour and get 11k steps (my daily goal through Fitbit was 7k steps). Then Id come home (2 hours of working out+walking), and sit and study for the day. In theory, the calories from my workout and run should be ~600 calories (Fitbit actually can convert any 'extra' daily movement into additional workout calories), BUT because I sat all day, and just studied, the pedometer picked up on that. So if I checked my calories at the end of the day, I would have about 280 calories of exercise. So even though I logged in a 400 calorie exercise, and did an 11k step walk, i actually got -120 calories from my Fitbit, because it could tell I was so inactive. Compare that to now, where I will work a 12 hour shift and maybe log in 8K steps, but because the pedometer can tell im taking steps relatively often, moving around, it figures out that im not just sitting down, but Im moving about and working (standing burns more calories than sitting). Therefore when I check my calories (with having done a 400 calorie workout) Ill be at 640, which Fitbit gave me an extra 240 calories, because I did 240 calories extra of moving around then it would expect me to do on a daily basis. There are some days where it is at 0 extra calories, or maybe 5 or 10 in a positive or negative; because I did pretty much exactly what it expected based of the type of work, height, weight, exercise level that I put into their calculator
3. Get a HR monitor. Even a cheap one. I use a pyle heart rate monitor. They cost like $15-20. They are super easy to use. I wear this when Im working out, because frankly, I really dont trust a lot of the inbuilt calculators that different devices and workout equipment have. I also do a lot of at home workouts, that I alter for myself (if you want I can go into detail on that), but there is no easy way to input the calories burned. The heart rate monitor gives you a slightly more accurate number. I will say I typically only take about 85% of what that number is though, because Im not certain exactly how accurate it is, and Id ratehr estimate under than over
4. Get a GOOD scale. It doesnt have to be anything super crazy, but get a nice one. If you want to go on the cheaper side, look into scales designed for packages. They are really accurate, digital, and normally in the $40 range. If you want something a bit nicer, I use the FitBit Aria. This scale is nice because you can setup a profile so multiple people in the house can use it (up to 8), it will track your weight, automatically upload it to Fitbit and Myfitnesspal, and also can calculate your percent body fat. This is really useful if you are strength training while losing weight, to see if you are losing fat, and maintaining/losing/gaining muscle. Its also nice to track your weight and % body fat with Fitbits website, nice graphs and such. The only thing is make sure you weigh yourself at the same time of the day, with the same amount of food in your body (like always after breakfast, always before, etc). Just note, if you get one of these, mentally, only think about your weight one day a week. Your weight can fluctuate a lot in a week, heck it can fluctuate a lot in a day. So pick a day of the week, and thats the day of the week that the numbers on the scale actually matter to you. All the other days are there for data entry sake. For me its on saturdays. But whatever works for you.
5. Get a food scale. I picked up mine for $12 at Walmart. Itll give you a lot better idea on how much you are actually eating. In some cases, youd be surprised how much or how little of a certain food you can eat. Consider this, a slice of little caesers pizza is ~350 calories. 9 oz(little more than half a pound) of Kroger's diced chicken breast, with wing sauce or whatever sauce you like, is 350 calories. If you throw in some carrots and pickles (both have little to 0 calories) with that chicken, thats a 350 calorie meal. 1 slice of pizza is nothing to me, and I certainly would not be full.

Im sure I have some more, but those are the 5 main things I do to get more accurate with my calorie intake vs output. With the Pedometer (~$100), HR monitor ($15), Food Scale ($12), and a decent scale to weigh yourself ($40-120), you are looking at about $167-247, depending on how much you want to spend. I know that seems like a lot, but trust me its worth it. You also may be able to forgo a scale if you have a good one (like the sliding ones with weights) at your gym, which could save you a big chunk

TL;DR 1. Use MFP or a Calorie Counting site. 2. Buy a Good pedometer ($100) 3. Buy a HR monitor ($15) 4. Buy a good scale ($40-120, or free if you have access to a good one) 5. Buy a food scale ($12)

Edit - If you have any further questions, I would be more than happy to answer any that I can!

andreavan28

I have a fitbit flex, it hooks up with MFP great, and there is even a community for people using the fitbit on MFP. January they are supposed to launch the fitbit surge, which does everything you can think of (saving my pennies). Love my fitbit though

kareneastwood865

I have a Nike FuelBand SE and like it. I wish it synced with MFP but maybe it will in the future. I workout at a bootcamp/crossfit gym 3-4 times per week and although I'm quite sure it is not measuring my exact intensity of the workout, it is pretty accurate. When I use the bike or the arc trainer for an hour at my other gym, I attach the band to my sneaker laces (recommended by someone at Nike) which paints an entirely different picture of a workout! I too am waiting for the new Apple product!

SpecialKH

I have a body media fit and I LOVE IT. I syncs with MFP and Map My Run. The battery lasted about 3 days for the first few weeks because I was so curious, always linking the bluetooth and uploading the data. Now I do it once or twice a day and a charge lasts over a week.

I like that it estimates calorie burn not based on steps but actual exertion - MY body's exertion, not some population average. It measures sweat and body temp flux - the others just measure movement. And the more you wear it the more accurate it is.

Check out bodymedia.com - yes you have to pay a subscription fee but it's no more than my netflix so I figured it was better to spend as much on my health as I was watching TV. Actually I got a 25% discount and one year free subscription through my health insurer, Cigna.