Help choosing Devices to count steps and cals (

jkal1979

I have found the fitbit one to be my favorite. you can just put it in your pocket or clip it on your pants or bra. it tracks steps pretty accurate. And not only steps but the distance you walked, floors and calories burned.
A huge plus compared to the flex is the display where you can always check on the information.
Another factor that was important to me is that if you want to wear the tracker daily, there may be occasions where a sporty-looking wristband is just not appropriate (depending on your job, or evening entertainment etc)

Thanks. I'll be looking up a few of these.

I know I will see pictures when I looked them up but curious if anyone has pictures of them handy since I'm at work and won't be able to look them up until tonight or tomorrow?

I have a Zip and I absolutely love it, even when it's snarky...



Whatever Fitbit you choose, here is the information that you can expect to see from it. The only thing that mine doesn't track is sleep and stairs.

fallingtrees

My employer raves about his Fitbit Force and refuses to return it after the recall.

I didn't want to spend that much money. I just wanted an accurate pedometer. I ordered an Omron HJ-720iTC USB pocket pedometer for $35, which should be arriving today. We'll see how that works. Omron has a website and app, I think, that you upload the pedometer data into. I don't think it syncs with MFP yet.

RLMsFitnessPal

I have a Fitbit One. My wife has a Fitbit Flex. We're both happy with our Fitbits.

I chose the Fitbit One because I like to see the readout as I go. It comes with a silicone clip, and I usually clip mine to my shirt collar. It also comes with a special wristband for wearing at night if you want to use the sleep tracking feature. I do use the sleep tracking feature because I have sleep problems that I struggle to manage.

One note about Fitbit is that it will sometimes register driving as steps. You can download an app called Drivebit that will help adjust for driving time. It works just like a timer, and automatically logs to your Fitbit Dashboard.

JennsJourney30

Well I was looking and googling and found an article that a girl wore both of them (one and flex) from 7/13-8/5 last year and the flex had 47,000 steps more than the one. She said sea Italian and a hand talker and thinks that's why. The flex also said that one day she had xx minutes of intense while the one said only 3 minutes and she said the 3 minutes was more accurate. So wondering if the hand movements do make a big difference?

I think I'm debating between the one and flex.

So the one I Can wear to bed and count stairs?

CoolBreeze84

Have you tried looking at the Jawbone UP? For $80 on Amazon.com I picked up the older version you have to plug into the headphone jack. They also have a bluetooth version for about $130, the UP24.

Know a few people who use it too, and we all love it. Jawbone customer service is great if you have any problems. I wear mine everywhere except the shower (even though Jawbone says it's showerproof) and haven't had a problem- but I've only had it a little over two weeks. I also wear it in bed- the alarm is great, it tracks your sleep cycles and will wake you up during a period of light sleep so you feel better, and don't need a blaring alarm to jolt you awake.

Syncs well with MFP to give me credit for extra calories I've burned. I use Endomondo Fitness tracker as well, which isn't compatible with the Jawbone (yet), but works great with MFP too. I haven't had any issues with MFP doubling up on my exercise when I run with the Jawbone and track with Endomondo.

Hope you find what you're looking for!

aleggett321

I had the fitbit flex for about a year. I felt that it was missing a lot of steps if I was using that arm for pushing grocery carts, carrying things etc. anything where my arm doesn't swing. That and after only a year the battery life was way down. I replaced it with the simple Zip. $47 on Amazon, free shipping. And it has a battery, you don't have to charge it which is a plus to me.

Also you don't have to put it in a pocket. I wear it clipped to my undies

lmann72

Have you tried Argus? It's an app that has a pedometer built in ( I have a fit bit and the steps are almost identical). It also tracks food and includes a heart rate monitor. It's a pretty nifty app!

MYhealthyjourney70

i have a fitbit flex and love it... i wear it 24/7 and it is not a bother.. i actually forget it's there..

LAT1963

I had and loved my Polar F4. It can also be worn to give you heart rate data when you swim, which other brands cannot do.

But--my version of the F4 is old and does not have user serviceable batteries, so I have to pay $40 or so plus shipping if I want to get new batteries put in it (they ran out). I think newer versions have user-changeable batteries.

For some reason Polar doesn't make an effort to make their products mac friendly. They have some products that can upload data to a computer or Android, but not to iPhone.

I read somewhere there exists an ap that allows the motion sensor in your smart-phone to act as a pedometer so that you don't have to buy a separate pedometer. But I haven't looked for it or used it so I can't comment on how well it works.

heybales

I use the Polar FT4. It is the most accurate. It doesn't sync to myfitnesspal, but it is a heart monitor. You wear a band around your chest and then wear a watch. It tracks your calories only. My nutritionist said this was the best thing to purchase. The fitbit is not as accurate. Love my watch!!!

Absolutely no context to your claims.

Is it most accurate because it's different than other estimates of calories burned?
If so, different is accurate then? But then aren't all the other estimates different than your HRM, why aren't they accurate?

Besides which, the cheaper Polar's are going to be very off - don't even have required stats for making good calculations of calories burned.

And for this topic, daily activity trackers, totally incorrect tool for perhaps the 4% of weekly time, and perhaps max 20% of daily calories when you workout amount of tracking it is used for.

Might test your own, and be surprised. Because your's isn't even as nice as the one in the study, nor do you have lab tested stats to use even if you could.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/459580-polar-hrm-calorie-burn-estimate-accuracy-study

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn

qwicherbytchin

I've used my Fitbit Flex for 2 weeks now and I LOVE it! The only time I take it off is to shower. It takes a very short amount of time to recharge, so I'll do that while I'm in my home office for a few minutes. It feels like a watch. Not at all uncomfortable, and most of the time, I forget I even have it on. I really like that it syncs with MFP, and tracking not only steps and calories, but my sleep habits.

tracie999

Love my fitbit flex, one down side is it counts steps when i ride my motorbike.

vanillacoffee

Have you tried looking at the Jawbone UP? For $80 on Amazon.com I picked up the older version you have to plug into the headphone jack. They also have a bluetooth version for about $130, the UP24.

Know a few people who use it too, and we all love it. Jawbone customer service is great if you have any problems. I wear mine everywhere except the shower (even though Jawbone says it's showerproof) and haven't had a problem- but I've only had it a little over two weeks. I also wear it in bed- the alarm is great, it tracks your sleep cycles and will wake you up during a period of light sleep so you feel better, and don't need a blaring alarm to jolt you awake.

Syncs well with MFP to give me credit for extra calories I've burned. I use Endomondo Fitness tracker as well, which isn't compatible with the Jawbone (yet), but works great with MFP too. I haven't had any issues with MFP doubling up on my exercise when I run with the Jawbone and track with Endomondo.

Hope you find what you're looking for!

I second this. I have the Jawbone Up 24 (New one) and I ADORE it.

JennsJourney30

Have you tried looking at the Jawbone UP? For $80 on Amazon.com I picked up the older version you have to plug into the headphone jack. They also have a bluetooth version for about $130, the UP24.

Know a few people who use it too, and we all love it. Jawbone customer service is great if you have any problems. I wear mine everywhere except the shower (even though Jawbone says it's showerproof) and haven't had a problem- but I've only had it a little over two weeks. I also wear it in bed- the alarm is great, it tracks your sleep cycles and will wake you up during a period of light sleep so you feel better, and don't need a blaring alarm to jolt you awake.

Syncs well with MFP to give me credit for extra calories I've burned. I use Endomondo Fitness tracker as well, which isn't compatible with the Jawbone (yet), but works great with MFP too. I haven't had any issues with MFP doubling up on my exercise when I run with the Jawbone and track with Endomondo.

Hope you find what you're looking for!

I second this. I have the Jawbone Up 24 (New one) and I ADORE it.

I haven't looked at the UP24 yet by Jawbone. I do like them I have some jawbone items. How is it with hand movements and such compared to the flex?

I'm kind of liking the fitbit one just by looking up online.
Wondering though it says you wear between bra for ladies but what about like after work but before sleep when you don't have one on lol? Can you switch to waistband or would it have to be calculated to where it's being worn?
Just wondering how easy to transition places to wear.

I do like the flex wristband idea but I'm just liking the ONEs features.

doIdaretoeatapeach

I just got the Fitbit One on Monday, and so far so good. My daily routine include hills and stairs, so it's nice to see those counted as well as steps. Another reason I chose the One over the Flex is that the One is rechargeable - no batteries to change. The burgundy color was $80 on a couple of sites, versus $100 for the black color. I've got it clipped to my bra since that seems like a place where I'm less likely to forget it and throw it in the wash.

itsbasschick

i have a fitbit one, and i have pretty mixed feelings. mine is dead on for steps, but if you have it in your hand and move your hand around, it counts that as steps, too. calorie burn is for all the time, not just workouts, so if you want to know what you're burning on a walk, you're better off just using mapmywalk or mapmyfitness on your phone or - even better - a HRM. fitbit calorie burn is pretty iffy, as it's based on BMI, which - at least in my case - is a full 25% off on body fat - two weeks ago i was 40% body fat, but my BMI was 30.5%.

my fitbit dash definitely picks up my MFP info fast - i just added a cup of water and it was up on the fitbit website immediately. so that's very cool. i like the way the fitbook looks and feels, it's small and unobtrusive, and since i wear it on my waist, i got it a pedometer leash so i won't lose it. it counts a variety of foot moving stuff i do as steps, stuff that some pedometers missed, and since they can be part of my workout, i was pretty happy about that.

wearing it on floppy clothes like collars or loose pockets or loose short legs leads to false steps and inaccurate count.

it counts an hour of driving as literally thousands of steps. i got drivebit, as it's much easier to use than logging drivetime via fitbit, but the problem i have is that when you're doing a bunch of errands, and have to get in and out of the car frequently, it's very easy to forget either to turn drivebit off or back on. my son took me to 4 stores and a restaurant, and i didn't get any of my steps in ralph's counted.

so like i said, mixed feelings. later on i may get a polar H7 and use it with mapmyfitness or a polar FT60 and just use that. we were broke this month, so i'm using an FT1 right now, which i don't recommend although it does the job to some degree and inexpensively.

LilMamaBear125

(bumping to find later)

This is just the post I was looking for! There are so many options for these kinds of devices, it's nice to get some feedback of what people prefer... keep 'em coming!

marisun75

I have the fitbit and it works great.

Taraand

Bookmark.

i am looking at buying a good pedometer this weekend as well.

heybales

i have a fitbit one, and i have pretty mixed feelings. mine is dead on for steps, but if you have it in your hand and move your hand around, it counts that as steps, too. calorie burn is for all the time, not just workouts, so if you want to know what you're burning on a walk, you're better off just using mapmywalk or mapmyfitness on your phone or - even better - a HRM. fitbit calorie burn is pretty iffy, as it's based on BMI, which - at least in my case - is a full 25% off on body fat - two weeks ago i was 40% body fat, but my BMI was 30.5%.

Just a clarification on this.

Non-moving time, sleep or awake or standing non-moving (latter 2 obviously burn more than sleeping) - is based on your BMR based on gender, age, weight, height. So that time is generally under-estimated calorie burn.
It's very close to MFP's Mifflin BMR if you do the math.
Your Activities tab, 5 min blocks of the low calorie burn - divide by 5 x 1440 is their BMR being used.

If your Katch BMR based on BF% is well off Mifflin BMR, and it may be - you can adjust the height on Fitbit so that it is using same BMR amount as Katch BMR. You'll have to use manually entered stride length though, which is a good idea anyway.
If interested, just ask how.

Moving time is based on very accurate formulas for walking and jogging - mass and pace.
So pace is from time (easy) and distance covered - which is based on stride length assumed and what your impact is compared to expected results.

So while the formula is very accurate (in studies 4% of lab measured) - getting to best stats could be a problem.
Stride could be way off - you could be a huge toe walker really impacting on frequent steps, making it look like jogging slow which is bigger burn. or a smooth low strider. Extremes can fool it.
Or could be walking/running hills which would throw it off too.

Or any of the number of non-step based exercises that the formula just isn't correct for even if it could see all the "steps" that aren't really steps - elliptical, bike, rowing, lifting, ect. All must be manually entered.

But if you got a past route on one of those sites, you can compare the results here. Gross is what HRM, Fitbit, anything would be reporting.
For % grade, the maymy..... sites give elevation gain, as long as you came back down you want to double that (as it takes more energy than flat coming down). So 2 x gain / miles walked / 5280 x 100 = grade.
In case you did enough incline and it matters.
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

JennsJourney30

i have a fitbit one, and i have pretty mixed feelings. mine is dead on for steps, but if you have it in your hand and move your hand around, it counts that as steps, too. calorie burn is for all the time, not just workouts, so if you want to know what you're burning on a walk, you're better off just using mapmywalk or mapmyfitness on your phone or - even better - a HRM. fitbit calorie burn is pretty iffy, as it's based on BMI, which - at least in my case - is a full 25% off on body fat - two weeks ago i was 40% body fat, but my BMI was 30.5%.

Just a clarification on this.

Non-moving time, sleep or awake or standing non-moving (latter 2 obviously burn more than sleeping) - is based on your BMR based on gender, age, weight, height. So that time is generally under-estimated calorie burn.
It's very close to MFP's Mifflin BMR if you do the math.
Your Activities tab, 5 min blocks of the low calorie burn - divide by 5 x 1440 is their BMR being used.

If your Katch BMR based on BF% is well off Mifflin BMR, and it may be - you can adjust the height on Fitbit so that it is using same BMR amount as Katch BMR. You'll have to use manually entered stride length though, which is a good idea anyway.
If interested, just ask how.

Moving time is based on very accurate formulas for walking and jogging - mass and pace.
So pace is from time (easy) and distance covered - which is based on stride length assumed and what your impact is compared to expected results.

So while the formula is very accurate (in studies 4% of lab measured) - getting to best stats could be a problem.
Stride could be way off - you could be a huge toe walker really impacting on frequent steps, making it look like jogging slow which is bigger burn. or a smooth low strider. Extremes can fool it.
Or could be walking/running hills which would throw it off too.

Or any of the number of non-step based exercises that the formula just isn't correct for even if it could see all the "steps" that aren't really steps - elliptical, bike, rowing, lifting, ect. All must be manually entered.

But if you got a past route on one of those sites, you can compare the results here. Gross is what HRM, Fitbit, anything would be reporting.
For % grade, the maymy..... sites give elevation gain, as long as you came back down you want to double that (as it takes more energy than flat coming down). So 2 x gain / miles walked / 5280 x 100 = grade.
In case you did enough incline and it matters.
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html

What is a good way to measure stride?

This post is a little above my head lol. I'm new to all this and don't understand it all.
I'm looking for something to wear all the time to get an idea of what I'm burning so I can make sure I don't eat too much. I would like sleep included and stairs are part of my work day so id like to count those.

I do a lot d hand movements with work (data entry/ typing and xray tech/ moving machines/ helping patients etc) so was thinking a wrist based one may not be good for me? Plus I'm a hand talker.

heybales

What is a good way to measure stride?

This post is a little above my head lol. I'm new to all this and don't understand it all.
I'm looking for something to wear all the time to get an idea of what I'm burning so I can make sure I don't eat too much. I would like sleep included and stairs are part of my work day so id like to count those.

I do a lot d hand movements with work (data entry/ typing and xray tech/ moving machines/ helping patients etc) so was thinking a wrist based one may not be good for me? Plus I'm a hand talker.

The wrist one is out I'd suggest. Going to get a lot of false steps there in work. You'll want hip one.

That post was purely addressing the comment about Fitbit being off and what it bases calorie burn on. May be useful to keep in back of mind.
Just reread the post regarding the types of workouts you'll need to manually log.
Which if classes and walking/jogging - you have none. Yet.

Stride measurement easiest on treadmill.

Walk at 3.5 mph, or if that is too fast right now, whatever speed is normal walking speed, not exercise pushing it speed. May need to do this later as normal speed increases moving less weight around.

When treadmill rolls miles from 0.49 to 0.5 - start counting each right foot landing.
When it rolls over to 0.6 - stop counting.
Double that figure for number of steps.

528 / steps = stride length in feet.

Do the same jogging whatever speed is realistic right now. Obviously that could change, and should be correct on Fitbit on timely basis. Should be normal jog, not sprinting, not going super slow.

If you only have a High School track (gotta be accurately measured), then you'll have to do a count for 1 lap, and know what that distance is. I think most track are metric now, right, 400 m (close to 1/4 mile). But you might have to be in correct lane. I've not looked that up yet.

pinkraynedropjacki

I use the Polar FT4. It is the most accurate. It doesn't sync to myfitnesspal, but it is a heart monitor. You wear a band around your chest and then wear a watch. It tracks your calories only. My nutritionist said this was the best thing to purchase. The fitbit is not as accurate. Love my watch!!!

Yes but a heart rate monitor is nowhere near accurate to wear all day like the fitbit. Fitbit takes into account heaps of things rather than 'just' steps.

HRM is meant to be worn when just doing cardio.... for normal things it is basically on good. Plus who would want to wear it around their chest all day? You have to keep it moist & in the cold weather that's gonna hurt... then even if you do sweat heaps & have it moist that way..... rash.... ewwww.

HRM for aerobic activities..... fitbit for everything else.

hearthwood

I like the Jawbone UP. It not only tracks steps, but you can add in other workouts on it. It syncs with MFP also. You wear it on your wrist. It lasts for 10 days before you have to recharge, I never take it off. It works off my android and they have UPs that work with iPhones too.

tiggsnanny

I've been debating for ages which one to buy, I think I will just buy the zip, I only really walk and hula hoop, I just want to know how many steps i'm doing

Ryderod

i have a fitbit one, and i have pretty mixed feelings. mine is dead on for steps, but if you have it in your hand and move your hand around, it counts that as steps, too. calorie burn is for all the time, not just workouts, so if you want to know what you're burning on a walk, you're better off just using mapmywalk or mapmyfitness on your phone or - even better - a HRM.

Any FitBit, as with other activity trackers, are not designed to be waved around in your hand, and I don't see where a person would need to do so, so that is not a real negative against them. I personally prefer the One out of all the FitBit units, small, unobtrusive and it has a great display that I can check my current stats whenever I choose to.
With the One it is very easy to identify all data for a walk or run, simply use the device's excellent timer for your activity, Your steps, calorie burn, distance will all be noted in the activity, and while you are on your walk, looking at the display would only bring up the current stats of the activity, so if you were walking to a specific target or goal, this would be easy to identify.

There are not many wrist type units with this functionality and display, (especially here in South Africa), the Polar Loop and the Garmin Vivofit being two that immediately come to mind. But wearing a strap is just not an option for me and my lifestyle.

An HRM might give a slightly better calorie estimation based on elevated heart rates, but one must realize that it is still an estimation, and I personally believe the lower end units are less accurate than the higher end stuff.

The other thing to consider is that these Activity trackers that can couple up to a transmitter will only incorporate heart rate readings with the strap on, meaning if you wanted to monitor your heart rate over a day, you would need the transmitter on. This has a few negatives, being worn for extended periods would impact battery life, but more importantly, you would find periods where the readings would become erratic as lack of lubrication between your skin and the strap would affect its function. For 90% of an average day the calorie burn estimation between a FitBit and a HRM would be extremely close in any case if the devices are configured accurately, variations will always occur in any case..
I often train with numerous devices simultaneously just for comparative purposes, a few different Polar watches, and a couple of mobile apps, and none are ever the same!

So for general all round day to day activity tracking and estimation, I personally would still suggest the new age pedometers like the FitBit. Just get the right model for your needs. These coupled with a HRM for dedicated workout monitoring form a formidable combination!

Lastly, being that they are all giving us an estimation, especially regarding calorie burn, we must remember this, make sure sll physical stats are 100% correct, especially weight, keep updating as you lose weight. And use them to monitor trend, if your existing set up would somehow have your calorie estimation so far out that you are not losing weight over a period of time, do not be afraid to re-adjust your targets, so that it all works in harmony for your needs.

Zombielicious

I tried one a while back that went around my upper arm - day and night. Wanted me to sleep in it. It wasn't comfortable and felt like bulky and I didn't like it. I can't remember the name of it but I think it was grey. It could have been fitbit but really can't remember.

That was probably a BodyMedia FIT... which is the most accurate one on the market. I love mine and I don't care about the armband. *shrug*

^^ This. I LOVE mine!! I charge it every three or so days while I'm in the shower, or if I'm just laying on the couch. I make sure I wear it to bed though, since it tracks my sleep - which I find very informative. The armband doesn't bother me at all, even while I'm sleeping. It's pretty accurate on how much weight you'll be losing each week.

I bought the bluetooth enabled version, as I like to upload wirelessly to the app on my phone.

TruckersWifeTruckersLife

I have the fitbit zip I love it I have had mine since I think February this year

yellowdaisy3321

I have a fitbit flex and a polar HRM, they do totally different things just know that going in. I wear my flex 24/7, it's waterproof up to 10 meters so I wear it swimming, showering, etc. During the day I put it in my pocket or clip it to my underwear if I don't have pockets, when I get home from work and change into clothes that generally don't have pockets it goes on my wrist until the next day. Even fitbit says the most accurate readings are always at your hip even with a wrist device like the flex. I've had many pedometers and have never consistently worn any of them and this is because I would forget them in the morning. Since the flex is always on me, either in a pocket or on my wrist, I never forget it or run out the door in the morning without it. I've had it since May 2013 and have never missed a day. It's not perfect but I don't use it for calories burned as much as a general idea of movement and to motivate me to move more. In reviewing the activity charts I've found it to be pretty accurate, not showing steps when I am at my desk for hours but always logging steps when I go for walks on my breaks and lunch, but again I'm not expecting perfection that's just not realistic.

I use my polar HRM when I am actually working out or doing a planned activity. This gives me a better idea of how hard I am working and how many calories I am burning. I always log that activity into MFP which is synced to fitbit so it doesn't count the calories burned by steps during that time by using the negative adjustment.

Overall I've been really happy with my flex and would definitely recomend it.

randomtai

I tried one a while back that went around my upper arm - day and night. Wanted me to sleep in it. It wasn't comfortable and felt like bulky and I didn't like it. I can't remember the name of it but I think it was grey. It could have been fitbit but really can't remember.

That was probably a BodyMedia FIT... which is the most accurate one on the market. I love mine and I don't care about the armband. *shrug*

^^ This. I LOVE mine!! I charge it every three or so days while I'm in the shower, or if I'm just laying on the couch. I make sure I wear it to bed though, since it tracks my sleep - which I find very informative. The armband doesn't bother me at all, even while I'm sleeping. It's pretty accurate on how much weight you'll be losing each week.

I bought the bluetooth enabled version, as I like to upload wirelessly to the app on my phone.

Me too!! I love it!! So much better than the others out there.