To Fitbit or not to Fitbit

Chickaboo2014

I HATE my Fitbit!!! The only thing it is good for is a constant reminder on my wrist to move - that is good.

The Fitbit really only measures steps (including stairs), it bases your calorie burn on that. I have a flex and unless I move my arm - it doesn't count the steps. So pushing a shopping cart, carrying children or groceries, etc. - doesn't add steps. In addition, I think the sleep tracker is worthless - especially if you or your partner move a lot during the night.

And, if there is a problem - their customer service is horrible.

I'd highly recommend something other than the Fitbit.

I couldn't disagree more! My Fitbit tracks all my walking activities and works without the benefit of my arms moving. And I LOVE the vibrating alarm. I never set my regular alarm clock anymore. My DH works nights and my alarm used to bug him in the morning. Now it doesn't; he doesn't hear a thing. You can adjust the sensitivity on your trackers so that's something to look into if your accuracy seems off.

Chickaboo2014

My wearable helps motivate me to move more. It's only little on-line badges, but I like obtaining new/harder ones as I progress.

I have a Nike Fuel band because that's the brand my youngest brother has. He showed it to me and how he was able to add friends to compare scores for the day. It lists movement as Fuel points, steps and calories burned. I also 'win' hours by moving five continuous minutes in an hour.

He uses the phone app, but I don't - I'm strictly PC. I just plug the band daily into my PC while I'm showering and that keeps it charged.

The Nike Fuel band does not monitor sleeping. It's on my wrist all night so I can start the day accruing points.

I think you should get a Fitbit for your cat....:happy: :devil: :bigsmile:

Keepcalmanddontblink

If you have an iPhone S it has a built in step tracker that feeds directly into MFP and adjusts your calorie balance accordingly. I also got a Heart Rate monitor app from the app store that uses the built in camera that seems accurate(was $2.50 I think)

Are you using Pacer? I just got it and was surprised that I walk about 5,000 steps just at my retail job. It doesn't add calories to my totals here, which I kind of like, and I can only seem to see the steps walked on here when using my phone.

alexis831

Fitbit... enough said. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Stella_Mayfair

I love my fitbit flex. Records my calories, steps, sleeps, active minutes. It makes me wanna walk more, swim more, and I can eat better b/c of the calorie adjustments. I recommend it. Mine was 100 bucks, but worth it!!!

perseverance14

I recently got a Fitbit One (which counts stairs climbed in addition to steps taken). I wear a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor during workouts and the Fitbit way underestimates my calorie burn, but I don't use it for that purpose. I use it to motivate me to get up from my desk and walk around during the day (I was also interested to know how many flights of stairs I climb per day, since the women's restroom is 2 floors down from my office). I have found it very useful for daytime motivation; I now walk around the perimeter of my building or stroll up and down the campus mall every time I go to the restroom. So if you're looking for motivation to move around more during the day, I highly recommend the Fitbit One. If you're looking for a better estimate of calories burned, a heart rate monitor will be much better.

PS - I accidentally put my Fitbit One through the washing machine and it was fine.

I have a Polar with chest strap and Fitbit One and have had the exact same experience...it does not estimate calories burned well enough but it still gives you some idea, you just have to add on what you know you burned from the HRM.

webbeyes

I love my Fitbit Flex - have had it almost a year now. I originally tried the Jawbone UP, and as much as I loved some features (such as the power nap function), I hated the rest of it.

My flex does a great job keeping track of my activity AND my sleep (wow...was I really awake 17 times the other night? Yes, in fact I was!) Its integration of MFP is seamless.

Now, I originally picked it up because I was on a weight GAIN phase, and heaving trouble gaining ... so the Fitbit helped me to realize how many "extra", unexpected calories I was burning per day, and thus I knew how many more calories to eat.

Inspired, my wife decided she wanted one, and for Christmas one of her gifts was a Fitbit Force. So many good things about that device, it's too bad she was one of those who was sensitive to the "allergic"-type reactions, and it went back. She tried a Flex for a couple of weeks, but was unable to wear it to work for safety regulations. She's been using a Fitbit One, and likes that it tracks things that my Flex doesn't :-)

In short: highly-recommended.

webbeyes

The Fitbit really only measures steps (including stairs), it bases your calorie burn on that. I have a flex and unless I move my arm - it doesn't count the steps. So pushing a shopping cart, carrying children or groceries, etc. - doesn't add steps. In addition, I think the sleep tracker is worthless - especially if you or your partner move a lot during the night.

And, if there is a problem - their customer service is horrible.

I'd highly recommend something other than the Fitbit.

Couldn't disagree more on ALL of these points. It tracks steps whether you move your arm or not. Sleep tracker is precise - and I move a lot during the night. Their customer service is incredible. And other than the Flex? No thanks, the Jawbone sucked.

HelenWater

I use Garmin Vivofit and Polar Loop. The thing that these devices also do to help health is remind you to move. Vivofit is best for this as a red bar appears if you haven't walked around for the previous hour and it won't go away until you take about 100 steps. DCRainmaker has written in depth reviews of lots of fitness devices.

Vivofit can be used with a HRM, syncs with MFP, and you can set your step goal manually.

The Garmin Connect app is not perfect, but seems to be improving and the customer service does reply to emails.

BTW I am Polly274 on Garmin Connect and happy to connect to anyone who is interested in health and fitness.

Taking steps is not just about burning calories.

essjay76

LOVE my Fitbit! It, along with MFP, have been instrumental in helping me maintain my weight. I trust the burns on there and it does give a better TDEE than most online calculators.

getfitnowdee

I have used my fitbit for over a year and I do love it....right now I have the fitbit force...I think any that count steps will be helpful !

AdventureVix

I really wanted one when I first heard about them, but I'm starting to think they are just really expensive pedometers, I downloaded a free pedometer app on my phone and bought a polar hrm for $20 and it seems to do the job, I've lost more consistently since combining the two. The band looks cool on your writ though...

srd_23

I love my fitbit flex. It keeps me motivated and I have friends (online and real life) that I try to match or beat. I excercise way more now that I have one. It isn't 100% accurate, but does seem to be more accurate than just using MFP by itself. On a side note, you can get extra bands in all kinds of colors for pretty cheap, so you can accessorize as well!

I would like to clarify that although I love my fitbit, it is not the only device that works, and there are a lot of great alternatives. The Jawbone Up got excellent reviews, and has some cool features that the Fitbit lacks. It does cost more though. The Garmin devices are great for people who run outside. As I run on a treadmill I don't find myself needing the GPS aspect.

I think the important thing is to have SOME device that measures your excercise in a convenient way. Almost all of them can integrate with MFP.

dclark566

I have one, I wear it. It is really a glorified pedometer. The bodymedia is so much better but too bulky for the summer and it has a fee. I am competitive and have friends who use the fitbit so it does motivate me. I like numbers so having something on me to give me an idea of my activity is nice.

zhogle

I'm pretty sure nobody has mentioned this one yet: has anyone tried Runtastic's Orbit? Curious how it stacks with everything else. I'm a big Runtastic user.

Also, for all of these, can anyone tell me if I need to have my smartphone with me while on a run or something like that? Ie. for the Orbit, do I need to have my phone with me and Runtastic open for Orbit to work with that? Or will it log everything properly and just sync up the next time they connect? Thanks!

Wkelkel

Im a big Runtastic user too, also wear a Fitbit Fkex for counting daily steps, which syncs with MFP.
The Orbit looks good but hasent yet got synced up with MFP (hopefully soon?)
I will be getting one and going full Runtastic/MFP use

47Jacqueline

I use a Jawbone activity tracker that's a small bracelet I never take off. I had a Fitbit Zip, but kept forgetting to switch it from one outfit to the next. The Jawbone has replace the need to use a separate HRM as well. And I use it when I do Aqua Zumba because it's water resistant.

coccodrillo72

I'm pretty sure nobody has mentioned this one yet: has anyone tried Runtastic's Orbit? Curious how it stacks with everything else. I'm a big Runtastic user.

Also, for all of these, can anyone tell me if I need to have my smartphone with me while on a run or something like that? Ie. for the Orbit, do I need to have my phone with me and Runtastic open for Orbit to work with that? Or will it log everything properly and just sync up the next time they connect? Thanks!

I got one a few days ago: I like it so far, especially the fact that is waterproof.

If you use it with the Runtastic app, the Orbit act as a display for the app: it displays the current activity duration, distance, and so on. Neat feature. Also the data from the Runtastic app is used by the Runtastic Me (the Orbit app) to integrate your daily activity, so if you go for a bike ride (no steps) and you track it with the Runtastic app it is still counted for your daily burn by the Orbit app.

You can go for a run without your phone, the Orbit will track your steps just like any other tracker. That run will not be displayed in the Runtastic app though, if that's what you are asking, but only in the Me app.