Fitbit - pros and cons

Honeyjar66

I have been thinking of purchasing one of these and would like to hear from people who have one or use another similar device. Is it worth the money? I think personally it's motivating to see your progress, makes you work towards more.

DvlDwnInGA

It is a motivating tool. That is about it. It helps to get you off your butt and moving. You will find yourself taking extra steps to do just about everything. I personally do not like to link the fitbit to my MFP account because I feel the fitbit gives to many extra calories to eat.

When I had them linked, I know that I lost at a much slower rate. I use the fitbit for motivation to move, and MFP to track calories.

tkillion810

I currently have a fitbit flex. I think it's a good motivator to keep me moving more through the day. My full time job is a desk job so it's good to get me moving. I've had a few troubles with mine. It doesn't like to charge when I put it in the base. I've also noticed the accuracy of it decreasing as I've had it longer. Polar just came out with a new watch that has GPS and activity tracking in one watch unit that I've ordered. If you're looking at different products, check out this site for some great in-depth reviews:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/

jaggerjia

I was going to post this same question. I am anxious to see what people think about it too. Also, if I may add, what's the overall opinion on heart rate monitors?

FinFoxPT

I have a fitbit one and honestly i can't remember being without it. It's kicked off my weight loss so fantastically and I've lost a third of my body weight this year. If you want help with your accountability and you want to invest in something that you will not cheat then any good pedometer is a great investment.

I charge mine every two weeks and have the iphone app. I sync up once a day/every other day, continuous sync with give you battery life of 6ish days. I track everything it has to offer and link it up with runkeeper which combined with mfp does not duplicate calorie allowance. I have a few good friends on the app and we're competitive, keeps me on my toes (literally).

I went for the one because the full display is there, it's inside my bra and cannot be seen. some people like the other types but this works better for me. The vibrate alarm i use for all sort during the day and having a clock on hand is great too.

The only down side is, it's not a HRM but then if that's what you're looking for you wouldn't be considering one.

Love it, hope the above helps (feel free to add me on if you go for it)

DvlDwnInGA

I currently have a fitbit flex. I think it's a good motivator to keep me moving more through the day. My full time job is a desk job so it's good to get me moving. I've had a few troubles with mine. It doesn't like to charge when I put it in the base. I've also noticed the accuracy of it decreasing as I've had it longer. Polar just came out with a new watch that has GPS and activity tracking in one watch unit that I've ordered. If you're looking at different products, check out this site for some great in-depth reviews:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/

Yep, charging on the Flex is pita. I found someone online that said to find a small paper clip and jam it in between the top of the fitbit and the top inside of the charger. This works. If you are having trouble with charging, give this a try.

Pipsg1rl

It's great because if you know other people around you are also using one it helps with competitive spirit.

If your major exercise is walking and not lifting or swimming, this is probably a great motivator. I know when I was only running/walking it really motivated me.

I lived for the buzz at the end of the day.

We purchased them in January and I stopped using it about 2 weeks ago.

Flex:
Doesn't have a watch or face other than the blinky dots
Doesn't track heart rate
Only has a Tory Burch Band to make it look more like jewelry and the nicer band is about $150 (IIRC)
IS Water Resistant so you can shower or do light water activity with it. Don't wear it at a water park.

It's no fun if the people you are challenged by are 30K steps above you or 20 below.

dlr165

I have a Fitbit One and I love it. It motivates me to get 20,000 steps a day which is hard for me because I am in a car 8.5 hours a day. I have changed my life so I can get those steps in and get my calorie burn (or close to it). It was just what I needed!

snowflake930

No cons. All pros.
Have had mine for 20 months. I love mine, and will never be without it.
Most of my exercise comes from hiking, walking outdoors, and elliptical and treadmill indoors.
Perfect device for my purposes. Great motivator and tool to get me moving more throughout the day.
I have not had the need to use it, but all my fitbit friends say that Fitbits customer service is second to none.

Choobey

I have only had mine for a few days and I love it I live for the buzz when I hit my goals! :bigsmile:

Marilyn0924

I currently have a fitbit flex. I think it's a good motivator to keep me moving more through the day. My full time job is a desk job so it's good to get me moving. I've had a few troubles with mine. It doesn't like to charge when I put it in the base. I've also noticed the accuracy of it decreasing as I've had it longer. Polar just came out with a new watch that has GPS and activity tracking in one watch unit that I've ordered. If you're looking at different products, check out this site for some great in-depth reviews:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/

Yep, charging on the Flex is pita. I found someone online that said to find a small paper clip and jam it in between the top of the fitbit and the top inside of the charger. This works. If you are having trouble with charging, give this a try.

Usually the charging issues is caused by dirty contacts. Clean the contacts using a cotton swab that's been dipped in rubbing alcohol. It makes all the difference.

HaibaneReki

Love my flex - I'm playing by it's calorie estimates, so far I'm +- maintaining. Great tool, become a part of me.

Honeyjar66

Thanks for all the great responses and suggestions. I just may have to invest in one this weekend.

adoll127

I had gotten the Force for Christmas last year, it was neat for awhile and then I was very happy for the recall so I could send it back.
I felt like it was just a very expensive pedometer and it wasn't all that accurate. Something to keep in mind if you look at a wrist one - any time you're carring something, pushing a cart at the store, etc where you can't move your arm, you will not get credit for your steps. The calorie count is not at all accurate either so don't believe that too much. For me, it just wasn't really right, I sent it back and put the money towards a HRM, which I love - I know some people love their fitbits too.If it's worth getting really depends on what you're hoping to get from it - that is usually what I ask people in posts like this, and then it's easier to help you decide if it's a good option for you.

Hungry_Annie

I had gotten the Force for Christmas last year, it was neat for awhile and then I was very happy for the recall so I could send it back.
I felt like it was just a very expensive pedometer and it wasn't all that accurate. Something to keep in mind if you look at a wrist one - any time you're carring something, pushing a cart at the store, etc where you can't move your arm, you will not get credit for your steps. The calorie count is not at all accurate either so don't believe that too much. For me, it just wasn't really right, I sent it back and put the money towards a HRM, which I love - I know some people love their fitbits too.If it's worth getting really depends on what you're hoping to get from it - that is usually what I ask people in posts like this, and then it's easier to help you decide if it's a good option for you.

I have the Flex, and i have tested it out. It does track steps for me when i am not moving my arms. I held the rails on my treadmill and it still tracks the steps.
I enjoy my flex. Its motivating to get moving more.

brightsideofpink

Love my zip. I've definitely been much more active and motivated since I got mine 2 months ago. I find the calorie adjustments to be pretty good for me as I'm set to sedentary. Obviously it doesn't know if your steps come from zumba, walking downhill or uphill, but it does accommodate for running or very active minutes.

The only downsides I've noticed are my own, and not the fault of fitbit or likely even a problem for most people.
1- I've noticed that I'm so interested in my steps that I have forgone other exercises like swimming or light weight training. Silly, and easily corrected, but definitely a trend I've noticed for myself.
2- I have to remind myself not to compare myself to all my fitbit friends who are long distance runners or cyclists who log 20,000 steps before breakfast even hits, and hundreds of thousands of steps on a week. No discredit to what they work hard for; I just have to remember that for now, fitbit will always tell me I'm in last place, lol.

111YoYo111

I am currently mailing mine back for a refund as it is so inaccurate. It buzzed 10,000 steps as I sat on my butt reading all day but credited me with 4 active minutes when I went to the gym for an hour. I am looking into a HRM too.

fit_at_fifty

Bought a Fitbit Flex in Feb and by June I sent it back for a replacement because it wouldn´t charge. Tried everything, paper clips, cleaning connections, nothing worked. They were good enough to send me a replacement but that didn´t even last a couple of weeks before failing with the same problem. There is obviously a design fault and for the money they cost you should not have to be sticking paper clips in to make it work! They are a great motivated and I really enjoyed using it but personally I wouldn´t waste your money.

SKME2013

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/09/activity-tracker-review.html

I would go for the Polar M400 which is brand new and combines for roughly $200 an activity tracker plus a multisportswatch. See above.

I have the fitbit One and the Polar RCX5 multisportswatch with heart rate monitor. The above combines both for a superb price.
Stef.

Timshel_

I've had several fitness deceives, including the Fitbit Force before the recall. I think it is as good as any other device, and actually like it best for the website and MFP integration compared to Garmin and others.

It isn't spot on accurate but really in the grand scheme of things, if it was over by 1000 steps, and you averaged 2000 steps per mile, that is an extra half mile logged. Might sound ridiculous until you realize that is only a +/- of around 50 calories for the day. And mine was NEVER that far off (maybe a few hundred steps, if that). There are some that see really inaccurate counts, but the Fitbit website has tips on how to prevent that (no-dominant hand, etc). Same with daily calorie burns and what not. If you keep that in mind and make sure you always eat at you caloric goals for the day, you are golden.

So as i said, I did return our Fitbit Force units as part of the recall, but we did not have the irritation issue. I just figured if I did ever want to sell it down the line the recall would kill the value. I can say, the PulsePlus that is coming out from Fitbit is REALLY going to be nice. That will be my next unti I review.

I know based on feedback we gave during the initial launch of the Garmin Vivofit, the newest Garmin units are of interest too.

scrittrice

Love the One but I had a Zip and ended up returning it for a refund--it went through a battery every few weeks. (If you Google, you'll see lots of people on-line with the same complaint. FitBit says the battery will last 4 to 6 months, but I couldn't even get a battery to last 4 weeks.)

With the FitBit I have a much better idea of how active I am and can maintain a consistent deficit very easily. Well worth $100.