Heartrate monitors...FitBit a good choice?

cupcakecutie1985

Hey Everyone,

I need a bit of advice! I find that I don't always trust the cals posted for excersice. So the simple solution would be to get a heart monitor... or so I am told! lol there is nothing simple about it! Can anyone give me some advice on how I go about choosing a good heart rate monitor? Maybe even suggest a few to check out?

I have been hearing about this FitBit, and it sounds good...but from what I understand, it doesn't accurately track calories burned for fitness like the elliptical or say at home videos, which is really where I get the majority of my exercise in! Am I reading that correctly? Does anyone have any experience with it? Are all monitors the same in that regard?

Thanks so much everyone!!!

CMmrsfloyd

FitBit is actually not a heartrate monitor. It's kind of a fancy pedometer, it tracks the amount you move during the day and attempts to translate that into calories burned. Some people love it, some people don't. I'm not sure of the exact limitations but I know it has some. It's compatible with MFP which a lot of people like.

Other devices that estimate calories but use methods other than heartrate include the BodyBugg and BodyMedia Fit - those are the armbands like you see on The Biggest Loser, you wear them all day long and they are supposed to give you an estimate of the calories you burn throughout the day. They have a subscription service that you are supposed to pay for to access their sites for tracking.

'Heart rate monitor' generally applies to a device that you can wear while actually working out - it monitors your heartrate either through a strap that you wear on your chest to read your heartrate continuously or through sensors on the device that you 'touch' every so often to get a reading. The ones that use a strap are generally thought to give better estimates since they are reading your heartrate continuously as it changes throughout your workout. Polar is a popular brand although there are others to choose from.

Technically anything you choose has certain limitations and ALL of the devices have possibility for error (it's all estimations based on formulas and there are a lot of variables that can make them more or less accurate in their estimations - takes some trial and error to see if the estimate appears to be a good one for you personally or not).

LaSutopia

I was just about to post the same question....I want to know specifically if anyone has a FItBit and if they like it. Does it work well..Does it track calories well for things like DVD work outs and treadmill? Is it good as a heartrate monitor as well?

CMmrsfloyd

I was just about to post the same question....I want to know specifically if anyone has a FItBit and if they like it. Does it work well..Does it track calories well for things like DVD work outs and treadmill? Is it good as a heartrate monitor as well?

It does not monitor your heartrate. If you want to monitor your heartrate during exercise, you'd need a different device.

cupcakecutie1985

Well, I feel silly! haha it being a pedometer would explain why I wasn't gettin the vibe you could use it with the elliptical!!! Thanks so much for the advice I'll keep looking around!

CMmrsfloyd

Well, I feel silly! haha it being a pedometer would explain why I wasn't gettin the vibe you could use it with the elliptical!!! Thanks so much for the advice I'll keep looking around!

A lot of people really do like it since it tracks how active you are during the day, they feel it helps encourage them to be more active throughout the day and not just during specific exercise. You just have to figure out what is going to work best for your situation. :-)

GreekByMarriage

Bump to follow because I am trying to figure out the best thing to buy as well...