Fitbit or Polar F7

Reka2011

Okay I have had my mind set on getting a fitbit when I lose 8 more lbs. After reading some reviews, I am getting mixed reviews on both the fitbit and polarf F7. I want to be able to know the EXACT or close to exact calories I am burning. Which would you all recommend? Please weigh in with your thoughts and opinions. Thanks in advance!

ffocused

Great topic. I was actually wondering the same thing...

I like the price point of the fitbit, but does it work as advertised? Am I better off getting a pedometer... ?

letmebeda1_wechange

I've had my fitbit since Jan.22nd. I really enjoy knowing the calories i'm burning. it's not bulky and also it also let's me know my sleeping habits at night. it lets you know how many steps, I do in the day, miles and stairs as well and keeps me motivated to move more. I do recommend the fitbit. just my two cents on this.

twiztedgrl69

I've had a Polar since November and love it...best thing I've ever got!

stubbornmm

I've had my fitbit for about 3 weeks, and so far I love it. I don't know how accurate it is on the calories, but I like all the webpage features, I like the integration with FB and MFP. And I like seeing how active I've been (or not) during my non-exercise time. It's small and convenient. Onyl scary thing is putting it through the laudry - which could totally happen if I wasn't paying attention.

stubbornmm

Can anyone of you smart folks tell me why my ticker doesn't post? Do you have to specifically call it out? I set mine up, but I never see it. :frown:

Shyloh1

Actually,I have both a FitBit and a Polar HRM.

I use my FitBit for my everyday activities and my HRM for my workouts.

I just feel that I trust my HRM more to give me more accurate readings of calories burned.

Here is the link the FitBit user group:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1307-fitbit-users

stubbornmm

Never mid - I found it. Duh. Thanks. :smokin:

karenwill2

bump. I want to know this too

katiejneely

I hope more people weigh in this because I am having the same issue. I've had my heart/mind set on the Polar (I was planning on rewarding myself with it when I'm down 10), but then I read on this site about how it coordinates with MFP, and now I can't decide what I want to do! I dont understand how the fitbit can tell how many calories you burn if it doesn't track your hear rate though.

Aborison

ditto on the fitbit. it tracks calories burned through walking, running, treadmill. However, not so great with other types of exercises. So, depends what you'll be doing for exercise. Right now, I'm basically walking/jogging. I also do a pilates class 2x week, but I know, based on using a Polar hrm what I generally burn in that class, so I can input that information on mfp. I love how the fitbit is integrated with mfp --- very cool .

lostemt76

I've had a Polar since November and love it...best thing I've ever got!

I have had mine since beginning of Jan and love it. It help me on the treadmill cause it shows my hr and calorie count right on the treadmill screen and I don't have to look on my watch.

MelHoneyRocks

Been wanting to know this as well. I use a garmin and it tells me twice what MFP tells me...curious.

clarkeje1

bump i want to know the same thing, i'm thinking of getting one or the other

brandimacleod

I have the Polar F7. Love it! I didnt realize how insanely overestimated some of the MFP workouts were. Boy am I glad to have an accurate HRM now! That way if I need to eat back some or all of my calories I can do it without wondering....am I going to gain this week? I also love the way it tells me a lot of details about my workout. It has turned me into a geek...making sure I get the optimal workouts!

Newf77

For Christmas I was faceed with the exact question;
If you are only interested in calories burned from walking/running {hip movement} then the FitBit is not a bad option. FitBits is now compatible with MFP.
However if you are looking to mesure your calorie burn for walking/running {hip movement}; other cardio activity and stregnth training then go with a HRM.
I did get a Polar FT7 and have found it a useful tool.

FitBits do not provide instant feedback, whereas with a HRM you can look at a readout and see your Heart Rate, great for Target Zonbe training.

SteveHunt113

I purchased a Polar FT7 about 2 weeks ago and love it. My goal was to be able to track how many calories I burn when I'm doing my circuit training. I got the FT7 because it did what I wanted, but was still what I considered to be affordable. You do have to ware a band around your chest (not sure if the F7 requires this as well). I also noticed the elliptical will pickup the data and display it on the screen ... a bonus I wasn't expecting. I purchased the UPB link so I can upload my data to the website where I can then monitor my workouts and see if I'm over working.

I don't recommend this if you want to track calories throughout the day, only if you want to track calories during a workout.

SteveHunt113

Get the bodybugg, HRM only calculates "exercise calories" doesn't take in to consideratoin the amount of calories you burn after words. The fitbit does it calculates everything, but it's very inaccurate. So get a bodybugg, best of both worlds.

I'd love a bodybugg, but I don't like the monthly subscription you are required to pay to be able to see your data. But I think it's probably one of the most accurate devices for determining calories burned.

Aborison

actually fitbit is very accurate, but I do agree with other posters about its limitations regarding recording calorie burn for exercises other than walking, jogging. Its a pedometer.

HorrorChix89

If you're doing anything else BESIDES just walking and running then I suggest getting a Polar F7. FitBit is great, I have one, but it's a pedometer that counts floors climbed and tracks sleep. It won't track calories burned during any other exercise unless you are moving your feet in a walking motion the entire time.

ginnylee74

Ok, Body Media. My daughter-in-law did J Craig and got a body media through them. She has lost all the weight she wanted to and she still wears it to keep fit and on maintenance. She said it kept her going when she could see real time burn and calories eaten. She wears it on her upper arm. She even sleeps in it as it gives her the info on how efficient she sleeps. It's on sale now at Costco on line for $149.00 and includes a year of membership for tracking. She swears by it. Before buying it I'm going to call them and (800# on their sight) and quiz them about being in sync with MFB. It's a little pricy but it tracks EVERYTHING for you. I don't know if other's require a membership for logging. Maybe someone can answer that for me.:bigsmile:

Bump

Enigmatica

Reka you and I are trying to sort out the same thing, lol. Thanks for posting this.

twiztedgrl69

I've had a Polar since November and love it...best thing I've ever got!

I have had mine since beginning of Jan and love it. It help me on the treadmill cause it shows my hr and calorie count right on the treadmill screen and I don't have to look on my watch.

Yea, I love that it shows it on the treadmill for you and you don't have to look down or grab on to the handles

lindamac101

Does anyone know if the polar f7 will work while riding my bike. Do you just wear it like a watch?

CMmrsfloyd

Ok, Body Media. My daughter-in-law did J Craig and got a body media through them. She has lost all the weight she wanted to and she still wears it to keep fit and on maintenance. She said it kept her going when she could see real time burn and calories eaten. She wears it on her upper arm. She even sleeps in it as it gives her the info on how efficient she sleeps. It's on sale now at Costco on line for $149.00 and includes a year of membership for tracking. She swears by it. Before buying it I'm going to call them and (800# on their sight) and quiz them about being in sync with MFB. It's a little pricy but it tracks EVERYTHING for you. I don't know if other's require a membership for logging. Maybe someone can answer that for me.:bigsmile:

Bump

One of my MFP friends has a BodyMedia, she has her MFP account set up in the regular MFP fashion, but each day she logs an exercise called 'TDEE adjustment' where basically she credits herself with 'exercise calories' to make up for the difference between what MFP thinks she burns on a daily basis and what the BodyMedia says she really burned that day. So if MFP says her daily maintenance is 2200 calories but her BodyMedia shows she burned 2500 that day, she will log a 'TDEE adjustment' exercise for 300 calories to get her MFP goal for the day to match what her BodyMedia recorded.

I would really, really love to get a BodyMedia. I'm going to save up and try to get one for both myself and my DH.

OP, the FitBit and Polar are 2 completely different things - Polar you wear only during your exercises and it estimates your exercise calories based on your heartrate during the exercise, you cannot wear it all day, only during exercise. FitBit you wear all day and it attempts to estimate your calorie burn based on movement - some people think it's incredibly accurate and awesome and other people say it's way off-base and doesn't even track distance or steps very well (some people find that it thinks they're walking when they're sitting in the car driving, etc, others say you can tweak the sensitivity to help with those issues). It really depends on what kind of activities you're doing and what you're looking for in a device. Then there's the BodyBugg and BodyMedia Fit which you wear all day on your arm. The BB, BMF, and FB do not monitor heartrate, they use different methods to estimate calorie burn. If you want to monitor your heartrate during your exercises for whatever reason, you need a HRM but if you want your HRM to *only* read your heartrate and no estimate calories (like if you want to get a BB, BMF, or FB for calorie estimation but still want to check your heartrate when you workout) you could get a cheaper HRM that doesn't have all the bells and whistles like the Polar FT7.

THEN there is the Garmin collection - they monitor heartrate and estimate calories and have GPS capabilities to precisely track your speed and distance if you walk/run/etc outdoors. Pretty nifty if you're a runner/etc.

Hope that didn't make things more complicated for you. LOL

CMmrsfloyd

Does anyone know if the polar f7 will work while riding my bike. Do you just wear it like a watch?

It has a watch for the display but you also have to wear a strap that goes around your chest to continuously monitor your heartrate.

jamie1888

I have both. As others have said, it's great for tracking your steps. But, it does not track well for calories burned during strength training. I used both during my workouts & it really underestimated my calorie burn. But, that makes sense since its not a heart rate monitor; it's not going to know how hard you're working while laying flat on your back doing a bench press.

I do like that the fitbit is now integrated with MFP & it's nice that there's no subscription fee.

heybales

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

Contained within the study was the following comment.

"Previously, Levine et al. (17) have shown that by using accelerometers and inclinometers to capture body motion and position, they can account for 85% of nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). NEAT is comprised of several components such as occupational work, walking, sitting, standing, and any other nonexercise movement performed throughout the day. Thus, a person could wear the motion and position sensors throughout the day and remove them and put on the HR monitor when performing structured exercise."

That being said, which is going to help the most if you can only buy one?
Remember the accuracy of either used in the other's space is not accurate at all. Though the non-HRM ones would still be fine for walking and jogging (but still inaccurate by potentially 20% for jogging).

Your daily activity calories outside of exercise is what, 400 - 700 maybe. You can see what MFP estimated for you.
So the FitBit / BodyMedia / BodyBugg would improve that estimate how much potentially? You know it's not going to be double or something, maybe 20%, 80-140 calories one way or another.

What is the HRM going to do for you, especially a Polar? Better estimate of exercise calories.
How much could that be off compared to other methods? Some have reported 50% as much as previous estimates using treadmill or MFP estimate. Many about 25%, Some dead on.

I'd think the advantage to the HRM is the further training you can do with it down the road when your new fit trim you enjoys cardio exercise, and wants to excel at it, or at least make all available time for it really count, by training smarter.

katiejneely

Thanks for all the input everyone! I think based on all the comments I'm going to stick with getting the Polar watch for now. Right now I really want an accurate calorie burn specifically for my workouts. So the Polar sounds like the better fit for me! Thanks!

Reka2011

Thank you all for weighing in on this discussion. So many helpful posts!! I would like somehting that will track my calories while doing more thank just walking and running. I actually liked the idea of the body media as some where discussing on here. Decisions, decisions. I guess I have some lbs to lose before I make up my mind LOL

LadyFaile

I recently purchased a Polar F7 through eBay and I'm delighted with my purchase. The price was right, and I discovered at the gym yesterday that it communicates with the exercise bikes so that I don't have to be bothered holding onto the sensors on the bars so it can get a HR. I'm looking forward to trying it out with the Treadmills, as I expect that it will be able to communicate with them as well. So nice not being pestered to constantly hold on to the sensors!