Fitbit (UK)

swaymyway

Anyone in the UK with the Fitbit Ultra? I am considering getting one as I just sold something I got for free for £45 and have £20 in Amazon vouchers - so the (very high) £80 price tag doesn't seem quite so bad....

However I have read some reviews that say as a calorie counter it's practically useless as the database doesn't have many UK foods and everything is set up 'the American way', such as measurements and units etc.

I have already read that the sleep tracker is practically useless.

Is it really worth it or is it just an expensive gadget that will be thrown in a draw after a few months and make my 'tracking' life more complicated than it already is? I have a smarth phone and probably have most of the things it does available to me in free apps already....

PeeTeePee

I would save your money and buy a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) instead. I had a FitBit for a week and returned it (got a full refund from Amazon) as it wasn't much of an asset for me (I've written it all up in my blog). I don't have an HRM, but comments I've read they seem to be very useful and adaptable pieces of kit.

swaymyway

Thanks.

I already have a HRM, polar something or other, I have had it for around 3 years and they are definitely the best weigh loss tool out there

More opinions welcome!

wenders123

Hi there friend,

I have had one since Jan, and love it. Any questions feel free to PM me ......

As for the few things you mentioned:
1. It syncs with MFP, so you log your food in MFP and it transfers over to Fitbit automatically - this does away with the food database issue in Fitbit.
2. You wear it all day (and night if you want to log your sleep patterns) and it measures your activity and adds cals accordingly. This transfers over to MFP via the syncing. However you can log activities in MFP if you want more accuracy and then MFP will ignore the Fitbit data for that period of time.
3. It's also quite motivational as you have daily targets and as the Fitbit updates wirelessly every 15 mins, you can see your progress and "do more" if you want to hit/exceed the target.

There is a group dedicated to Fitbit which you may want to have a look at to get some idea of what general opinion is:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1307-fitbit-users

I love mine, and don't log any activities anymore, as from my year long MFP experience, the Fitbit seems to pretty reliable so far.

Wendy

KerrySayers27

I've just got mine today and already I am totally addicted to it! I love the website and all the detailed data it gives you. I've hit a bit of a plateau with my weight loss and I'm hoping this will be the long-term solution to my weight problems. x

kirstineu

I have one you are welcome to - they are less than useless!

lyonnesse

I have one you are welcome to - they are less than useless!

Could you tell us why, please? I have a colleague who is happy with his, as is his wife. I always like to see the other point of view so it would help all of us to know why you've not succeeded with it.

I do know that you can't use it for swimming, or cycling, or working out in the gym. This is because it's not waterproof in the case of swimming, and it uses motion detection that won't work with the other kinds of exercises. Apparently you can enter these manually in the fitbit site and/or the mfp site. I've not heard any other problems with it.

I've read that it can tell you how far you've walked or run, but I can't find out how it can measure distance. Does anyone else know?

mypetfrog

I have one and it's great! Logs all the activity I do, and when used with the Aria scales it gives you a real motivation to keep on track!

Use MyFitnessPal to log all your food and it's the perfect solution.

Buy one from Amazon, try it for a few days (looking after it carefully of course) and then if it's not for you just return it. I have no regrets!

markyb1977

Had mine since April... its only as good as your are honest.

Idea is you log your food here, activities on Endomondo and fitbit, monitors general activity levels.

At the end of the day, some need it others dont, and others love gadgets.

Its very accurate, and nothing wrong with the sleep recording, just dont buy the ultra, buy the "one!" its the upgraded one to the Ultra, and has extra benefits. Since with phone... etc.

Go for it. I love mine and wouldn;t be without one now!

From someone with a HRM which is never worn.

Laters

kate2707

Had one, sold it within 3 months, pretty uselss (imo), pretty much a glorified pedometer, if you travel by car, train any other vehicle with movement you will burn a tonne of calories, (sadly highly inaccurate) yes you can alter this online every time you travel, but more hassle then its worth. Secondly as someone as already mentioned, dosen't work for swimming, biking, lifting weights etc etc. I say save your money, or buy and omron pedometer, cheaper and highly accurate - as a pedometer.... as thats really all your getting.