Anyone Use a FitBit Ultra?

textlikekisses

I just ordered a new one - I was interested to see if anyone else uses one, if they have it synched to their myfitnesspal account and what their general comments or successes are with it. Thanks guys!

krambow

I love mine, and it does sync up with myfitnesspal, just remember to only record your food on myfitnesspal.com, the fitbit will take care of how many calories you burn for exercise etc. And then you will see it on myfitnesspal.com.

Juawill

I have one and love it, too. I also echo about only logging on MFP. I've had it just about one month now and I'm still getting used to it's logging. It seems that it takes everything I've done the day before (i.e., up through and including last night's sleep) and sends the calorie adjustment to MFP. I can also look at the Fitbit website and see a graph of how I slept the night before. That's very interesting! It's really amazing how many calories you burn through a normal day. Fitbit tracks it all and shares it seamlessly with MFP. Good luck with yours.

jtreider

I've had mine for a week and I absolutely LOVE it. It synchs with MFP seamlessly and all my MFP info synchs with the Fitbit website. I almost didn't get it because it doesn't work for bicycling. Now I charge it when I'm cycling. The feature that convinced me to buy it is that it logs your sleep. I've had sleep issues for several years now and it's very informative to see how long it took me to fall asleep and how many times I woke up during the night as opposed to my perception or memory. It love that it tracks my activitry whether I am cleaning house, grocery shopping, or walking. It's the best $100 I have spent in a long time.

textlikekisses

should you wear it while at the gym? like, would it track my progress on an elliptical or on a stationary bike? Or should I leave it at home when I go to the gym and log those times manually?

pjams2010

I've also just recently started using the Fitbit Ultra and I do love it. I look forward to seeing my steps go up. I do have a question if any of you using the integration between Fitbit and MyFitnessPal have noticed that it only seems to log the calorie adjustment for the current date and then they are removed from my previous entries. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if it should work this way?

Lissakaye81

I was wanting to get one of these for my b-day and was wondering about how accurate they are, I use a treadmill alot and also wanted something more reliable for strength training and outside hiking/kayaking calorie counting.

walterafable

should you wear it while at the gym? like, would it track my progress on an elliptical or on a stationary bike? Or should I leave it at home when I go to the gym and log those times manually?

You should definitely wear your FitBit Ultra while at the gym. When you log the exercise in MFP, be sure to note the time when you started and FitBit and MFP will reconcile the activity data. Use the calorie calculation from the piece of equipment or use a heart rate monitor to track the calories burned. Whatever way you choose, be sure to enter your current weight as that will be used to calculate the calories burned. Good luck!

Juawill

Does anyone understand the "Fitbit Calorie Adjustment" made each day in MFP? I spent about 5 hours yesterday building a fence. When I looked this morning on Fitbit.com, it showed I had burned 2,995 calories yesterday based solely on Fitbit. Yet, when I checked yesterday's MFP exercise log, the Fitbit Calories Adjustment was only 720. Somewhere I seem to have lost 2,275 burned calories!!!! I know I still burned them (because I'm feeling it today) but it's troubling that the sync only seemed to have picked up a fraction of what I did. Anyone underestand this sync business and how it works?

tattoobabe

you should still put in the time and the excercise you did in mfp then the fitbit does a calories burned adjustment.

trout3063

I have been really excited to get my hands on a nike fit band...but stumbling over this thread....this is cheaper and seems to be better!!! AND I like the sleep monitoring aspect. I think I'm going to order mine today!

mocoworm

I have one and it is brilliant.

When you do excercise here is what you do.

1. As you start any excercise you hold in the button and it flips to 'activity mode'. When you finish hold it again and it says 'stop'.

2. When you go to the fitbit site you will see any activities you have logged with exact times. Make a note of the logged times.

3. Go to MyFitnessPal site and log your activity with those exact times. It will then be sent to the FitBit site and overwrite your 'activity mode' sessions with the actual excercise.

This is very important because say you do a 5k run, the FitBit will record your steps but not how fast or far you have gone. By doing the above it can work out how far you have gone in those steps and makes all your data correct.

Do this for every activity. So if you are in the gym and you do a run then a row you make 2 activity mode logs. One for the run then do it again for the row. When you go to the site you will have 2 logs to input data for from MyFitnessPal. Just make sure to see the exact times to input from the FitBit site so you can match them exactly.

You also use the activity mode to track your sleep.

The FitBit is amazing. I wouldn't be without it now. I walk extra just to get my badges etc.

Cando055

Does it require a chest strap? How do you wear it to calculate sleep?

mocoworm

Does anyone understand the "Fitbit Calorie Adjustment" made each day in MFP? I spent about 5 hours yesterday building a fence. When I looked this morning on Fitbit.com, it showed I had burned 2,995 calories yesterday based solely on Fitbit. Yet, when I checked yesterday's MFP exercise log, the Fitbit Calories Adjustment was only 720. Somewhere I seem to have lost 2,275 burned calories!!!! I know I still burned them (because I'm feeling it today) but it's troubling that the sync only seemed to have picked up a fraction of what I did. Anyone underestand this sync business and how it works?

You need to switch to activity mode when doing an activity. (see my post above). Without you telling it you are in an activity it only moitors your BMR and Steps taken. You should have made the activity then in MFP inputted the calories burned for that time. It would then talk to Fitbit.com and tell it that for that activity you recorded you burned x calories.

Hyoderrn

I have one and I absolutely love it!!!

MacSkillz

I LOVE mine. Here's a quick write up that I did when I first got mine.

http://feedsparingly.blogspot.com/2012/01/fitbit-ultra.html

jennifer127

BUmp -Thanks for input!

streammary

Bump

MacSkillz

Also, anyone that has a FitBit, please feel free to friend me on there if you'd like.
http://www.fitbit.com/user/22P7NZ

mocoworm

Does it require a chest strap? How do you wear it to calculate sleep?

comes with a strap. you wear it on your wrist.

Juawill

It's like a really tight clothespin. You just clip it onto whatever article of clothing feels right for you. It won't come off. For sleep, put it into the supplied wristband and wear it that way.

walterafable

Does anyone understand the "Fitbit Calorie Adjustment" made each day in MFP? I spent about 5 hours yesterday building a fence. When I looked this morning on Fitbit.com, it showed I had burned 2,995 calories yesterday based solely on Fitbit. Yet, when I checked yesterday's MFP exercise log, the Fitbit Calories Adjustment was only 720. Somewhere I seem to have lost 2,275 burned calories!!!! I know I still burned them (because I'm feeling it today) but it's troubling that the sync only seemed to have picked up a fraction of what I did. Anyone underestand this sync business and how it works?

The FitBit adjustment is not a sync, it is an adjustment. The FitBit adjustment basically tells MFP that it has underestimated the number of calories you burned, by approximately 720 calories. Remember that the MFP value is an educated guess based on your height, weight and what you select as your activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc.) This is where the power of the FitBit comes in--it fine tunes that educated guess. Some days you'll actually burn calories very close to the MFP number. When you build fences it will be higher. The fitbit adjustment will increase the number based on the data it recorded through your activities.

LadyBeryl

I love mine also.

When I add an activity that occurred during the time of a FitBit adjustment, it'll automatically remove the adjustment. It is nice to see that it both MFP and FitBit integrates so well.

SafireBleu

I love my Fitbit. I love the way it adjusts and works with MFP. I tend to stick with the calories that the Fitbit says I can eat rater than MFP since it takes into account how much I have been walking/active during the day and MFP doesn't. On MFP you enter in sedentary lifestyle that's all you get the FitBit knows you have been moving and not that sedentary and it makes the adjustment. LOVE IT! and it works well with MFP. I track food and activity on MFP and it syncs with the FitBit all on it's own.

newfern

I've had mine for almost 6 hours now and it's a lot of fun to watch. I'm looking forward to seeing the data and the integration. This has been a great thread! I would have been so sad to wake up and not have had it track my sleep properly. Thanks for all the info about Activity Mode.

-fern

abouck

bump

abouck

I have one and it is brilliant.

When you do excercise here is what you do.

1. As you start any excercise you hold in the button and it flips to 'activity mode'. When you finish hold it again and it says 'stop'.

2. When you go to the fitbit site you will see any activities you have logged with exact times. Make a note of the logged times.

3. Go to MyFitnessPal site and log your activity with those exact times. It will then be sent to the FitBit site and overwrite your 'activity mode' sessions with the actual excercise.

This is very important because say you do a 5k run, the FitBit will record your steps but not how fast or far you have gone. By doing the above it can work out how far you have gone in those steps and makes all your data correct.

Do this for every activity. So if you are in the gym and you do a run then a row you make 2 activity mode logs. One for the run then do it again for the row. When you go to the site you will have 2 logs to input data for from MyFitnessPal. Just make sure to see the exact times to input from the FitBit site so you can match them exactly.

You also use the activity mode to track your sleep.

The FitBit is amazing. I wouldn't be without it now. I walk extra just to get my badges etc.

I just ordered my fitbit so here is my question. I currently use a polar heart rate monitor when I exercise. Is the fitbit accurate as to the calories burned or should I continue to use my heartrate monitor during exercise and overide the calories burned to match my polar hrm?

jenniejengin

Bump

mccarol1956

I love mine. I wear it 24 hours a day. The only problem I have with it is I do not know how to go back and change the weight loss goals so they match my MFP goals.. Anyone??

Vernswifevickie

I have one and it is brilliant.

When you do excercise here is what you do.

1. As you start any excercise you hold in the button and it flips to 'activity mode'. When you finish hold it again and it says 'stop'.

2. When you go to the fitbit site you will see any activities you have logged with exact times. Make a note of the logged times.

3. Go to MyFitnessPal site and log your activity with those exact times. It will then be sent to the FitBit site and overwrite your 'activity mode' sessions with the actual excercise.

This is very important because say you do a 5k run, the FitBit will record your steps but not how fast or far you have gone. By doing the above it can work out how far you have gone in those steps and makes all your data correct.

Do this for every activity. So if you are in the gym and you do a run then a row you make 2 activity mode logs. One for the run then do it again for the row. When you go to the site you will have 2 logs to input data for from MyFitnessPal. Just make sure to see the exact times to input from the FitBit site so you can match them exactly.

You also use the activity mode to track your sleep.

The FitBit is amazing. I wouldn't be without it now. I walk extra just to get my badges etc.

This is great! I couldn't quite figure out how to do the whole "add exercise" thing. This is such a good explanation...I just copied it and emailed it to myself so I could have it in my phone
Thanks!!

ItsPheebs

I have one and it is brilliant.

When you do excercise here is what you do.

1. As you start any excercise you hold in the button and it flips to 'activity mode'. When you finish hold it again and it says 'stop'.

2. When you go to the fitbit site you will see any activities you have logged with exact times. Make a note of the logged times.

3. Go to MyFitnessPal site and log your activity with those exact times. It will then be sent to the FitBit site and overwrite your 'activity mode' sessions with the actual excercise.

This is very important because say you do a 5k run, the FitBit will record your steps but not how fast or far you have gone. By doing the above it can work out how far you have gone in those steps and makes all your data correct.

Do this for every activity. So if you are in the gym and you do a run then a row you make 2 activity mode logs. One for the run then do it again for the row. When you go to the site you will have 2 logs to input data for from MyFitnessPal. Just make sure to see the exact times to input from the FitBit site so you can match them exactly.

You also use the activity mode to track your sleep.

The FitBit is amazing. I wouldn't be without it now. I walk extra just to get my badges etc.

This is great! I couldn't quite figure out how to do the whole "add exercise" thing. This is such a good explanation...I just copied it and emailed it to myself so I could have it in my phone
Thanks!!

I just log my activity on MFP because I couldn't figure out that activity thing (it's the stopwatch, right?). Although this is a great explanation, I still can't figure it out. I have to play with it. Anyway, when I log my activity on MFP it adjusts my calories in my dairy and on the FitBit website the same way.