fitbit pedometer

BrandyWalldren

I was wondering if anyone used the fitbit that connects with MFP. I just got mine and noticed it gives me more calories per day for normal daily activity. I am concerned this might make me fail. I didn't use my extra calories today but was wondering if anyone else had this tool and if my concerns are valid.

LaurasClimb

I just ordered mine today so I am curious what kind of answers you will get. I have one friend on here that says she loves hers!

thirtyandthriving

Everyone that I have heard says the like theirs.

BigCat175

bump

Looby47

Hi, get in touch with cahoughton (linked with my name). She's used something like that and loving it. I'll get in touch with her too and get her to contact you. .... Just realised after typed this that it's not what she has used, she used a watch, heart rate, cal counter thing. Soz.

luckyinlife

I sent mine back! Didn't work accurately!

crysmcd1

i love mine, and on days when im really busy at work i always get extra calories to eat at the end of the day. i typically dont eat these exercise type calories, simply because i get them added in at like 12am when i finally am home to link my fitbit. but it certainly is a nice little boost!

Cheryl943

I don't log my food on Fitbit so it doesn't matter what it says I can have. I do like to automatic exercise postings. I log all activity as it all counts in the big picture but I still try to keep within my calorie goals on MFP. So far I love both tools. I also like to fact that the fitbit tracks stuff like sleep. I had no idea just how restless my sleep can be some nights. Good luck and add me if you would like to.

anarose13

the fitbit is supposed to be a confidence booster. because its not hooked up to your heart rate it isn't as accurate as it could be but for a pedometer its a pretty cool device. because it tracks all your movements, its gonna shift around calorie intake from day to day. if nothing more its great for insperation to keep moving! i am saving up to get mine at the end of this month and cant wait.

joyous504

I absolutely love mine. I don't eat my extra calories unless I'm hungry, but I did that before fitbit.

cclark1203

There are a couple of groups if you search for them in the community. I have a fitbit and you will see that if you aren't very active over the course of the day it will reduce your activity calories earned that it gave you (think it estimates based on your information inputted about yourself). I do not pay attention to them unless it's actual exercise then I will use those calories. Read through the product manual on the bottom of the Fitbit page and you will understand how your fitbit works and you will know which types of exercise it doesn't really calculate correctly. Fitbit should just be another tool that you use like MFP. I use it primarily to track my steps, get an idea of my overall calorie burn for the entire day, when I need to get off the couch and burn some more calories and I use it to track my sleep. It works with motion, not your heart rate so you still need an HRM for accurate exercise calories burned.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1290-fitbit-users

floshideaway

Just got mine yesterday and it does show more cals than MFP. I have also checked on other ways of calculating what you need in a day through another website which gives different datas as well. I find that fitbit is a good average between all datas. Everybody is different so I supposed it will be a touch and go until I find the right amount for me. Go to fat2fit.com, lots of infos and calculators there.

flechero

I've had a fitbit for a month or so. It's surprisingly accurate in terms of step and distances (I've checked it over known distances several times) but it does add more calories than I think it should.

Assuming you have been on MFP long enough to see a consistent pattern in your weight and calorie consumption- here is what I'd do... Eat 1/2 of the "extra" calories you get from fitbit and make an adjustment at that end of the week.

More important than counting calories (for me anyway) it keeps you focused on staying active and it actually takes away guilt for me... many days I don't get to work out or go for a walk- but if I have logged 3-4 miles in the course of my day, I really don't need to feel bad for missing a walk after work.

WannabeSexyBexy

I love mine! Highly recommend it. It is only calculating the calories your body is naturally burning, as your body burns more than the calories you eat in your diary, that's the whole point. As long as you take the time to set it up correctly it will be as accurate as any other device.

Little tip too, when you put it on at night, add the plastic belt holder to your keys, it stops you forgetting to wear it the next day

Ceithlenn

I don't eat the extra calories. THe whole point of when trying to lose weight is to burn more than you eat. I only eat more if I am hungry and then it might be a tablespoon of fresh ground peanut butter on a rye krisp or an orange. I don't worry about eating all the calories fit bit says I should. I know that my body works best on a 1200 calorie diet with little or no meat. IF you eat little or no meat, 1200 calories is a huge amount of food in vegetables and supplies enormous amounts of nutrients. I do eat some nonfat dairy, tofu, etc so I get plenty of protein. Sometimes it is hard to eat 1200 calories worth of food in a day as a Nutritarian.

So, knowing that I don't need those extra calories that fitbit gives me, it means that I just lose a little more if I am more active. I am really pretty sedentary, working a desk job and have fibromyalgia and a herniated disk so heavy impact workouts are out for me. It does seem that fibit adds more calories than I would want to eat, but since I don't eat them, I don't worry about them.

What I do love about fit bit is that it also tracks how well I sleep. That's been an issue for me for a long time so now I understand why I am so tired during the day when I wake up 15-30 times during the night.

I really do love the fitbit and it is a great motivator for me. I check my "flower" a few times a day to see how much it has grown.

SkinnieFinnie

I LOVE MY FITBIT!!!!!!!!!! I wear it 24/7 (except when I'm in the shower, then it's on the charger).. LOVE IT!

ktaft77

There are a couple of groups if you search for them in the community. I have a fitbit and you will see that if you aren't very active over the course of the day it will reduce your activity calories earned that it gave you (think it estimates based on your information inputted about yourself). I do not pay attention to them unless it's actual exercise then I will use those calories. Read through the product manual on the bottom of the Fitbit page and you will understand how your fitbit works and you will know which types of exercise it doesn't really calculate correctly. Fitbit should just be another tool that you use like MFP. I use it primarily to track my steps, get an idea of my overall calorie burn for the entire day, when I need to get off the couch and burn some more calories and I use it to track my sleep. It works with motion, not your heart rate so you still need an HRM for accurate exercise calories burned.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1290-fitbit-users

I love mine and I agree if its set up correctly it works pretty good! Its a great tool to keep you motivated and on track!!

LucyVan

I have had my Fitbit for a little more than a month and I LOVE it! It keeps me on target for getting enough exercise by inspiring me to get those 10,000 steps in every day. I don't eat back my calories expended during exercise, however.

Yes, it does give you more calories when you are more active than your base activity rate that was calculated when you put your first stats into MFP. I don't eat back those calories either. In my mind those calories are telling me I'm burning up that fat and moving forward!!

We hike a lot and I have noticed that when I'm going up and down steep terrain Fitbit treats it like stairs. That's because it measures altitude changes. I love knowing that it takes into account all those blasted hills on the trails and in my neighborhood!

Yes, I wear it 24/7 except when showering. It is very accurate in measuring the sleep/wake cycles during the night. I have looked at the clock when I wake up and roll over and darned if Fitbit doesn't note that "awake" time every single time.

It is the best $99 I ever spent!

valerieottaviano

I got mine last week andihave to say I like it but it should come with a manual. I have had to go to the website twice. Just to figure out basic stuff. I think because it's almost 2 easy and simple it makes me question the accuracy plus I haven't quite figured out how often to charge it.how long does it need on the charger? I linked it to my work laptop now I'm all messed up, if it's ther I'm here.
Do you all charge it once a day? Does it just take a few minutes?
When I read all u need to be is by the computer and it tracks u I really thought this is 2 good to be true but it's correct?
Sorry for all the questions but their site is very good but just not the questions I seem to have. Any help or advice u can give I'd sure appreciate, it was an investment so I don.t want to just blow it off. Thanks in advance . Valerie

yalechk

you don't need to charge it more than about once a week. it will also save your date for at least a week so you don't need to use the computer to which you tethered the charger every day in order to update your information.

BrandyWalldren

Thank you all for all the info. I really think I will love it! I have found that I don't need to put my food on the fitbit site because MFP and Fitbit are linked I add the food to MFP and it automaticly goes to Fitbit and my activity from the fitbit automaticly goes into the MFP. It is really cool. Yes I noticed today the MFP said I had less than 500 cal left for the day to consume and the fitbit said I had over 1000 left. I will stick to the MFP when it comes to that. It is better to be under than over. Thanks again to all for your insite!

rsmblue

I have mine for about a month... I started w/MFP (cals wise) so that is what I go with....

abhiforlife

It over-estimates walking calories by about 10% and under-estimates running by 15% in my experience. As suggested, do not eat back all the calories, I don't eat back more than 60-75% of the exercise calories that the fitbit gives me.

It is *awesome* as a motivational tool. I started with less than 3,000 steps a day, recently I'm averaging over 13,000 steps.

rjglenn

I have had my Fitbit for about a couple months. I do like it a lot. The calorie thing was driving me crazy as well as making me want to eat more because of the amount of calories it was sayng I was was burning. It adds resting calories as well. I decided to turn off the calorie the feature.

MarincicS

I was wondering if anyone used the fitbit that connects with MFP. I just got mine and noticed it gives me more calories per day for normal daily activity. I am concerned this might make me fail. I didn't use my extra calories today but was wondering if anyone else had this tool and if my concerns are valid.

The FitBit can't make you fail!!

I do find the calories it updates just a bit confusing, but really, i find the FitBit to be very encouraging. The first day i got it, it sort of encouraged me to take the stairs and it would give me a badge. Now i take the stairs every day. I love it for tracking sleep too.

I am away on vacation right now and don't have access to my gym nor my normal routines. But the FitBit provides me a bit of reference about how active i am, so it's still helpful.

I love it. It is a lot of fun.

michelledusik

I too love my Fitbit, but I mainly use it to track my daily steps. I have a HRM that I use when I workout. That gives me more accurate numbers. It is encouraging and helps me to compete with myself on steps taken! Love it!