My comparison Fitbit Ultra vs BodyMedia FIT Core

Starlage

Nice review.

I've had my BMF for about two months now and I LOVE IT. I got the BMF core for $60 off ebay (used, works perfectly) and did end up buying a 2nd armband for $13 from the bmf website. All in all I'm totally satisfied with my purchase. I started off plugging it in daily to look at my burns and eating a 500 deficit from the previous day's burn but this became too much work. So I ended up using the BMF data so that I can more accurately take a 3500 deficit off my week's TDEE- so I averaged out a week's burns and took 500 off that, which landed me at 2250 a day. I've stuck to that for a good couple of months now and it's working amazingly. It took my body a good month to adjust to higher calories (and I did gain a few pounds in the beginning) but I'm so happy now and an regularly, slowly losing. SO HAPPY. I love my bmf! I wear it all the time, don't care whether it shows, like answering questions about it- love it. Now that I know the 2250 a day average works out regularly to give me a weekly 2500-3500 deficit I don't plug it in very often, usually just to charge it, check my exercise burn so that I can add it to MFP. I changed MFP calories to 2250 (not far from my no-exercise day burns) and add my exercise calories so that I can still have that challenge of keeping my 40-30-30 balance for carbs, protein and fat. So, I'm not following MFP's plan anymore but I'm still using it because it's the best food diary database around and I absolultely love the community feature. At this point I could probably stop wearing it because I have an idea of what my average burns are depending on what my day consists of, but I'm still addicted to seeing all the data and reassuring myself that 2250's a good level.

Starlage

also, before I got my bmf in March I had started increasing my calories away from MFP's suggestions and used this website to get my TDEE (and take a 500 deficit off of it):

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

Now that i"ve had the BMF awhile I know that that calculator's not far off! if you can't afford a device but still want to increase, try the calculator above. it's accurate as long as you're accurate with your daily activities.

FloraSin

I'm a runner, so the Fitbit is a no brainer for me. For more in depth measurements on my strength training (which is still in it's infancy, but I'm working on it), than I'll get myself a good HRM. I'm kind of in love with this Polar set which I can actually order from my job at a staff discount and will come to less than a hundred bucks.

Just my preference though.

alfpalmer

Great review! I've had my fitbit for 2 1/2 years - awesome customer support. I was on a waiting list for a year for my original fitbit. Its the best $99 i ever spent on myself.

Elleinnz

Bump

Unwr1tten

2 month update:

Using Fitbit daily. I attach it to a small cloth pouch that came with my “Slender Eyes” reading glasses. I keep the reading glasses with me all the time since I’ve entered that age group that requires reading glasses and having them and my fitbit connected ensures I always have both with me. I just tuck them safely in my front pants or shorts pocket.

Got my 2nd Fitbit cradle. Fitbit Tech support sent me a 2nd synching cradle very quickly, and all I had to do was ask for it and explain why I wanted it. I found that having the 2nd synching cradle at work is convenient. Keeping track of the extra Fitbit calories burned while at work is motivating.

I’ve stopped tracking my sleep. I am so consistent with my sleep that it was not worth my extra effort to wear it on the wrist strap at night. It’s not really much effort, I just don’t even need to track my sleep. Of course, if I start having any sleep problems later (for whatever reason) I’ll start tracking my sleep again.

I use the newly purchased Polar FT7 HRM from time to time as I try different exercises, just to be sure I’m tracking the correct calories. I don’t use it very often, just when I try something new. The first time I try the exercise I just keep track of the exertion level while monitoring the HRM, so I can get my target Heart Rate level to the same place based on exertion (how hard I breath). The next time I do that exercise I get back to that same level without the HRM. This is working for me now, but I’m thinking if I start doing any form of interval training, which I am considering, I’ll need the HRM to keep better tabs on calories burned during those exercises. For now, I just get in the target HR zone and stay there for 30 or 45 minutes. Then use MFP to enter the exercise and calorie adjustment. I’ve checked a few times and the elliptical, cycling, and walking tracks really close with the Fitbit numbers, but I override them and enter a more conservative number of calories based on my Heart Rate Monitors calculated calories burned.

Starting some strength training. Wanting to make sure I maintain my lean muscle mass or increase it. It can be easy to lose muscle when taking off pounds if not careful. I’m currently identifying the appropriate weights for specific exercises, so I haven’t gotten that heavy into it yet. I’ll be using the HRM to keep track of those calories burned because the FB won’t be accurate for that.

As of this writing I’ve lost 48 #’s. So, if I’m doing the math right that’s about 20 #’s since I started using the Fitbit 2 months ago. I keep a spreadsheet that I update daily with calories consumed, calories burned and current weight (among other things). It has become fairly simple math using MFP and the Fitbit to calculate and predict weight loss. There was a specific 9 days where I didn’t show any loss. But based on calories in vs. out I should have lost 3 pounds during that 9 days. I’m not sure why that happened, but on the 10th day, 2 pounds came off and then over the next week I lost my usual weight plus that 3rd pound, which put me right back on track. Before MFP and Fitbit, losing weight was almost a guessing game of how much I should be eating and how much the exercise was effecting my efforts. Now it’s just simple math and planning for the right meals so I don’t get to that point of being “ravenously hungry” at any time.

One last comment for this update: I started this journey on my own with some knowledge about nutrition, some exercise equipment and the desire to get healthier and fitter, I later added MFP, I then added FB, next I added Polar FT7 HRM. Most recently, I noticed a relative and added them as a MFP friend. I didn’t originally think it would benefit me having MFP friends. I’m not one to exchange comments very often, but after seeing their daily updates & following their progress, I recognize how motivating it can be. If you’d like, feel free to send a friend request. I won’t be that social, but when I do exchange comments or messages, I’ll put thought into it.

mcarter99

Good for you! I've had my Fitbit 2.5 years and like it a lot. I had a BB and returned it. I think just like you do on the tools you need for success. I lost 35 lbs. with Fitbit in 2010 and quit wearing/logging in 2011 and am trying to re-lose it again now. I sent you a friend request.

Lay821

Bump..for later!

RilantheFirebug

Thanks!

KarenJanine

Great review.

I've been looking into BMF but I'm in the UK and here's it's marketed under the brand name Ki Fit and is heaps more expensive than across the pond (Ki Fit + 12 months subscription ~ £270 i.e. $420). I can get the FitBit for about £80 and Polar FT7 for abut £70. It's good to know you got similar readings for BMF and FitBit and I think I'd be OK saving my money and going for the cheaper option, and perhaps also getting an HRM for more accurate workout readings as the two combined would still be considerably cheaper than the BMF and also would not have the subsciption to worry about.

Thanks!

Ruby53

I love mine too! i rarely go a day without it in fact if I forget to put it on (my bras) i feel cheated!

Ruby53

I love mine too! I very rarely go a day without it in fact if I forget to put it on (my bras) i feel cheated!

littlepinkhearts

Great info!! thanks for posting....

SusuAtta

Thank you so much for the awesome review! I just bought a Fitbit Ultra online and you reassured me that it is a good purchase

joannbrunton

JUST ORDERED FITBIT ULTRA 2 DAYS AGO....HAVE NOT RECEIVED YET BUT WOULD LOVE TO READ THE COMPARISON....WHERE CAN I FIND IT?

pholbert

I have BMF. I really like it. I was worried about it showing in the summer so I started wearing on my thigh. I think it gives a more accurate count on the steps wearing it on my leg. I do alot of walking.

rubybeach

Great review, thanks!

lpanourgias

Thank you for this. I have been stressing over this decision and I appreciate your detail and thought!

caseylainetx

Excellen review. Decision is made. FitBit it is! Thank you so much!

Healthy_4_Life2

I’m sure others have covered this, but I searched for a decent comparison and couldn’t find one that filled my specific needs, so I purchased both products and compared them myself. I apologize for the length, but maybe the data will help someone make a decision.

On 3-27 I received both a Fitbit (FB) and a BodyMedia FIT core (BMF). I purchased them both from Amazon.com I compared the 2 units side by side for 3 full days from 3-28 to 3-30. I had planned on comparing the 2 devices during a week or 2, but at the end of just 3 days I have made my choice.

I’m Male, 47 years old, 279#. I am an IT project manager. I occasionally telecommute and I was fortunate enough to work from home at my desk job during my short side by side comparison. I worked at a computer nearly the entire work day. I consider myself sedentary. I use an elliptical 3 times a week and set it to low resistance for 30 minutes at a pace that gets my heart up to ~125 BPM. 2 of the 3 days of comparison included the elliptical workout for cardio. My nutrition profile was fairly consistent all 3 days. I tracked my nutrition only in MFP and compared the measurements and usability of the 2 devices. The calories burned was my main interest. I wondered if they would be close. I wondered if the other data would be useful. Here’s my thoughts:

Before purchasing the units, I reviewed the web sites for marketing material. Here’s the main similarities & differences noted from marketing material:

= They are both centered around an accelerometer with each marketing differences in sensor/technology/design etc.
= Both count steps
= Both count calories burned
= Both track sleep
= Both track activity
= Both log nutrition
= Both log weight
~ BMF can measure Heart rate with 3rd party HRM/strap (appears to be Garmin units only)
~ BMF markets “most accurate in the market” for activity, calories and sleep patterns. >90% accurate for calories.
~ BMF markets “more accurate calorie burn” because “measures more variables” with galvanic skin response, skin temperature and heat flux used to determine calorie burn
~ FB markets stair tracking, color options, distance, automatic wireless uploads, floors climbed, clock, stopwatch,
~ FB is considerably smaller than BMF
~ BMF is strapped to your left triceps & can be almost concealed with shirt sleeve (does occasionally peak out causing questions)
~ FB can be worn in pocket on waist or on bra. (worn on included wrist band when sleeping)
~ BMF Core has to be removed to synch and uses a common USB cable (or get Link version for Bluetooth synch)
~ FB synchs automatically when you are within 15 feet of charging cradle
~ FB synchs only with the use of its special USB connected cradle (I’ve read they will ship you a 2nd if you ask tech support, I asked on Saturday- won’t get response until next week)
~ Can press button on FB to see any of the current totals
~ Need display to see totals from BMF ( I didn’t get display, didn’t think it would be useful. ...Afterthought- I think it would be useful)
~ BMF is more expensive to purchase & requires a monthly subscription fee (after initial 3 free months) without the subscription the device is useless


General observations during the side by side comparison:

BMF Pros:
+. The dashboard is just a bit more intuitive and fits better on my PC monitor. When first launched the data sections are collapsed and summarized with target and actual data. Any section can be drilled into by expanding the section to expose whichever section, usually exposing more detailed data and a graph.
+. Unit can be synched with just a USB cable. Using it on multiple PC's shouldn't be a problem. (i.e. work PC, and home PC, notebook PC)

BMF Cons:
-. BMF requires a monthly subscription fee (after initial 3 free months) without it the device is useless. The monthly fee is $6.95.
-. Amazon.com prices- The BMF core was $119.99, the Bluetooth model was $170.67, large strap would add $13. The cost for the BMF Link and armband would come to $100 more than the FB. (FB is $88.85) Then you have to consider the additional monthly $6.95 after free trial is up.
-. I really don’t understand the reason for the hard plastic packaging that is so hard to open. It seems I always end up with a small cut when I finally get it opened. What a waste of my time trying to get into the package. Really just venting, it’s not a big deal, I only open package once.
-. Not able to correct the calories during my workout time with the BMF (it under calculated my calories at ~300, compared to 397 from a calculation with a HRM, and 320 from FB (which was correctable in MFP). Not a big deal it’s a small correction. I only log 330 calories anyway.
-. I did not like the armband. My arm is 15” and I found the elastic armband to be just a bit too small at its fully open position. After researching accessories, it appears my unit came with a 15” medium strap. They have small and large straps available for $13.
-. Don’t like having to remove it every time I want to synch. I guess I should have tried the BMF Link which is Bluetooth enabled to synch with your smartphone.
-. Doesn’t integrate with MFP. I am very accustomed to the MFP database. The BMF database could not replace MFP. This is a big deal for me.

FB Pros:
+. I wear the FB in my pocket, so no one sees and I won’t invest time in explaining it to anyone.
+. FB includes free membership to fitbit.com. But they offer a premium service (I didn’t look into it)
+. FB is integrated to MFP, BMF is not
+. FB has Friends, Groups, & Topics. But this isn’t a big deal to me since I mainly stick with MFP for those things.
+. Through MFP I can correct my calories burned for any given activity.

FB Cons:
-. The dashboard is not as visually appealing and intuitive as BMF’s Activity Manager, but this is very minor because all the pertinent data, targets, goals, graphs, badges, journals are easily accessible. It’s just a “first impression” thing.
-. Because it is worn on clothes it is probably more likely to make it to the washer unless you are extremely diligent with removing it when disrobing. Neither unit is waterproof. This is a big opportunity for improvement and marketing for both companies considering the intended use of the devices.


Measurements
Calories burned was my main focus. When the 2 devices were compared, the daily Calories burned differences for each day was 1%, 5% & 2%. The day with 5% difference was one of my cardio days. I reviewed the logged data and did not see any specific reason for the 5% difference. It appeared to be just subtleties in calories measured throughout the day not during any specific activity. I also do not believe the difference in calories burned is significant to me. The devices were at least within 5% of each other and with my daily calorie burn of 3000 to 3500 that’s only about 175 calories difference at its worst. That difference is insignificant to me at this point in my journey. The other data measurements are great for motivation, incentives and badges etc., they are fun to track and compare to previous days and to compare to friends, but the calories burned helps determine the calories to be consumed, so that was the whole purpose for purchasing a device.

Usability:
I preferred the usability of the FB over the BMF Core. The FB integrates with MFP. The FB is more concealable. It allows for corrections to calories burned during specific activities that are not tracked accurately, (i.e. lifting, elliptical, rowing, cycling)

Conclusion:
After side by side comparison of the Fitbit Ultra and the BodyMedia FIT Core, my choice is the Fitbit Ultra. I had originally thought the pricier BMF would be considerably more accurate and that would drive my decision, but I’m glad I purchased them both and compared them side by side because the 2 units measured nearly the same calories burned. The usability, which I had not originally considered to be as important became the deciding factor. My decision was based on the fact that The FB can be completely concealed, & most importantly it is integrated to MFP. …Notwithstanding, the Fitbit is considerably cheaper.

I hope you find this comparison helpful.

Thanks!! This review was very helpful to me!!

jennpaulson

Just an update, BodyMediaFit IS now integrated with MFP. So that's one con you don't have to consider anymore.

QuilterInVA

I purchased my Body Media Core from their website where it was $99 for both the BM and the readout. I had a FitBit but I didn't find it to be accurate. I doubt I walked over a 100 steps every night while sleeping. I also walked a marked trail and the step count was not accurate and I did have the proper stride length set. I'll pay monthly for accuracy and you can save half if you sign up for 2 years (actually 27 months) for $89.

frosty73

As someone else mentioned, BMF is now integrated with MFP. I've been using BodyMediaFit for 6 months and just want to chime in with my 2 cents.
Pros:
I chose BMF because with my job as a dog walker, I did not like the units that could potentially count bumpy driving as steps taken. Also I wanted it to count my calorie burn with weight training-- not that I'm currently doing so, but increased muscle mass should show a higher calorie burn. Does Fitbit have any way to adjust for that?

Cons:
As a cheapskate, I originally bought the BodyMediaFit CORE. It fit my arm OK, but I found I was not getting any benefit out of it without a display unit. You cannot tell what your daily calorie burn is, nor how many steps you've taken, until you sync it with a computer. And unless you are obsessively running to your computer to sync the BMF, chances are you won't know your day's burn/step count until it's too late to do something about it. The benefit of a display unit for the Core is SIGNIFICANT--- you can see right away if you need to work harder to hit your calorie burn target. This is not an issue if you buy the LINK and you have a Smartphone to connect it with. (I have neither.)

Second con: The armband consisst of a thin plastic ring that fits around the BMF, with an elastic band attached. I have had my BMF for 10 months and have broken 4 different armbands. The thin plastic is the part that breaks, and not just for me! Others have reported the same issue. You need to have the armband comfortably hugging your arm, and it WILL stretch the plastic at the top of the band where your arm is fatter than at the bottom of the band. So, factor in that you will be buying a new armband, roughly $15, about every 2 months.

Third con: The display unit comes with a little clip which actually works pretty well. At one point I lost my display unit, and had to buy another one. So now I've spent $25, twice, on display units. The plastic clip on the display unit will also stretch and break over time, although I've had mine 3 or 4 months before it finally broke and it is still perfectly usable even with a broken clip, I just can't clip it to my jeans any more. (Wah!)

Fourth con: As mentioned, I've had my BMF unit roughly 10 months, and suddenly it is no longer syncing with the computer when it is plugged in. I got it to computer sync, but now it is no longer syncing with the display units! I'm grateful that it is still recording and measuring my daily activity, but it sucks that I cannot see it until I plug it in. I don't know if this is a common occurrence, or I am just unlucky, but I contacted customer service and they are going to replace it, as it is covered by warranty. Yay! Unfortunately I have to send in my old one before they will replace it, so I will be "without" for a period of time.

Final words: Yes, there is a significant and ongoing price associated with owning a BMF. The first 6 months I had it, I did not lose any weight at all because I wasn't tracking my calories in and I was eating terribly. The BMF can't help you with that. You really have to be committed to tracking calories, or at least eating the same calories consistenly, if you expect BMF to make a difference. (True with any device). However, I can honestly say that it motivates me to work harder and it is definitely, encouraging when I am tracking calories and I can see that I burned 500 more calories than I ate. For me, the drawbacks are significant but the benefit of more accuracy with calorie burn is worth it.