HRM or Fitbit?

halejr23

HRM will not give you sleep patterns but it will be much more accurate on how many calories you expend during exercise. The fitbit will not be accurate for that.

halejr23

The chest strap does loosen over time but I have never had it loosen during a workout.

bzmommy34

doesn't the fitbit go off heartrate to measure your sleep? so if you wear it on your wrist while exersicing wouldn't that be as accurate as a heartrate monitor?

Unless I'm missing something, it does NOT monitor heart rate. You wear it on a sleeve wrapped around your wrist and from what I can tell the purpose is to measure how many times you move during the night. I read pretty much every single word on the fitbit website before buying and after buying and am fairly sure there is no way it measures heart rate.

ravensfan1

I have both. The fitbit is more useful for walking or climbing stairs exercise wise. It doesn't calculate well if you're on an elliptical machine. I usually have the fitbit on for my steps and sleep and HRM for everything else.

DinaLKeil

I'm a dork and I use both.... I put my HRM on when I'm actually doing a specific workout to keep my heart rate in check and to make sure I'm giving as much effort as I should be. My FitBit keeps track of everything else, but it reports here... my HRM is more for me to keep checks and balances on my FitBit. Sometimes FitBit (I named mine MsNesbit) gives me too much credit in comparison to my Polar FT4, but only by about 40-70 calories difference.

I do the same. I just recently got the fitbit as I'm trying to prepare myself for maintenance. It is a fun little gadget. I haven't given mine a name yet though

Frood42

I have both the FitBit and a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor. Love the FitBit, and they do try and make the website fun and interactive. However when I am going for a proper burn down the gym I always wear the HRM as I find this to be much more accurate. FitBit has helped to show me just how active or inactive I have been during the day and gives me an incentive to try and be more active during the day. Changing my lifestyle hasn't just been about going down the gym to burn calories, it's been about becoming more active during the day as well, sat in an office has not been good to me, and becoming more active during my 9-5 has been just as good if not greater help than just going to the gym in the evening, and this was helped and is constantly being helped by monitoring my daily activity with the FitBit. I also really want that next badge! Oh, and another great site with mobile app I have found is foursquare, people have created to do lists of places to visit, and you earn points for checking into places. This has given me motivation to get out more at the weekend and really wrack up the score and earn badges. I know the whole badges thing sounds very cheesy, but it is working for me.

CarrieAnne22

I have a friend who just got the FitBit and while he does like it and is pleased with his purchase, he has already recommended that I stick with an HRM if still undecided. The thing about it that he doen't like is that it calculates calroies burned for everything; sleeping, sitting at the computer, watching tv, etc & that is the stuff that we take for granted and are not necessarily interested in or concerned about 'eating back'. It also estimates presumptively...last night it told him that he still had 900 calories left for the day, so he splurged at a business function and ate 500 cals thinking he was still within his limit. But he ended up going to bed earlier than usual and when he woke up the FitBit had made the adjustment and instead of being 400 under for yesterday, it now shows him as 100 over.

While I would be interested in the sleep data, I think I'm more concerned with getting an accurate number of cals burned when I'm doing specific goal oriented activities. I will most likely end up getting an HRM. as soon as I can afford it, that is.

bzmommy34

For those HRM chest strap users, how uncomfortable is the chest strap? Does it loosen with all the sweat? I want to buy one but I'm worried that I'll spend my time adjusting it. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it?!

I have the Garmin FR70 and just the standard chest strap that came with it and I totally forget I have it on. No slippage at all, but it did take some adjusting the first few times to find that perfect spot. There is a premium strap I could buy but I feel there is no need.

lucysmommy

i was wondering the same a couple of weeks ago and i ended up getting a polar FT4

my decision was that even if i had the fitbit - i would not eat any more cals so this wouldnt benefit me and i like knowing what i have burned off after exercise

plus i think the fitbit would make me lazy from the gym because i would see how much i had burned over the course of the day - this is just me though - i am in no way saying anyone else is lazy lol x

Psufilmgirl

For those HRM chest strap users, how uncomfortable is the chest strap? Does it loosen with all the sweat? I want to buy one but I'm worried that I'll spend my time adjusting it. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to it?!

I have the Garmin FR70 and just the standard chest strap that came with it and I totally forget I have it on. No slippage at all, but it did take some adjusting the first few times to find that perfect spot. There is a premium strap I could buy but I feel there is no need.

I have the Polar FT4, I paid more for it at my gym, but got a training session with my trainer, so I'm good on the extra money! The chest strap doesn't slip and you really don't know you're wearing it unless for some reason it loses your heart rate and you have to adjust it.

And I love my HRM. I use it to make sure I'm in the far burning zone, as I'm trying to burn fat! YAY!!