FitBit

69Greer

So, I don't own an HRM or any other measurement device of this sort. As a reward for some weight loss, I would like to look at purchasing one. I noticed the FitBit that is advertised here on MFP http://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps/show/fitbit Does anyone actually own one? If so, is it any good? How does it help?

Maybe you have something else. What is your recommendation?

FHerndon01

I love it. It gives me an approx number for how many calories I've burned each day. I watch my steps and find myself pushing to get that little bit of extra. I've dropped more weight in the week I have had it then the previous 4 weeks. Just keeps me going. Well worth what I paid for it.

PS: Amazon has it cheaper. I paid 90 + shipping. At least it was then.

candctaber

I have had mine for about 2 weeks and I LOVE it! I really like being able to see how many time I am waking up at night, no wonder I am always tired!

PrettyMindy14

I have one, I love it! Since my job requires a lot of sitting on my butt it really helps me push to walk around and get credit for the amount of steps I take during the day.

grayyoung84

I have one and love it. I highly reccomend it!

TeutonicKnight

I LOVE MINE!! Had it for over a month and it is great!! I have the FitBit Ultra.

Mandie69

I have one and I wouldn't be without it. I set myself step goals so decide that I will step say 6000 by lunchtime type of thing and if I am short I will go to the bathroom at work and jog on the spot to make it. I know it sounds daft but it is a fantastic motivator and I have lost more with it than without it...hope this helps!

Way_2_a_Healthy_Mel

I have both the FitBit and an HRM, and I love them both. The FitBit is good for the whole day, but the HRM actually gives me a more accurate account of what I burn during exercise, because it knows how fast my heart rate gets, and the FitBit does not. I do like seeing how many steps I take during the day, and how many floors I have climbed.

scottishlass78

I've had mine for 5 weeks, I really like the information it gives, and it syncs it right into MFP to help with your counts, etc. For me, between MFP and the Fitbit, I have lost 13 lbs and counting in 5 weeks because of the motivation from my Fitbit and staying accountable by plugging in my numbers on MFP...my recommendation, get it. A lot of the other companies out there charge you as well for a membership, Fitbit doesn't, it's a free service aside from purchasing the device.

hlcook

I like mine. I definitely stay more active to hit my 10,000 step mark. I know that my run will give me at least 5000 and a boxing workout might be 3000 ... it's hard on days like today when I work in a sedentary setting and I'm hardly at 1000. I start to get nervous, lol...

It takes a while to get used to not logging activities on MFP, rather you hit start/stop on your fitbit to indicate you are doing an activity, and it logs the calories in Fitbit, which then syncs to MFP. You just want to make sure you don't double log.

Heather

fishndad

I have both & they each help me in different ways. If you want accurate readings of how your workouts benefit you, in calories used etc. get a HRM with chest strap. If you want to know things like how your sleep patterns are, how many steps you take in a day, how active you are in a normal day, how you rate compared to others your gender, age, BMI, & some other things, Fitbit is great. They both have their place. I like the Fitbit for day to day results, & an HRM for really accurate readings of workouts. Just depends on what you're looking for. Good Luck

69Greer

So the fitbit is a really good step counter and a HRM is a necessity for accurate calorie burns during a real workout?

bagge72

This is my first week with my fitbit, and I'm loving it so far. It really makes you do that little extra, like making sure I walk up the escalators at work every single time so I can reach my flights goal, or taking large walks at break to reach my step goal. It just makes you that much more accountable for everything, and it syncs right to MFP so it will add all of your extra calories in for you, and probably a little more accuratley than a treadmill, would or the calculators on this site. The only problem I have been having is that it doesn't sync to my computer all of the time, and I had to reinstall the software last night. After reading their website, it seems like it happens a lot. It also doesn't calculate your calories burned very well if you do a lot of weight lifting, because it doesn't get to read your heart rate very well like some of the other ones out there.

hataxa1

I don't have one and the reason I didn't get one was because it doesn't calculate your calories burned based on your heart rate. Plus, it's pretty expensive. I work out 4-5 days a week and some days are more intense than others. In my case, I wanted to know exactly how many calories I was burning based on how hard I was pushing myself. It has made a great difference in my workouts because I can see what zone I'm in and it motivates me to stay within that target zone longer. The heart rate monitor I got was by Polar and I got it for $72, with promo coupon, free shipping and no taxes (http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/polar-ft7.html). A friend of mine recommended it and both of us did quite a bit of research before purchasing. If you search for a promo code on google, you can find a recent one for their website. I found one for 5% off when I purchased. There's is another one for 10%, but you have to spend $100.

I also started wearing a pedometer to see how much I was moving outside of my workouts, and it improved my activity in the office. The pedometer was free from work (provided for a pedometer challenge), so I didn't have to invest into that. The pedometer itself had a heat rate monitor (by Sportline), but after changing the battery, the heart rate doesn't work anymore. That's why I opted for getting a good quality heart rate monitor now.

I guess the only thing the fitbit would bring to the table for me would be the sleep cycle part. I don't know that it would make much sense for me personally, since I don't have problems with sleep.