Fitbit device - do they help?

wenza000
wenza000 Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
I have just placed an order - I wonder if it will make a difference - it sounds like a neat gadget but does paying money make you excercise more?
I have previously failed previous pedometers - dropped, fill into the loo, lost interest.
What do you think?
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Replies

  • jody2807
    jody2807 Posts: 115 Member
    I am keeping an eye on this I was tempted also to purchase may just see what everyone else has to say
  • rayita001
    rayita001 Posts: 150 Member
    Bump!

    Me too. I want to see if it is worth the investment.
  • Marmitegeoff
    Marmitegeoff Posts: 373 Member
    I bought one for my wife a couple of weeks ago and she is loveing it now. took a couple of days. but yes it does encourage her to exercise more.

    Before any one comments I have a Body Media.and so I am into the exercise thing as well.
  • twinkletoes66
    twinkletoes66 Posts: 89 Member
    I got my fitbit & joined Mfp 125 days ago! Omg it's made such a difference to me , it encourages & motivates me to be more active! Defiantly worth it!
  • groomchick
    groomchick Posts: 610 Member
    I've had one since end of January & love it! Since then I've bought 4 others for friends that I couldn't get motivated.... even my lazy BF...It certainly did the trick. Seems like when you see the graphs and realize how much sitting around you really do.... you HAVE to change things!! I'm sure you will enjoy it!
  • russinman
    russinman Posts: 2
    I have had mine for a month and it really gives you alot of encouragement!! LOVE the graphs and how it automatically integrates with myfitnesspal!!
  • Karenannmo
    Karenannmo Posts: 118
    I got one as a gift and I love it. It really makes you move. I check on during the day to make sure I'm moving enough, I aim for 10,000 steps daily....it really makes you aware of how much your moving.
  • BSchoberg
    BSchoberg Posts: 712 Member
    Love mine! I check it all day long and am really bummed if I forget to carry it for any amount of time. I'm always looking to best my own personal benchmarks - so YES, it is worth it!
  • fltwins918
    fltwins918 Posts: 12 Member
    I got mine in May and have lost 13 lbs since getting it! I love it! I challenge myself to try and break my own records and find myself randomly walking around my house just to get to the next ### step. I also like competing with others so that motivates me to move more. It was definitely worth the investment :)
  • Katie1951
    Katie1951 Posts: 312 Member
    Love mine!. It is the best little motivator. I'm always looking for more ways to get in steps. The challenges from Fitbit are fun too.
  • JanLeb
    JanLeb Posts: 297 Member
    I got one in May and LOVE it!! It really does keep me motivated and pushes me to move more and I challenge myself to get more steps each day. I also love how it syncs with MFP.

    I highly recommend it!! Enjoy
  • daisyhougan
    daisyhougan Posts: 52
    Mine was a gift for Christmas since family knew I was trying to exercise more. I'm not sure I would have bought it on my own then (I had similar experiences with previous "pedometers"---they'd break, fall off, whatever, I'd lose interest) but I love my Fitbit. Initially, I loved the fact that I could track my exercise on the computer and felt it challenged me to move more. Now I also love that it gives me more accurate account of my activity level. Love it and totally recommend it.
  • Monalisa85
    Monalisa85 Posts: 31 Member
    I got mine back in April and it helps me immensely! I too had gone through many pedometers only to have them not work accurately but the Fitbit is the best investment I've made for myself and it keeps me encouraged cause you see when you need to get moving; perhaps that wasn't a problem for you but until I got my Fitbit, I hadn't really realized how much exercise, walking, etc. I WAS NOT getting! Due to back surgeries, rotator cuff surgery, hip damage and Fibromyalgia, insomnia and just NO ENERGY, I had found myself getting less and less mobility. I'm 57 and I am reclaiming my health and my life back! Hope this will help someone out there.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I have had one since late may, and I have lost 9 pounds ( as of friday). It is interesting to see how active I am on my active days--yesterday I took 3 kids to the zoo and by 2pm I had walked almost 14,000 steps. I had a fitbit adjustment of almost 1,000 calories yesterday. Even more interesting to see how sedentary I am on my lazy days. IMO looking at the fitbit info allows me to adjust my eating for my activity level.

    My fitbit basically does not leave my person except for charging. I clip it to the center of my bra and mostly forget about it.
  • nikkibello
    nikkibello Posts: 64 Member
    I had one but unfortunately it stopped working in less than a week. It was kind of cool, it showed steps taken, stairs climbed and when you plug it in it syncs with mfp so you'll see the additional cals burned. Personally I didn't think it was worth replacing and ended up getting a polar hrm instead which I love bc it tells you exact cals burned, not an approximate like the fitbit of the cardio equiptment....
  • NewChristina
    NewChristina Posts: 250 Member
    Had it for a month and I started losing again. Now, if I haven't met my Fitbit goals, I'm back on the treadmill or going up and down my stairs, or walking around my coffee table before I go to bed- all in an effort to meet those Fitbit goals. I love it. It's motivational. And it's fun. Not a lot of gadgets greet you in the morning by saying, "Let's walk" or "BonJour". This thing is an expensive gadget, but it's so fun and it does what I bought it for.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I had one but unfortunately it stopped working in less than a week. It was kind of cool, it showed steps taken, stairs climbed and when you plug it in it syncs with mfp so you'll see the additional cals burned. Personally I didn't think it was worth replacing and ended up getting a polar hrm instead which I love bc it tells you exact cals burned, not an approximate like the fitbit of the cardio equiptment....

    you should have emailed customer service...they probably would have mailed you a free replacement.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
    Thinking of investing in one... but its undecided between a HRM or fitbit.
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
    If you are looking to do cardio by walking, running and/or biking, the Fitbit is fantastic. Its effortless tracking. You don't even have to take it out of your pocket to log your activity. I wear mine all day and when I go home, it comes to within 15 feet of the antenna and uploads all the data.

    Poof. By the time I sit down to check my e-mail, I know how many additional calories I can allow myself for dinner.

    :bigsmile:

    Loooove the fitbit.

    It doesn't come with instructions and learning all the features took me a few frustrating trys but it was well worth it. All the answers are here in the MFP forums.
  • stuntpilot51
    stuntpilot51 Posts: 53 Member
    Love my Fitbit!

    Especially yesterday when it doubled my exercise calories for some strange reason.

    And NO! I didn't eat them back.
  • SueMizZou
    SueMizZou Posts: 146 Member
    I love my fitbit. I've had it since October and I have logged 2,692,000 steps and 1,165 miles. It really helps me stay active. I put it on as soon as I get up every day. I have lost 16 lbs. It is a motivator and helps me bring focus back to my weight loss journey when I get sidetracked. From the reports of friends who have them as well, customer service for fitbit is great and the devices are readily replaced if they break. I have a hrm as well, which I don't use because it is unwieldy and uncomfortable
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    I'm so glad you posted this cause I've been wondering the same thing! I'm toying with the idea of buying one but don't know anyone personally that has one. I did have a friend of mine look into them for me (he's a general manager at a gym so I figured he'd be a good person to ask) He said that everyone he talked to says it's legit and has helped them. It sounds like that's what everyone where who has used it before thinks. Let us know what you think when you get it!
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    i like mine solely for the sleep tracker.
  • marcf2001
    marcf2001 Posts: 110
    I love mine too, it is a great motivator.
    Got it a bit over 3 months ago. At this time, I was doing less than 5000 steps/day.

    It pushed me to do 10k, then 12k, some day even more. Now I have done over 1.5 million steps with it.

    If your cardio is mainly walking or running, it is just perfect. Very small, you can wear it all day and forget about it. It only needs to charge for 1 hour or so every week or 10 days.
    I have used hrm for running and they are more precise to give you HR, speed and so, but the chest strap is quite unconfortable.
    I still have my HRM (polar RS400) and I used it when running, but I still keep my Fitbit on anyway. To be honest, I use the HRM to control my HR, not really to count calories. So whatever the calorie number and how accurate it is, I don't really care.

    I had also some other pedometers in the past, but noting the values each day is quickly becoming a pain.
    Here just sit at your desk close to the computer and it syncs within the minute.
    It really pushed you to do more steps and move.

    and I confirm, great customer support. Mine broke 1 month ago, maybe the button exposed to too much sweating, I don;t know. They replaced it right away.
  • debk3p2
    debk3p2 Posts: 82 Member
    Love mine. It helps keep me active throughout the day. Pre-fitbit - I focused more on getting in that one block of exercise per day. I think, at least for me, that being more active all day long has been much more effective than hitting the gym once a day. I've got a bum knee too - so I move pretty slow. Still seems to help.

    Debbie
  • sitstaygimmeeakiss
    sitstaygimmeeakiss Posts: 130 Member
    My daughter gave me one for Mother's Day - it really makes a difference for me. Last year, I was much more motivated, but I've had a bit of a tough time keeping at it this year. Well, honestly, until she gave me the Fitbit, I was doing awful!

    I find it extremely motivating esp. since I have fibromyalgia. For some reason, my pain level has increased lately, so its even harder to get myself out there to walk. But now, I'll give myself that extra little push, even tackling stairs when I can choose an elevator sometimes (I have to be careful not to overdo it - I am famous for that!)

    A little extra that is helping me is tracking my sleep, too. I didn't even realize that I was only getting 5 - 6 hrs of sleep a night! Fortunately for me, that little device tells me I don't wake up too much (normally) after I fall asleep. I think my sleep problem is an unfortunate sort of 'training' I went through - because of years of living with someone else, who, through no fault of their own, kept me awake every night. Plus living through years of keeping my adrenaline going by being in an abusive relationship (many, many yrs ago). Has taken me this long to rectify my crazy sleep patterns - well, I haven't totally resolved it yet, but at least I know that's a major problem for me - thanks to the little Fitbit my daughter got me!
  • NewChristina
    NewChristina Posts: 250 Member
    Love mine. It helps keep me active throughout the day. Pre-fitbit - I focused more on getting in that one block of exercise per day. I think, at least for me, that being more active all day long has been much more effective than hitting the gym once a day. I've got a bum knee too - so I move pretty slow. Still seems to help.

    Debbie

    This is a great point. It helps you to focus on the bigger picture. Instead of finding time to get your workout in, you're thinking more of parking in the back of the parking lot, or taking the stairs rather than the elevator- all to meet those FB goals.
  • Nanadena
    Nanadena Posts: 739 Member
    I had one but unfortunately it stopped working in less than a week. It was kind of cool, it showed steps taken, stairs climbed and when you plug it in it syncs with mfp so you'll see the additional cals burned. Personally I didn't think it was worth replacing and ended up getting a polar hrm instead which I love bc it tells you exact cals burned, not an approximate like the fitbit of the cardio equiptment....

    you should have emailed customer service...they probably would have mailed you a free replacement.

    I know they will! They have replaced mine and my mothers plus they can help you get it working again if possible.
  • LivingHealthyLovingLife
    LivingHealthyLovingLife Posts: 56
    I have just placed an order - I wonder if it will make a difference - it sounds like a neat gadget but does paying money make you excercise more?
    I have previously failed previous pedometers - dropped, fill into the loo, lost interest.
    What do you think?

    I'm pretty sure you got your answer but just in case you needed one more positive comment about fitbit, I love mine so much, it has become a healthy addiction for me, if I'm driving to work and realize I forgot mine, I turn around and go get it, even if that makes me late for work!
    When I started, I was only walking about 2500 steps but now I'm over 20000 on a regular basis! Love Love Love my fitbit!
  • jody2807
    jody2807 Posts: 115 Member
    Bump:
    I have been convinced also just placed my order

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