A FitBit question
esmecgg
Posts: 38
Hi!
So, I've been reading some of the posts on here, and I think I would like to get the FitBit Ultra. My question is: what are some things you wish you knew before you bought it? Was there anything about it you were surprised that it did/did not do? How was it different from your expectations (either in a positive or negative way)? Is there anything about it you would warn people about, or that would make you rethink the purchase?
Any responses would be appreciated. Thank you!
So, I've been reading some of the posts on here, and I think I would like to get the FitBit Ultra. My question is: what are some things you wish you knew before you bought it? Was there anything about it you were surprised that it did/did not do? How was it different from your expectations (either in a positive or negative way)? Is there anything about it you would warn people about, or that would make you rethink the purchase?
Any responses would be appreciated. Thank you!
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Replies
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It is exactly what it is advertised to be. Basically it is an all day pedometer that wirelessly syncs. I really like mine.0
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I loved mine when it synched to MFP without any problems. Last couple of weeks it just wont synch at all. Otherwise yes its great! Real motivator to work out and burn more calories. I hope they fix it soon....0
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Is yours working right?0
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I love mine! Was alot smaller than i thought it would be and was surprised by how much it does with the extra sleep function. I think that is really cool! The only time i take mine of now is when i shower. I used to buy a pedometer and it would last a week or 2 of being used. My FitBit i have had for 2 months now and have used it continuously.
Ohh yes i also love how it syncs wirelessly0 -
It is exactly what it is advertised to be. Basically it is an all day pedometer that wirelessly syncs. I really like mine.
^This. Also, it was smaller than I thought it would be and a LOT more fragile than it should be. Have had mine since February. It looks a little beat but still works. Take care to not drop it or let it fall because it will get small cracks.0 -
I agree that it was smaller than I thought. I bought two at the end of July. One was a gift for my daughter. We have never taken them off except for showers! Seeing the calories my walking burns inspires me to keep going! I find I don't get discouraged if the scale doesn't move because I can see on the fitbit site that my movement is steadily increasing! If you get most of your exercise from bike riding or stair climbing machines you might not like it as much. Walking is my thing so I love it! Best investment in ME that I could have made!0
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It definitely is not water proof! Also I am always worried about it, where is it, I get really disappointed if I leave the house and forget to wear it, and I am so nervous I am going to put it in the washer again. It's another worry like a cell phone to me.
My last one I left on my pants and washed it. But I emailed customer service and they sent me a new one,that was so nice of them!0 -
It is exactly what it is advertised to be. Basically it is an all day pedometer that wirelessly syncs. I really like mine.
The only difference i would make in this quote is the I LOVE mine.
Also, Neeser926 says that you might not like it if you use it for a stair climber. It records how many stairs you climb, so I don't see how this would be something that you don't like it for.0 -
Wear mine 24/7 - it comes off just to shower and recharge
It helps a lot when I'm in slug mode and need to dial back my calories as well as when I'm in overdrive and need to kick them up. I like the sync with MFP option since the food diary is so much better here.
The sleep mode with the recommended set up was not very accurate but since I shifted it to bra strap and set it to sensitive has been much more reliable. The feature is fun but nor really all that useful.
The stair feature will not work if your on a stairclimber - it uses the change in altitude to register flights of stairs. It will register your steps though. If your on a bike you would need to put it on you sock to register, or you can use the activity period feature and then manually tell it what you did in that period.0 -
Is it less accurate if you are a cyclist?0
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Well, I wish I hadn't purchased it. I like that I compete with myself but I lost more weight before getting it!!! I could've bought something like a Polar hrm and been happier. And yes less accurate.:happy:0
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I just got mine last weekend and haven't figured everything out yet. But thought I'd let you know what I'm not sure about in case that's helpful.
On the positive side, it is a great pedometer and does and awesome job at keeping up with my steps. If I start it and stop it for an activity, it seems really accurate in all ways.
Because it is so new, here's what I haven't figured out yet. I wear mine to work and at the end of the day, I've walked 3+ miles and burned 1000+ calories. I believe the 3 mile part but not the 1000+ calories. If i went for a walk and walked 2 mph, I would NOT burn 1000 calories. So I'm not sure how the FitBit calculates the calories. Is it including the calories I burn just for being alive? If so, isn't MFP already using that info when it calculates how many calories I get to eat each day? I haven't had a chance to figure it out yet.0 -
Well, I wish I hadn't purchased it. I like that I compete with myself but I lost more weight before getting it!!! I could've bought something like a Polar hrm and been happier. And yes less accurate.:happy:
Many of us use the FitBit for all day activity monitoring and an HRM for actual exercise monitoring. Personally I use the FB and a Nike+ GPS Sport Watch.0 -
Is it less accurate if you are a cyclist?
It does not track cycling very well. It counts a LOT of steps that you aren't really doing. BUT, it will adjust your calories when you log your ride on MFP or the Fitbit website. It will not adjust your 'steps' when you log the activity... just the calories and maybe the stairs. I did a ten mile ride today and I didn't wear the fitbit. I have HRM that I wear for cycling.
I did a blog on the fitbit vs the bodybugg if anyone is interested. The short of it was that I liked the fitbit a lot better and the bodybugg went back.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Masq 0 -
First, thanks everyone! I'm glad to hear all the opinions. General consensus seems to be it's a good investment? My activity is usually general walking, or being on a treadmill.
@5babs - those are pretty much my other questions. Another is: does it automatically guess how many calories you've burned, based on the pedometer part and your stats? Or does everything have to be manually logged? If anyone could expand on this part of the device, that would be great
The reason I'm looking into this is because I joined the local gym in early November of last year with my Mom. We got tired of the place itself, and the hours weren't really convenient. Just today, we bought a friend of mine's parents' treadmill, but I didn't look at it. Now that it's sitting in my (ok, my parents') house, I've discovered that it does not factor in any of your data when calculating calories. It only goes by distance. NO age, weight, etc.
Thus, I'm looking for something that can calculate this for me. I have a pedometer, but it's very basic and honestly, I wear it but don't even really look at it. Something that automatically syncs with a website sounds more ideal, even more so when THAT syncs with MFP.
Now knowing all this, would I be better off with something else instead? Any insight would be great, thanks!0 -
I LOVE my fitbit. I will warn you that you may find yourself exhibting strange behavior such as walking out of your way to add extra steps or stairs.
You do not need to do any additional logging if you link you mfo account to your fitbit. My calories burned estimated from walks using my fitbit have been pretty close to what my hrm says.
Good customer service. There was an issue with syncing fitbit and mfp recently but it has been resolved.0 -
First, thanks everyone! I'm glad to hear all the opinions. General consensus seems to be it's a good investment? My activity is usually general walking, or being on a treadmill.
@5babs - those are pretty much my other questions. Another is: does it automatically guess how many calories you've burned, based on the pedometer part and your stats? Or does everything have to be manually logged? If anyone could expand on this part of the device, that would be great
The reason I'm looking into this is because I joined the local gym in early November of last year with my Mom. We got tired of the place itself, and the hours weren't really convenient. Just today, we bought a friend of mine's parents' treadmill, but I didn't look at it. Now that it's sitting in my (ok, my parents') house, I've discovered that it does not factor in any of your data when calculating calories. It only goes by distance. NO age, weight, etc.
Thus, I'm looking for something that can calculate this for me. I have a pedometer, but it's very basic and honestly, I wear it but don't even really look at it. Something that automatically syncs with a website sounds more ideal, even more so when THAT syncs with MFP.
Now knowing all this, would I be better off with something else instead? Any insight would be great, thanks!
I use my FB in this way: I have my activity level here at MFP set at sedentary and let the FB add my daily activity calories. It's been working for me.
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I LOVE my fitbit. I will warn you that you may find yourself exhibting strange behavior such as walking out of your way to add extra steps or stairs.
LOL no doubt. I do use stairs or walk the long way just to add extra steps and stairs to my numbers. Great motivator.0 -
i love it, BUT it has died on me twice. I seem to sweat too much. i like to wear it on my long runs. it will show you how many flights of stairs you have climbed. but it gets to moist or wet from my sweat and stops working.....the last time i had it on the outside of my tank top, attached on the strap. waistband got too wet and the sports bra got too wet. i quit trying to dry it out in rice. it spent more time in rice then it does on me....0
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like a lot of other ppl said, smaller than i thought. i really like the weekly stats email you get. it tells you your total calories burned, miles walked, stairs climbed etc and whether that was in increase or decrease from last week. i just find it motivating overall, like when i get close to my daily goal up 10 flights of stairs or so many steps, i find myself going that extra little bit to meet the goal when otherwise i would never give it a thought. only 2 times i can remember there being synching problems but that's all.
"@5babs - those are pretty much my other questions. Another is: does it automatically guess how many calories you've burned, based on the pedometer part and your stats? Or does everything have to be manually logged? If anyone could expand on this part of the device, that would be great " - on the fitbit site you also have your gender, age, weight and height like on here so your estimated calorie burn is based on that. it's been farily accurate for me, but i would like to get a heart rate monitor for things like my circuit training DVDs because there is less movement so my calorie burn on the fitbit is lower than i think it really is. the fitbit doesn't factor in your intensity. 0 -
like a lot of other ppl said, smaller than i thought. i really like the weekly stats email you get. it tells you your total calories burned, miles walked, stairs climbed etc and whether that was in increase or decrease from last week. i just find it motivating overall, like when i get close to my daily goal up 10 flights of stairs or so many steps, i find myself going that extra little bit to meet the goal when otherwise i would never give it a thought. only 2 times i can remember there being synching problems but that's all.
"@5babs - those are pretty much my other questions. Another is: does it automatically guess how many calories you've burned, based on the pedometer part and your stats? Or does everything have to be manually logged? If anyone could expand on this part of the device, that would be great " - on the fitbit site you also have your gender, age, weight and height like on here so your estimated calorie burn is based on that. it's been farily accurate for me, but i would like to get a heart rate monitor for things like my circuit training DVDs because there is less movement so my calorie burn on the fitbit is lower than i think it really is. the fitbit doesn't factor in your intensity.
All devices, even an HRM, estimate the calorie burn based upon your stats. For exercise an HRM is going to be the most accurate and even then not 100%.0 -
I've had mine a couple of weeks now and I really like it. I wear it all the time except to shower. The sleep feature is pretty cool. I do alot of "walk aerobic" dvd (Leslie Sansone) and it doesn't work as well with that type of exercise but I read about that before I purchased it. Let's say I do a 4 mile dvd it might say I did half the distance or so, but I'm ok with that because the time records my activity and by the end of the day I am over the 10,000 steps anyway. I would recommend the fitbit to anyone.0
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Had mine only a few days but it is keeping me motivated! I love it so far and it synced right up with MFP with no problem at all! Only thing is, I go to the YMCA to work out and I do not use it on the machines because the machines take into account age, weight, resistance and incline and gives a more accurate calorie burn. The Fitbit is great for wearing around the house, cleaning and going for walks, a.malls, grocery stores and such. It tracks all calories by steps. It also made me run up and down my stairs this evening because I was short in my stair goal. lol MOTIVATION! 0
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BTW... I have myself set as sedentary because the Fit tracks EVERYTHING you do so your activity being set at active and such will make the Fitbit pointless. You will be consuming way more calories than you should be I would think, because MFP is allowing you extra calories because you are active and the Fitbit is giving you more as you go through your day. Anyone else have thoughts on this?0
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The range of the sync to docking station would have been nice to know (but had I done better research I may have figured it out.) Not a breaking point, would've bought it anyway. Having a docking station kind of stinks, but then it has grown on me.
Figuring out the best place to wear it was the worst, I am still not positive I am getting the most accurate results but it is LOADS more accurate than a lot of the lower priced pedometers out there (plus it sends me love messages when I pick it up! BONUS!)
I feel naked when I don't have it. I panic if I can't feel it when I do a FitBit check (yes, I do those almost unconsciously now.)
The wrist band for sleeping/tracking your sleep us useless. Snap it to an article of your clothing, hit the GO button, and it logs your sleep anyway- the wristband was a pain in my rump, and it made me hyperaware of being monitored. Logical, no, sleepless nights? yes, lol.
They say you shouldn't get it wet, and I've had 2 very close calls. (Been halfway down river belly down on an inner-tube with it attached to my swimsuit strap. Oops!) I've abused the crap out of my poor FitBit and it hasn't disappointed me yet.
Battery life is NOT disappointing, there are eBadges to complete to keep you motivated, it logs multiple "Activities," you do NOT need to sync every day as it can hold quite a lot (30 days if I recall right,) it syncs with MFP and gets you a good estimated calorie burn - however it isn't as good as a HRM on calorie tracking. If you are looking for calorie count accuracy invest in a solid HRM - do not skip the FitBit based on calorie monitoring, include it as another tool. I use both when I do my workout walking or treadmill time.
Oh, a con. It asks for your stride length (to gauge what your step distance is for the day.) They do NOT actually want your stride (left toe to left heel) they are asking for your step (left toe to right heel) So you will have to go to a flat place, go for a walk at your usual pace and then measure that out. It is not a deal breaker for me.
I would LOVE to have it sync to my phone's android app for FitBit- yes they have a FitBit app, but its just a tracker- you can't sync with it. No bluetooth
That would make it -amazing- for me, lol 0 -
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I LOVE my fitbit. I will warn you that you may find yourself exhibting strange behavior such as walking out of your way to add extra steps or stairs.
^^ This. True story. I walked UP and AROUND the ramps of a parking garage today instead of taking the stairs up to the 2nd floor because I was behind on my step count for the day. Hubby thought I lost my mind. Maybe I have :laugh:0 -
Mine's new and the only problem I'm having is that it registers a LOT of steps when I'm driving. The roads are bumpy and the suspension on my car isn't the greatest, so I'll wind up with a couple hundred extra steps from a car ride. Once I even got five extra flights of stairs due to an underpass. Is there any way around this?0
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Mine's new and the only problem I'm having is that it registers a LOT of steps when I'm driving. The roads are bumpy and the suspension on my car isn't the greatest, so I'll wind up with a couple hundred extra steps from a car ride. Once I even got five extra flights of stairs due to an underpass. Is there any way around this?
Use the timer feature and record it as driving,0
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