Fitbit: How does it work exactly?

snowbab

I'm considering getting the new Fitbit One as I want to know how many calories I burn from daily activity, as I have no idea! However I'm wondering if it's that accurate and worth the money?

Does it measure calories burned by monitoring heart rate? This is the only way I can see it being truly accurate. Or is it estimating based on how many steps you've done? If so is this a very accurate way of tracking calorie expenditure?

I'm not sure whether to buy it as I'm a student and so I don't want to be wasting money although may be asking for it as my B.day present next week if I am convinced :P). Thank you.

Ready2Rock206

It's a super fancy pedometer. It does not monitor heart rate (you'd need a HRM for that). It's based off of steps and the level of step-related activity you do in a day. I love it. I find it motivating when I see I've barely got any steps to get off my booty and get moving. It seems to be accurate for me.

snowbab

I do have a HRM but just for extra exercise.

What would be a good thing to get if I want to monitor my daily calorie expenditure including when I'm just sitting down/standing?