Anyone using fitbit?

cherisuzanne

Just saw the fitbit advertised. Anybody using it? Explain how it works and if you like it? Thanks!

trizzell79

Bump. I would also like to know more.

chelledawg14

Do a search on the message boards for Fitbit. You'll find a bunch of info there. I just ordered the fitbit one yesterday.

hedwardsb

Just got mine Saturday. So excited!

TeachTheGirl

My husband bought me a FitBit for Christmas and it encourages you to walk more. Still think the sleep application is skewed, because I know I'm not getting as much sleep as it states (nursing momma, I wake up a LOT) but the steps seem pretty accurate.

muffintopminx

I got the "Fitbit One" for Christmas and was pretty disappointed. It was not very accurate for steps, stairs and really off on calories. Plus I had to reset it twice due to zeroing out and not tracking any data/movements. I have friends who rave about theirs so maybe I got a lemon, but I had to return it.

Syncing with MFP was very easy tho and the FREE Fitbit mobile app and FREE website account were very user-friendly.

johned63

I love mine, like MFP it is just one of the tools I am using. It does a really good job of tracking my steps and activity level related to motion. I find it very accurate based on the testing i have done, others have problems getting it adjusted just write.

Some people are disappointing when they find it does not track calories burned from other activities, such as weight lifting and bike riding. I have seen enough posts about that issue that I wanted to mention it.

It also does a great job of tracking stairs by measuring changes in elevation of 10' or more. It will not count stairs if you are on a stair machine, but if you walk up physical stairs or hills then it does count them well.

The biggest benefit for me is that it helps me set goals for general movement outside of the gym.

There is a fitbit group here, you might want to take a look at the posts there. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1307-fitbit-users

shryjedi

I got mine yesterday and I love it so far!! I got the fitbit one because I have issues sleeping as well, and I was surprised how much my sleep is interrupted during the night! I love that it counts the stairs I do in my house properly- other pedometers did not do so well for that. I like that you can wear it in several different places. I don't think I can lose this one and that is good because it is on the high end for me for prices.
I suggest it highly!!!

thomasvision

My wife has one and can't live without it. You can now sync it with MFP too!

koniw

I have had my fitbit for a year. If you measure your stride accurately (which ironically is difficult) I found that the best way to do it is to get the bottom of my feet wet and walk a little way on the side walk, measure each step and average the length. It is more accurate if the stride length is accurate. Also you have to adjust it a couple times a year because as you get more fit, your stride increases. I kept track of my food on it for most of the year and I liked it a lot. I am trying MFP and honestly, it is about the same. I don't use it for sleep, because I do not struggle with sleeping. It just motivates you to take those extra few steps. I do not think I would buy another one since there are so many other tools available that are free, but I will continue to use it as another piece of motivation.

spiregrain

My husband bought me a FitBit for Christmas and it encourages you to walk more. Still think the sleep application is skewed, because I know I'm not getting as much sleep as it states (nursing momma, I wake up a LOT) but the steps seem pretty accurate.

Yeah, I have the same problem with my sleep app vs. my baby -- I find it helps a little if I wear it on my body instead of my wrist like you're supposed to, not sure why. But its hard because sometimes with the baby you are wide awake but quite physically still, and all it has to go on is movement.

OP, I would say the FitBit has main 2 uses, really -- giving you a pretty accurate TDEE number each day based on actual activity that day, and motivating you to raise your TDEE through incidental activities. Basically the FitBit keeps track of your incidental activity throughout the day and tells you a pretty good estimate of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) for each individual day. It counts stuff like steps, stairs climbed, etc., and plugs it into your height and weight to estimate how many calories you burned. So if you have some sedentary days and some highly active days, it's very good for helping you stay on track with those varying caloric needs, whether you are hoping to maintain or lose. I like it, and I have found that it encourages me to be a little less of a couch potato on days when I am really not feeling it -- at least get up and do some cleaning or go for a walk. It's nice because you are really getting "credit" for all the times you take the stairs, park further from the entrance, and so on -- so you are definitely more motivated to do it. And when I have been really mind numbingly lazy, it lets me know I'm running out of calories. You can sync it with mfp so it will automatically adjust your calorie goals and net calories by adding or subtracting how many calories you burned or failed to burn, which is a nice feature, because its just making mfp more accurate.