FitBit?

Dmkolls

I'm very new to this MFP world....I noticed that there is a way to sync your FitBit with the information on here. I basically track my carbs/fat/protein ratio on here. No real concern for calories, but they do seem to be within 100 or so of what they state I should be in without really trying.

That being said, I am curious about getting a FitBit to analyze my burn and even my sleep.

Does anyone here have it? Is It worth it? OR is it worth using it if I'm not keeping track of how many calories I'm eating?

AmIhealthyyet

I had it and didn't like it. I never ate my calories so it wasn't worth the hassle. Maybe had I figured out how to use it properly I would have liked it but I ended up returning it! A lot of my phone apps do the same thing!

SweetxCatastrophe

I have it and frequently forget to carry it. But when I do, it is super helpful to record activity (walking, stairclimbing) and sleep, and it will automatically log calories burned when you sync it. However, it's not super accurate on cals all the time because it's not a heart rate monitor. If you're running, it knows you're moving but it doesn't know whatyour heart is working at and what iintensity level you're doing, so that count can be slightly inaccurate. If you're doing aerobic activities, usually it doesn't know what you're doing. Example: I might have just almost died doing burpees until I couldn't anymore, but it might just think I did 10 steps and show a low calorie burn.

So long story short: if you want a fancy pedometer that also tracks your sleep, get a fitbit.
If you want an an accurate count of your calories burned, get a HRM

beckie32536

Although HRM are useful tools, they also do not necessarily reflect true calories burned. For instance, I have a mild heart condition that causes me to have an elevated heart rate, especially when I exercise. When I go for an easy run (4.5-5.0mph on the treadmill), it is not unusual for my HRM to register 230 and a huge number of calories burned (it could be 2-3x what the standard treadmill would display). If the displayed calories burned was accurate, I wouldn't need to lose any weight

Another tool that you may want to investigate is the bodybugg or bodyfit media (they are the same thing, just marketed differently). You wear it against your skin and it senses changes in body temperature and it claims to be something like 95% accurate. I used one for several years. However, that being said, I also have a fitbit. I compared the outputs of the two devices over a 2-3 week period. The step count was usually pretty close and the calorie count differed around 300. I felt that the level of accuracy of the fitbit was close enough for the cost benefit (the bodybugg has a subscription fee on top of the cost of the device). I have since switched completely to the fitbit and I'm satisfied with it.