Fitbit vs. hrm

dinomomma

What are the pros and cons of both?

Guamybear

not familiar with fitbit..but my HRM tells me how many calories I burned and what amount of time. It stores all my data files so I can go back and compare days if I need to.

I have a polar FT7.. it might do more but I haven't needed anything else.

Tedebearduff

HRM only cause I have one and as far as I am aware it's the only way to actually monitor calories burned. I think a fitbit is just like that Nike fuel thing where it estimates essentially.

bakz4

I have both. The Fitbit Ultra is a glorified pedometer. It calculats calories burned, stairs climbed, etc...but I don't think it's as accurate as a heart rate monitor. I mean, I'm burning calories when I bike ride...but the Fitbit doesn't know that my heartrate is pumping, it's only calculating steps. Since I was pretty new to fitness when I got the Fitbit, it provided some pretty good info...but now, I prefer my heart rate monitor...and I have a pretty inexpensive one right now.

hollyNhollywood

I use both for different reasons
The fitbit is something that I use to basically calculate my TDEE. I burn anywhere from 1600-2500 calories a day, depending on how active I am of course. Fitbit will calculate my daily calories burned (and miles walked and flights climbed). But my HRM is specifically for exercising. (Fitbit can't properly calculate certain exercises, such as cycling.)

When I workout, I set the timer on the fitbit and start my HRM. When I'm done, I stop the HRM and turn off the timer on the fitbit (so the fitbit knows to sync that activity with the HRM activity you log in MFP). So that way, it doesn't double count your exercise calories.

r0mans12

I debated which to buy and ultimately chose the fitbit one. I think what you choose depends on what your needs are. I think heart rate monitors like polar ft7 are more accurate when it comes to calories burn but they are meant to be worn during short periods of exercise. The fit bit is only 90% accurate but it is meant to be worn all the time to track exercise sleep calories etc. It also is meant to motivate with the flower that grows and shrinks according to activity level and it can be used to compete with other fitbit users or friends....both polar and fitbit are excellent products from what ive heard. So far I absolutely love my fitbit one and I'm much more active when I use it. Good luck deciding!

smallFryHuffy

It definitely depends on what your needs are - I wear a Fitbit one all day everyday (even while i'm sleeping - I love the silent alarm feature), and then wear a HRM when i'm actually working out. It gives me a more accurate calorie burn for the duration of my workout than the fitbit does (i've compared them both). Remember that the fitbit is always assuming that you are walking or running,so it tracks calories based on how far you move. Whereas a HRM would tell you calorie burn if you are stationary and lifting weights or something similar!

nins11065

Hi,

Can you please tell me more about HRM? Is it an app or an actual item and what does it look like or where can I see a picture ot if. I wouls like to understand what it is because I am looking for a divide to better track my walks and exersice and sync it with This app.
Thanks,
Nins11065

clemsonsaint

I use both and I find the fitbit is usually within 30-50 calories of my hrm monitor after a run. The hrm is great for working out but the fitbit can be worn all day and gives you a decent idea of calories burned throughout the day. The thing I really like about the fitbit is the competition between friends.

Jeslynn81

Hi,

Can you please tell me more about HRM? Is it an app or an actual item and what does it look like or where can I see a picture of if. I would like to understand what it is because I am looking for a divide to better track my walks and exercise and sync it with This app.
Thanks,
Nins11065

HRM = Heart Rate Monitor. I have a good one called Polar FT40 and got it at Amazon.com. As far as the fitbit goes, I didn't find it real informative for my own personal needs so I'm selling mine off, but I got the Bodymedia Fit Link Armband and love it. Is the one they are now using on Biggest Loser (Tho I didn't know that when I bought it).

I would highly recommend the Polar HRM and the arm band

ArtGeek22

I LOVE my fitbit zip and its real strength of it is wearing it and measure DAILY physical activity. You can use it on the treadmill and elliptical but that is it as far as the gym. But it has really helped me get my daily activity up.

A HRM watch has the real strength in the workout department and can accurately count to calories during workouts but I think it is uncomfortable to wear all day.

But, depending, you could maybe afford both! The Fitbit Zip is $60 dollars and the Polar FT4 Heart Rate monitor watch can cost around $70 dollars on Amazon. With a little saving, it is possible to get both because the total cost could be around $130. Also, if you are a reward member at Best Buy, they sell both of them in store and you can gets some points :bigsmile:

Both have their strengths, you just need to determine what will work best for you :flowerforyou:

heybales

Hi,

Can you please tell me more about HRM? Is it an app or an actual item and what does it look like or where can I see a picture ot if. I wouls like to understand what it is because I am looking for a divide to better track my walks and exersice and sync it with This app.
Thanks,
Nins11065

HRM - Heart Rate Monitor - strap around the chest on better ones, sending your HR beats per minute to a watch unit, which then shows you your HR during exercise.

Some try to measure HR on the back of the watch, not as accurate.
Some require you to touch a spot on the watch for a few seconds and you get a reading, glorified and easier, perhaps, then taking your own pulse.

So then features are added to the HRM.
Stop watch to track how long the workout was.
Stats after the workout to average and max HR reached.
Zone alarms to visually and/or audibly tell you the HR is too slow or fast for what you set the alarms to.
And then the one almost everyone thinks the HRM was actually designed for but came way much later in time - counting calories.
Semi-decent estimates depending if you have tweaked the personal stats that matter for that math, and if some stats are even available or assumed.

You don't need one. You need a FitBit for your activity type and level and desire with MFP.

heybales

A HRM watch has the real strength in the workout department and can accurately count to calories during workouts but I think it is uncomfortable to wear all day.

Besides wearing all day would give bogus data for calorie burn. Wrong type of activity for the formula's for calorie burn from HR - which is far from accurate depending on so many factors.

Steady-state aerobic is the only activity the calorie burn from HR is valid for. Personal curiosity as to your avgHR all day is valid (mine was 56), but only need to do that once probably.

Read and test, and then either leap or weep.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is

SMC_chick

I have an HRM, and it is great for actual exercise periods, but I'm a SAHM right now. I don't have a gym to go to and I find it difficult to escape my 11 month old and 25 month old. I've been doing the 30 Day Shred, but that is the only set exercise I have really been doing. My life involves picking up 17 and 27 pound babies, chasing them and cats around the house, going up and down the stairs a million times and things like that. I get a ton of steps and floors in doing that stuff. That is the stuff you do everyday that you don't think of as exercise but really does burn energy. You can't wear an HRM all day long to calculate what you are doing and MFP doesn't give you a calorie adjustment unless you can name it and time it. My Fitbit One gives me credit for the constant movement I do each day, and it pushes me to do more. There are goals, and the competitive nature in you wants to exceed those. Having friends on the Fitbit site to compete with helps even more. I actually ran the stairs one night because I somehow got 65 floors (one up and one down) and wanted to get the next highest badge: 75 floors. It drives me to do more and syncs with MFP to give me an automatic calorie adjustment. I don't have to try to figure out how long I did it or what to call it. I love my Fitbit One.

ShannonECTD

fitbit= glorified pedometer

HRM= best thing for techy girls like me who wanna know how many calories they're burning.

I have a Polar FT60 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. You enter in your sex, age, height and weight so you know it's going to be giving out numbers based on your stats not the stats of a 25 year old 140lb woman (like many exercise machines at the gym do)

the ft60 has a few other bells and whistles that are nice, like goal setting and fitness tests.

HRM>fitbit any day.

heybales

I have a Polar FT60 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. You enter in your sex, age, height and weight so you know it's going to be giving out numbers based on your stats not the stats of a 25 year old 140lb woman (like many exercise machines at the gym do)

Wow, that's the 3rd time in the forums someone has said they have treadmills they can't input their weight into, that everything is assumed.

My gym has treadmills 20 yrs old to recent from 3 different makers, and they all allow inputting weight.

What brand are these treadmills that don't allow that? And how bad do they squeek?

All the other ellipticals and arcs and stair climbers (those are old too) ect are all newer within last 10 yrs, so not surprised they allow inputting weight.

ShaniWulffe

Bump for later

RawTriGal

I have both and love both for different reasons... much as many have already stated here. I love the motivation of tracking how many steps I've walked and number of floors I've climbed (fitbit) and the ability to monitor my heart rate to target best for weight/fat loss as well as calories burned (I don't use fitbit for that.

You really can't go wrong whatever you choose... just know yourself and the kinds of things that you like to keep track of and how much detail and reporting capabilities is important to you.

: )

kazzsjourney

I have both. I wear the fitbit 24/7 and use a HRM for my workouts which I then add to my mfp exercise tab. Both together seems to work well for me

Lyadeia

What are the pros and cons of both?

I use both.

I use the app endomondo to calculate calories burned in exercise (other than walking which fitbit does on its own) and it syncs up to the fitbit. Endomondo uses heart rate avg. and max which I get from the HRM. Basically the fitbit calculates everything else for 24 hours, the hrm helps me gets my calories burned while exercising. Together they show me total calories burned in a 24 hour period including sleep time. Endomondo, fitbit, and MFP all sync together, so it's really fast and easy when you get the hang of it. And it's all much cheaper than a bodybugg which does the same thing for a monthly fee.

ShannonECTD

I have a Polar FT60 and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. You enter in your sex, age, height and weight so you know it's going to be giving out numbers based on your stats not the stats of a 25 year old 140lb woman (like many exercise machines at the gym do)

Wow, that's the 3rd time in the forums someone has said they have treadmills they can't input their weight into, that everything is assumed.

My gym has treadmills 20 yrs old to recent from 3 different makers, and they all allow inputting weight.

What brand are these treadmills that don't allow that? And how bad do they squeek?

All the other ellipticals and arcs and stair climbers (those are old too) ect are all newer within last 10 yrs, so not surprised they allow inputting weight.

my gym has brand new equipment that you can log your weight and your age it's just not very accurate. The treadmill may be more accurate but the elliptical not so much.

heybales

my gym has brand new equipment that you can log your weight and your age it's just not very accurate. The treadmill may be more accurate but the elliptical not so much.

Very true, no mass of studies on elliptical's since there's too many variables and the way you can personally do it totally changes the efficiency.

Unlike walking or jogging up to 6.3 mph, most are the same. Treadmills more accurate than HRM's though.