Fit Bit?? A good tool??

holothuroidea

I requested a fitbit flex for mother's day.

I was between that and the bodymedia. I understand that bodymedia is more accurate and has better sensors, but I'm not going to spend my summer with this bulky gray armband hanging out on my skinny little stick figure arms. No.

In the end, the most accurate one is going to be the one you will use consistently.

stestut

Do you use fit bit? Which product do you use? Is it accurate? Is it something you can't live without?? It's pretty pricey so I'd love to get some input before deciding.

Thanks so much for your good, bad and ugly...

Sandi

Hi Sandi,

I LOVE my Fitbit and can't imagine living without it. I never thought of it as "pricy" -- I guess that something I use all day and all night every day that gives me reams of data about my sleep and activity via a free website with robust charts/graphs and allows me to know precisely how many calories I am burning seems pretty reasonable at $99. That's just 27 cents a day for a year.

Also, I see the difference that it makes in my behavior. Since Dec. 2012, I can see that my activity levels have steadily increased each month. I take the stairs at work now rather than the elevator. I walk more. I climb more stairs. I get more sleep. Just like SEEING my calories via MFP has allowed me to control them, so SEEING my activity via Fitbit has allowed me to optimize it.

Now, I'm not saying that Fitbit is better than the competitors. I've only used Fitbit. Fitbit only tracks non-workout activity. But I think that the BodyMedia FIT tracks non-workout activity and sleep PLUS workout activity too. So with the Fitbit, you need a separate heart rate monitor like a Polar to track your workouts, but I believe that the BodyMedia Fit combines both. But I'm not sure if it gives the same data and charts as Fitbit.

Whichever you choose, I highly recommend a tracker. Both Fitbit and BodyMedia Fit sync with MFP. I love how my Fitbit dials my diary calorie goal up and down based on my activity. And the sleep tracking is important. Sleep has a huge impact on weight gain and weight loss.

~~Betty

Thanks for the info!! I ordered one from ebay today. Hoping to get it up and working next week!!

megsmom2

I got a Fitbit Zip about three weeks ago...love it! Is it essential? Well....no. But it is useful and interesting...and wasn't expensive.

haymancm

I have a Fitbit Zip. It does a good job keeping track of my steps & calories "burned," but is not accurate. I got a Garmin heart rate monitor for accuracy for my workouts. However, the Zip is more accurate than MFP for calories burned, imo.

ckbabs

Wow this is great information!!!! Ok - I'll place an order today - I THINK for the BodyMedia so I can track active and inactive data. This is wonderful! I find my success improves when I have visual results to look at. Game on!

Freedom125

I've had both the Body Media armband and the Fitbit One. For me, although I loved the features and accuracy of the armband, I was far too self conscious to wear the armband in public. I did it a couple of days and then started resorting to wearing sweaters, but even then it was pretty visible. So, A++ for features and information, but in the end I hated the thing.

I currently am using a fitbit one and I LOVE it. It's not as accurate as the armband, but it's not all that far off and I don't need total accuracy, I just need something that will tell me how I'm doing relative to every other day.

I've also washed mine (I actually didn't realize it until I put in laundry and later I got an email congratulating me for climbing 25 floors.. oops!), but it wasn't harmed at all and still works just as well.

I've had no issues with it counting extra steps in the car, although I have noticed that the stairs don't seem to be accurate. It's hard for me to tell though since I live in a split level house and have flights of 4-5 stairs all over the place, and I'm not sure what criteria it uses to calculate.

It's also nice not to have that monthly charge to access your data, like there was with the armband.

iwillsucceed4me

Please post your experience and opinion on your Jawbone UP on the UP thread I started.

bethlaf

i love my zip...
i thought about getting the new ultra when it comes out, but then remembered how much i hate HATE HATe watches, so i am staying faithful to my Zip! , i have one my husband has one, its great to use to keep yourself on goal..
if you are a "GADGETY" type of person you will love it !!

the zip is so small , about the size of a stack of 3 quarters , in the holder its about 4ish its not noticable.
it links to your smart phone or iphone ( in case you dont have a "Smart" phone ( yes that was a slam on apple)
i love seeing the numbers of steps rise, my boss is a bit of a health nut, so he is pretty supportive when he sees me up and walking around the office

i love it.

edited to add - i have my zip linked with my walgreens rewards account, so exercise really does PAY me!!

iwillsucceed4me

I have the FITBIT one. It works very well. I also use the Jawbone UP bracelet. I do compare the sleep patterns and steps. They show a little difference but not much. The FITBIT one is great. It is accurate for me for climbing stairs, sleep, etc. As far as driving a car and counting, (I have long commutes) there is an APP for that called "DRIVEBIT" It basically starts a timer when you drive to eliminate those counts. I have downloaded it but have forgotten to start the timer when I drive to work..... The FITBIT one was about $99 at BestBuy. They also had a smaller FITBIT model that had less features, maybe the sleep tracking. It was about $59. I like that the FITBIT syncs via bluetooth with my computer and I have it synced to this website also.

Louttie

I bought my fitbit a little over a month ago. It was my favorite before i bought my Polar ft4 heart rate monitor. Which is half the price and much better!! But anyway i would recommend a fitbit, keeps me motivated to walk further.

Jhs1987

I have had the FitBit One for a few months now and I absolutely love it! It motivates me to get up and move, besides my actually workouts! I think the biggest eye opener for me was seeing that if I went to the gym and did a killer workout, but didn't really move the rest of the day I wasn't really getting the calorie burn I might have thought that I was... I walk at work now, walk my dog more, just walk around the house more just because I want to see those steps go up!!

holothuroidea

@Freedom125: Thank you for that post! It reinforced all of my reasons for getting a fitbit instead of a bodymedia armband.

I've also washed mine (I actually didn't realize it until I put in laundry and later I got an email congratulating me for climbing 25 floors.. oops!), but it wasn't harmed at all and still works just as well.

LOL!!!

Energizer06

Fitbit vs Bodymedia

It depends what features and cost you are willing to incur.

Fitbit: Pedometer on steroids. It will track your steps and sync pretty effortlessly. Provides an approx. calorie burn. No website subscription fees (a big plus in my book) Does not account for HR. attaches pretty much anywhere (bra, pocket, etc...) can sync via bluetooth with Iphone4s or better. http://www.fitbit.com/
One: above plus tracks sleep and stairs. backlit to see it in the dark (when you push the button) approx US $100 (wife has this one)
Zip: a pedometer not backlit approx US $50 (this is what I use)
Flex: coming out soon wrist band style pedometer

Bodymedia: is classified as an accelerometer. Tracks by movement. So when doing upper body movements it counts calorie burn. Can also track sleep. Must be worn as a armband. Has a monthly subscription fee. Item cost around US $129 monthly sub cost (not sure what the current monthy cost is. http://www.bodymedia.com/

RetiredAndLovingIt

I had a Fitbit ultra. It broke & they replaced it during warranty with the one. I love it for steps, stairs, & sleep data, but I think it is a little off for calories burned. I accept whatever it says tho, easier than trying to input data for exercise. I always wear it, but then I had another pedometer that I wore daily for over 4 years. After awhile you are lost without it.

MissMormie

Someone else mentioned FitBit counting stairs. While that's true, it doesn't differentiate between climbing stairs (in which you will burn more calories) as opposed to going down stairs (in which you would burn less). The BodyMedia knows a little better since it's actually taking data on your body itself through the sensor rather than just clipped to your belt/pants.

This is not true. It does differentiate between going up and down stairs. Only going up stairs is counted. Otherwise I would get a lot more stairs

Kdenker

I use bodymedia, the wireless one. i love it! have a widget on my cell phone that keeps me up to date where I am thoughout the day. Even has little pictures that change as my activity increases from a sloth...on up to hummingbird. Can also log in for more detail if I need it. The link with my fitness pal works flawlessly so at any given moment I can tell you where I am for the day. Is small an unobtrusive, been using it for a few months now and only one person have ever noticed it even though I work in a hospital and wear short sleeve scrubs. I find it to be very accurate. I shopped around and the best deal I found was at Costco online, the purchase included a year of their online service at $169 total, don't know how that compares to fitbit. Bodymedia tracks calories in and calories burned (and your calorie balance the previous two combined), minutes of activity, steps taken, sleep and quality of sleep. I plan to wear it even after I reach my goal for a few months to learn what the correct balance of activity and calorie intake are for that weight and to make it a habit.

willdob3

I have the FitBit One on my Wish List.

While I like the additional activity tracking of the BodyMedia I won't pay for access to the site (deal-breaker for me) and I know I would never wear it in public. I want to be able to wear my tracker all the time & anything that shows is not going to meet that requirement for me. There are simply some places/occasions that I would not want to wear one. That eliminates all of the bracelet/armband trackers. I saw a display of several different trackers at Best Buy recently & that confirmed my thought that I would not wear one that shows.

I like the idea of sleep tracking but find they are not very accurate. I have an app that uses the same sleep tracking program as Jawbone UP & it is horribly inaccurate. It gave me an 84% quality sleep on the worst night of sleep I've had in recent history. I happened to be running another sleep app, Sleep Cycle, at the same time & it gave a much more accurate 37%. I use the apps to help me get to bed earlier, get at least 8 hrs sleep & wake up at the best time. most any sleep app can do that.

I do agree that the best one is going to be the one you use consistently. We all have different needs & wants so we need to match those.

RooBug88

Okay, I'm convinced... I just ordered a BodyMedia armband. I like the idea of the FitBit, but seeing how many people have washed theirs in the laundry...I know I'd be THAT person. And I can't spend this kind of cash for something I will inevitably ruin or lose. I like the BodyMedia armband because that's what they used to use on the Biggest Loser (and I ADORE that show, if Jillian and Bob said it's okay, I'm pretty much on board!) It's bigger than the FitBit, but again... I'm a scatterbrain and I'd lose something as small as the FitBit. Now I just have to wait for my "new toy" to get here

Lyerin

I love my FitBit. I love all of the data and seeing my "activity flower" grow during the day. Of course, today I wore the empty clip and forgot to insert the FitBit. *sigh* LOL

I had the pre-Ultra version, killed it with sweat, and the customer service folks sent me an Ultra, totally free!! They are really awesome. I'm hoarding a gift certificate now to use when the Flex comes out because I want the wireless syncing.

gr8ful6291

Hello. Ok, I am so new to these devices that I am not sure what to expect from them. The bodymedia is worn on the arm. If at any time your arms are not swing will it give a false reading? Sometimes when I am walking I place a hands on my hips because when my hands hangs for a while when I am I walking they go numb. How will this effect the reading on the device?

aarar

I got a fitbit last month. I wear it, I like that I can leave my MFP on sedentary when making goals, then each evening when the fitbit syncs up I usually get a credit for the walking that I do during the day.

This is why I like mine so much. I don't have to feel guilty if I eat more on days I've very active.

dannonee

I have a Fitbit One and absolutely love it! I've been using a Fitbit for about a year now and it has definitely helped motivate me. I have daily goals that I try to reach. For example, 10,000 steps, 5 miles...
It has a stop watch that you can start before your work out and it will keep track of how many calories you burned and how long you exercised for.
For the most part it has been accurate for me. Though when I use the treadmill on an incline it still counts the calories burned as if I was walking at no incline.
I absolutely love it, I don't go anywhere with out it!

debrag12

One vs Zip

Apart from sleep and stairs is there anything ele the zip doesn't do? I don't really see me needing those, though the sleep thing would be interesting.

katevarner

Hello. Ok, I am so new to these devices that I am not sure what to expect from them. The bodymedia is worn on the arm. If at any time your arms are not swing will it give a false reading? Sometimes when I am walking I place a hands on my hips because when my hands hangs for a while when I am I walking they go numb. How will this effect the reading on the device?

It's not totally dependent on the arm swing but will detect movement if you are moving, altho I find that it doesn't accurately count my steps. It does very accurately measure my calories burned, and that's what I use it for.

As an aside, when you are using exercise equipment, if you hold onto the treadmill or elliptical rather than swinging your arms, that significantly changes the accuracy of calories burned--these machines calculate as if you were swinging your arms regardless.

usflygirl55

I have the fitbit ultra and have been using it for more than a year. I have friends and family that are now using it. Fitbit also syncs with MyFitnessPal and can monitor your sleep. I am not sure why some are saying that BodyMedia is so much better than Fitbit when they obviously haven't tried it. I cannot comment on BodyMedia as I have never use the product nor have I been to their website, much like it appears others have not checked out Fitbit. Fitbit is very accurate on your steps regardless of where you place it. The data entry is easy and the hardest thing I found was measuring my stride (which was still very easy as they tell you how to do it). I love my Fitbit and cannot see myself going to any other product when this one finally dies as the customer service is FANTASTIC! Best of luck to you in your decision.

Zakth

I have the Fitbit Zip, absolutely love it. The best thing about it is the motivation I get to be more active.

maegmez

It's a very expensive pedometer that isn't accurate enough for me to spend such money. I prefer a heart rate monitor.

missy6744

I have found with my fitbit that when it comes to tracking calories burned during a workout it is pretty inaccurate, for example when I do 50 minutes on the elliptica, the machine would tell me a much higher amount of calories burned. I think this may be due to the fact that fitbit only looks at how many steps your taking, not the resistance your overcoming or the inclines. I think if your going to spend the money it is better to get a tool that monitors your heart rate as well.

MIM49

Someone posted this link in answer to another poster regarding Activity Trackers. I felt it to be extremely interesting so am reposting it here. I hope the previous poster does not mind,

http://www.getgrok.com/2013/01/a-comparative-review-28-days-with-the-fitbit-one-jawbone-up-nike-fuelband-and-bodymedia-link/

LarryWorrall

Got my Fitbit one a week ago and love everything about it. It makes my life easier with the automatic syncing at this time I could not live without it. Highly recommend one.