Curious to hear a non-bias Fitbit review...
JulieisaC
Posts: 24 Member
Just saw this on the site, I'm curious to read from people who have one...perhaps an informal survey from those who do?
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
2) How long have you had it?
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
2) How long have you had it?
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
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Curious also...0
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bump.. also curious0
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I have had mine about 3 weeks and am loving it. It doesn't track heart rate at all, everything it tracks is based on movement. The only weird thing I have run into is if I am wearing a dress and wear it on my bra strap the altimeter seems to get a little cranky and overestimate how many flights of stairs I have climbed - I think it has to do with the device being sideways. There are no fees beyond the device itself.0
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1) What are your stats/fitness goals? I'm in the middle of losing 100lbs - down 60 as of today. I'm a 29yo girl.
2) How long have you had it? Had it since May 2012
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped? It made me realise that I don't move at all at work, and my half hour walk each day isn't enough to make me more than sedentary, I've really gotta go for an hour or more just to maintain my weight if I want to eat like I do.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor? It's not a heart rate monitor (the only thing I don't like about it). It's a glorified pedometer. It tracks steps, and floors climbed, and not much more. A HRM is designed to be worn only during exercise. Fitbit is worn all day.
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit? There is the option to go 'premium' at $49 a year, but I haven't taken it up yet. This gives you more detailed data and training plans as far as I'm aware.
I love Fitbit because it encourages me to move all day, not just during my planned exercise. If I want to track the burn of a particular exercise, I whack on my HRM and make the adjustments on the Fitbit site for that time period. I like that it sets goals for you, and tracks stuff on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis as well as each day. I push myself to reach at least 10,000 steps each day.0 -
Have had it for a few weeks. Got it because of rave reviews from friends also losing weight. I was using body media, but got tired of the monthly fees. There is a fee program with fitbit, but also a free one. I have been using the free one. It tracks steps, activity, miles and sleep activity. Every week you get a weekly overview of how active you have been via email. It is small and easy to put on and forget about. Wirelessly downloads to my computer and works with my fitness pal. I've been happier with it than with the body media armband because I can look at my stats during the day and see how many steps I've done without being by my computer. Hope this helps!0
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1) What are your stats/fitness goals? To lose 60lbs, currently sitting around 185
2) How long have you had it? a few years? It's a first generation (one of the first few thousand distributed actually)
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped? I found the website/tools for tracking food etc clunky and under developed so I never used it for that purpose. I loved using it to track my sleep (and still do for when i am having issues). i use it when Im on vacation to keep a general idea of how much hoofing around we do. Has it helped me lose weight? when i first got it and used it religiously, i lost maybe 5 pounds by tracking my steps.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor? mine doesn't have a HRM on it, but glorified pedometer? abso****inglutely.
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit? not that i know of but i haven't used it since oct 2010
summed up. nifty little device, the newer ones for sure have more bells and whistles/may be worth the money. I personally wish i had saved the $100 and used it towards a nicer garmin which has been more beneficial to me as far as training goes with running/distance and heart rate monitoring. i also have a polarfit F6 for when I'm not running to keep track of my HR and don't need anything but the hr and calories tracked.0 -
1. I wanted to lose 90 lbs total...bought it when I was about 20 down, and it has been vital to helping me eat the proper amount (i.e., avoid plateaus and consistently lose) for the next 46 (and counting.
2. Since March or so of 2012
3. I dislike how it can come unclipped from your jeans...as it did once and I had to replace it. It's also not waterproof, so I get a little nervous when I sweat a lot and I have it on my t-shirt collar. It does tend to pick up 50-100 steps for every 30 min or so of driving, so I usually take it off in the morning while I get ready for work to offset that. I really like how accurate it is (surprisingly so), how it creates my own challenge to be move active and climb more stairs, and how it automatically adds additional calories for being "Active" (not just from exercise) to MFP. Many of us burn more than we realize, and the fitbit helps you track that. I generally eat back about 80% of the calories it adds on a daily basis (sometimes none, sometimes substantial).
4. No, as noted above the syncing with MFP is a fantastic feature, and it also will sync with endomondo for exercise tracking. I love the stair climb tracking feature and how it is tremendously less annoying to wear than a HRM (with nearly the same accuracy).
5. No0 -
1) What are your stats/fitness goals? I've lost 40 lbs since I've had it, still a bit more to go
2) How long have you had it? I think it was around October/November 2011
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped? It keeps me motivated. I check it several times a day to see how I'm doing and if I haven't come close to a goal, or if I've surpassed it I find excuses to get in more steps/climbing floors
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor? Not at all, it's a sleep monitor, tracking system and motivator. I sync it up with MFP so that my nutrition is also tracked and between MFP and fitbit I get a better idea of my activity levels and consumption.
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit? There is premium, but that's only necessary for an extra motivation or boost - unnecessary for my purposes.0 -
Just saw this on the site, I'm curious to read from people who have one...perhaps an informal survey from those who do?
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
2) How long have you had it?
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
1, mantain activity level
2, since the end of feburary
3, like...its small dosent rub my arm raw like the body bug nock off i had, and reminds me to get off my *kitten* and move, dislike rimindes me i need to get off my *kitten* and move more.
4, no its a pedomiter on steroids
5, only if you sign up for a "?prime?" mebership, which you realy dont need unless MFP has made you a touch OCD (like me) on traking your stats....but for 90% of people the free mebership is more than enough;)0 -
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
Lose fat, build muscle, better cardio ability
2) How long have you had it?
About 2 months-ish
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
I like that it tells me pretty exactly how active I've been that day. I work on my feet all day long and it's cool to see how much more I walk on really busy days. I also like that it sets up online goals for you (10,000 steps, 5 miles, 10 flights of stairs, and some amount of calories burned/ day). On days that I really don't feel like doing anything, I just look at that and feel the need to meet my goals. Although I've only met the "calories burned" goal once (it's really high, like 2800+). The only thing I've found that I dislike is the stair counter. There are times when I'm at work all day (all flat surface) and it counts that I went up a flight of stairs (has been as high as 3 flights when I'm 100% sure I didn't climb any). Yesterday it counted 1 flight while I was at work, today it didn't count any. I haven't figured out how to fix this.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
Not so much of a heartrate monitor as a pedometer on steroids. The more active you are in a certain period of time, it makes a flower grow. There are up to 11 leaves on the stem and it's cool to see how many you can get. (Most I've gotten is 10 though, even after running/walking a 5k)
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
There's a "premium" feature that you can try for free for a week. I did it and it was cool but not worth the 49.95 I thought. The free version is good enough for everything I need.
I like mine very much. I wear it everyday and would feel lost if I forgot it one day. I would recommend it, even with the stair issue.
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My daughter (18) and me (48) wears ours all the time, except we have sleeping disorders, so I have something else for sleep monitoring, so I've not used that part. We've loved ours and I am really getting a good picture from the charting details that MFP doesn't give.
BUT. . . just today, we went for a walk together and she got more leaves on her flowers and her calorie count was higher. The only thing I can think of is whether it is because of our weight difference - me being 50 lbs heavier than her??? If anyone has similar results alongside a friend or family member. Otherwise, I need to find out why such a big difference.
Any info is appreciated. (oh, and neither of us set our stride measurement)0 -
Stats:
25 year old girl, looking to lose 75 lbs(ish), been trying to lose weight since April and down 0 lbs (yes, that would be a goose egg! GAH)
I've had it for roughly two months
I like that it takes the guesswork out of daily calories burned. It has helped me in that I realized I was severely underestimating how active I was throughout the day. I was eating 1500 calories and burning nearly 3000 a day. Oops! I still haven't lost weight while using it and I've been searching for the reason why that is - sleep? water? healthy diet? I've been playing around to try and figure it out. FitBit only tracks the calories you burn through the day; it won't tell you what you're doing wrong.
As others have said, it's a glorified pedometer. I like the recording capabilities - I can press record, go for a 35 minute walk, and when I get back, it will tell me how far I walked, how many calories I burned, and what my mph was ever minute of the walk (I got faster after I realized I needed to find a bathroom.) They probably aren't doctor's-office accurate, but for me, FitBit reduces a lot of the guesswork. I love that you can look at it throughout the day and see where you are. Should you go for a walk at lunch? You can tell based on the calories you've burned thus far.
You only have to pay the start up $95. There is a premium membership, but I haven't investigated it. I'm perfectly content with the basic model, and it accomplishes all that I need.0 -
I can't answer all those questions but I have a FitBit and here's my unbiased review.
Buy a heart rate monitor.
I love my FitBit and if you're looking to increase NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) or walk as your main workouts it's wonderful. I'm glad I have it and it's made me more conscientious about my general activity level.
If you lift, do Pilates, Yoga, bike...it's worthless. It calculates my TDEE (incorrectly because I lift) and sneak adds exercise calories to MFP like ninja. In a perfect world I'd have an HRM and a FitBit. If I had it to do over again I'd get Polar FT4.0 -
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
27 Female, looking to lose 100+ pounds and get fit.
2) How long have you had it?
Few months, I don't remember exactly when. Maybe May?
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
I love how it gives me my total calories burned for the day. I don't have to set an activity level, it just adjusts as my day goes. One lazy day I can burn 2100, and the next I can burn 4000 and it's right there at my side to keep me in check. It also gives me motivation to keep moving. I love watching that little flower grow!!! I do dislike how sensitive it is in my car, though. I often get credit for 4-5 flights of stairs when I'm driving in my car. I hear that the sensitivity is related to the cars suspension and how low to the ground it is (mine is very low). Once I log the activity on the site as "driving" the flight count goes back down, but on days I forget to log it I end up overestimating on my cals.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
It's nothing like a HRM, you don't get a heart rate. It's a pedometer and so much more. It's great for people who want an idea of how much they move in between exercise. I am a nurse and I'm on my feet a lot, so I loved having it in numbers how much I was burning at work.
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
Nope! Edit: Oh right, they do have that premium thing... I've never used it! Never paid a penny after paying for it.0 -
My daughter (18) and me (48) wears ours all the time, except we have sleeping disorders, so I have something else for sleep monitoring, so I've not used that part. We've loved ours and I am really getting a good picture from the charting details that MFP doesn't give.
BUT. . . just today, we went for a walk together and she got more leaves on her flowers and her calorie count was higher. The only thing I can think of is whether it is because of our weight difference - me being 50 lbs heavier than her??? If anyone has similar results alongside a friend or family member. Otherwise, I need to find out why such a big difference.
Any info is appreciated. (oh, and neither of us set our stride measurement)
Forgot to mention also that we do NOT eat back our exercise calories, so exactly how accurate it is doesn't register as high for us. It gives us enough info that it's keeping us moving.0 -
Just saw this on the site, I'm curious to read from people who have one...perhaps an informal survey from those who do?
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
2) How long have you had it?
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
1. I'm 5'8, starting weight 173 current163 goal weight 152
2. Since April 2012
3. I initially had my goal set to 1200 and had stalled out after losing 5 lbs. After getting fitbit I realized I was eating too little for my body. I was burning 2500-2800 a day and only eating 1300, and creating too much of a deficit. I am set on the 750 cal deficit. I now eat anywhere from 1600-1800 depending on fitness. I like that I am able to adjust my cal intake to my level of activity for the day. I also like that it syncs with MFP. I like that I'm able to see how active I am at work and at home.. In the past I have grossly overestimated the calorie burn of a 30 minute video workout.
My only dislike is when I zumba at my gym it says I climb a ridiculous number of stairs. I do have a set of stairs in my home and that count is usually accurate.
4. No it does not measure heart rate.
5. No fees unless you opt for the prime feature which I have not.0 -
Yes, I have one. I definitely like it. My original goal was 70 pounds. Twenty down and fifty to go. I've had it a couple months.
What I like;
1. Very small and light. About the size of a money clip. It clips neatly and securely on the pocket of my pants.
2. Automatic recording of all your steps and climbing. I'd tried a pedometer before, but I just couldn't seem to get around to logging the steps into the computer each day. This does it all for me.
3. I admit to being a techie fan. It has a neat look and easy to use and recharge. It has a little charging stand that you plug into the USB on your computer. The charging dock also serves as communications sync if you don't have WiFi at home.
4. It has a little display, that shows, time, steps, calories burned, stair flights climbed, 'activity flower', 'friendly greeting' or stop watch function. The 'activity flower' grows taller when the level of your activity remains high. The greeting is programmable for one short message to yourself and random other saying ie "Let's go!"
5. Absolute best, it automatically updates to your MFP account with the calorie value of your activity. I'm not a runner or anything, just a mom, but I can see on my busy days that I have the right to be hungry for a few extra calories. And it's ok.
6. The sleep monitor function is interesting (see #3) but not really necessary. Mostly I wear it at night (on a soft cuff provided) because I find it easier not to forget to put it on the next morning.
What I dislike;
1. When I forget to put it on.
2. It's still not psychic. If I'm doing a chore or activity that's streneous, but does not include moving, such as washing the dog, I have to log the time for the activity on the fitbit site (or MFP). It has a pretty good source list for activities.
3. Minor issue with steps that 'record' when you are traveling in a car. The vibration and movement of the car fool it. It's not a significant amount though.
How it helps: It keeps me more aware of what I'm doing. I'll check it occasionally to see how I'm doing. Reminds me of the basic principal of "Eat less. Move more."
It doesn't record heartrate. That's the BodyBug, I believe. As for being a glorified pedometer... well yes, but I enjoy it and like to see if I can make goals for each day.
No fees. You have a free account at the FitBit site. You can see your progress each day, activity levels by five minute intervals. It has food tracking, but it automatically gets a feed from MFP on the totals for each meal. They do have a 'premium' level, but it's not really needed for most folks. It allows you to download all your data history. This is probably for professional trainers.
Hope this helps everyone.
Patty0 -
Great post! Thanks everyone for taking the time to provide your feedback. Excellent stuff!!0
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Just got mine today. Already love it!!! Very user friendly. And the free membership is awesome. Since I linked it to MFP the free membership is all I need.0
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1. I have 60 lbs left to lose.
2. 5 months
3. It's helped me to keep track of my activity levels and encourages me to do more. Not much about it that i don't like. It doesn't adjust for your body's natural tendency to burn less calories as fitness improves.
4. No. It's more like a glorified pedometer. It doesn't track heart rate at all.
5. No. It is a one-time fee for the device and they offer continued product support. Their customer service is top notch!0 -
I just wanted to add also, as a wedding present, I recently received the fitbit aria scale. While I hate seeing my numbers, I like that it measures both my weight and my body fat percentage. I also like that.. like the fitbit itself, it automatically syncs with my fitbit dashboard.0
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1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
Female, mid-40s, set goal to lose 35 pounds (started in February 2012)
2) How long have you had it?
about 4 months
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
LOVE IT!!! wear it all the time, and it is an incredible incentive to keep moving. When I see I haven't achieved many steps/floors, I know I have to find opportunities to work harder. It seamlessly moves the calories burned over to MFP, letting me precisely track my calories burned/earned, so i can eat appropriately. So far, have lost over 30 pounds. I'd call it a successful motivator
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor? Other posts have discussed in detail - not HRM, but glorified pedometer. But it's cute, and it talks to you, and the calories burned are specific to your weight/height (my husband has one and burns far more calories during the same run with me - but he weighs more, so that makes sense).
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit? None needed unless you want the extra training services - not necessary.0 -
I have both a fitbit and an HRM (Polar FT4) and view the HRM as something I use when I'm seriously exercising, and the fitbit as not much more than a fun toy that reminds me to get up and move more often. There have been times right before bed when I'll see that I've climbed 9 flights of stairs, and I'll go run the steps in the house one more time just to get to the next level (you get a little badge on your fitbit site for various things), so in that respect, it's fun to wear it.
I work a desk job all day, so having something remind me to not be a complete slug is kind of nice. Beyond that, I don't see any true health benefits to owning one.
Side note: If you do any kind of distance walking or running, the fitbit would be a godsend. The one day I did go for a long hike, I was thrilled to be able to see the number of steps, distance, etc, that it measured. Guess it all depends on your normal level of activity.0 -
1) What are your stats/fitness goals? I try to get 10 stairs and 10K steps every day, miss it some days, I needed to work on my activitiy at work and this helps remind me to get out and get some moving done, lol. Goal is a total of 68lbs lost, so far 54 of those gone.
2) How long have you had it? Since May.
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped? I really like what it can do, stairs and steps and helping me see what i have burned beyond my TDEE since it turned out my non exercise TDEE was higher than I thought so I was still underfeeding.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor? No HR at all, I wear a HRM at the gym as well as my fitbit, it is primarily for away from the gym where the HRM is not helpful. If you are in the calorie burning zone a HRM isn't real helpful at calculating your calories burned, for example a long walk with the dog is not even going to be a blip on the HRM but will get you credit for steps and even stairs around here
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit? No fees at all.0 -
Pretty much everything's been covered, but I'll add my couple of cents.
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
Age 45. Have probably 15 lbs left to go. Started 80 or 90 lbs ago. After losing 80 or 90 lbs, I don't really care about the last 15. Someday I might get serious about it.
My main goals right now are half marathon training and exercising enough so that I can eat ice cream and drink beer. (It's summer and camping season. Don't judge. :P)
2) How long have you had it?
I've had mine a little over a month
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
It keeps me motivated to get the extra steps in to increase my calories. I like getting the badges and working towards getting them. (I climbed the flight of stairs in my home over 50 times the other day just so I could get my 100 floors badge)
My husband has one too so we are always comparing steps. Some friendly rivalry.
It's small. It's sleek. You can monitor on the device or on the web page.
I have my strides set and so the distance feature is extremely accurate.
Like others have said, in the car it will register a few steps and flights. If its significant I will set the activity to driving and it wipes them all out. And if I've gotten any badges because of the drive, I'll walk to catch them back up again.
Dislikes... The web site leaves a lot to be desired. And the premium membership is too expensive for what you get out of it. (from what I've seen)
Regarding the fact that it doesn't measure all activities. That is true, but those only take up one or two hours of the 24 that are available to you, so to me it's not relevant. I can get a reasonable count from any calorie count website.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
Doesn't measure heart rate. It is also not a GPS. I uses the same technology that is in the Wii remotes to track distance and elevation.
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
There is a premium membership available. It doesn't seem worth the money to me. $50 is too expensive for any website membership. I'd have 10 $20 website memberships before I'd spend $50 on one. That's not quite true. I have spent $50 a couple of times on lifetime memberships.0 -
1) What are your stats/fitness goals? - 36 yo. 25% body fat looking to hit my ultimate goal of 19% body fat
2) How long have you had it? About a month
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped? It's been a great tool for helping me determine my actual TDEE. I was overestimating, which led me to eat at maintenance. It also encourages me to move more because I want to see my numbers climb.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor? Not even close. I leave the Fitbit at home and still wear a HRM for exercise and log them manually through MFP.
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit? Not unless you want to sign up for the premium membership. I don't have it. I don't think it's necessary when you're using MFP.0 -
1) What are your stats/fitness goals?
5'5", CW 185, SW 277, GW 145.
2) How long have you had it?
Picked it up during the April sale, been wearing it regularly since early May.
3) What do you like/dislike about it? How has it helped?
That it shows me how truly sedentary I am on a daily basis unless I get up and do something about it. I love the achievements - they definitely push me to do just a little bit more. If I have a dislike it's that you can kill the unit by putting it against your skin and then exercising - ladies, that means DO NOT put it in your bra before a run!! Now, the plus there is that their customer service is awesome - when I fried mine, I had a new unit out to me - at no cost to me - in 4 days. Seriously, their customer service is top notch - if I didn't already have an awesome scale, I'd consider getting theirs, even though the price is rich.
4) Is it just a glorified heartrate monitor?
It's not a HRM at all - the folks who called it a glorified pedometer are more accurate, but even then it's more than that.
5) Are there fees beyond the initial 95 dollar unit?
No - and if you pay attention to a site like Slickdeals, you can quite often get it below that $95 price. I picked up one for under $80 in April.0 -
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