fitbit Vs HRM

3Daughtersin2015
3Daughtersin2015 Posts: 81 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What would you pick and why? I'm torn I just want the most accurate way of knowing how many calories I burned. If the Fitbit doesn't know your HR then how accurate can it be?

Replies

  • Lay821
    Lay821 Posts: 73 Member
    Bump...wondering the same thing
  • whitneyas
    whitneyas Posts: 95 Member
    I bought a FitBit... I am pretty happy with it (love the software it uses) but I really wish it could go in the water. (It really pushes you to meet your goals though which is nice.) Part of me wonders though with all the swimming I do if a HRM would have been better!
  • PiperMommy11
    PiperMommy11 Posts: 56
    I love my fitbit.. It bases it's #'s on what your normal routine is. Therefore, it remembers what you 'normal' activity is and adjusts accordingly. I have lost 25 lbs (20 since starting using the fitbit) and I feel it's pretty darn accurate.
  • lwlock
    lwlock Posts: 33 Member
    I picked the Fitbit because I wanted to track the steps I was taking throughout the day. If I decide I want to get more serious about running/working out/structured exercise then I would get a HRM. Right now I just want to up the level of activity I have during the day and the Fitbit does a GREAT job for me.
  • Tropical_Turtle
    Tropical_Turtle Posts: 2,236 Member
    I was given a Polar FT7 for my birthday - and I can say I LOVE it!!! Gives me my resting HR and Max HR, calories burned, etc. I would not trade it for anything. But if you do decide to choose for a HRM - get one with a chest strap.
  • MakingAChoice
    MakingAChoice Posts: 481 Member
    I bought a FitBit... I am pretty happy with it (love the software it uses) but I really wish it could go in the water. (It really pushes you to meet your goals though which is nice.) Part of me wonders though with all the swimming I do if a HRM would have been better!

    I have not seen a HRM that does not say 'not recommended for underwater use'.

    I use a HRM at the gym and the fitbit for things like walking and running.
  • artickb22
    artickb22 Posts: 411 Member
    I have a Mio Motivia and I can use it in the water as well. It's a HRM. I really like it.. When I first got it I tested it with my HR with the HR on various treadmils and with co-workers (I'm a nurse) and it's always pretty right on. It's water resistant to 30 meters and so far I've had good luck with it in the pool. Had it for a few months now. Only thing, sometimes in the water it takes longer to read pulse or you'll have to check several times to get a read. I usually just pause for a min, shake off the water and then check with it held out of the water after a lap or two. I haven't tried anything elso though so I've nothing to compare it to.
  • ExplorinLauren
    ExplorinLauren Posts: 991 Member
    Depends I guess what you're looking for.
    I have a FitBit... I love it... tells me daily... for 24 hours what I burn... and gave me a good baseline. I also have a Polar F4 HRM.... I use that during exercise ONLY... to tell me what burn when I work out. A FitBit will not do that. It will tell you how many steps you take, how many cals you burn per day based on your activity level (that you enter in the computer when you set it up) But it doesn't know what you burn when you do your workouts. On the same note, I am not gonna wear my HRM allllll day everyday. So... I guess it just depends what you are looking for... having both is great :) If you can afford it.
  • cheekyleonie
    cheekyleonie Posts: 140 Member
    I have a polar FT4 HRM and I love it! I don't worry about any software.
  • love2bthin
    love2bthin Posts: 176 Member
    I want to be sure I am using the calorie burned correctly. According to MFP with jazzercise and my walking I burned 1089 calories but my fitbit said my calories burned for the day was 1965. I have been using the MFP numbers but should I be using my fitbit numbers instead?

    thank you
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    I have a Fitbit and an HRM. I use the Fitbit to measure te steps I take and it accumulate the calories I burn while walkaing. it's pretty accurate. i use the Hrrm to measure calories urned for things such aas Zumba which the Fitbit doesn't measure as accurately.
  • lois4468
    lois4468 Posts: 166 Member
    I bought my Husband the Fitbit and I got a Polar FT4. Both track Calories burned, and time of activity. Neither really tell you much more. Polar tells me my heart rate, minimum, maximum and how long I was "in the zone". While they are kinda fun to know what you are doing they are just reminders that you are doing something. Not sure they actually make you do more. Although it is fun to make sure we do more than 10,000 steps a day. I have a little device from Sportline (fancy pedometer) that actually tells me my steps, distance, average speed, pace, and calories burned. Was cheap at Walmart. I think it tells you the same as the Fitbit but doesn't connect to anything. So in the long run I guess it just depends on what you want to track and if you think spending money on something will help. Good luck with whatever you decide.
  • flamegirl72
    flamegirl72 Posts: 143 Member
    I want to be sure I am using the calorie burned correctly. According to MFP with jazzercise and my walking I burned 1089 calories but my fitbit said my calories burned for the day was 1965. I have been using the MFP numbers but should I be using my fitbit numbers instead?

    thank you

    Fitbit shows you your total calories for the day including at rest (at rest mine says I still burn around 6 cals per minute and when I wake up in the morning I have already burned almost 700 calories already) MFP calories are workout entered calories only.
  • di2losew8
    di2losew8 Posts: 131 Member
    Where do you all buy your HRMs, the best and cheapest place you have found that is reliable ??
  • Vic_of_Steel
    Vic_of_Steel Posts: 570 Member
    HRM for the win. I bought the Polar FT7 and it was one of the best investments I could make. I have lost 15lbs in a month using it. When I am working out I get to see where my heart rate is and the calories I am burning so it makes me want to push more. I did some research for awhile because I was debating on the bodymedia, fitbit or the HRM. The HRM was cheaper and I figured I don't need to know what my body does on a regular basis I needed to know what I do when I work out. Plus doing the research I learned that polar makes some of the best HRM's and they are pretty accurate.


    As far as the MFP reading vs fitbit. MFP was almost double the calorie amount on my HRM because MFP doesn't take into consideration your heart rate. So I would stick with MFP if I wasn't using an HRM.
  • Vic_of_Steel
    Vic_of_Steel Posts: 570 Member
    Where do you all buy your HRMs, the best and cheapest place you have found that is reliable ??

    heartratemonitorsusa.com the site was awesome cheap and it let me pick what size strap I wanted seeing as I am a big boy I didn't want to risk getting one to small.
  • Tropical_Turtle
    Tropical_Turtle Posts: 2,236 Member
    I know my dad got my HRM on amazon.com
  • newcs
    newcs Posts: 717 Member
    I was deciding between a fitbit, nike fuelband and an HRM. I decided I'll be getting the Polar FT4 HRM because of accuracy. I ruled out the fuelband because I just know I won't want to wear it as a bracelet all the time and the fitbit seems like a fancy pedometer to me. If it were cheaper, I'd consider getting both the fitbit and HRM but I'll be getting the HRM because I'm more concerned with figuring out how many calories I burn when I'm doing things like circuit/HIIT training than I am with how many steps I'm taking. I have a pedometer for that (which cost me far less, but doesn't have the cute little flower thing that grows as you near your goal).
  • 3Daughtersin2015
    3Daughtersin2015 Posts: 81 Member
    Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to ask for the Polar FT4 for my birthday this Friday.
  • Vic_of_Steel
    Vic_of_Steel Posts: 570 Member
    Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to ask for the Polar FT4 for my birthday this Friday.

    Good choice :) I have an FT7 and like i said I love it!
  • PastryWizKid
    PastryWizKid Posts: 23 Member
    HRM all the way for me, I think that steps taken and cals burned are not important. whats important for me is the level my heart is beating knowing that info helps you know what kinda workout your doing like cardio and it also increases the safety so you know not to push your self to much like (hey my heart is beating way to fast let me slow it down) but thats just my opinion
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I want to be sure I am using the calorie burned correctly. According to MFP with jazzercise and my walking I burned 1089 calories but my fitbit said my calories burned for the day was 1965. I have been using the MFP numbers but should I be using my fitbit numbers instead?

    thank you

    Fitbit shows you your total calories for the day including at rest (at rest mine says I still burn around 6 cals per minute and when I wake up in the morning I have already burned almost 700 calories already) MFP calories are workout entered calories only.


    I thought that fitbit chart on the website was telling me how many calories I was burning every 5 minutes. . . so at rest, it's 6 calories in 5 minutes.

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