FitBit or BodyMedia Link?
LadyIvysMom
Posts: 391 Member
I’m torn between a Fitbit and a BodyMedia Fit Link.
My primary concern with a device like this is accuracy and ease of use.
From what I can see, from reviews I’ve read, they both have pros and cons.
FitBit Cons:
Not as accurate, according to some reviews
Have to take extra time to calculate time spent driving/riding the train etc.
Apparently has to be used in connection with MFP; unclear if I can just log the data (ie. calories burned) manually? I’d prefer to just enter the calories burned manually on MFP.
BodyMedia Fit Link Cons:
Mandatory $6.95/month fee to see your data
Bulky and visible under clothing
Honestly not sure if my computer can run the software… My computer is at least 8 years old, no frills, and runs on Windows. I’m not sure which version. I almost never use the computer, I do everything internet/email related from my iPhone.
I’m just really not sure. I’m leaning toward the BodyMedia Fit Link right now, despite the costs, because it appears to be more accurate. But is it *really* that much more accurate that the $6.95 a month is worth it? Is it that much more accurate that it’s worth having to have a bulge under my sleeves all the time?
Please help me decide. What are your pros and cons with each device and what would you choose?
My primary concern with a device like this is accuracy and ease of use.
From what I can see, from reviews I’ve read, they both have pros and cons.
FitBit Cons:
Not as accurate, according to some reviews
Have to take extra time to calculate time spent driving/riding the train etc.
Apparently has to be used in connection with MFP; unclear if I can just log the data (ie. calories burned) manually? I’d prefer to just enter the calories burned manually on MFP.
BodyMedia Fit Link Cons:
Mandatory $6.95/month fee to see your data
Bulky and visible under clothing
Honestly not sure if my computer can run the software… My computer is at least 8 years old, no frills, and runs on Windows. I’m not sure which version. I almost never use the computer, I do everything internet/email related from my iPhone.
I’m just really not sure. I’m leaning toward the BodyMedia Fit Link right now, despite the costs, because it appears to be more accurate. But is it *really* that much more accurate that the $6.95 a month is worth it? Is it that much more accurate that it’s worth having to have a bulge under my sleeves all the time?
Please help me decide. What are your pros and cons with each device and what would you choose?
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Replies
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I am in the same boat as you. Interested in seeing responses. Based on all the reviews and studies, the bodymedia provides a lot better and more accurate information but has the extra cost. It guess it comes down to, what do you want to see and is it worth the $7 a month.0
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It guess it comes down to, what do you want to see and is it worth the $7 a month.
That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. Both myself and my dad (who is a tech geek that is buying the device for me as a b-day gift) have done quite a bit of research online but I'm still confused.0 -
I got the bodymedia a few years ago and could never get it to work on my computer. Corresponded with them for a while trying to get it to work and finally just gave up. I now have a fitbit and really like it. I don't have the issue with it counting steps in the car maybe I have a smoother car or smoother roads than people having that problem. It's very easy to use in my opinion and accurate enough. It doesn't have to be used with MFP.0
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Thank you.
Good to know it can be used seperate from MFP.0 -
I have a FitBit, too, and have never had any issues accumulating steps in any way other than walking or running.
In the FitBit dashboard you can manually add calories burned in the log activity feature. I personally prefer to integrate mine with MFP so I have everything in one place, but it's nice to know they don't have to work together.0 -
I LOVE my Fitbit!!!
FitBit Cons:
Not as accurate, according to some reviews.
Have to take extra time to calculate time spent driving/riding the train etc.
Apparently has to be used in connection with MFP; unclear if I can just log the data (ie. calories burned) manually? I’d prefer to just enter the calories burned manually on MFP.
I find it VERY accurate in calculating the things I need it to.
I don't think you can calculate it for time spent driving. It is a motion detector (steps, stairs climbed) & calorie intake recorder
It does NOT have to be used with MFP, but I find it easier this way because when I record my meals on MFP, it sends the information to the Fitbit website.0 -
***gained weight -- never lost -- with BMF*** sold it on eBay months ago. i feel like the device way overestimates burns. plus it's fairly large and needs to be worn on your arm.
(just my 2 cents)0 -
I’m torn between a Fitbit and a BodyMedia Fit Link.
My primary concern with a device like this is accuracy and ease of use.
From what I can see, from reviews I’ve read, they both have pros and cons.
FitBit Cons:
Not as accurate, according to some reviews
Have to take extra time to calculate time spent driving/riding the train etc.
Apparently has to be used in connection with MFP; unclear if I can just log the data (ie. calories burned) manually? I’d prefer to just enter the calories burned manually on MFP.
BodyMedia Fit Link Cons:
Mandatory $6.95/month fee to see your data
Bulky and visible under clothing
Honestly not sure if my computer can run the software… My computer is at least 8 years old, no frills, and runs on Windows. I’m not sure which version. I almost never use the computer, I do everything internet/email related from my iPhone.
I’m just really not sure. I’m leaning toward the BodyMedia Fit Link right now, despite the costs, because it appears to be more accurate. But is it *really* that much more accurate that the $6.95 a month is worth it? Is it that much more accurate that it’s worth having to have a bulge under my sleeves all the time?
Please help me decide. What are your pros and cons with each device and what would you choose?
I'm not sure about the bodymedia fit link, but I have a fitbit.
Fitbit seems pretty close to accurate to me, My TDEE is around 1800 and that's usually what comes up if I don't do any exercises. My fitbit has NEVER calculated driving time. I've watched it closely, it hasn't added a single step during drive time, however i have heard that people have this issue. I don't. It does NOT have to be used with myfitnesspal, idk where you heard that, but you don't have to add it here. IF you do have it synced with mfp, Fitbit will add all the extra walking you do, but you can take it off of your exercise each day. I love my fitbit, but I've never used the body media. I think Fitbit is great, some people seem to say it's inaccurate and counts steps as you drive and whatever, but as for me, I've never had any of those issues with it. I've had it for about 2 months now.
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I've had both, and the fitbit is my favorite. It calculates calories just as accurately for me as my BodyMedia device, doesn't cost extra, and slips in my pocket. I am no longer asked 'what that thing is' or if I am a diabetic.0
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I LOVE my Fitbit. I do not have it linked with mfp. I watch both, however. I love to beat yesterday's number of flights of stairs walked, or notice when I am not sleeping enough. I don't know much about the Bodymedia, but I can't say enough good things about my fitbit.
As an aside, I lost the wriststrap that you can wear when you sleep (it's black, and got left behind while traveling-- they need to come out with some colored straps!). You can't (yet) buy them separately, so the company sent me one for free. Good stuff. That kind of customer service goes a long way with me.0 -
I've ordered bodymedia link. It actually has blue tooth, so u can synce it with ur phone, so it's possible that u wouldn't even have to use ur computer if u dont want to
As for fitbit, my coach had one and didn't like it. Also, I read a review for it & the fit bit is based on movement. The reviewer said when they jiggled their leg, it thought they were runnin around the building.0 -
I had a plain pedometer for years, so I got a Fitbit. I really like how it puts in my exercise calories for me. Altho maybe not totally accurate, but close enough for me. Also I like that it is small & not really noticeable. I like the sleep tracking, too.0
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I LOVE my FitBit. I have used it since February and wear it everyday. I used to spend about 6 hours a day driving and never had issues with it adding steps while driving. I still use MFP and let it sync. The only negative I know is that you don't get actual calories burned when doing exercises such as videos, weights, etc. I wear mine on my bra and never know it is there. I also link it to earndit.com in order to build credits for free stuff. I recommend it to everyone.0
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I have the BodyMedia and know that it works! When I use it, it does a great job (just like when I count calories, I loose weight). I've never had a problem with it syncing to my computer but my computers only about 4 years old. However, I still use MFP to log my food and just put the "total" into the BodyMedia sight every night to determine my deficit. I do this mainly because I already have most of my foods in MFP and don't want to take the time to add them to BM. Also, MFP seems a little more user friendly when it comes to adding food, but that could be just because I haven't played with it much.
The BM is bulky, and you will get a lot of questions, but it just reminds me that I am doing something good for myself!0 -
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Jacwhite22/view/fitbit-review-250398
FYI several people have used both side by side and have been pretty close....In many cases the fitbit actually underestimated a bit.0 -
I also have a FitBit and have yet to find anything that I don't like about it. I don't have any issues with it logging in the car or seeming to be inaccurate. Very easy to use and set up. Love it.0
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I absolutely love my fitbit. It keeps me motivated to reach my goals. And... I have had not problems with it.0
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I actually own both.
LOVE LOVE the body media arm band. Syncs well and provides incredible information. It measures calories much differently than the Fit bit. The ONLY issue I have with it is with the arm band. It irritated my skin to start, and now when I put it on I have sensations in my arm I didn't otherwise have.....? Called Body Media and they told me to discontinue use and to see a dr.
SO I bought the Fit Bit. Was contemplating taking it back when I learned it would sync with MFP. I PREFER MFP food log and database to ANY OTHER. I DO NOT have time to "enter" food for these sites, so this was great news to me. I am having difficulty seeing any changes on MFP once I have synced the FIT BIT, but that is another post entirely. If it doesn't sync properly and help me in MFP, I will probably return it.
We will see how I like it once I get the FIT BIT up and running. I can tell you this. Calories burned on the FIT BIT are far less than Body Media.
Hope this helps! Your friend in Losing! Michelle0 -
I LOVE my Fitbit!!!
FitBit Cons:
Not as accurate, according to some reviews.
Have to take extra time to calculate time spent driving/riding the train etc.
Apparently has to be used in connection with MFP; unclear if I can just log the data (ie. calories burned) manually? I’d prefer to just enter the calories burned manually on MFP.
I find it VERY accurate in calculating the things I need it to.
I don't think you can calculate it for time spent driving. It is a motion detector (steps, stairs climbed) & calorie intake recorder
It does NOT have to be used with MFP, but I find it easier this way because when I record my meals on MFP, it sends the information to the Fitbit website.
Love my FitBit - have had it for only a couple of weeks and am sorry I did not get it sooner - definitely motivates me to me to move more, did not realize how little I was moving - love the sleep tracking, easy to set up, extremely accurate in my opinion. I have also had friends who actually washed it and they contacted customer service and they replaced it for them. Absolutely love it!
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I have a bodymedia and I enjoy using it. I will say that I tend to be more dedicated to using it during the cooler months as it does look a little silly and people would ask me about it when I wore short sleeves, but under long/er sleeves it's barely noticeable. I think it is accurate and the software gives you much more realistic goals than even MFP, in terms of how many calories to eat. Another benefit of using it is that I am aware of it and so try to do things with a bit more enthusiasm :-) Last night, for instance, I had gotten home and plugged it in. I wanted to drink a glass of wine but also needed to burn about 170 more calories. So I took my wine glass for a walk :-) It encourages me to be more active, which is a great advantage to me. In terms of weight loss, I've only just started using it again, but I have been successful in the past with losing a few pounds here and there. I'm never very dedicated, though, so trying to work on that. A good friend of mine lost 20 pounds prior to her wedding using it. A from my perspective, $7.00 is less than what some people spend on coffee in a day, and that's over one month! So yes, I think $6.95 is a bargain.0
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I have a Fitbit Ultra, I love it!! I've never heard of BodyMedia Link so can't offer you a comparison.
You can log all your stats on fitbit.com, although I do it on MFP simply because my iphone app allows me to scan the barcode of food items and so saves masses of time inputting data.
I was not aware that there were accuracy issues with the fitbit, it appears to work very well for me.
Interesting fact: the fitbit knows when I am in a lift and doesn't count how many floors I have gone up with the altimeter, so I don't understand why it would count steps when I am in the car. xx0 -
You can use fit bit with out MFP. It calcs everything on it's own. I love the sync feature though. I've only had mine a couple weeks and I love it!0
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I LOVE my FitBit! and the fact that it links up with MFP makes things SO much easier. I like using it to track my sleep too. It helps keep me motivated and I now set little goals for how many steps I walk on a day of work, a day or school or a day off. I even walk around my apartment studying sometimes to get some more steps in! or run up and down the stairs in my apartment to get some more activity. I think it's fantastic and well worth the money! and it's so easy to clip onto jeans or even onto the middle of your bra.0
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Fitbit seems pretty close to accurate to me, My TDEE is around 1800 and that's usually what comes up if I don't do any exercises. My fitbit has NEVER calculated driving time. I've watched it closely, it hasn't added a single step during drive time, however i have heard that people have this issue. I don't. It does NOT have to be used with myfitnesspal, idk where you heard that, but you don't have to add it here. IF you do have it synced with mfp, Fitbit will add all the extra walking you do, but you can take it off of your exercise each day. I love my fitbit, but I've never used the body media. I think Fitbit is great, some people seem to say it's inaccurate and counts steps as you drive and whatever, but as for me, I've never had any of those issues with it. I've had it for about 2 months now.
This is good to know. I just got my fitbit in the mail this week and have not had time to set it up yet. I have several friends that have them and LOVE them. I also like the fact that it records your sleep activity. I have horrible insomnia so am anxious to see what it shows in that area and see what I can do to improve my sleep.
Also, I walk up and down stairs all day long at work so am interested to see the total count--- it may even encourage me to do more stairs throughout the day to see if I can break my record from the day before :-)0 -
I have both. I bought the body media first. I was fairly happy with it, however, there were a few issues that led me to switch to fitbit:
The bulky armband was one issue. I really got tired of all the questions. Also, I got tired of having it displayed everytime a wanted to wear something with a short sleeve! It looks "sporty" with fitness apparel, but otherwise I felt like it was unattactive with most of my work clothes. The phone app never functioned correctly for me. The computer site is o.k., but the food database was horrible. I found it very difficult to search for foods. If you don't know exactly how a food is titled then it will not find it when you search. Very frustrating. When my subscription expired, I decided I would rather pay $99 for fitbit since there is no monthly fee for the service, and save money in the long run.
I wear my fitbit in the center of my bra. I love that! It is not visible at all under my clothes! I feel that it estimates my activity/calorie burn just as well as the bodymedia. I love the mobile app, and the website. I do not use their food database much because I log my food via MFP. I LOVE that MFP sends my data to fitbit! (not possible w/ body media). I also joined earnedit, so my activity points allow me to get rewards. I love that on the fitbit there is a display so I can see my progress throughout the day!!0 -
We will see how I like it once I get the FIT BIT up and running. I can tell you this. Calories burned on the FIT BIT are far less than Body Media.
...i am not surprised that you find the BMF seems to overestimate...0 -
Hi there thought I'd chime in since I have a BodyBugg, which I beleive is from BodyMedia? Anyhow here's how I look at it. First both my husband and I had one in the past and sold it on Craigslist. When I started to think about losing weight I knew I wanted a gadget again. We got fitbit's and quickly returned them, they just didn't have all that useful and motivational info which works for me. I too was like great..now we have to pay a monthly subscription fee times 2, but honestly we spend that on eating out fastfood. SO I thought It would be better on our health and pocket to justify the fee that way. I've been using it for 3 weeks now. The inital one was defective right out of the box they quickly replaced it and I have had a day or two I have forgot to put it on after charging but the fact that I knew I'd spent the money on it was haunting me so I quickly put it back on. My Husband and I constantly snub each other all day long playfuly of course to see who can out do the other with steps and calories burned each day:) Now we both volunteer to take the trash out or check the mail anything we can do to one-up the others steps for the day! It really is a motivational tool that gives Awesome knowledge of how your body is working for you...as long as you input the data. Which leads me to why I joined MFP I log my food here beucase of it's extensive database and the forum looks cool too, I need all the support and motivation a girl can get;) But the database for the bodybug is seriously lacking!!! Again I'm willing to pay the monthly fee becuase of all the other info IT does offer. Hope this helps0
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I just bought my FitBit 2-1/2 weeks ago along with their Aria scale. It's a great motivator to get me off my bum, however, something went awry with the downloaded software and I wasn't able to sync my FitBit to the computer for days. Customer service finally responded to my inquiry and basically told me to re-download and start from there. I was out of commission for about 4 days. I did notice that I wasn't as motivated because I didn't have to be as accountable. All that said, I decided to check out MFP and really love the way it works for me. The food diary is incredible and has tons more foods listed (even stuff I knew wasn't going to be on there --- WRONG, it was!). I now use my FitBit to track my steps only but use MFP for everything else. I find the FitBit website less inclusive as the MFP. If you want something more serious, I'd look to something else.0
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What about the Nike Fuel band? Seems like it might be a good fit for iphone users since it is so tightly integrated.0
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I’m torn between a Fitbit and a BodyMedia Fit Link.
My primary concern with a device like this is accuracy and ease of use.
From what I can see, from reviews I’ve read, they both have pros and cons.
FitBit Cons:
Not as accurate, according to some reviews
Have to take extra time to calculate time spent driving/riding the train etc.
Apparently has to be used in connection with MFP; unclear if I can just log the data (ie. calories burned) manually? I’d prefer to just enter the calories burned manually on MFP.
Please help me decide. What are your pros and cons with each device and what would you choose?
I LOVE MY FITBIT!
I probably don't use mine like most people...I only track my exercises versus wearing it all day.
The accuracy is better than MFP, and comparable to a few random websites I had searched.
You don't have to link it to MFP...if you do it will show an "adjustment" everyday. I got annoyed with that and unlinked it.
I just enter my stats into MFP from the FitBit record log.
I wouldn't trade it anything else!0
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