A FitBit question

like a lot of other ppl said, smaller than i thought. i really like the weekly stats email you get. it tells you your total calories burned, miles walked, stairs climbed etc and whether that was in increase or decrease from last week. i just find it motivating overall, like when i get close to my daily goal up 10 flights of stairs or so many steps, i find myself going that extra little bit to meet the goal when otherwise i would never give it a thought. only 2 times i can remember there being synching problems but that's all.

"@5babs - those are pretty much my other questions. Another is: does it automatically guess how many calories you've burned, based on the pedometer part and your stats? Or does everything have to be manually logged? If anyone could expand on this part of the device, that would be great " - on the fitbit site you also have your gender, age, weight and height like on here so your estimated calorie burn is based on that. it's been farily accurate for me, but i would like to get a heart rate monitor for things like my circuit training DVDs because there is less movement so my calorie burn on the fitbit is lower than i think it really is. the fitbit doesn't factor in your intensity.

All devices, even an HRM, estimate the calorie burn based upon your stats. For exercise an HRM is going to be the most accurate and even then not 100%.

Had mine only a few days but it is keeping me motivated! I love it so far and it synced right up with MFP with no problem at all! Only thing is, I go to the YMCA to work out and I do not use it on the machines because the machines take into account age, weight, resistance and incline and gives a more accurate calorie burn. The Fitbit is great for wearing around the house, cleaning and going for walks, a.malls, grocery stores and such. It tracks all calories by steps. It also made me run up and down my stairs this evening because I was short in my stair goal. lol MOTIVATION!

The range of the sync to docking station would have been nice to know (but had I done better research I may have figured it out.) Not a breaking point, would've bought it anyway. Having a docking station kind of stinks, but then it has grown on me.

Figuring out the best place to wear it was the worst, I am still not positive I am getting the most accurate results but it is LOADS more accurate than a lot of the lower priced pedometers out there (plus it sends me love messages when I pick it up! BONUS!)

I feel naked when I don't have it. I panic if I can't feel it when I do a FitBit check (yes, I do those almost unconsciously now.)

The wrist band for sleeping/tracking your sleep us useless. Snap it to an article of your clothing, hit the GO button, and it logs your sleep anyway- the wristband was a pain in my rump, and it made me hyperaware of being monitored. Logical, no, sleepless nights? yes, lol.

They say you shouldn't get it wet, and I've had 2 very close calls. (Been halfway down river belly down on an inner-tube with it attached to my swimsuit strap. Oops!) I've abused the crap out of my poor FitBit and it hasn't disappointed me yet.

Battery life is NOT disappointing, there are eBadges to complete to keep you motivated, it logs multiple "Activities," you do NOT need to sync every day as it can hold quite a lot (30 days if I recall right,) it syncs with MFP and gets you a good estimated calorie burn - however it isn't as good as a HRM on calorie tracking. If you are looking for calorie count accuracy invest in a solid HRM - do not skip the FitBit based on calorie monitoring, include it as another tool. I use both when I do my workout walking or treadmill time.

Oh, a con. It asks for your stride length (to gauge what your step distance is for the day.) They do NOT actually want your stride (left toe to left heel) they are asking for your step (left toe to right heel) So you will have to go to a flat place, go for a walk at your usual pace and then measure that out. It is not a deal breaker for me.

I would LOVE to have it sync to my phone's android app for FitBit- yes they have a FitBit app, but its just a tracker- you can't sync with it. No bluetooth That would make it -amazing- for me, lol

I LOVE my fitbit. I will warn you that you may find yourself exhibting strange behavior such as walking out of your way to add extra steps or stairs.

^^ This. True story. I walked UP and AROUND the ramps of a parking garage today instead of taking the stairs up to the 2nd floor because I was behind on my step count for the day. Hubby thought I lost my mind. Maybe I have :laugh:

bump

Because it is so new, here's what I haven't figured out yet. I wear mine to work and at the end of the day, I've walked 3+ miles and burned 1000+ calories. I believe the 3 mile part but not the 1000+ calories. If i went for a walk and walked 2 mph, I would NOT burn 1000 calories. So I'm not sure how the FitBit calculates the calories. Is it including the calories I burn just for being alive? If so, isn't MFP already using that info when it calculates how many calories I get to eat each day? I haven't had a chance to figure it out yet.

I too am new to Fitbit. Mine arrived 3 days ago. Love the size and the fact that I can secure it pretty well anywhere on my person. Have checked it with a friend's Garmin and the distance is dead on. But I too question the calorie count.

Mine's new and the only problem I'm having is that it registers a LOT of steps when I'm driving. The roads are bumpy and the suspension on my car isn't the greatest, so I'll wind up with a couple hundred extra steps from a car ride. Once I even got five extra flights of stairs due to an underpass. Is there any way around this?

lol
Since your target is 10,000 steps a day, surely a couple hundred extra steps don't matter too much.

I LOVE mine....I wear it 24/7 except when in the shower or swimming...I clip mine to the front of my bra and it seem pretty accurate. I wish I could make it water proof because I swim alot. My weight loss has slowed since getting it to around a pound a week where as I was loosing faster because I was eating more than a 500 calorie deficit - it allowes me to more closeley monitor my daily calorie intake vs burn for healthier weight loss. It is tricky to sync, but I have learned that if I refresh fitbit after plugging it in and then open mfp that it will sync ok. sometimes it takes a few minutes - it doesn't transfer instantly and I sometimes have to refresh mfp. The only other thing is that mfp doesn't post fitbit adjustments as exercise on your wall, so your friends don't know if you have exercised. I like/need the encouragement I get from my friends, so I have just started posting when I exercise - I know that sounds silly but I don't like to exercise and some of my good friends are really into their workouts.

I love mine! Short and to the point LOVE

I like it.
Only thing that annoys me is that when I get home from work & I don't have anywhere else to go that my activity level goes down.
I come from work and have a decent adjustment, but at the end of the day nothing! lol.

I usually sync in the morning, when i come home at 3pm, and when I complete my log and go to sleep.