Fitbit

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Maebull
Maebull Posts: 14 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am thinking of purchasing a Fitbit. Is it worth the money?
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  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
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    Depends on what you want out of it.
    I got it and I'm addicted! It definately spurs me to park farther away, take the stairs, walk more. I started walking after work to hit my steps per day, and then said, heck no I can job this - and now I've registered for 5 races!

    It is not as accurate as I would like. I did a 4.3 mile run the other day and used the stop watch feature - and it came up as 3.8 miles. I live in a flat area (I mean no elevation change at all) and it will register flights of stairs when I clearly haven't logged any. For tracking my race training - it is not the tool I need. I have ordered a Garmin runners watch and when it comes in I am going to test them side by side and see what the differences are.

    I do like the linking between fitbit and MFP. MFP has a better food diary. Do not log in both places! I log food in MFP and let fitbit track it over. Do not manually enter any exercise you've done while wearing your fitbit. If you do then you are double counting your calories.

    I don't like the sleep tracker. I use it only to keep track of that time and not have it counted as sedentary.

    I also got the aria wireless scale - only for the body fat tracking. I do not know how accurate it is. I have noticed that when I'm retaining water and bloated, it seems to up my body fat quite a bit - seems like it is counting the water weight as fat.

    Overall, I love the fitbit. Love chcking in everyday and seeing if I've met my goals or got any badges for the day.

    PM me if you have any questions or want more info.

    Check here to get an idea of what kind of information you get from it
    http://www.fitbit.com/user/23B5ZC
  • teejay2039
    teejay2039 Posts: 35
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    I have one, L.O.V.E.!!! it! I haven't come across any "bad" reviews of it except for one guy, he didn't give it a bad review, just said it didn't really help him coz he was already "fit" and ran several miles a day...... If you need in-your-face motivation, and instant gratification, GET ONE! It has really helped me a *lot* to get more exercise..... challenges you to compete against yourself to get to that next level. I got up out of bed the other night and walked around the block coz I realized I only needed <500 more steps to reach my daily goal... if not for the fitbit "telling" me that, I would have stayed in the bed. LOL A friend of mine got one when she saw how mine motivated me, and she loves hers, too! Now..... the fiance' wants one too...... Check out fitbit.com, there's info there on what it does..... If you do, I'd go with the "One" .... same price as the Ultra (mine) but the "One" will sync with your Iphone..... Personally I recommend it 1000%! :)
  • pixelberry
    pixelberry Posts: 167 Member
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    If you want a little more motivation, it's worth it. I didn't want to buy one, instead got it for my birthday. Liking it so far!
  • Maebull
    Maebull Posts: 14 Member
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    Thank you all for your info, I will probably order one then. I can see myself getting obsessed with the steps! :smile: I bought a heart rate monitor a year ago and it was really hard to use. I hate that I wasted the money on that.
  • JenniferSpindel
    JenniferSpindel Posts: 56 Member
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    I too have a FitBit Ultra and I am totally in love with it! Since I connected it with MFP i've had to adjust some things, and I dont' double log my excercise/food. I do my food in MFP and let fit bit adjust my workouts....

    I would DEFINITELY recommend it.... for someone like me who needs/wants that constant motivation, and is a gamer.... it's fun and it's working well.
  • LiveLaffLoseLove
    LiveLaffLoseLove Posts: 104
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    I agree with everyone else!!! I love mine too!!! I was hesitant at first, but its fun to watch it climb and your flower grow!!!!
  • machinegunchristy
    machinegunchristy Posts: 6
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    I find my fitbit (ultra) to be pretty accurate steps and distance-wise. I live in a hilly area, so I appreciate getting flights credit for those--I'm not sure how accurate that portion is, but it definitely gets my apartment stairs right. I think it's motivating when I'm in the right frame of mind. An annoying reminder of how sedentary my natural life is when I'm not in the mood to get out and walk. :)
  • kayc6670
    kayc6670 Posts: 13
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    Love it!!! i agree not acurate on stairs, but it keeps me motivated to keep moving...
  • MissMaryMac33
    MissMaryMac33 Posts: 1,433 Member
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    If you don't care about the sleep tracker piece, order the new FitBit zip -- its only $60 and does all the other stuff -- just no sleep tracking.
  • bigsisterdice
    bigsisterdice Posts: 51
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    It is not as accurate as I would like. I did a 4.3 mile run the other day and used the stop watch feature - and it came up as 3.8 miles.

    All this means is that you need to figure out what your personal stride length is for walking vs. running and input it into your information on your fitbit settings - obviously yours is longer than the default one, but it's an easy fix :)
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
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    It is not as accurate as I would like. I did a 4.3 mile run the other day and used the stop watch feature - and it came up as 3.8 miles.

    All this means is that you need to figure out what your personal stride length is for walking vs. running and input it into your information on your fitbit settings - obviously yours is longer than the default one, but it's an easy fix :)

    No. That does not solve the problem. I do the same route every day and it got the distance right on sunday but then deleted all my data for it - the thing that shows now is the time. Some of my fitbit groups have also reported that it is off by up to a half mile at times. So for a running trainer, I would not recommend it.
  • kaylalryan
    kaylalryan Posts: 136 Member
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    Thanks for asking! I was just researching them ;-)
  • MissMormie
    MissMormie Posts: 359 Member
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    My fitbit died 2 weeks ago while on holiday. Until then I did not know I was an addict. The thing is amazing, it makes me get up and walk, just because the number changes. Occasionally I'll see at 3 in the afternoon on a lazy Sunday that I've not yet done 1000 steps and that for me is reason enough to get outside and walk. I notice immediately that now it's broken I'm not getting in as many steps. Luckily I'm expecting a free replacement one by the end of the week.

    Just be clear on what it does. It measure steps and 'floors'. It doesn't yell at you to get off the couch. It will only help you if you're the type of person that's motivated by numbers or colourful statistics.
  • trackercasey76
    trackercasey76 Posts: 780 Member
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    I love mine, Just remember it is just a tool and you still need to use common sense.
  • Kelly0572
    Kelly0572 Posts: 50 Member
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    I also got mine two months ago and love it as well , including the sleep tracker part :)
  • Broejen
    Broejen Posts: 414 Member
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    I got my FitBit a month ago and love love LOVE it! I wear it 24/7 besides taking a shower. I find it makes me want to be more active. I love getting past 10,000 steps a day!
  • Maebull
    Maebull Posts: 14 Member
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    Thank you all for the feedback!
  • mizfrankie
    mizfrankie Posts: 100
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    If you wear it during an exercise class will it also tell you how many calories you've burned? Even though you're not technically "going" anywhere? Does it measure your heart rate also?
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
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    If you wear it during an exercise class will it also tell you how many calories you've burned? Even though you're not technically "going" anywhere? Does it measure your heart rate also?

    Fitbit is not a HR montior.

    I think mine has been pretty acurate for measuring cals burned during my runs. Can't say if it would be accurate in a fitness class.
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
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    It's just a pedometer. But, it is extremely motivating when you log in to your dashboard and add some friends to compete against, join some of the forums, etc. So to that extent, I'd say it's an investment in your health and fitness.

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