Who has a Fitbit? And does it really help?

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Replies

  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
    Also, it is (was on sale) at 24hourfitness.com this week...I'm not sure when the sale ends, but it is a good deal. And yes, it is essentially a glorified pedometer.

    http://mystore.24hourfitness.com/product_details.php?item=898628002021&pf_id=898628002021

    current price is $79.95 (Regularly $99)

    Great info, thanks!!!
  • think48
    think48 Posts: 366 Member
    I love my fitbit! The main reason is that my activity is up and down so I have MFP set at sedentary, my fitbit then compensates (adds to) my calorie bank as I use them. When I exercise I enter all that separately. I just feels like this give me a more accurate balance.

    Thank you, this is a precise answer. :)
  • Crucker73
    Crucker73 Posts: 53 Member
    I've had my Fitbit for about a month now and I have lost some weight. I think its because I am aware of when I'm sedentary and its becomes a goal of mine to get to the 10,000 steps per day. It definitely makes you aware of how active/non-active you are.

    I would definitely recommend it.
  • juicemoogan
    juicemoogan Posts: 994 Member
    it really depends what you are looking for in a gizmo.

    I have the Fitbit Zip - approx $50.00 does not track sleep or flights of stairs climbed.
    Does track steps, distance and daily calorie burn.

    It is an estimate based on your personal info - age, weight height, sex, and the activity that it reads from your motion.
    It does give you a total daily estimate which you can more accurately tailor your diet to.
    Eg average your daily burn # and deduct 500 cals from that # and set your calorie intake goal to that to lose 1 lb a week.

    The website offers good graphs that i think are better than MFP's graphing functions.

    Just like anything its not magic - using it suddenly will not make you lose weight. its a tool to give you more information.
    How you use that information and apply it will determine if you lose weight or not.
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
    I have a fitbit, and agree that I feel like it keeps everything more accurate because my activity level is all over the place. I also have a Fitbit Aria scale, which is awesome and is now integrated here :)

    Speaking of which... It's time for me to get off my lazy backside and get moving ;)
  • mkzara
    mkzara Posts: 73 Member
    I have had my fitbit for almost 2 months and I love it. I definitely feel like I do more just so I don't feel like a giant fatty when I look at my fitbit at the end of the day.

    The fitbit doesn't make you do anything but for someone like me who likes to track my fitness, this helps a great deal. I love being able to see how much I did over the life of having the fitbit or how my walking changed my calories spent.

    If you are someone who is motivated by detailed information of your steps, and like to walk as part of your fitness it's a great tool.

    I dont user the sleep thing so can't speak to that
  • c8linmarie
    c8linmarie Posts: 358 Member
    There are similar posts on the message board. I followed a couple of them and what I took away was if you had to choose between the Fitbit or HRM, the HRM is the way to go. I was looking into buying a Fitbit or upgrading my HRM. I bought a Polar FT60 and have no regrets. I think the Fitbit is a neat gadget but would not be useful for MY goals. I workout (lifting and/or cardio) 5-6 days a week so meeting a daily step goal isn't important to me.
    I have yet to hear a Fitbit owner NOT liking it so if you think it will help you reach your goals and purchase one I don't think it's a bad thing.


    I guess I will be the first to say, I absolutely hate it!!

    Just a few days ago, it told me I burned 4244 calories in the 7 hours I spent ASLEEP, from midnight to 7AM.

    Yesterday, I walked 11 miles, took over 26,000 steps and burned just over 1,000 calories. According to my BodyMedia, my TDEE for the day was 2536. According to Fitbit: 1867 TDEE, 1545 of which was burned during the walk, and I only took 19,023 steps :huh:
  • PayneAS
    PayneAS Posts: 669 Member
    I LOVE my FitBit and have been wearing it since I got it at the end of February. For my actual workouts I do use my Polar FT7 (but still keep my FitBit on). If you log your HRM workout accurately you won't "double up" your calorie burns. I've never had a problem.
  • gloriaandison
    gloriaandison Posts: 15
    I have one, and absolutely love it-my "consience in my pocket"! I've never climbed stairs in my life because I wanted to, but now I do! It keeps me honest, and so does my Aria Scale-best investment in my health I've made.
  • Lrdoflamancha
    Lrdoflamancha Posts: 1,280 Member
    I love my fitbit! The main reason is that my activity is up and down so I have MFP set at sedentary, my fitbit then compensates (adds to) my calorie bank as I use them. When I exercise I enter all that separately. I just feels like this give me a more accurate balance.

    Exactly right. Take heed of what folks said about the Fitbit and workouts. It is fine for walking or running but it gives crazy readings on any machines.
  • Libby81
    Libby81 Posts: 734 Member
    I have had my fitbit for a few weeks now, and although I was initially a little disappointed, I love it now. I wear it all the time and I find that it motivates me to get up and move a little. Some days I find myself going up and down the stairs an extra few times just to get a badge lol
    I love my fitbit! The main reason is that my activity is up and down so I have MFP set at sedentary, my fitbit then compensates (adds to) my calorie bank as I use them. When I exercise I enter all that separately. I just feels like this give me a more accurate balance.

    Exactly right. Take heed of what folks said about the Fitbit and workouts. It is fine for walking or running but it gives crazy readings on any machines.

    this is how I have mine set up too
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    I was actually talking to my boyfriend about my fitbit last night-I have one and yes, it does help. I wear it all the time-while I work out and while I'm at work. I use my HRM though for when I work out cause it's easier for me to figure out the calories and I enter in the time I worked out and what I did through MFP. I'm an admin specialist so it's easy for me to sit at my desk before I realize it, it's 3 hours later. This helps cause I can refresh my page and see where I am step wise and if I need to get my butt walking around the office just to walk
  • MIM49
    MIM49 Posts: 255 Member
    Also, it is (was on sale) at 24hourfitness.com this week...I'm not sure when the sale ends, but it is a good deal. And yes, it is essentially a glorified pedometer.

    http://mystore.24hourfitness.com/product_details.php?item=898628002021&pf_id=898628002021

    current price is $79.95 (Regularly $99)

    Coming out with a new one --called ONE--an improvement over the Ultra. So you may find reduced prices for the Ultra.
  • laylaness
    laylaness Posts: 262 Member
    I have a Fitbit, and I was obsessed at first. Eventually, though, it became redundant for me, because I walk from my house to the train and from the train to work, and all around the city at lunch, then the same return route home. I'm pretty consistent in terms of daily walking, about 2.5 miles a day. If I walk more than normal, I don't log it, I just consider it part of my activity level, which I set to moderate.

    What did help me immensely was the Polar FT4 HRM (thanks, MFP boards!). I found I was logging less calories burned than I actually burned in some cases. I only wear it for workouts, but it's so much more accurate than what MFP calculates for me.
  • SandCarbo3
    SandCarbo3 Posts: 4
    I love my Fit Bit Ultra. It really keeps me motivated to get my 10,000 or more steps in per day and also to get 10 flights of steps in per day. There are times when I might have 2000 steps to go and I'll squeeze in a walk to get those done for the day.

    Plus when I do extra exercise workouts, I push the button to get a "specific calorie count of calories burned" in tasks that are harder to track, such as dog agility classes I do once a week at night.

    It's totally worth the $ and I will be getting the Fit Bit One in the near future so it will sync with my Iphone also.

    ~ Sandra Carbonell
  • Kerri_is_so_very
    Kerri_is_so_very Posts: 999 Member
    Also, it is (was on sale) at 24hourfitness.com this week...I'm not sure when the sale ends, but it is a good deal. And yes, it is essentially a glorified pedometer.

    http://mystore.24hourfitness.com/product_details.php?item=898628002021&pf_id=898628002021

    current price is $79.95 (Regularly $99)

    Coming out with a new one --called ONE--an improvement over the Ultra. So you may find reduced prices for the Ultra.

    How is the the ONE any better, different than the ULTRA? I just read what it does and all I see that is different is more emphasis on the sleep monitoring....which I don't use it at night any way. Does anyone know what is different betwee the two? I was hoping it would come out with an HRM combo unit with bluetooth technology. A chest strap that syncs with the fitbit dashboard and updates cals burned for workouts other than walking/running or steps. NOW that would be the ONE for me!!!
  • Donna6017
    Donna6017 Posts: 176 Member
    After reading all these replies, I just ordered the Fitbit. Thanks everyone, can't wait to get it. I pre ordered the One.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    I love my fitbit! The main reason is that my activity is up and down so I have MFP set at sedentary, my fitbit then compensates (adds to) my calorie bank as I use them. When I exercise I enter all that separately. I just feels like this give me a more accurate balance.

    I have a similar process. My diet is based on a calisthenics regimen that, as it is designed, puts me in the "Moderately Active" for caluclating caloric needs on its own without additional exercise. But I do additional running / walking workouts on top of that, PLUS the "static"- walking around, going up and down staris, chasing my dog when she won't come in from the yard, etc. that I do in the course of my day. The FitBit helps to make sure I include that additional work in my calculations.

    The only issue I have with it is that I sometimes forget to put it on. Yesterday, for example, I didn't wear it at all. The result was that my FitBit adjustment REDUCED my daily calorie target because FitBit thought I wasn't moving when, in reality, I was quite active but the reader was sitting on my dresser. Still, the benefits outweigh this occasional annoyance.
  • sgall123
    sgall123 Posts: 133 Member
    I love my fitbit, but just a word to the wise -- if you have a mac, syncing may be a PITA. I've gone back and forth with support and basically, if I close my laptop -- a macbook pro -- I have to uninstall and reinstall it (it takes about 4 minutes total for me) for it to sync. So now during the day I leave it open, and just do the uninstall/reinstall in the mornings. They said that it is a problem that some mac users experience, and their engineers are working on a permanent fix.
    strange!!.. I have a MacBook Air & no problems what so ever!!!
  • sgall123
    sgall123 Posts: 133 Member
    After reading all these replies, I just ordered the Fitbit. Thanks everyone, can't wait to get it. I pre ordered the One.
    I had the ultra... Got rid as thought it was a fad then I actually missed it lol so bought the zip but I now have the one on pre order too!!... Love how it syncs via Bluetooth to my phone so all the data is in live time!!!
  • jessica3479
    jessica3479 Posts: 18 Member
    I have the fitbit and have order the one. I love it. I am addicted to it. I bought one for my wife and two friends. Everyone I know that owns one loves it. I like that I can track my sleep and all of my activities. It really cuts down on the guess work about the calories burned. Then you can control your intake based on actual calories burned instead of just guessing. It really helps a lot. But I keep mine synced all day. I am a bit obsessed. But I have also lost 49 lbs and dropped 10" off my waist. I am very fit.

    Can you by me one?
  • datscheff
    datscheff Posts: 6
    Also, it is (was on sale) at 24hourfitness.com this week...I'm not sure when the sale ends, but it is a good deal. And yes, it is essentially a glorified pedometer.

    http://mystore.24hourfitness.com/product_details.php?item=898628002021&pf_id=898628002021

    current price is $79.95 (Regularly $99)

    Amazon.com $73.95 + Free Shipping...Just a FYI :)
  • mwitt07
    mwitt07 Posts: 77 Member
    I just ordered one and can't wait to start using it.
  • fitQueenbeast
    fitQueenbeast Posts: 298
    My boyfriend bought me the Ultra and the Aria scale. Mannnn, both are AWESOME!!! Just started using both today and I'm still trying to understand what it all means and how it works together with MFP....blah blah blah lol

    Erica

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