Fitbit or Polar HRM? Please help me decide!!

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  • livitup85
    livitup85 Posts: 231 Member
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    Just bought a Polar FT4. Can't wait to try it out at the gym tonight.
  • BobOki
    BobOki Posts: 245 Member
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    These are two different things.

    Fitbit is only meant to track your steps through the day. Polar is meant to track your heart during intense exercise. Apples to oranges.

    I have both. I wear fitbit all day to track all steps (syncs with mfp). The polar is used if I am jogging or lifting (I have the reps one) to make sure I do not overdo it, and to track heart health etcetc.
  • t2kburl
    t2kburl Posts: 123 Member
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    In my opinion, your best bet is to let the routine activities of your day go uncounted, since you were probably doing those things when you gained the weight. Then use a HRM for your workouts to get accurate burns. and just log those.

    I have both, and found the fitbit somewhat useless after a while, as it was nearly the same every day. I simply changed my MFP settings from sedentary to Lightly Active and moved on. I LOVE my Polar FT7!!! It has guided me through several different workout cycles.
  • grelca
    grelca Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm waiting for the Fitbit Flex to come out.. I know I would have trouble remembering a clip-on, so something you wear all the time would be waay better for me.

    For calories burned a HRM will probably be way more accurate.
  • Ibarra951
    Ibarra951 Posts: 19 Member
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    I have used a Polar HRM for some time and I find that it's awesome for keeping track of my HR during Cardio. It sync's with the cardio machines in my gym so I don't have to keep my hands on those silver heart rate readers (whatever you call them).

    The thing I like about the FitBit is that it has Smartphone connectivity, so you can do more with it in terms of keeping track of your steps taken during the day or estimated calroies burnt over the course of your day.

    It really depends on your goals and what your trying to use it for.

    If your trying to keep track of your numbers over the course of your day, I would reccomened the FitBit. BUT! Since money is not a problem, I would HIGHY suggest a Motoactiv by Motorola or the Nike+ Fuel Band. Both do a great job at keeping track of your progress over the course of a day.

    If your just trying to keep track of your heart rate during gym time, go for the Polar HRM. I find it difficult to deal with keeping the strap on my chest after 2 or so hours. It just stays all sweaty under the band, and you have this wierd bump protruding from your shirt...
  • chrissylovescj
    chrissylovescj Posts: 117 Member
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    I plan to increase my exericse over the next few weeks. Right now, I am on Day 18 of 30DS and I wondered if the fitbit would be able to gage calories burned?? As the weather warms up, I will incorporate walking/jogging, along with elliptical workouts.
  • Run4UrHealth
    Run4UrHealth Posts: 348 Member
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    I have both...I like the fitbit to challenge myself to move more and climb more stairs during the day to reach my goals but I absolutely have to use my Polar HRM w/ chest strap during my workouts for accurate calorie burning!
  • BlairCottier
    BlairCottier Posts: 171 Member
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    I have a Polar FT7 and LOVE it!!! Polars and Fitbits do completely different things so it just depends on what you want to use it for. If you want something that will give you your calories burned for any type of workout, go with a Polar. If you want something to wear all day to get you motivated to move more, get a fitbit. Polar's are very accurate with heart rate if you get a chest strap and watch system. Some even give you which "zone" you are working out in, whether it is the "fat burn" zone or the "fitness" zone. That is what the FT7 does and I love that. The FT7 also stores your info so you can go back and compare you heart rates to see how your fitness level is getting better. Good luck! Feel free to message me if you want more info, because I did tons of research on HRM's before purchasing mine.
  • Ibarra951
    Ibarra951 Posts: 19 Member
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    Polar HRM will do a better job of tracking calories.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
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    I plan to increase my exericse over the next few weeks. Right now, I am on Day 18 of 30DS and I wondered if the fitbit would be able to gage calories burned?? As the weather warms up, I will incorporate walking/jogging, along with elliptical workouts.

    A HRM would be better for calculating the calorie burn since you're doing exercises, like crunches, that don't register on the fitbit because you're not taking a step.
  • smaihlee
    smaihlee Posts: 171 Member
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    I now have both a Fitbit One and a Polar FT4 HRM. I researched the Fitbit vs other trackers and liked its features best, so I asked my husband to give it to me for Christmas. I have worn it diligently every day since and LOVE it. I especially love tracking my sleep.

    After reading lots of posts on MFP I decided to also get the HRM to track my workouts. Just started using that this week and it has been very interesting to see what I'm actually burning vs. what MFP estimates vs. what I estimate. As everyone has said, the HRM is not something you wear 24/7 and it's only going to be useful to track workouts. That is, unless you are just curious to see what your HR is over a given day.
  • pfgaytriot
    pfgaytriot Posts: 238 Member
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    Since price is not a deciding factor, you could get a Polar HRM that plugs directly into your computer for more stats, if that's what you're looking for. I chose the Polar FT4 over a Fitbit when I figured out the Fitbit wasn't a HRM. The FT4 does not connect to a computer, but it's great for tracking your calories burned during a workout.
  • chrissylovescj
    chrissylovescj Posts: 117 Member
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    I just pre ordered my FitBit which is coming out in March. I´m interested in the measurement of my sleep cycle as well, and that´s what closed the deal for me.

    This was appealing to me, as well!!
  • SameMe_JustLess
    SameMe_JustLess Posts: 245 Member
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    I am a gadget junkie (don't judge!) and I have a FitBit, a Polar FT40, and a BodyMedia. Your decision is simply what are you looking for in a device.

    The FitBit is a pedometer. It's got a good website/mobile app, you can compare yourself to your friends, etc. But a FitBit doesn't know if you took 10 of the slowest steps of your life or sprinted 10 steps. It is nice that it is small, I just clip it on my bra, and no one else even knows I have it. This Spring they are releasing a FitBit Flex which is a waterproof bracelet.

    The Polar is a HRM. Made to be worn just during workouts. I like it because I can wear it during water workouts. But, it only tells you how many calories you burned during that one session.

    Finally, the BodyMedia is a pedometer and also tells you calories burned throughout the day and night. You wear it all the time. I love it. But, it is an armband, so when short-sleeve weather comes it will be noticeable and there is a monthly fee.

    Again, just decide what information you want, and the choice will be easy after that!

    Let me know if you have any other questions. I am no expert, but I use all three regularly!

    Good luck!!
  • Ibarra951
    Ibarra951 Posts: 19 Member
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    Like I mentioned before since money is not a deciding factor I recommend taking a look into these:

    http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/lp/nikeplus-fuelband

    http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/8GB-or-16GB-MOTOACTV/79070,en_US,pd.html
  • jameslesser
    jameslesser Posts: 1 Member
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    I use a Polar FT8 HRM for cross training. I also use a Polar shoe pod which is a pedometer that is tracked by the FT8. This serves as a wonderful walking / running motivator.

    The Polar web site lets you upload your data which allows you to graph your calories burned, distance walked or run, average, maximal and minimal heart rates and time of your workout.

    Good luck!
  • marcoscu
    marcoscu Posts: 99 Member
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    I have a Fitbut Ultra and a Polar Bluetooth 2 HRM, previously I have had Scosche MyTrek and Scosche Rhythm HRM.

    HRM's will always give a more accurate calorie burn estimation than the Fitbit for a particular exercise session but they can be flaky in use and can be a pain to put on, calibrate and install. The Fitbit clips to your belt all day and you just forget it is there but sometimes the calorie estimates can be very inaccurate. The point of the Fitbit is to motivate you to exercise more by comparison to previous Fitbit readings.

    If you want a general motivator you can just fit and forget then the Fitbit is best. If you want an accurate burn estimation for exercises sessions and don't mind the setup time and inevitable problems that all HRM's seem to have then the HRM is for you.
  • chrissylovescj
    chrissylovescj Posts: 117 Member
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    Polars aren't meant to be worn all day, only during workouts. If you want something to wear all day, go with a FitBit or BodyBugg.

    This. I have a FitBit One and a Polar FT4. I use the FitBit to keep track of steps and stairs and the HRM workouts.

    Sounds like I may need both!
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    Polar FT7.
  • DebraYvonne
    DebraYvonne Posts: 632 Member
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    I have had a fitbit since December and ordered a Polar FT4 HRM this week. I think you can do either one or both. I am really trying hard to shed some so I figure it cannot hurt!

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