FitBit

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babydiego87
babydiego87 Posts: 905 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Are these really worth the hype? I'm looking at this one in particular:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fitbit-FitBit-Zip-Activity-Tracker/dp/B009ATKPSE

Any one got good or bad stories? Thank you. :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • x4mygirlsx
    x4mygirlsx Posts: 129 Member
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    I love love love love my fitbit. Have had it since November and it motivates me every day, my partner got one too so we are always trying to beat each other. Ive had no problems and it syncs well with fitnesspal. Ive got the fitbit one which has a few extra features then the zip. x
  • SilverLotusGirl
    SilverLotusGirl Posts: 537 Member
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    do fitbits have a HRM feature or a calories burned per workout tracker?
  • susanmarnold
    susanmarnold Posts: 142
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    I love my Fitbit to track my normal activities and make sure I am moving enough. I do wear an HRM though during workout to be more accurate since I normally do lifting and circuit training and the Fitbit is not as accurate with those.
  • kendrafallon
    kendrafallon Posts: 1,030 Member
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    Checkout the Fitbit Users group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1290-fitbit-users

    I have the Fitbit Ultra (latest model is Fitbit One) To be perfectly honest, I'm finding mine less and less useful. They're a fab tool to get you moving more and tracking the 'walking' around you do on a daily basis. But if you're doing any serious walking/running or cardio workout, invest in a HRM.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Another FitBit convert here, I've stuck with it much longer than any tracker like HRMs and phone apps.
    do fitbits have a HRM feature or a calories burned per workout tracker?
    No HRM, it gives you a TDEE throughout the entire day and night (which seems to be evry accurate for me), and when you're doing a specific workout you can start and stop a timer and it record that in more detail.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    I love my Fitbit to track my normal activities and make sure I am moving enough. I do wear an HRM though during workout to be more accurate since I normally do lifting and circuit training and the Fitbit is not as accurate with those.
    Sadly HRMs don't work well for weight training either as your HR spikes and they're calibrated for steady-state cardio.
  • babydiego87
    babydiego87 Posts: 905 Member
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    I love love love love my fitbit. Have had it since November and it motivates me every day, my partner got one too so we are always trying to beat each other. Ive had no problems and it syncs well with fitnesspal. Ive got the fitbit one which has a few extra features then the zip. x
    What's the difference between the two? Apart from the price :wink:
  • hikr00
    hikr00 Posts: 38 Member
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    Another "yay" vote for FitBit. I have the FitBit One and my DD has the zip.

    It does NOT have a heart rate monitor feature. It does count calories although it doesn't break those down by workout. it just continuously counts while you're wearing it. If you wanted a breakdown by exercise you'd have to see how many calories you burned before you started workout then see how many you burned afterwards. It calculates by your steps though (it's like a fancy pedometer) so if you were standing still working out (lifting weights or something) I don't think you'd get an accurate count. A HRM would be better for that. I wear my Fitbit 24/7 and it syncs with MFP beautifully.

    I do wear my HRM for dedicated exercise to get an accurate calorie count when I exercise but I use the Fitbit to motivate me to move more just in general. I have a desk job and except for once a day taking time to exercise I feel like I don't move very much. By checking the FitBit I see just how little I move so it forces me to take the time to get up, walk around a bit to get my steps up. I like that it keeps track of floors you've climbed and because of Fitbit I take the stairs more often to see those # go up. I park my car further away when I am out and when walking the dog I tend to go further because of the Fitbit. It's kind of a game to see just how far I can go in a day.
  • babydiego87
    babydiego87 Posts: 905 Member
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    I love my Fitbit to track my normal activities and make sure I am moving enough. I do wear an HRM though during workout to be more accurate since I normally do lifting and circuit training and the Fitbit is not as accurate with those.
    I think maybe I should get a HRM instead...I just want to accurately track my work outs. When I go to the gym, I always use the machines calories rather than the total MFP gives you but I'd also like to start C25K so would a HRM or fitbit be better for that?
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    What's the difference between the two? Apart from the price :wink:
    Zip is basically a glorified pedometer. The One includes floors climbed and sleep monitoring. There's a wristband version coming up soon which may be water resistant (for the shower) or waterproof (for swimming), they haven't decided yet, but it doesn't have the detailed display modes and I can't stand anything on my wrist all day!

    Read more here:
    http://www.fitbit.com/uk/store
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
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    I initially was attracted to one (saw it listed here as a partner app) for the sleep tracker and also for the ability of recording my workouts.
    When I was just walking on a treadmill and using an elliptical - it was great but when I started to ramp up on other low impact stuff it came up wanting as it isn't great at picking up on a stationary bike, rowing machine and swimming).
    Since I got my HRM, I use that solely for recording any kind of workouts.

    BUT - I wear my FitBit at all times (except in shower/pool) and it picks up my activity throughout the day and reflects a calorie adjustment on MFP IF I have been more active than it expects.

    If you have no other forms of activity other than walking, and are motivated to step more, climb more floors etc for the "badges" it gives you, then it appears to be great - a lot of UK forum members are really driven by that aspect, and to be honest if it gets people moving more then great.

    If you are already active and only want to record specific work outs - then get an HRM.
    But if you want to see you total daily burn/sleep patterns etc - then it's worth it - at least I think so.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    ]I think maybe I should get a HRM instead...I just want to accurately track my work outs. When I go to the gym, I always use the machines calories rather than the total MFP gives you but I'd also like to start C25K so would a HRM or fitbit be better for that?
    If you have a smart phone, start off with a running app like Runtastic or Endomondo that syncs with MFP, then decide if you need more accuracy.

    FitBit has an added bonus fo MFP as you get a TDEE reading every day, not just for formal exercise.

    In my personal opinion, I've been running for years, and all the faff of strapping on and setting up an HRM sometimes makes the difference between getting out the door or not.
  • Lobster1987
    Lobster1987 Posts: 492 Member
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    I love mine! I have a fitbit one...it tracks your sleep too! I'm not a hardcore exerciser or anything, so I don't need a heart rate monitor. So a fitbit is perfect for me because it is a lot of fun to track and see how many steps I'm taking and how many calories I am burning based on my walking activity...and it can tell if you go up stairs...

    I like it. It's a neat little gadget.
  • hikr00
    hikr00 Posts: 38 Member
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    For dedicated exercise (like C25K) I'd go with the heart rate monitor for calorie burn. I use Fitbit more to remind me to move during the day (I have a desk job) and I do like that it keeps track of calories burned but with dedicated exercise I think I get more accurate results from the HRM. The HRM is tied into my heart so it knows how hard I am actually working vs Fitbit which goes by steps and gives calories burned based on that. (does that make sense?)

    I do love my little Fitbit.
  • BGabbart
    BGabbart Posts: 173 Member
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    I have the zip and wish I had the one I do love my zip. I am thinking about upgrading, but I was waiting on the braclet. It does motivate me to move.
  • melissaann262
    melissaann262 Posts: 27
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    I'm pre-ordering the fitbit FLEX... it looks like the nike fuel band, you wear it while you sleep too! It comes out this spring and I can't WAIT for it to come!!!
  • maegmez
    maegmez Posts: 341 Member
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    The fitbit one is also a pedometer with an altimeter. There is no way to track your heart rate but the fitbit is going to be based on age weight, gender, and movement. Whereas, a good hrm is going to calculate calories burned based off those previous listed and heart rate and mine uses a fitness class too. If you have a lower resting heart rate, fitbit and MFP and any app will be way off.

    When lifting, you don't burn a lot of calories anyway.
  • noogie98
    noogie98 Posts: 415 Member
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    I'm pre-ordering the fitbit FLEX... it looks like the nike fuel band, you wear it while you sleep too! It comes out this spring and I can't WAIT for it to come!!!

    This ^^ I have a fitbit & I absolutely love it! Can't wait for the Flex, for the mere reason that it is waterproof!! My fitbit is the best money I have spent in my journey to my fitness goals. I bought mine at Best Buy & purchased the extended warranty, which is the only way to go, in my book. I had to replace it about a year ago & did it with no hassle whatsoever!! Even got a new extended warranty!! :flowerforyou:
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    I just ordered one of these a couple of days ago. My friend has one and she finds it useful.

    I know that even though I have a desk job I do tend to have to move around a lot to go see my clients etc.. I also know that my TDEE is likely quite a bit higher than I am eating for thus anything that can give me a ballpark will be useful in terms of helping me set a more accurate calorie goal. As I am getting closer to my goal weight it is not so easy to figure out how much I need to be eating and even though I can estimate I have not been tracking my 'regular movements' nor eating back calories for them so I am quite sure that I haven't been eating enough.

    Since I really don't 'work out' but I do walk alot I figured this would be a better choice for my lifestyle - at least for now. We shall see how it goes. Hopefully I will also find it useful and I am also curious to see how it will work with MFP.

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