FITBIT - Has it improved your weight loss results?

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islandlifenc
islandlifenc Posts: 107 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I keep seeing threads about FITBIT on here, so I looked it up and see that it's about $99 at Amazon.

Wondering if I should get one.

What I want to know is, has using a FITBIT improved your weight loss results, and if so, how?

Replies

  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
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    You should send a friend request to jofjltncb6 . He's an expert on fitbits.
  • Debbiedebbiey
    Debbiedebbiey Posts: 824 Member
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    I love mine, the zip is at target for $59, it's perfect for me bc I don't care about/need sleep info.
  • Bethbr00tality
    Bethbr00tality Posts: 36 Member
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    If nothing else, it makes me responsible and aware of calorie burn versus calories eaten. :) it's motivating to me. I feel lazy if I don't hit a minimum of 10,000 steps.
  • Yetta729
    Yetta729 Posts: 68 Member
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    I it's motivating to me. I feel lazy if I don't hit a minimum of 10,000 steps.

    totally this for me as well ... I find myself checking the steps and go for an extra 30minute walk with my little one
    That is besides my cardio and strength work outs ...

    I love my FitBit, and they provide great customer service should anything come up
  • sbussert
    sbussert Posts: 72 Member
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    If nothing else, it makes me responsible and aware of calorie burn versus calories eaten. :) it's motivating to me. I feel lazy if I don't hit a minimum of 10,000 steps.

    Same here, I like trying to continuously do better. Aside from the fact I keep losing them, they're great!
  • sem41278
    sem41278 Posts: 89 Member
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    You should send a friend request to jofjltncb6 . He's an expert on fitbits.

    I'm an expert on fitbits like Rick James was an expert on cocaine.

    LOL- someone told me you can program a FITBIT to track calories in a workout like a heart monitor- is this true? I thought FITBIT only tracked steps and stairs.
  • danasings
    danasings Posts: 8,218 Member
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    I have the FitBit Zip. I wouldn't say it has improved my results, but it definitely motivates me to stay more active.
  • Madaly320
    Madaly320 Posts: 112 Member
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    It is more a motivator than anything else for me. I like how it shows me how many calories I have burned, just going about my business, and how it syncs to MFP to take care of my exercise calories so I don't have to log each exercise. It sets goals for you and it pushes me to not only meet, but exceed them. My weight loss HAS come faster since I started using it.
  • paprikas
    paprikas Posts: 118 Member
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    I have the fitbit One and absolutely love it. It syncs to my phone so I get real time updates of how active I have been and how many calories i have burned relative to how many I have eaten. It definitely motivates me to be more active, and empowers me with information.

    I initially bought an older model which cracked, and fitbit staff were very helpful and replaced it with a newer model at no charge.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
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    It's been pretty accurate for me to use for determining TDEE so I can better "guess" at that TDEE-15% would be.

    On a side note, it does motivate me to keep moving so I can hit those steps, floors, miles traveled, etc. goals which increases my TDEE without having to do boring cardio on a treadmill that I don't like.
  • islandlifenc
    islandlifenc Posts: 107 Member
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    Good responses from everyone! Thank you all. :happy:

    ONE QUICK (maybe complicated :ohwell: ) QUESTION:

    Since it helps you better determine your TDEE, I'm guessing you'd change your MFP TDEE accordingly to match, right? Or do you just stay at whatever TDEE you originally set at MFP and FITBIT automatically tweaks your target calories based on calories burned? Or none of the above?
  • angelsingin4jc
    angelsingin4jc Posts: 34
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    I don't have a FitBit, but I have a Polar Heart Rate Monitor. It HAS helped me lose weight by accurately monitoring my heart rate and using the info I input (weight, gender, age, and height) to calculate calories burned. That helps me make sure I'm only counting calories burned and not the numbers MFP tells me when I try to put in my exercise.

    I know someone who has a FitBit and a HRM and she favors the Polar HRM (we both have the FT4...around $60 on Amazon.)

    That's just my 2 cents. :-)
  • peniculala
    peniculala Posts: 81 Member
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    It definitely gets me to move a lot more than I used to and gets me to think about it even when I don't. My husband and I kind of compete with each other. We always compare our results at the end of the day. It's nice. Not sure how much it has helped, but it's been a help.

    Oh, and I stay with the same TDEE idea, but sometimes I adjust a bit. It does tweak it on here though.
  • FitSuga
    FitSuga Posts: 262 Member
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    I love mine. It's a great little tool and really motivates you. I make sure I get in my 10k steps each day, which might mean going on an extra walk or running one extra mile. It keeps you going and more aware of how active you really are. I also use the TDEE so I can eat a lot more than MFP wanted me to and still lose plenty of weight. I had the ultra about a year and now the One and love them. It's fun to compare how active I am in comparison to my husband as well. He's in the military and I'm just a SAHM but a lot of times I beat him! lol
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Good responses from everyone! Thank you all. :happy:

    ONE QUICK (maybe complicated :ohwell: ) QUESTION:

    Since it helps you better determine your TDEE, I'm guessing you'd change your MFP TDEE accordingly to match, right? Or do you just stay at whatever TDEE you originally set at MFP and FITBIT automatically tweaks your target calories based on calories burned? Or none of the above?

    I prefer to set my target manually based on my own tweaks, and the fitbit sends over what it thinks I've burned, which gives me more calories to eat (if it exceeds what I've set in MFP).

    A PM I sent to someone where I explained my approach to coordinating MFP and fitbit:

    That's the same approach I use for fitbit/MFP. The trick is, ignore what fitbit says you have for calories to eat. (Or, alternatively, you can try to adjust the fitbit weight loss plan to more closely match it.) As for fitbit saying you "exercised", a simple way of looking at it is that you simply took more steps than fitbit assumed you would (on average). In my case, if I do more than 8000ish steps, I start getting fitbit calories to eat. Of course, this changes as I tweak my activity level on MFP, or my deficit, or just about anything else.

    My advice...(and this is my advice for everyone even when a fitbit isn't involved)...is to pick a target/setting/plan, and then execute it as best you can while *consistently logging* for 4-6 weeks. Then, take a step back and decide if you're going the right direction, if you're losing too quickly, if you're feeling out of energy, etc. With all of those factors, you can decide if you need to eat more, less, or if you're on track. Make the necessary adjustments (if any) to your MFP target and then do another 4-6 weeks. Repeat until goal is achieved.

    Best of luck.

    Edit: I should have clarified in my response that if you find yourself absolutely miserable before the 4-6 weeks are up, make adjustments immediately. While eating at a deficit isn't likely to be "fun" for anyone, if you're truly miserable, then something isn't right (and that "something" is almost always a too large calorie deficit, IMHO).

    Remember that the fitbit is just a tool in your toolbox to help you reach your fitness goals. Ultimately, it won't take a single step for you...(just like MFP won't actively keep you from eating too many calories).
  • beyondjupiter
    beyondjupiter Posts: 247 Member
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    I'm an expert on fitbits like Rick James was an expert on cocaine.

    :laugh: That was awesome.

    I really want a FitBit as well, especially one that tracks my sleep because I know I have problems with it.

    I am too poor though. I am currently bidding on one on eBay. At $30 right now so hopefully I can get it!

    Jen
  • Amanda241174
    Amanda241174 Posts: 38 Member
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    I absolutely LOVE my Fitbit :) I have only had it for 3 weeks, but I have at least doubled how active I am in that time, because I am always trying to beat myself. I also have a good friend on mine so I can see what she has done and we both push ourselves to try and beat each other. My weight loss had hit a plateau before the fitbit and since getting it I have lost 4.5 pounds in 3 weeks. It is definitely the best motivator I have found :)

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