Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness tracker ?

cmmdance
cmmdance Posts: 45 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Any of you use a heart rate monitor, calorie counter, sleep tracker? I am looking in to purchasing, but not sure what is the best item for the price and capabilities. Any feedback is appreciated.

Replies

  • usflygirl55
    usflygirl55 Posts: 277 Member
    I currently use a FitBit and I love it. I set my activity level here to sedentary and let the FitBit update and get calories added for my activity. I too am looking for a Heart rate monitor to add to my gadgets! Anyone have suggetions?
  • usflygirl55
    usflygirl55 Posts: 277 Member
    bump
  • elaineirene84
    elaineirene84 Posts: 65 Member
    I use a Polar HRM when working out and haven't had any issues with it. I just recently bought the BodyMedia Fit armband about two weeks ago and love it. It is kind of pricey but I feel it is worth it because I can see my daily calories burned, my steps and sleep pattern. It syncs to MFP so you can log your food here and it will show up on the BodyMedia site when you upload your info.
  • OkieTink
    OkieTink Posts: 285 Member
    I have a FitBit, it was a gift. I don't see the point of it. I know how many hours I sleep. The calories burned aren't accurate. It always says I climbed stairs, when I didn't. Not sure about the steps taken. Worthless little thing.

    I love my Polar F4
  • StephGettinFit
    StephGettinFit Posts: 43 Member
    bodymedia or Polar HRM FT4 all the way!
  • NutellaAddict
    NutellaAddict Posts: 1,258 Member
    HRM Polar FT4
  • kluedesigns
    kluedesigns Posts: 72 Member
    i have the Fitbit, a Polar HRM FT40, and the BodyMedia Fit Link. My favorite and most accurate, for me, is the BodyMedia Fit. If you don't want something that you wear all day for a daily total activity/calorie burn then i would say get the HRM. The Fitbit, for me, was the least accurate - i even wore 2 Fitbits at the same time on my body and they didn't even agree with each other as to steps counts, floors climbed, miles traveled, or calories burned. When i went to Fitbit with all these issues they stated "we do not certify the accuracy of our products, they are a motivational tool only" - they took both Fitbits back and issued a refund on both premium accounts.
  • mzteebell
    mzteebell Posts: 44 Member
    I use the Fitbit and also a Polar HRM (H7) Bluetooth version. I love them both. I started with the Fitbit Ultra and have since upgraded to the One. Fibit Customer Service is the best.
  • akjmart2002
    akjmart2002 Posts: 263 Member
    I'm rocking a FitBit One, Polar FT40, Polar Bluetooth LTE sensor (for iPhone 4s connectivity), DigiFit (for more accurate calorie burn calculations and data collection, and MyFitnessPal for caloric intake monitoring.

    The FitBit gives real-time activity level updates to my MyFitnessPal profile for keeping my intake in line with my needs, and DigiFit works well with FitBit and the Polar HRM to keep my calorie burn calculations as reasonably accurate as possible.

    Additionally, I have a Withings wi-fi scale that I use everyday to keep all these profiles updated with my correct metrics. I follow my weight trend at http://www.trendweight.com, which syncs with the Withings scale and gives me a good running average and statistical trend analysis.

    So far this suite of tools has served me extremely well, keeping me on a solid 1/2 pound /week loss rate, just as I need. I can continuously monitor my progress and have an excellent exercise activity record already done for me. My cardiovascular and strength performance have never been better, even at 36 years old.

    One thing to note about using these tools: some of them depend on your BMR for their calculation (e.g. FitBit), and the BMR is usually calculated within their algorithms via a standard equation (e.g. Mifflin St Jeor). If your actual BMR is different than that given by these estimates, you might need to tweak your age settings to get things to line up correctly.

    Long and short: if you are reasonably technically adept and interested in tuning your diet and exercise performance to the max, these tools are the way to go.
  • McSpike
    McSpike Posts: 34 Member
    ^^ This!

    I use the Bluetooth Polar as well, and the FitBit One. I love being able to sync them to myiPhone.
    And Fitbits customer service is the best! Looks like they are replacing my lost One!

    I agree that the fitbit is a motivational tool. I find myself getting on the treadmill right before bedtime to hit some milestone, or walking the stairs in my house. Lots of stuff I didn't do before I had the fitbit.
  • kelly_c_77
    kelly_c_77 Posts: 5,658 Member
    Bump
  • smallFryHuffy
    smallFryHuffy Posts: 15 Member
    I use a Fitbit One and Wahoo Blue HR sensor (connects with my iPhone so I don't have to wear a watch), and MFP for food intake. Both are great and I would definitely recommend both. I love that the Fitbit software connects with MFP software so I can put food/exercise in one place and they will connect to each other.
  • josyk7
    josyk7 Posts: 34 Member
    BUMP
  • AmberLee2012
    AmberLee2012 Posts: 540
    Bump
  • targetcc
    targetcc Posts: 13
    Two absolute essentials are the FitBit One and the Polar H7 (bluetooth sensor).
  • HeartRateMonitorsUSA
    HeartRateMonitorsUSA Posts: 5
    Fitbit is a great Activity monitor and sleep tracker, but does not offer HR features. For a great Heart Rate Monitor for Cardio/ Weight Loss, the Polar FT4, FT7 or FT40 would be a good recommendation to start looking at.
  • AmberLee2012
    AmberLee2012 Posts: 540
    I almost purchased the BodyMedia today but I decided against it after reading some of the reviews. People said that it was very bulky to wear under clothes at the office. I was thinking about waiting for the FitbitFlex, but a lot of people say it's not very accurate. That leaves me with a HRM. Which one is the best the HRM Polar FT4?
  • zbareket
    zbareket Posts: 3 Member
    Any of you use a heart rate monitor, calorie counter, sleep tracker? I am looking in to purchasing, but not sure what is the best item for the price and capabilities. Any feedback is appreciated.

    Depending on your exercise. If it's a walking/running/stairs type, than FitBit will do fine. I'm cycling, and fitBit is not recommended for this type of activity. Had to return mine.

    What I use is heart rate / power strap (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008G1DMQ4/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) together with this dongle that plugs to my iPhone (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042WGO3Y/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1). When I exercise I use the DigiFit app (http://www.digifit.com/) which wirelessly reads the heart rate strap, and automatically measures and sends to MyFitnessPal the calories count (no guessing or estimates).

    Works great.
  • willowfifteen
    willowfifteen Posts: 1
    Hi, I am new here and was just browsing the forum with no intent on posting. However when I read this post I had to make an exception. I have been using the sporttracklive app http://www.sportstracklive.com with a Zephyr bluetooth HR sensor. Its a fantastic combination. I have been using them for roughly four years now with HTC and Samsung phones for a variety of sports including snowboarding, road and mountain biking and running.
    FYI I have only been using myfitnesspal for a day and I am astounded how good it is.
  • mtbaker64
    mtbaker64 Posts: 53 Member
    Hi... Ok, reading the posts brings a question for me.... I just bought a polor FT4 today (will be using it for the 1st time tonight). I see a lot of people saying they have both the fitbit and FT4. What is the reason for having both?

    Thanks!
    Mary
  • RunFarLiveHappy
    RunFarLiveHappy Posts: 805 Member
    I've had a polar FT4 for 8 months, I use it 5-6 days/week and sometimes multiple times per day. I love knowing the most accurate count for my workouts. I only use intentional exercise (or major projects, like we're in the middle of completely gutting our basement and garage to refinish) and it has been invaluable in my success. I can see my burns decreasing as I get more fit and I also see patterns when I compare similar workouts and intensity levels. It was a great investment. I got mine on heartratemonitorsusa.com and they have a promotion JS10DW for 10% off right now. They also offer pretty quick free shipping! Good luck!
  • gteachey
    gteachey Posts: 37 Member
    I use a Garmin ForeRunner 305 :-). It's discontinued, big, bulky, but it does the job of accurately counting my calories and tracking my runs via GPS! I'm interested in switching to a FitBit after this one has run its course. I keep hearing good things about them.
  • planetthoughtful
    planetthoughtful Posts: 1
    Does anyone know of a Heart Rate Sensor / Monitor that doesn't strap across the chest? I find this very uncomfortable to do due to Lupus / fibromyalgia complications and am wondering if I can get a different type of sensor strapping point?
  • piekillar
    piekillar Posts: 5 Member
    The basis is a fitness tracker with a built in heart rate monitor, and the fitbit force isn't that accurate.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    The basis is a fitness tracker with a built in heart rate monitor, and the fitbit force isn't that accurate.
    Even Basis doesn't consider their monitor to offer traditional heart rate monitoring.

    http://www.mybasis.com/blog/2012/11/heart-rate-tracking/

    Fitbit is 2/3 of all activity trackers sold, so it can't be that inaccurate. I lost a lot of weight with a Classic Fitbit and it was accurate for me.

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