fitbit one users...do you always log your driving?
jessi1199
Posts: 25 Member
I think I already know the answer to this (at least if you want the most accurate fitbit results), but I was wondering if everyone logs their driving each day in order to remove the steps taken from it? I am a fairly new fitbit one owner and I have found that I most like wearing my fitbit on my bra. I find it annoying to reach inside my shirt to start and stop the timer each time I drive and I certainly don't want anyone to see me doing it! :blushing:
I like the timer function for logging my runs and workouts, but I feel like timing all my driving times is a bit much. I guess the people who have fitbit zips probably just let the fitbit do its thing all day and not worry about it since there is no timer...that's what I want to do, but I know I'll have extra driving steps (I usually have about 100 - 200 total steps for the day from driving). So, what do you do? I do want accuracy, but I am trying not to get too obsessed and technical about it...I just want the fitbit to encourage me to move more!
I like the timer function for logging my runs and workouts, but I feel like timing all my driving times is a bit much. I guess the people who have fitbit zips probably just let the fitbit do its thing all day and not worry about it since there is no timer...that's what I want to do, but I know I'll have extra driving steps (I usually have about 100 - 200 total steps for the day from driving). So, what do you do? I do want accuracy, but I am trying not to get too obsessed and technical about it...I just want the fitbit to encourage me to move more!
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I log any time in the car that is over 10 minutes, unless the road is very bumpy. I find that I get a much more accurate picture of my calories this way.
If I do not log my drive to and from work it will give me as many as 2000 extra steps, 25 flights of stairs, and lord knows how many calories burned. So, I always log. I just use the Fitbit app for my phone and log when I get into the car, and then figure the minutes when I stop. Easy, and it takes less than 30 seconds.0 -
I'm having slight issues with this as well. I live on top of a big hill with many bumps in the road to get there! That typically equals about 500-1000 extra steps & almost 10 extra flights for me. So, my current solution is that I plug my fitbit into my USB dongle in the car while driving, so it "pauses" it in a way, so no steps, calories or stairs are logged. The reason i'm doing this instead of turning the timer on & off is that I notice that even when I do that timer, driving log thing, it still counts major driving calories for me (300+) & those don't seem to delete when I do the driving record. Would love to see what everyone says about this!0
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I wont' be of any help cause I've checked and watched it and have never (knock on wood) had issues with getting steps while I'm driving-thankfully! But if I was on a bumpy road then I would probably check it but if it wasn't a huge deal or over a certain amount (probably less than 100 steps), then I wouldn't worry about it but that's just me0
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I usually don't have too, but I do if it looks like it added some activity calorie burn (the time sitting in a car is higher than sedentary). I do sometimes check the "floors" to see, as I don't generally get many floors in my normal life so that is a big clue if I have an unusual number of floors after a car ride/drive. But this really seems to vary by the car, the road, where you wear the fitbit, etc.0
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I'm having slight issues with this as well. I live on top of a big hill with many bumps in the road to get there! That typically equals about 500-1000 extra steps & almost 10 extra flights for me. So, my current solution is that I plug my fitbit into my USB dongle in the car while driving, so it "pauses" it in a way, so no steps, calories or stairs are logged. The reason i'm doing this instead of turning the timer on & off is that I notice that even when I do that timer, driving log thing, it still counts major driving calories for me (300+) & those don't seem to delete when I do the driving record. Would love to see what everyone says about this!
When you log driving it replaces the fitbit calorie burn with the calorie burn for "driving". Some people find that logging driving actually adds calories burned as it is higher than normal sedentary time.
But that might not be your issue... When you do log an activity, I have found it does not usually update the information in the timer report unless I also edit the report. Usually if I reenter the stop and start times, save the changes then refresh the browser then the new calorie burn in included. Some people like this because they can compare what fitbit estimated to what they logged. If you don't want to mess with all that, it is usually easier to see how it changed by just seeing your total calorie burn before you logged, then looking again after you logged. Of course, it will only change if the number entered is different than what fitbit already estimated, but in that case the logged activity and the record will show different calorie burn numbers.
It is great that you found a good workaround as I am sure many people would just prefer to find a way to avoid getting the extra steps/floors/calories in the first place. Thanks for sharing!0 -
I'm having slight issues with this as well. I live on top of a big hill with many bumps in the road to get there! That typically equals about 500-1000 extra steps & almost 10 extra flights for me. So, my current solution is that I plug my fitbit into my USB dongle in the car while driving, so it "pauses" it in a way, so no steps, calories or stairs are logged. The reason i'm doing this instead of turning the timer on & off is that I notice that even when I do that timer, driving log thing, it still counts major driving calories for me (300+) & those don't seem to delete when I do the driving record. Would love to see what everyone says about this!
I really like this idea. I hadn't thought to do this. My work commute is 60 miles one way and some of it is bumpy (NJ Turnpike). It can add easily 500 steps one way. I was just logging my work commutes and other driving, but I like this idea even better, since I can't believe when it says 90+ calories on a 75 minute drive to work. How is that possible...I burn maybe 50 calories and hour when sendentary.0 -
It's so good to know I'm not alone in this! I finally feel like I'm starting to understand my fit bit & how it's logging works with MFP. Good luck with your driving steps!0
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I just changed logging my driving to "riding in a car or truck" instead of "driving a car or light truck." It gives me sedentarty calorories, instead of "light activity" caloires. INO driving is not a "light activity."
Gives me 50-ish caloires instead of 90-100 caloires, which I can't imagine I burn just driving my car for an hour.0 -
Thanks, everyone! I would love to just put on the fitbit in the morning and then just simply let it do it's thing all day long...and I might just do that, I don't know. I am realizing that just because it adds some steps doesn't mean it's adding a ton of calories burned, which is good. I have also noticed that my fitbit doesn't record all of my steps...is this normal? If I am just walking around my bathroom, sometimes I notice it is not counting those steps...I guess I'm not doing enough or something. So part of me thinks that it all probably about evens out in the end! Ha!0
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Hi can you use the iphone app to log driving ( I am new to Fit Bit app) or must it be on the website- and where on either do you make the log?
Great informative thread thank you, I do a lot of driving and want to have my calories/activity as accurate as possible.
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Nope - I just wear it all day and let it do it's thing ... Sometimes I drive, sometimes commuting on the train/tube ... Just easier to let it sort itself out and log food here/specific exercise with a HRM0
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I keep my charger for my fitbit in the car....I plug it in as I am driving and then it doesnt record hills/steps. Works great...and I never have to worry about the battery being low.0
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An app for driving.....Taken from the Fitbit site from Patrick B. Might be useful for some
"I threw together a simple Android app to "record" my drive and log it for me in two taps and thought it might be useful to others: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=mobi.littlebytes.android.fitbitdrive
It's free and only requires you tap "start" when you start driving and "stop" when you stop driving. When you tap stop, it'll automatically calculate and post the activity to FitBit, cancelling out the steps your fitbit recorded during that time. The type of travel is configurable so it can also be used for bus rides, flights, etc."
Link to the thread on Fitbit
http://www.fitbit.com/forums/topic/4KTZ2J9SQ4PMH/10 -
Weird, I keep hearing of Fitbit users having this problem and I have never noticed it tracking while driving. Same with going up hills and down in a car or on a bike, it doesn't log it as stairs. Wonder why some folks have this issue and others don't?0
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I tested it out today -- 143 steps were added in my 30 min drive home.0
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How do you do this? I thought the timer on the fitbit was for sleeping. How do you log driving?0
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Wha!?! I had no idea about this ...0
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I never use the timer. I just wear my FitBit One all day (and occasionally at night).
I don't drive for more than 10-15 minutes at a time most days (but I do several of those drives a day as a do hour long home visits). I rarely have stairs (I don't go into very many 2 story buildings--except my gym. But some days I have 4-10 flights of stairs logged. (And I live in a flat desert!)0 -
I recorded my steps when I got into the car this morning, 1234, took my One off & clipped it to my handbag, drove the 65mins to work, then checked the steps again, it was a whopping 2946, so obviously for me there is a huge difference, I thought it would only be slight, but that's way more than what I expected, do people find that entering their driving or charging their fitbit is the best option?0
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OK.......as a new FitBit Flex user......how to do edit my driving....? LOL.....I actually just noticed this the other day, I happened to glance down at my phone at the stop light, and had like 200 additional "steps" logged since I left home......but I haven't moved at all, lol. Just from driving.......from what I make of it, the bumpiness in the road, and my cars bad suspension and steering wheel vibration thinks I'm walking......? LOL.
Now I'm kinda curious how many steps get logged just while typing/mouse movements at work lol. I'm not a typist per se...but in sales, so do make use of a keyboard at times......hehe0 -
babesmygirl wrote: »I recorded my steps when I got into the car this morning, 1234, took my One off & clipped it to my handbag, drove the 65mins to work, then checked the steps again, it was a whopping 2946, so obviously for me there is a huge difference, I thought it would only be slight, but that's way more than what I expected, do people find that entering their driving or charging their fitbit is the best option?
It's the ONLY activity you can log manually in Fitbit that removes the steps, removes the miles, and puts in a fair calorie count for being awake driving, compared to the normal non-moving activity calorie burn of sleeping deeply.
If you don't care about step goals, or rather in fact like reaching goals with false info (there are people that do), then you can leave the steps and record some activity that doesn't overwrite steps, as most don't. Then you could do that from MFP actually if you have the start and duration time correct. Just find Sitting in the database and use that.
Because with that many steps extra and bogus, I'd be curious what the increase of miles and calories was - which of course eating level is based on calories burned.
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Nope - I just wear it all day and let it do it's thing ... Sometimes I drive, sometimes commuting on the train/tube ... Just easier to let it sort itself out and log food here/specific exercise with a HRM
then you could be tracking HUNDREDS of bogus steps due to being on a train or driving, which totally defeats the purpose of using the Fitbit in the first place. So you wear it to track your steps and then let it count hundreds of steps you didn't even take? that makes sense.0
