Does anyone NOT like their fitbit?
hardyjessicag
Posts: 93 Member
I really want to get a fitbit, but I'm spending most of my extra money on healthy foods and what not. I'm trying to budget so I can get one, but I REALLY want to make sure it's worth it if I do get one.
How does everyone like theirs? Do you find the calorie burned portion is fairly accurate? Should I spring for the fitbit one, or the flex? Should I skip out all together?
Any feedback is much welcomed
How does everyone like theirs? Do you find the calorie burned portion is fairly accurate? Should I spring for the fitbit one, or the flex? Should I skip out all together?
Any feedback is much welcomed
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Replies
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If y ou are going to take the fitbit plung get the one the step count is more reliable
The flex gives extra steps when you sit and wave your arm
and YES I love my fitbit0 -
Do you want it to track walking and general movement? Then it is a great idea. If you think it will track workouts that are not walking/running, then it would be a waste of your money. I have the Fitbit Ultra and love it but I also have a Polar Ft7 heart rate monitor for workouts. The fitbit is a very handy tool as it will help motivate you to walk and try to get your steps in everyday. I would suggest getting the Fitbit now and saving for a Heart Rate monitor ASAP. Good luck to you.0
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I have the Jawbone UP, similiar to the Flex. It is a little more expensive, but reviews on it are better. I love the way it syncs to MFP. It makes it so much easier. You wear it 24/7, UP tells MFP how many calories you should be eating based on your goal, and how active you are. I really pushes you to be more active.0
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I love mine, had it since July of last year and feel it is one of the things that have really helped me along the way. I do know there are quite a few people that have not liked them or used them for just a short time and moved on. Like anything else, you will get what out of it what you put into it.
In my case I really needed to increase my activity, I can not run, I can not do high impact activities so my main movement is walking and hiking. The fitbit allows me to set a goal of how many steps I want to get and my competitiveness with myself makes it work well. The calorie burn is pretty close I think as long as you put in the right information on the site.
It can also determine your level of activity based upon your pace, very active minutes are earned for me by moving at least 3.8 MPH or faster. I try to average at least 90 very active minutes a day and find this very useful in tracking my progress.
It will not track your heart rate, how much you burn lifting weights, swimming etc. Like MFP you can add in those activities on the website and it will estimate your calorie burn.
I have the ultra and if I was replacing it I would select the one.0 -
I love, love, love my fitbit. I never go a day without it. I have had mine for about two years. Started off with the Ultra and have upgraded to rthe FitBit ONE and it is very accurate. The customer service at FitBit is second to none. I don't think I've seen a company that prides itself on customer service like FitBit. Pet1127 is correct, if you are going to get a pedometer, get one that is reliable.0
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I received a Fitbit as a Christmas gift. Tried it for a week. Bought a BodyMedia armband and used both the Fitbit and the Bodymedia armband together for a week. Returned the Fitbit and kept the more accurate Bodymedia.
It depends on the type of exercise you do. If you primarily do step based exercise the Fitbit is a useful device. If your primary exercise is DVD's, weight lifting, etc, the Fitbit cannot accurately measure that type and is not a good choice.
Lots of people like the Fitbit. It wasn't for me. I wanted more accuracy. I also didn't like having to remember to push a button when I when I went to sleep, woke up, or started exercising, etc as the Fitbit requires, Also did not like having to remember to take it off my pants before throwing them in the wash or worry about losing it as so many have commented about doing. The Bodymedia truly is a wear it and forget it device.0 -
Love my fit bit. It is an excellent motivator. I like the one as it tracks your sleep your steps your calories out. and you can check it through the day without being near a computer or phone.0
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I don't think on it's own it's totally accurate for me. It doesn't seem to judge my work hours accurately. I have a standing job with some walking but a lot of small movements and the fitbit does not seem to recognize standing as apposed to sitting or the small near constant movements I make as I work. I had to guestimate the burn and log it as an activity everyday. It also doesn't log flights of stairs accurately. I go up 6 flights of stairs to make it to my apartment and it only logs 4. I can't wear it while riding my horse so log that separately as well. I still think that my calorie burns are less than they truly are due to how well I am losing weight on 1800 cals a day.
However I do like it as it encourages me to move around more and it's interesting to see how many steps I take and such. The sleep feature is neat though I sleep very very well apparently0 -
It also doesn't log flights of stairs accurately. I go up 6 flights of stairs to make it to my apartment and it only logs 6.
Did you expect it to log 15 flights LOL ok that comment was before you did the edit.0 -
I got a fitbit one in early February. I have to say that it is the single, best motivator that I have. It challenges me to do more. I do love it! Last week I had my first 25,000+ step day. I am 61 years old, and did not begin to even exercise until I had lost over 100 pounds. At first, I was struggling to get to 5000 steps per day, but I am getting 20,000 plus during the week, and over 15,000 on the weekends. During the week I work out at the gym at work and walk. Weekends I walk only. I go by MFP and the machines calories burned (which are close) to determine calories burned as the fitbit is tracking steps, not intensity. I am not really concerned with the numbers for calories burned anyway, as at my age, I am just trying to move any way I can. If burn stats are important to you to be accurate, you may want to try another device. I only know that wearing it everyday pushes me to push myself to move, and I am extremely happy with it.0
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Do you want it to track walking and general movement? Then it is a great idea. If you think it will track workouts that are not walking/running, then it would be a waste of your money. I have the Fitbit Ultra and love it but I also have a Polar Ft7 heart rate monitor for workouts. The fitbit is a very handy tool as it will help motivate you to walk and try to get your steps in everyday. I would suggest getting the Fitbit now and saving for a Heart Rate monitor ASAP. Good luck to you.
if you walk/run and want to track your daily activity - perfect. fitbit one is fantastic for that, I'd say accurate burn and has distance, steps, cals burned, a built in timer, is luminous in the dark and you can use it for tracking your sleep.
doesn't track any other exercise tho. you would need a HRM for that.
so it depends on your exercise type.0 -
I love mine, had it since July of last year and feel it is one of the things that have really helped me along the way. I do know there are quite a few people that have not liked them or used them for just a short time and moved on. Like anything else, you will get what out of it what you put into it.
In my case I really needed to increase my activity, I can not run, I can not do high impact activities so my main movement is walking and hiking. The fitbit allows me to set a goal of how many steps I want to get and my competitiveness with myself makes it work well. The calorie burn is pretty close I think as long as you put in the right information on the site.
It can also determine your level of activity based upon your pace, very active minutes are earned for me by moving at least 3.8 MPH or faster. I try to average at least 90 very active minutes a day and find this very useful in tracking my progress.
It will not track your heart rate, how much you burn lifting weights, swimming etc. Like MFP you can add in those activities on the website and it will estimate your calorie burn.
I have the ultra and if I was replacing it I would select the one.
Pretty much all I would say....
I would be devastated without it! I've had mine for almost exactly one year - and it is pretty darn accurate with calorie burn and activity -it is BEYOND motivating to get you stepping! the Customer Service center is amazing! Worth every penny I spent..0 -
I have the fitbit one & LOVE it!! I've compared the calorie burn to my Polar HRM & its almost exact. I find it very accurate for things like walking & running. If you do a lot of cycling, or weight training, things that aren't step based I would say its not your best bet,but if you do a lot of walking or running I'd take the plunge. I find it really makes me aware of how much work it takes to burn off those treats during the day and I love getting the awards for reaching my daily goals or certain milestones. Its extra motivation for sure!!0
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I like it but can't figure out how it makes adjustments for activity and then after midnight it takes the calories away. Too late if I already ate them.0
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I can't recommend the Fitbit One enough to anybody. It will make you more aware of how much you move in a day & motivate you to move more. I find the calorie burn estimate to be incredibly accurate for me & honestly, I would be totally lost without the thing!
Save up & get one!
ETA: Was just reading some of the other comments about how you should only get it if all your exercise is step-based - not so. I have a HRM too, and that's handy, but for "other" exercises you can enter them manually through MFP. Where the fitbit comes into it's own is by tracking your incidental activity & motivating you to just MOVE MORE throughout the day. I seriously doubt you get out of bed in the morning, do an hour of swimming or strength training & then go back to bed until the next day, so, you are walking all the rest of the time you aren't doing that sort of exercise, sleeping, or sitting on your butt.0 -
I like it but can't figure out how it makes adjustments for activity and then after midnight it takes the calories away. Too late if I already ate them.
????
It takes the calories "away" because it resets for the new day, so, if you go back in your MFP diary (if you are syncing) you can still see your cals & log etc if you are up & eating after midnight.
What is your question about activity adjustments?0 -
Wow thanks for all the responses guys. I was looking at used ones on Amazon, but I'm not too sure if I should be so cheap with this device.
Thanks all!0 -
I have both a FitBit Zip and a HRM. I like the Zip because as far as counting steps, it does it very well, and it's simple and reliable. My company wellness plan gives points for exercise if it's electronically monitored and uploaded, and I get full credit if I do 10,000 steps in a day. That's easy with my normal activity plus a workout, although I have to remember to put the FitBit in my sock to capture pedaling motions if I'm bicycling. It's also extremely portable. On my quickie business trip to London last February, I left the HRM (watch-type transmitter, plus chest strap plus electrode cream) at home. And, as others have said, it's a great motivator. DH is 74 and has some health issues but was getting in 5,000 steps a day. We went to Paris last week and he pleasantly surprised himself by how far he walked every day (his highest was 14,000) and he said he was sure he was able to handle it because of the extra walking he'd been doing since getting the Zip.
I trust the HRM more for actual calories burned during workouts and for making sure my heart rate is high enough when doing cardio. It also works when swimming, unlike the Zip. The chest strap can occasionally act stupid (can't get your heart rate, says it's zero, or the reading goes from 119 to 150 in ten seconds), but I've had less problem, with that since getting a new strap. There are plenty of people here who have posted about similar issues, though. That's when I appreciate the Zip.0 -
ETA: Was just reading some of the other comments about how you should only get it if all your exercise is step-based - not so. I have a HRM too, and that's handy, but for "other" exercises you can enter them manually through MFP. Where the fitbit comes into it's own is by tracking your incidental activity & motivating you to just MOVE MORE throughout the day. I seriously doubt you get out of bed in the morning, do an hour of swimming or strength training & then go back to bed until the next day, so, you are walking all the rest of the time you aren't doing that sort of exercise, sleeping, or sitting on your butt.
I didn't say you should only get it if all your exercise is step-based....and I didn't say someone shouldn't get a Fibit...what I said was if your exercise is primarily step based the Fitbit is a useful device.
If your exercise isn't primarily step-based there are other trackers that do a better job with that type of exercise.0 -
The Fitbit Force counts 3 steps for every 1 I actually take. All the settings are correct; it just doesn't know how to count. Also, I set it to show a 12-hour clock with Central time zone. It shows a 24-hour clock that is four hours and 15 minutes b(!) fast. It's a gimmicky little thing; don't waste your money.0
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First of all .. I have a Force and a Flex, like the Force much more.
Re the calories ... the Fitbit does not measure calories burned, sorry but it doesn't. It is actually showing your calories burned based on your BMR from your stats you input and your activity ... and uses a math calculation to get to the number you see. Just like your HRM .. as the HRM just measures your heart rate and does a similar math calculation. So .. with that straight, I love my Fitbit .. so the person that says her Force is not accurate, I guess I got a good one. Mine is very very accurate. I am very very nerdy and I have tested it multiple times .. if I do 1000 steps .. it says 1000. (+- about 2% for human error in counting). It helps to have the app so you can see your steps in real time. The big trick for things like distance walked is setting your correct stride length .. and that does take some work.
I also use an iPhone pedometer app .. and once calibrated it is very very good too. So there are other options. But for an activity tracker .. the Fitbit is a great product.
To all the Fitbit haters .. sorry you are having problems, but I find most errors on the Fitbit are cause people do not understand how the product works.
It is a great product and well worth the money.0 -
The Fitbit Force counts 3 steps for every 1 I actually take. All the settings are correct; it just doesn't know how to count. Also, I set it to show a 12-hour clock with Central time zone. It shows a 24-hour clock that is four hours and 15 minutes b(!) fast. It's a gimmicky little thing; don't waste your money.
This seems to be a case by case basis. I have a Force and at least once a day I either watch the screen on it as I walk or pull out my phone while it's connected and watch it there, it's always been accurate for me.0 -
I want to get one of them, but can't decide between that one and the Nike version. Do they come in colours.0
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I have the Zip - didn't need the stairs/floors climbed or sleep tracking, so just the basic Zip is perfect for me. I scored a brand new one on eBay for $39 - works great.
I still use my HRM for my workouts (weights/circuit type stuff & running/walking), but wear the Zip for them as well, and of course it doesn't track the non-running workouts as well other than times I might be moving around more, with a HIIT type workout.
The estimated daily burn seems about right - I've used the TDEE method here for a couple of years now, and the Zip seems to agree with the numbers I've been using. I actually don't have the accounts synced, I keep them separate but like having the numbers to compare, and love the motivation the Zip gives me to try to reach my step & distance goals.0 -
I like it but can't figure out how it makes adjustments for activity and then after midnight it takes the calories away. Too late if I already ate them.
????
It takes the calories "away" because it resets for the new day, so, if you go back in your MFP diary (if you are syncing) you can still see your cals & log etc if you are up & eating after midnight.
What is your question about activity adjustments?
I think I know what they mean, although I have a bodymedia fit. If I do a lot of exercise early and sync it, it will give me a calorie goal. But if I sync it later and have been less active, it will take away calories. Which sucks if you've already eaten them. So I just don't do this anymore. I hold off.
And i am talking about the same day, not near midnight.0 -
The Fitbit Force counts 3 steps for every 1 I actually take. All the settings are correct; it just doesn't know how to count. Also, I set it to show a 12-hour clock with Central time zone. It shows a 24-hour clock that is four hours and 15 minutes b(!) fast. It's a gimmicky little thing; don't waste your money.
I found that bigger strides counts for more steps, and with the time thing mine at first did the same until I sync it with my laptop then it worked. I love my force wear it everyday0 -
I found that bigger strides counts for more steps ....
You have that backwards .. if you have a shorter stride you will do more steps for a given distance than a bigger stride. Simple math here.0 -
I found that bigger strides counts for more steps ....
You have that backwards .. if you have a shorter stride you will do more steps for a given distance than a bigger stride. Simple math here.
That's obvious but I'm referring to my observations with my fitbit and it's calculations.. Not what is mathematically logical0 -
First of all .. I have a Force and a Flex, like the Force much more.
Re the calories ... the Fitbit does not measure calories burned, sorry but it doesn't. It is actually showing your calories burned based on your BMR from your stats you input and your activity ... and uses a math calculation to get to the number you see. Just like your HRM .. as the HRM just measures your heart rate and does a similar math calculation. So .. with that straight, I love my Fitbit .. so the person that says her Force is not accurate, I guess I got a good one. Mine is very very accurate. I am very very nerdy and I have tested it multiple times .. if I do 1000 steps .. it says 1000. (+- about 2% for human error in counting). It helps to have the app so you can see your steps in real time. The big trick for things like distance walked is setting your correct stride length .. and that does take some work.
I also use an iPhone pedometer app .. and once calibrated it is very very good too. So there are other options. But for an activity tracker .. the Fitbit is a great product.
To all the Fitbit haters .. sorry you are having problems, but I find most errors on the Fitbit are cause people do not understand how the product works.
It is a great product and well worth the money.
I agree. My FitBit Flex is amazing. I base it based off of distance (I knoe how long my route is) and it's nearly 100% accurate, give or take some margin of error. It even records stuff that isn't just walking, like workout videos. It doesn't like jumping though. It won't register it.
But I've lost 12lbs in a month using it religiously and syncing it to MFP. I think it's a great tool and it's a GREAT motivator for me. It's like a personal victory when I see the lights go off and the wrist band buzz when I hit my goal.
I recommend FitBit highly, but I am sure that a like product would be effective also.0 -
Activity trackers track step based exercise (and sleep). Non-step workouts can be logged either in the tracker (I find Fitbit's burns more accurate) or in MFP. No HRM necessary.If you walk/run and want to track your daily activity - perfect. fitbit one is fantastic for that, I'd say accurate burn and has distance, steps, cals burned, a built in timer, is luminous in the dark and you can use it for tracking your sleep.
doesn't track any other exercise tho. you would need a HRM for that.
so it depends on your exercise type.
If you log in MFP you're asked for start & end times so MFP can override your step data during your workout.
PS. MFP has a Fitbit Users group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1307-fitbit-users0
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