Fitbit--anyone used this? which one? is it helpful

bsmock
bsmock Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Has anyone used the Fitbit? I have a wrist watch that monitors heart rate and will calculate calories, but I only take it for about 60% accuracy. I'm looking for some type of tool so I can monitor my workout and tell that I am really getting my heart rate up and burning mucho calories.

Replies

  • daveymac1
    daveymac1 Posts: 784 Member
    I have one, and its ok. More of a gadget then anything. Its supposed to monitor sleep, but if you just lay still, it thinks you are sleeping. As a pedometer its good. Caloric burn is off compared to a HRM. I think its more of a novelty. I spent $100 on it, and wish I didn't. It has cool little sayings that may motivate you, but if you are gonna spend the money, and are serious, I suggest Polar HRM. Just my two cents
  • hannahthesoundgirl
    hannahthesoundgirl Posts: 15 Member
    I have the fitbit flex and have found it very helpful in losing weight. It doesn't let me overestimate how many calories I'm burning in a day, which is good for me. If I eat what it tells me I'm allowed to eat, I lose weight. I have it set for 1.5lbs/week and have lost 6 lbs in the last month. It won't tell you if your heart rate is getting up there, but I do think (based on my last month's evidence), that it is a fairly accurate way of telling you how many calories you're burning throughout the day. Mostly, I just walk/run, ride my bike, and swim.
  • scookiemonster
    scookiemonster Posts: 175 Member
    I just got a fitbit last weekend, and so far I'm really loving it. I have the fitbit one, and it clips right onto my clothing and is very discreet, so I can just wear it all day and nobody has to know (as opposed to a bodybugg or similar, which is a big armband and would both drive me nuts and make me feel very self conscious.

    The fitbit isn't really meant to monitor workouts though. It will track runs and walks and such things, but its purpose is more to monitor your daily activity and calculate a more accurate picture of how many calories you burn just moving throughout your day, in addition to your workouts. I got one because I feel like just setting my mfp account to sedentary vs. moderately active vs. whatever isn't particularly accurate, since I have some days where I'm on my feet all day running errands or working or whatever, and some days where I'm basically sedentary, and I wanted a way to get a more realistic idea of how much I'm burning in any given day. I still log my workouts separately in mfp (which, if you link the mfp and fitbit accounts, will cancel out any additional calories fitbit logs for that time frame so you don't double count them), but the fitbit lets me know which days I've moved around a lot and can eat some extra calories, and how many calories I can really eat, and which days I need to keep it a little more in check and how in check I need to keep it. So far, to me, I think it's been money well spent. I feel much more informed about my movement and natural caloric burn throughout the day, and less like I'm just guessing at how much activity I should be giving myself credit for. I find the sleep monitoring to be pretty fascinating as well.
  • halesss3
    halesss3 Posts: 31
    I have the fitbit zip. It's not too bad I think it was the cheapest one I found out of all of them on amazon. I like it because it does track your steps throughout the day and it predicts your calorie burn throughout the day. I use it along with a heart rate monitor watch so that I get the most accurate measurement of how many calories I burned that day. MFP is awesome because it automatically syncs your calories in from the fitbit if you burned more than your fitbit predicted. I think knowing you have a fitbit on just makes you want to stay active !
  • hif123
    hif123 Posts: 19 Member
    I have the Fitbit Zip and the Fitbit One (thought I'd lost the Zip but then found it again!). I only use these for walking. Both are great for motivation, but the One has the disadvantage that it's very hard to read out of doors. Also it needs recharging after a few days, while the Zip battery lasts for months before it needs to be replaced.
  • smujambo
    smujambo Posts: 11 Member
    I bought a fitbit one about 2 weeks ago and am really liking it. I am still on a learning curve in terms of its syncing with MFP and getting accurate calorie burns per workout, but I figure once those growing pains are over it'll be a piece of cake. My battery hasn't needed recharging since I bought it, and I only read the information on the fitbit dashboard at work or at home, so its visibility outdoors isn't an issue for me. One thing that is a bit of a pain is that if you change your clothes during the day you have to remember to un-clip the thing and re-clip it to your new outfit. And remember to un-clip it before throwing your clothes in the hamper/laundry!

    The zip doesn't track sleep, but seems to do everything else the one and the flex do. If the sleep tracking isn't something you care about seeing then you shouldn't miss it. The zip does seem to be a little bulkier than the one, so I'm not sure if you can wear it clipped to your bra like you can the one (which may also not be an issue if you don't plan on clipping it to your bra anyhow).

    I'm very happy with my purchase and would recommend the one to anyone. This isn't to say I would advice against the zip or the flex; I don't have any experience with them so I can't speak intelligently about their strengths and weaknesses.

    You can get the one for less than $100 if you do a little searching. Good luck with your decision!

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