Fitbit vs. Withings

I've had the Fitbit One for a few weeks now and I really love it. I did a lot of research and review-reading before buying it, and I definitely think I chose the right device for me. That being said though, I think these things can be very personal, so each of us will have different preferences.

I chose the Fitbit One because I wanted something with a visible readout so that I didn't always have to wait for a computer to see how I was doing. Then, I wanted a device that could easily interface with my mfp account so that I could sync the readout with my caloric intake on mfp. I also wanted something that would be versatile and that I could wear all the time - home, work, gym, errands, wherever - without it getting in the way. Finally, I wanted something that would be inconspicuous so that I wouldn't have to always be explaining to people what it is and what it's for - being the chubby one in a mostly skinny family means that any conversation related to my weight or fitness has a high potential to leave me with my teeth set on edge, so I'd rather it just not be a topic of conversation if it's not necessary.

After a lot of thought and reading and consideration, I felt like the FitBit One was really the only option that felt like it really fit all of those criteria. It's extremely small (about the size of a small usb drive), has a clear and easily accessible digital readout. There are a lot of options for how to wear it - I mostly wear it clipped to the inside of my pocket if I'm wearing pants with pockets, or tucked into the back of my pants clipped to the waistband if I have no pockets. If I'm wearing a dress without pockets, I also have the option to clip it to the inside of my bra under the arm. It's generally either completely invisible or all you can see is the outside of the clip, which nobody seems to have noticed yet. I've also worn it clipped inside the front of my sports bra when I was running. I very much prefer this to the bracelet style - all of the bracelets that I saw in the store seemed to me to be rather ugly and conspicuous. Some, like the Jawbone Up and the FitBit Flex, looked okay online in pictures, but were much bigger and more rubbery-looking in person. That might be fine for hanging around the house or running errands, but I would feel self conscious wearing it to work, and it definitely wasn't going to be inconspicuous or be something I could wear when I wanted to get a little more dressed up. That sort of thing is going to be a matter of personal preference though - if you don't care if people notice it and/or aren't worried about dressing more formally, that may not be an issue for you like it is for me.

It has a long battery life - at least a week, if not more - and charged fully in less than an hour. You can wear it in a wristband to monitor your sleep, which I did for the first week, but have since decided is less important to me than the rest of my activity. It was, however, fascinating to see my sleep patterns for a week or so, just for personal information. Apparently I sleep much more restlessly than I realize! I found the sleep band to be comfortable and easy to use.

The sync with mfp has been essentially seamless. There has been a time or two when I have to refresh it manually, but usually it just does it automatically whenever I sync the fitbit with my computer. The fitbit syncs wirelessly with the computer through a small usb dongle that I just leave attached to a usb port on my laptop. It syncs whenever I sit down at the computer without me having to do anything. I set my mfp account to sedentary so that I start my day with the bottom level of calories that I need and then let the fitbit add any calories I burn moving around to what I can eat. I've found that doing this is very useful, as I'll have days where I don't do much more than sit on the couch and then days where I'm on my feet all day, but since I'm not technically exercising and I don't log those calories, I never really know how much I can actually eat or what activity I should set for mfp. The fitbit takes out some of that guesswork.

And, yes, I'll admit it - I've definitely walked a few laps in circles around my living room or parked a spot or two further back in the lot just to get my step count up for the day, which can't be a bad thing, right?

The biggest complaint I saw in the reviews that I read was that people complained that the fitbit gets lost easily. I think a lot of this is just a matter of user error - it seems unfair to me to blame the device because you can't remember to take it off your pants before you put them in the wash! It is a small device (which, to me, is the main appeal), so if you're someone who loses things easily, just keep that in mind. In terms of it just falling off my clothes during the day, the clip on mine is so tight that I have a hard time imagining that happening, but I'm keeping an eye on it just in case it starts to loosen up with wear. So far it seems fine. That is the plus to a bracelet style though - harder have it just fall off without you noticing. For me, being able to keep it my own private business and not have my entire family asking about it outweighed the slight chance that it might fall off or get lost. So, personal choice.

Overall, I really love my fitbit, and I'm glad I purchased it. Sorry that was so long, just trying to be as informative as possible!

fitbit has the best website out there hands DOWN! yea no bugs ever.. great little tool that i use everyday the fitbit one, but gotta say i prefer my bodymedia link more.

as far as the scales go, id go with the withings as its 1. AWESOME and 2. all websites/apps let you link it up with their programs. i know some websites/apps make you go 'Premium' to use the fitbit aria scale..

Get the Fitbit. It is great! I love mine. After I bought it I learned that I can link it to myfitnesspal, like you mentioned, and thought it was very great.

As far as the heart rate monitor. I would get a Polar RS100. But in reality, you don't really need one. As long as you're eating right and exercising you will lose weight. The HRM is just another tool to cary around.

I have had a fitbit one for 5 months now. I love it. Simple as that.
I wear it clipped to my bra strap, and do not care if it shows through my clothing. If anyone asks (no one has so far) I would be happy and proud to show it to them and tell them about it.
For me, it is the best motivator that I have to get me moving. It would be great for someone who wants friendly competition with others, but I, personally, like that it motivates me to do more than I did the day before. My week starts on Sunday with my fitbit. I just completed syncing for the day. I am already, after one day, at over 30% of my weekly challenge.
This is from someone who was doing no exercise at all until 9 months ago, and I am going to be 62 in less than 3 months. Between MFP & fitbit, I am in better shape than I have been in decades!
I do not think anyone can go wrong getting a fitbit. I don't have one negative thing to say about it!

Hey Katkamm!

I use the FitBit One, and absolutely love it! I just found out about the Withings products today from a site called Greatist.com, and it does sound pretty good, although to be fair, I would have to do much more research on that one. I've been thinking about getting the FitBit Aria scale to sync with MFP and my FB One as well, but it seems that both scales are quite an investment! I will say that the One has been a really good buy, and the main reason I bought it was to track my sleep (I'm a poor sleeper, and wanted to know how much I was actually getting per night). It's been a real eye-opener! Another eye-opener is how much a person actually moves. I've found that since having the One, I get up and move more.

I love my flex, my only complaint is that I have TINY wrists and even using the smaller band it sits a little funny. However the super vain side of me loves that it matches my iPhone (they're both line, it's dumb, i know.)

I never go anywhere without my phone, so the fact that it's just flashing lights isn't a problem for me, in fact it helps to keep me from obsessing over it like I would if it gave a digital read out. I also love the sleep tracker, it's been so nice to be able to make connections between nights I under sleep/wake up often and the following morning where I'm not motivated to exercise.

The water resistant feature also tickles me to pieces. I don't have to stop and take it off to give my son a bath, or take a quick shower, or wash some dishes.

I've been debating between the Fitbit and Withings and have purchased and tried both very quickly...overall I really liked the Withings and I think according to the reviews I've read it's just as good if not better than the One with options and how it interacts with the site. The heartrate monitor on the Withings is a bonus...not sure how accurate or what I would do with that info, but neat to have. The other plus to the Withings for me was that it would sync over Bluetooth with my older phone (Galaxy S2 - only a couple years old). Fitbit only seems to work with newer phones with a newer Bluetooth system. The Fitbit I have to connect with the 'dongle' they provide which is small and I don't really want to cart it around everywhere (home to work) because I'm worried it'll be lost.

The downside to the Withings, and the reason it looks like I'll ultimately end up keeping the Fitbit One is because of the style. The Withings is more square, with a thicker clip and wouldn't at all be discreet if clipped to my bra. it is a lot more bulky - wouldn't be too bad on a pair of pants, but on a day like today when I'm wearing a dress with nowhere else to clip it. The One is thin and narrow and so far more discreet. If Withings came out with a thinner or at least more narrow option then I would be keeping it for sure because of the bluetooth connection issue with the Fitbit!