FitBit (Another one... I know)

chloctopus_x
chloctopus_x Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

So like many of you, I have the ultimate dilemma. To get a FitBit or to not get a FitBit.

Currently, I'm set on getting one. The only problem is I don't know if I should get the Flex or the One. I've seen people complain that the Flex isn't as accurate as the One + it doesn't track steps. Yet it being waterproof and goal setting is rather appealing to me.

Any suggestions or pros/cons? Has anyone had the trouble with the Flex not being very accurate? Any feedback is greatly appreciated! :happy:

A little bit about me - I have a desk job and I try to go to the gym at least 4 times a week. I'm not extreme on working out, but eventually I would like to be or at least be able to do a marathon/5k/SOMETHING active. I don't do a lot outside, but I try to swim as often as I can. Although swimming season is almost over.

Replies

  • ancho84
    ancho84 Posts: 40 Member
    I've had the fitbit flex for about three weeks.It has helped me be more acurate with calories and syncs well with MFP. I had been stuck at the same weight for a while. Once I started using my Flex, I started losing again (2lbs a week). Read through some of the posts here on how to accurately use it. Log exercises on Fitbit and log foods on MFP.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    Have you looked at the Bodymedia fit- much more accurate. Core2 model is coming out soon.
  • chloctopus_x
    chloctopus_x Posts: 2
    Don't you have to purchase a subscription for Bodymedia? I would rather not spend an additional fee each month.
  • MistbornVin
    MistbornVin Posts: 29 Member
    I have a fit bit one. I love having it. The fit bit one tracks sleep, steps, calories, floors, and distance....same with the flex. The one stays on your hip. Disadvantage of the one: falls out of case occasionally. The flex on the other hand goes on your wrist like a watch. The flex is also waterproof, which means you can take a shower or go in the pool with it on.
  • hcporter
    hcporter Posts: 4
    I have the FitBit One. I appreciate the price (especially since it has come down after the introduction of the Flex), and the simplicity. I know how many steps I have for the day, and how many I need to hit my 10K. Same with stairs. I enjoy having it, and often wear it on the pocket of my pants. In the event that it slips from the case, it lands in my pocket.
  • SinginSoprano
    SinginSoprano Posts: 5 Member
    I have the fitbit zip...love it...it does what I want it to do. :)
  • yankeedownsouth
    yankeedownsouth Posts: 717 Member
    I have the Fitbit One and absolutely love it. Very motivating and worth every penny!
  • ikudbne12
    ikudbne12 Posts: 63 Member
    I have had the flex for over a month now and never take it off...usually forget its there. I was worried i would lose the One... Notorious for this. ;) Only have to charge it once a week. I Like that it tracks sleep and steps. I find the calories to be appropriate for my daily activity levels and while steps were a bit weird at first i fixed the settings and they seem to match up now pretty well. Like that it syncs with MFP. I would recommend it if all you want it for is monitoring steps/sleep efficiency and calories. I have an HRM monitor for workouts with weights. Flex is not really for that type of monitoring.
  • rajendra82
    rajendra82 Posts: 20
    The flex does less than the one. The one tracks your sleep and also measures the stairs climbed. The one also has a more informative display. Yes it's not wearable in the shower, but do you really burn that many calories in the shower?

    Me and my office teammates just won a choice of fitbit after participating in, and winning a biggest loser contest at work. I chose the one over the flex for myself, and am quite happy I did. I have an HRM to monitor my workouts, as I usually do stationary bicycling, and fitbit of any kind is not good for that. What couple of days of monitoring has showed me is that I really need to get up and move around more.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    What if they have it backwards and flex is more accurate and they're not as active as they thought? Lol

    I kept asking how do they know one is more accurate... I'm doing great with flex, and if it tightens the deficit, how bad can that be?
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    The flex does less than the one. The one tracks your sleep and also measures the stairs climbed. The one also has a more informative display. Yes it's not wearable in the shower, but do you really burn that many calories in the shower?

    Hell yeah! I'm high maintenance, lol. I get a good burn during shower time :tongue: I wear it in pools and Jacuzzis too.

    Eta: Also, I don't climb stairs so don't care about floors. I'm sure flex picks up the movement.
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,071 Member
    I've had a Fitbit 1 since December 2012 and love it! I bought a leash for mine for extra protection from loss. It has paid for itself 5 times over. I clip the leash to either my bra strap or waistband and hook the Fitbit inside my bra or pocket.

    For water activities, I put mine in a watertight match case and then inside a double zipper Ziploc and then inside a watertight phone pouch. I've worn it to a waterpark like this clipped to my bathing suit and had no issues.

    I really like the sleep tracker. It has helped me see how much sleep I was actually getting, which wasn't much at first. The gadget gives me an estimated TDEE, too. I wrote down my daily calories burned over the course of a month and averaged it.
  • caarsen
    caarsen Posts: 31 Member
    I have the fitbit one. I don't worry about the waterproof part. That's a pretty minor inconvenience. Just for interest's sake I wore my Heart Rate Monitor and FitBit for an entire day. The Fitbit was only about 50 - 70 calories out compared to the HRM so I am pretty pleased with the FitBit.
  • johncorbin581
    johncorbin581 Posts: 12 Member
    I have the Zip and it's great. For the money you can't go wrong. Either way, which ever model you choose is well worth every penny! Easy sync i just wish that they would expand the devices supported with the app.

    ( you can DL the app to most phones, just most phones don't support syncing your steps...ect. I just sync my stats when i get home from work. TOO EASY!)


    Good luck.
  • srgtbiggles
    srgtbiggles Posts: 170 Member
    Love my Zip! Clip it into my bra every morning and let it do its thing. I wouldnt really like wearing something on my wrist all the time. Don't have to charge it, change the battery every 6 months or so? Doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but I don't do that many staircases, and don't really see the point in tracking my sleep, I know when I sleep, lol. It really does motivate me to move more!
  • Blitz_40
    Blitz_40 Posts: 110 Member
    I think either is great if you are motivated by tracking and goals. I chose the One because it was a better fit for my lifestyle. I can wear it in an unobtrusive place, whereas the flex is always on your wrist. I'm too hands on to worry if I'm going to splatter it with paint, break it off doing yard work and it really doesn't lend itself to dress-up occasions. Alternatively, since the One is tiny I guess it could get lost easily, but mine stays in the little rubber clip attached to my bra firmly. The one also has a screen so I can check my progress without have to look at a phone or computer which is important to me since I do not like to be tied to devices. The folks who use flex it love it & so I think it comes down to person preference how/where you want to be able to wear it.
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    I have the fitbit one. I don't worry about the waterproof part. That's a pretty minor inconvenience. Just for interest's sake I wore my Heart Rate Monitor and FitBit for an entire day. The Fitbit was only about 50 - 70 calories out compared to the HRM so I am pretty pleased with the FitBit.

    HRM don't give accurate readings for all day wear.
  • maca416
    maca416 Posts: 142 Member
    The One for me & it has never fallen out of it's pouch & I do lots of walking.

    I think any of the Fitbit's are great I just like lots of data so went for the one also it gives you a live readout on the unit so you can see progress when you want.

    Whatever one you buy they really are very good.
  • nursenelson
    nursenelson Posts: 295
    I have the Fitbit One and absolutely love it. Very motivating and worth every penny!


    ^^^^^ this!
    I find it makes me even more active because I LOVE having little friendly competitions with fitbit friends to see who can get more steps in a day or week.
    Even though I try to exercise on a regular basis - I will still find myself "stepping" more to hit my daily and weekly step goals.
    I like how MFP syncs my exercise and food onto my fitbit. :)
    It's great - no complaints (except when monitoring my sleep it's not quite accurate, it thinks I'm sleeping when in actuality I am not, I'm just not moving)
  • nursenelson
    nursenelson Posts: 295
    For water activities, I put mine in a watertight match case and then inside a double zipper Ziploc and then inside a watertight phone pouch. I've worn it to a waterpark like this clipped to my bathing suit and had no issues.

    HUH! Brilliant idea!!
    I'm gonna do that!!!
    YAY!!
  • scrapjen
    scrapjen Posts: 387 Member
    I have the One and prefer it, as I don't like wearing things on my wrist. I also got the One for my 14-year old, as I knew they wouldn't let him wear it on his wrist during games (they have no idea he has the One on, it's out of sight). My 17-year old though, wanted the Flex, and it works well for him.

    The Flex doesn't track stairs ... not a huge deal, but it is an interesting thing to watch, especially IF you do a lot of stairs or hiking. The water-resistance is a plus, but I really like looking at my device and seeing the numbers (which you can do on the One, but not the Flex).

    But I LOVE my Fitbit ... I did a post on my blog to give you an idea of the graphs and such you'll see ...
    http://jenbsjourney.blogspot.com/2013/08/wondering-about-fitbit.html

    Also, this shouldn't be a huge factor, but Fitbit is so well known and trusted for it's tracking that you can use it to earn "rewards" from a few fittness sites ... I've earned two $5 Amazon certificates, I've almost hit a $25 payout (we'll see, does sound a little too good to be true), and I've earned Walgreens balance rewards ... just link up your Fitbit and forget it and earn away!

    http://jenbsjourney.blogspot.com/2013/08/get-rewarded-for-getting-fit.html

    I'm a Fitbit fan ... if you couldn't tell *Ü*
  • cliff948
    cliff948 Posts: 17 Member
    Been using the FitBit One since January 2013 because my friend Belle recommended it and am very happy. Another friend's husband uses the Flex and is ecstatic because it counts arm movements as 'activity' which means he can now compete with her (she averages 100k+ steps per week).

    Never thought of hooking it up per 'scrapjen' but will check that out since I now use Walgreen for my Rx.

    Cliff {:{)
  • dakitten2
    dakitten2 Posts: 888 Member
    The flex does less than the one. The one tracks your sleep and also measures the stairs climbed. The one also has a more informative display. Yes it's not wearable in the shower, but do you really burn that many calories in the shower?

    Me and my office teammates just won a choice of fitbit after participating in, and winning a biggest loser contest at work. I chose the one over the flex for myself, and am quite happy I did. I have an HRM to monitor my workouts, as I usually do stationary bicycling, and fitbit of any kind is not good for that. What couple of days of monitoring has showed me is that I really need to get up and move around more.

    Just a minor correction here. I have the Flex and it does track your sleep and also measures the stairs climbed. I cant say which one is better since I have only had experience with the Flex. But it does what I need it to do so I'm all good.
  • vickybeads
    vickybeads Posts: 5 Member
    I love/loved my FitBit Flex, and it does track steps. Unfortunately, it only lasted about two weeks and I had to send it back. Should have my new one on Tuesday and I can't wait.

    I also have the BodyMedia Lync and I loved it, but hubby thought it looked dumb because I wore it all the time on my upper left arm. I tried to keep it hidden with short sleeves, but in the TX 105 + heat, sometimes you just have to go sleeveless!. So to keep the peace, I switched to the Flex. They're both good and both track steps. I think the BodyMedia website is better designed and more user friendly, but FitBit is getting there. They both sync with My Fitness Pal and SparkPeople.

    I find I try to hit my goal every day and if I do it for a week, I add 1000 steps and start again.
  • JamericanBoy
    JamericanBoy Posts: 484 Member
    I have the FitBit model that came out last year and I *heart* it. I also use a Nike+ Activity band (which does not synch with MFP.. "boo!!!") and I love that even more. I also have the Nike+ sports watch which pairs with their she pod and Polar HRM which I user when I run. I know, I know... I'm a techno geek.
  • Pierced
    Pierced Posts: 36 Member
    I have the fitBit flex for over a month now and love it. Love when I get the happy vibrating notice when I have hit my steps in the day. Have had no issues syncing it up with my iPhone. No one really notices it on my wrist, it just resembles all the other bracelets people wear.
  • LoveHummingbirds
    LoveHummingbirds Posts: 17
    I have the FitBit Zip and I love it. It's affordable and I like that it's hidden on my waistband or bra strap. It's a great tool that motivates me to stay active.
  • chell53
    chell53 Posts: 352 Member
    I have the Fitbit one and love it, attach it to my bra and off I go, I to have it on a leash and when I wear it I face it on the inside of the bra so if by chance it should fall out of its case it stays in the bra, (this has not happen to me). I like seeing the numbers, had the Flex and returned for the One.

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