Debating to get fitbit

I'm interested in what others have to say about this as well.

I have the FitBit Flex and absolutely love it. I'm competitive (and maybe a little obsessive...), so I love having the step goal everyday and meeting it. It definitely gets me to move more.

I've had my flex since the beginning of the month and I love it. When I am having a lazy day and look at how lazy I have been it encourages me to get up and move. I get excited when it vibrates that I have met my goal for the day. I highly recommend it

Honestly, I got one and it's cute, but it does nothing more for me than MFP does. For me it would have been much better if I'd saved up and gotten a good heart rate monitor instead rather than throwing down that $60. I don't even carry my Fitbit anymore, and I just got it in June! But I know some people do love them.

Honestly, I got one and it's cute, but it does nothing more for me than MFP does. For me it would have been much better if I'd saved up and gotten a good heart rate monitor instead rather than throwing down that $60. I don't even carry my Fitbit anymore, and I just got it in June! But I know some people do love them.

I don't have one, but I fully expect that your reaction would be mine if I did. Not to mention, I don't want to include all my standard daily walking in my burned calories amount - if my everyday walking around and doing things was getting me skinny, I'd already be skinny! Instead, I spent my cash on a decent heart rate monitor and track any physical activity that isn't a standard part of my day (whether it be cardio, strength training, playing a physical game with friends or with a Kinect, etc.) and use that info to figure out my exercise calories for the day.

That being said, i have a family friend who is IN LOVE with her Fitbit. And if something brings you joy (and isn't a bad thing), I say go for it (assuming you have the cash for such a thing).

I have the FitBit Zip and I LOVE it!

So you are not sure what it is, nor what it does, but since you saw the name in threads you want to know if you need it?

I am looking into something like this too. I hope you dont mind me crashing your thread for information too.


Is the Fitbit suitable for swimming? or are there any other alternatives that do monitor that as well as the stuff the fitbit does?

The only fitbit suitable for swimming, from what I understand, is the Flex. The others aren't waterproof, just water resistant, so if you sweat on it, it'll be ok. The flex is waterproof though.

I would say if you do not love your fitbit then you have a fitbit zip. I do not think they are worth the money. The fitbit is the best thing I have gotten in a while. I also have a heart rate monitor which I use rarely. The way it works is not really how many steps you have determines youre calorie count but how fast you are moving. Sure if you get 20,000 steps one day you will in turn have more calories burned then on a day you do 10,000 however, wouldn't you expect to? Now I don't eat all my calories back so this really is not my concern but I will say this I have compared what I got from my HRM while working out and it was comparable to what my daily burn through my fitbit.


All said it is an AWESOME investment!!! I would suggest to get the fitbit one if you are visual and like to see your numbers and stats and i would suggest the flex if you do not care to see the stats or if you like to be in water since it is waterproof.

Thanks for that info ajmaupin and jesseBYAH. I did see it said "Wear all day and night, even in the shower." but I wasnt sure it went as far as being swimable and as a lot of my cardio work is swimming, I need to find something that I can use as a one tool fits all type thing.

Anyone know if the Fitbit Flex can act as a HRM with a smart phone app?

I have the One. I like it well enough. When I remember to charge it. I usually wear it a week on, a week off (until I remember to charge it). I've lost it twice already, but found quickly enough. I do think that it helps provide me with a little motivation. A couple of times now I've been sitting around in the evening, and I realize I only need a few hundred steps to get to 10K, so I'll go walk the dog one more time before bed. It has definitely helped in that regard, so I guess the dog would certainly vouch for it.

I don't know anything about the device you already have, but I love me my Fitbit and have been using it since November. It syncs with MFP; you enter all food and exercise onto MFP, which communicates it to Fitbit. I find the device keeps me motivated to achieve my goals. Since my default mode is sedentary, the Fitbit has changed my approach and made me move more. I have the One and my husband has the Zip. While the new Flex appeals to me, I like the read-out feature of the One, plus you can hide it under clothing (if you wish to). There are hundreds of customer reviews on Amazon if you want more opinions...

I had a BodyMedia Core (the large-sized model) and wore it and lost all the weight I wanted. I was so happy with my progress, but I too got tired of wearing it on my arm all the time. The tan line was gorgeous!!! I stopped wearing it.

So, I tried the FitBit. It was fine, but after the amount of information BodyMedia gave me the FitBit was disappointing.

So, I bought the smaller version of BodyMedia Core and am more than pleased to be wearing it again, tan line and all.

I hadn't heard about the new model this fall, but I'll be on the lookout.

Yes, it's more expensive and has a monthly fee, but for me there's no going back!

Does FitBit pretty much just track your activity? I am not worried about moving more. I have been told I move too much! I am worried about accurately figuring out how many calories I need a day. The TDEE calculators seem WAY high for me. I was just wondering if this would help me figure it out. Thanks for the input and sorry to post a question on your thread OP!

Yep--when your accounts are linked, MFP automatically reads your activity level from your Fitbit and recalculates your allowed calories throughout the day. It's pretty awesome!