Fitbit....should I get one? I already have a hrm ??

Ok lol. Not to decide between flex or one :-/

I got the Flex. I love it. It syncs to my phone and MFP, I love that it's water resistant (I have a two year old, it comes in handy!), and I love how it tracks movement and all that. My mom had a One, and it got washed. She still needs to replace it.

Questions like this make it obvious that people don't quite understand what a fitbit IS. Asking if you should have one of these and/or an HRM is like asking if you should buy a treadmill or eat more vegetables. Both are good for you but they don't relate. The fitbit is a great motivator to be more active - it gives you an overview of your daily activity and keeps you accountable to that with the negative adjustments. Have you only climbed 7 flights of stairs today? What's 3 more - go for it! You've been sitting at your desk and haven't gotten many steps in - why not take the long way to the bathroom?

That's what the fitbit is for. I do not use it to track my exercise - or if I leave it on, I always run it in conjunction with something else (HRM, runtastic app, etc.) and make corrections.

The HRM tracks your exercise calories and heart rate improvements. You don't wear it all day.

If all you are interested in is exercise calories and heart health, you don't need a fitbit. If you want a tool to keep you accountable all day long, then a fitbit would be infinitely more useful than a HRM.

Both are not completely accurate, but are relatively good at what they are intended to do. Use the right tool for the job you want to accomplish. That's what it boils down to.

I wouldn't spend money on expensive devices if you need it for motivation. Sounds to me that you want one but are looking for a justification to actually spend the money. Heart over head?
Tbh I don't get the point in pedometers- even knowing how active you are, it will not be considered by either MFP or TDEE methods, since that is incorporated in the "daily activity" setting. What I did to measure my activity was at the end of the week, I would sit and write down the minutes spend on walking (into town and back? went for a walk? etc.).

With a sedentary lifestyle, I don't think you will be completely off in estimating your activity. I can see people in active jobs trying to do that, but not in a 9-5 desk job or something.

Just my two copper, anyway.

You could always manually adjust your calorie settings FYI. We aren't stuck with what MFP tells us to do. I recommend you go play with the settings, it is quite customizable. Even if you don't change anything it is nice to know the functionality of the tool. One can alway use BMR+specific cals burned throughout the day and replace MFP's estimated TDEE.

You could always manually adjust your calorie settings FYI. We aren't stuck with what MFP tells us to do. I recommend you go play with the settings, it is quite customizable. Even if you don't change anything it is nice to know the functionality of the tool. One can alway use BMR+specific cals burned throughout the day and replace MFP's estimated TDEE.

In case this was addressed to me: My calories and my macros are all custom set based on the TDEE spreadsheet. I still don't see what good a FitBit would do in this context.

(in case you meant to address the OP- just ignore me )

Or you could not have to manually do anything as FItbit calculates all of that for you ( it gives you your daily TDEE in real time). and MFP breaks out the macros in your food as entered.

Wearing a fitbit helped motivate me to use part of my lunch break to take a walk and get in 3,000 steps. It has helped me get in the habit of walking to the grocery store or take my son to a park a few blocks further from the house or to use the bathroom downstairs. I knew I could do all those things before, and sometimes I did them, but knowing I am going to look at a number at the end of the day motivates me to do a bit more. That bit more adds up.

I spent 20 years developing mediocre to bad habits. I have spent 5 years trying to develop good habits. My point? I have spent a great deal more time learning and reinforcing awful habits (limited activity, 5 Guys Burgers three nights a week) then I have re-developing good habits.

Reading a silly number off of a pedometer has helped me to get off my butt and move at work. I normally leave the office with 6,000 steps and 12 trips up and down stairs. Toss in walks with my toddler, time on the elliptical, and regular activites at home and most days I am at 13,000 steps. When I started using the Fitbit, I was barely hitting 7,000.

Yes it is an expensive pedometer but it is helping me develop good habits. I figure I have 15 years to go before the good habits trump the bad habits. I'll use whatever tools I need to do just that.

I've had my fitbit one for about 2 weeks and I love it! I have it synced with MFP and I'm basically letting it dictate my calorie intake for the day. I've started following the fitbit suggestions the Sunday before last, and I lost 2 lbs that week. Prior to that, I was averaging .7 to 1 lb per week following MFP's suggestions and then switching over to TDEE -20%.

I'm not sure if I'll get the same results every week, but even if I don't, I still like that I can have fitbit friends that I compete against, as well as just having it on and wanting to get in my steps in everyday. Sometimes I'm walking in place during various times of the day just to get some steps in.

At the very least, it keeps me moving!

I have a Polar FT7, and the only time I use it now is when I use my kettlebells.

I never heard of fitbit till I read about it on here. I have a polar hrm should I get a fitbit or is there any point? I didn't think I'd love my hrm as much as I do so handy. Would it even be worth it or pointless getting a fitbit now.

Look into a Body Media, if your going to spend the $$$ I would advise to get the best one with the highest Accuracy! I love mine and Love seeing how it calculates everything... no need to worry about tracking my exercise cals as mfp links with my body media account! its wonderful!

That's what I was slightly thinking of.. My job is sedentary. Was thinking that maybe the fitbit would help me to move more...maybe.

This is exactly why my husband uses his fitbit, and why I use a nike fuel band. It is a great reminder to "move when you can"

decided to retract my answer.

I do love my hrm though. Gives a more accurate reading of calories burned

The fitbit is surprisingly accurate. It takes into account all your stats, measures your strides, etc.

I think the one and flex are the same as far as what they measure and track.
I have the One, i like it because i can wear it all the time(except in the water) I dont think i would like the flex because its a big clunky bracelet that doesnt always match what im wearing(lol) but a friend of mine has it and loves it.

That's what I was slightly thinking of.. My job is sedentary. Was thinking that maybe the fitbit would help me to move more...maybe.

It certainly does that. Being aware of just how few steps you have done spurs you on to do more - especially when you're going to lose calories to eat otherwise!

I'd recommend the FitBit One. Unobtrusive (clips inside my bra), less likely to catch on things or trap dirt and won't clash with a fancy outfit! I think I move my arms more than my body so wouldn't trust the read out on the Flex.

My FitBit One gave me just 3 calories less than the gym machines did today too so I'm happy with the accuracy.

You're talking apples and oranges.

A HRM is for measuring workout burns, not daily activity burn. A Fitbit measures your daily activity as a whole; not just your workouts. Many people have and use both because they do different things but work well together.

This. Also, make sure you compare all manufacturers and models. I did, and ended up choosing a BodyMedia device. I don't care about wearing the armband, though. For some people, it's a deal breaker.

I have both. I find my HRM does exaggerate my calories burned ( at least 200 above what MFT suggests), but it's good for making sure I'm working hard. Fitbit is good because it counts calories in real time, the whole day. So if I sit around all day I can't fool myself into thinking I've been active because the numbers are right there.

Two totally different items, but both very useful if you love numbers!

My HRM tries to give me almost twice the calories the Precor gym equipment gives me. I trust my FitBit more but agree it's not entirely reliable on things like yoga or weights.

I have the fitbit flex and love it. I have wondered about getting a heart rate monitor (chest strap type) and if it would be of any benefit to me.

The main reason I am considering a heart rate monitor is that I am not supposed to get my heart rate too high due existing cardiac issues. I have always monitored it by how well I can breath/talk during activity or by stopping and taking my pulse. Devices that require me to stop and touch never seem to accurately register my HR. I hate having to stop completely to measure my heart rate and would prefer maybe having something that actually continually measures heart rate.

Also as far as HRM go what should a person get and about how much do they cost if you have one.