Bodymedia armband or Fitbit is it worth it?

Mongognom
Mongognom Posts: 123
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm considering getting an activity tracker and I was wondering if anyone here have experience with them. Is it worth the money? Are the cheaper models as good as the more expensive?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I picked up an older Fitbit on Ebay, I like the activity monitoring as it reminds me to get up and down some stairs etc every day.
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
    totally and the fitbix flex is super cool.. its a wrist band and uploads to your phone or blue tooth device throughout the day.. shows u where u are most active, lets u set a step goal, calories, and track sleep patterns.
  • Becca_Smith1552
    Becca_Smith1552 Posts: 17
    I have both of them and I like both of them :smile: The BodyMedia gives you a little more info. than the FitBit, but either of them are great motivators for moving more!
  • Vicky_Sinclair
    Vicky_Sinclair Posts: 10 Member
    I have the Fitbit One and I really like it. Makes me want to get up and move a lot more than I did before.
  • triskaidekaphile13
    triskaidekaphile13 Posts: 92 Member
    I absolutely love my FitBit. It's changed my life. I have the older Ultra version that clips on to my waistband. Depending on where you are in the world they've just launched a new wristband version called Force to replace the Flex with a better display. Yesterday I didn't want to exercise in the morning and had a lazy day and was left with 8,000 steps to do before I went to bed. I was determined to get them and did the 10,000th step just after 10:10pm. It makes me so much more aware of my levels of activity and I sync my activities to Earnd It and spend them on charity donations. Win all round. I also like my calorie goal on MFP rising as I do more.
  • blueboxgeek
    blueboxgeek Posts: 574 Member
    So how do these actually work? You wear them all day and they track your activity right? Does it show you calories burned during exercise? I was considering getting a heart rate monitor for exercise, but one of these might encourage me to do more general activity during the day.
  • warriorsal
    warriorsal Posts: 64 Member
    My wife and I have fitbits. Ours is the Flex, so it goes around our wrist and keeps track of steps taken. It also gives you a rough idea of calories burnt. The best part about it is that we can check on each other to see who is leading in steps for the day. In that regard, it is very motivating to get up and move!
  • coffee4me57
    coffee4me57 Posts: 195
    I have the Fitbit Zip and love it. Good for tracking how many steps in a day and the treadmill.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
    I have a fitbit one. It is the single best motivator I have. It challenges me to get up and move. I don't think it is accurate on calories burned, but that is not an issue for me. I need the challenge it gives me to get up and get those extra steps every day.
  • Boofuls
    Boofuls Posts: 47 Member
    I have a fitbit zip and prefer it to more expensive fitbits. It's easily hidden, I just wear it in my bra.

    It's been life changing for me. I have had lazy sundays where I literally take about 1200 steps. On those days it deducts around 200 calories from what I can eat. Very instructive!
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    I have the zip as well and love it. It's been very instructive on how much I move almost every single day. I have the very occasional lazy day like yesterday, but on average I'm at 20,000+ steps per day.
  • stef_monster
    stef_monster Posts: 205 Member
    I had a FitBit Ultra that I managed to kill with my sweat, and FitBit replaced with a One for free because I'd had it less than a year.

    I LOVE my FitBit. I work a very sedentary job with little opportunity to get up and move, and FitBit helps me get an idea of how my movement (or lack thereof) affects my caloric intake. I like having a little TDEE calculator hanging out with me all day- it really takes the guesswork out of eating at a deficit. You can also set it to record how many calories, steps, etc you do during a certain timeframe. I don't think it's as accurate as an HRM for things like weightlifting and yoga, but it's close enough not to stress about.

    Call me crazy, but another of the selling points of the FitBit One (for me) was the silent alarm. You can wear it in a wristband when you go to bed to track your sleep, and it vibrates when your alarm goes off. I hate alarm clocks, so it's perfect.
  • potluck965
    potluck965 Posts: 529 Member
    I have a BodyMedia and find it extremely useful. I didn't get it until I was on maintenance, which is almost more of a struggle than weight loss.

    I really like all the info it provides.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    I've found the BodyMedia to be more accurate in calorie burn for the day than the FitBit. The FitBit is a glorified pedometer. Cheap activity models are not accurate so get the best you can afford.
  • VonDressToLarge
    VonDressToLarge Posts: 20
    YYEES!! So worth every cent
  • VonDressToLarge
    VonDressToLarge Posts: 20
    I have both of them and I like both of them :smile: The BodyMedia gives you a little more info. than the FitBit, but either of them are great motivators for moving more!

    Me too and i love them!!!
  • stangirl1995
    stangirl1995 Posts: 43 Member
    I have the fitbit one and it is a HUGE motivator. I have a desk job and did not realize how sedentary you are. Now I get up and walk around the room while I am on the phone and go for a short walk on lunch break. Love it!!
  • jmcreynolds91
    jmcreynolds91 Posts: 777 Member
    I have the bodymedia and love it! It gives you so much information. Before I got it a couple of months ago, I did a little research and found that the BM is supposed to be a little more accurate and tracking calories. I absolutely love mine as I can see so much information. It converts the info to little graphs and so helpful to see. It also helps me get my butt moving!!
  • fougamou
    fougamou Posts: 200 Member
    I love my Fitbit.

    One thing not mentioned yet is that it has really helped me link my activity with calorie intake.

    It has really helped me accept the fact that some days I am active and some days I am not, and that is OK. What is not OK is eating like I am active when I am not active :laugh: So if I want to sit around my house reading all day trying to destress, its OK as long as I am not sitting there eating cheesecake.


    (Which makes it sound like I Use it as an excuse not to move around, which is not the case at all. It is a huge motivator for me to get up and move around, park farther away, take the stairs, take a walk, etc. )
  • Panda_Rolls
    Panda_Rolls Posts: 101 Member
    I have a Fitbit flex and I LOVE it! It may not give completely accurate calorie counts but I think it's pretty darn close. As others have said, it definitely motivates me to move when I've been a lazy slug all day!
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    I have a Fitbit One and it has been invaluable for making me aware of moving more. I've actually found the calorie count pretty accurate for exercise when compared to my HRM (if anything Fitbit underestimates slightly which I prefer to MFP which massively overestimates IME). I tried the Flex but didn't like the lack of stairs (as I live somewhere hilly) and found it irritating when wearing a watch as well.
  • ddpiel
    ddpiel Posts: 52
    bump
  • Ladygirl14
    Ladygirl14 Posts: 8 Member
    I have the Bodymedia and absolutely love it. It made me more aware of how much I am moving during the day and how little actual sleep I was getting at night. I got it a week after I started and I think it has helped me lose weight along with MFP. I like that they sync to each other. 67 lobs down and 25 to go!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I got a Fitbit Zip back in August just for fun. I always thought I was pretty active at my job, running errands, up & down the stairs, chasing after people. Found out that if I'm lucky I might get 2500 steps in during 8 hours of work. Not nearly as many as I thought!

    I like the Zip because it tucks in my bra so I'm not constantly be ask what it is and it keeps track of my steps which motivates me to get moving more. The calories count for general activity seems to be pretty accurate and you do have the option of entering any exercise it doesn't track manually. It only measures steps so it doesn't replace my HRM for aerobic activity or cycling. I don't care about sleep or how many stairs I've gone up so the Zip works well for me.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    So how do these actually work? You wear them all day and they track your activity right? Does it show you calories burned during exercise? I was considering getting a heart rate monitor for exercise, but one of these might encourage me to do more general activity during the day.

    Yes, they track all your activity (or inactivity). I have the BodyMedia Fit, and to get real time numbers, I bought the display device (if you have the display you don't need the monthly subscription). The display device also allows you to set it to see calories burned during a workout as well as keeping a running total of all day. Very motivating.
  • sjsmith9
    sjsmith9 Posts: 35 Member
    I have been using Bodymedia armband for more than a year. I originally purchased it through the Jenny Craig program but I'm now setup independently and pay monthly (found coupon on web for discount). I still participate with the Jenny Craig program but you can not sync with MFP while on contract with JC. I have lost 16 pounds but have been almost at a stand still for a few months. My activity level fell due to some knee problems and I'm slowly trying to get that back up. I plug in and see what my activity level has been. You set your goals then each day or week you can see steps taken, the level of activity, sleep pattern, calorie intake and used if you log your food. The Bodymedia armband pairs very well with MFP. My sister has used a fitbit but lost it twice, ouch very expensive. The armband will be less likely to drop off, and I'm sure if it did you would know it almost instantly. The biggest drawback is everyone can see the armband if you are wearing short or sleeveless tops whereas you can hide the fitbit but then more apt to loose it without knowing. Hope this has been of help.:smile:
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    I get lots of positive comments/questions about my BodyMedia Fit armband. I don't care who knows. My husband calls it my "Borg implant". :laugh: I've been wearing it for a year and a half now, so I have a really good picture of my calorie burn. Too bad I didn't get my eating and logging consistent until the end of this June! :embarassed:
  • sjsmith9
    sjsmith9 Posts: 35 Member
    I get lots of positive comments/questions about my BodyMedia Fit armband. I don't care who knows. My husband calls it my "Borg implant". :laugh: I've been wearing it for a year and a half now, so I have a really good picture of my calorie burn. Too bad I didn't get my eating and logging consistent until the end of this June! :embarassed:

    I wear mine proudly too but I do get lots of questions. I guess due to my age almost everyone thinks it is a heart monitor, too funny!

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