FitBit wristbands

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l_ashley
l_ashley Posts: 154 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello MFP community!

I am interested in getting the FitBit Flex or FitBit One for christmas. I was wondering if anyone had one of these two products. If you do, how do you like it and what are the pros and cons of it?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
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    Bump - would really like to know this too. I thought that wearing it all the time I would not like - but after doing some research it seems that it works fine to wear all the time including in the shower, etc. What's everyone's take?
  • Losingthedamnweight
    Losingthedamnweight Posts: 535 Member
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    If you're hoping to get one for accuracy, don't bother. Any relatively motionful (that should be a word) hand movement will get registered as a step. Sweeping/mopping? In one stationary position you'll get dozens and dozens of steps and this throws off all your numbers. Calories burned, distance, etc. You learn over time how unreliable these things are.

    The verge did a pretty good write up where the editor wore both the force and the one for a day to compare steps. The force was thousands of steps off. I could understand a couple hundred, but thousands?! Thousands almost makes it worthless. Same with my nike fuel band. Scratch your head? Step. Reach for the remote in a certain way? More steps. It's...frustrating trying to make sense of it all.

    I have the one and its probably the most accurate way of going as far as trackers go. Clips to your belt or bra so it tracks steps when your center mass moves as opposed to limbs you use to move around all the time. Wristband trackers are more for encouragement than accuracy, so if you think it's cool and just want it cause its fun, i say go for it. If you care about accuracy, get a fitbit one.

    Gotta be honest though, i've worn my fitbit one ever since march and the past couple weeks i just stopped wearing it. The steps are dead on, but the calorie count and other things just seem a little...funny. Sedentary i burn 3000 calories but if i get 8,000 steps i burn 2600? Yeah ok. Lately i just downloaded a pedometer app on my iPhone and thats what i use.
  • wellnesscoachmegg
    wellnesscoachmegg Posts: 68 Member
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    I have a fitbit! I've had mine for about a month...and as far as accuracy goes, I think mine is pretty spot on. I guess I'm more concerned about seeing how many calories I'm burning, than if my steps are 100% accurate. I'm 5'2, and on a "normal" day when I'm at work, it says I burn ~1500-1700 calories. This makes sense to me as I'm a hairstylist, and that means I have a fairly active job. Of course some days I'm busier than others, and my fitbit seems to reflect that. When I've had a really busy day in the salon, it clocks me in at about 1800 calories, normal day, between 1500-1700 calories, and on the days I don't work, and don't work out, it claims about 1200-1300 calories. For me, and my height and weight, that seems very reasonable. I have the flex, and really like the features that come with it, I wouldn't feel compelled to buy the Force, since I'm really happy with the features.

    My husband has the Nike Fuel band, which is great for him because it's more geared towards getting activity in, vs, giving you a baseline of what you burn daily. You can still set goals for steps and fitness with my fitbit, but comparing with my husband, it seems if you're after a device that is more "athlete" or fitness centric, the Fuel band would probably suit your needs more.
  • scrapjen
    scrapjen Posts: 387 Member
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    I have the One and really like it. I'm not one for wearing something on my wrist, and the Flex was missing a couple items (a display, stairs ... these items have been added to the new "Force"). My 18 year old has the Flex and is fine with it. My 14 year old and I have the One, it's easier to wear inconspicuously (he plays basketball and can't wear anything on his wrist during games, but no one notices he has the One on). Both my parents and my brother and his wife got the One as well.

    I've found the calorie counts and steps to be quite accurate (I also have an Omron pedometer that I wore before and just continued wearing to compare) and I keep alternate calorie counts (from machines/HRM) ...

    I LOVE the Fitbit and its feedback. I did a post all about it on my blog.
    http://jenbsjourney.blogspot.com/2013/08/wondering-about-fitbit.html
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    I have the Zip. I just clip it to my bra and forget about it. I find it quite accurate as far as steps and the calories seem pretty close too. It's a great motivator to just get moving more.
  • rhoule76
    rhoule76 Posts: 217 Member
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    I have the Flex and have been using it since July. It does seem to occasionally register steps when you are stationary but all in all, I don't worry too much about those extra steps since I'm doing 1 hour a day of exercise.
  • BranMuffin86
    BranMuffin86 Posts: 314 Member
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    I have the One. I love it! I'm still trying to figure out how it calculates the floors tho.
  • JONZ64
    JONZ64 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    Bump - would really like to know this too. I thought that wearing it all the time I would not like - but after doing some research it seems that it works fine to wear all the time including in the shower, etc. What's everyone's take?


    DITTO!
  • knalette
    knalette Posts: 4
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    I have a Fitbit One and my husband has a Fitbit Flex.

    Overall I like the One best. It has an altimeter and tracks stories of stairs, which has been a big motivator for me in stair climbing. It can also be worn anywhere on your torso. It also has an LED display so you can see your stats directly on the device if you wish.

    The Flex has the advantage of being water resistant, which the One is not. (I did "waterproof" my One successfully for a mud run.) However, there is no altimeter, and although the FAQ says it measures steps when pushing carts or strollers, we have tested it and it does not. I push a lot of strollers, so that doesn't work for me.

    I love the sync back to myfitnesspal with calories burned and I love Myfitnesspal syncing my food logging back to Fitbit.

    I also have the Aria scale which Fitbit syncs to mfp.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
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    Are any of them heart rate monitors, or just pedometers? I'd like something to track my heart rate during running or exercise videos, and I don't want to shell out $$ for something that is cool but doesn't have the one function I want most.
  • dantanjah
    dantanjah Posts: 100 Member
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    I got my Fitbit Flex in September 2013 and I love it. I had been using an expensive pedometer for about a year before I got the Flex so I knew what my average steps should be and I found the step count to be very accurate on the Flex. I know wearing the Flex everyday motivates me to keep moving. Since I synced the Flex to MFP my weigh loss has increased as I now manage my real exercise calories instead of just my projected ones. I am not a gadget person but I really recommend the Flex.
  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
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    I got my Fitbit One in May; it's been lifechanging for me.
  • _AlabamaSlamma_
    _AlabamaSlamma_ Posts: 216
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    I have a Fitbit One and my husband has a Fitbit Flex.

    Overall I like the One best. It has an altimeter and tracks stories of stairs, which has been a big motivator for me in stair climbing. It can also be worn anywhere on your torso. It also has an LED display so you can see your stats directly on the device if you wish.

    The Flex has the advantage of being water resistant, which the One is not. (I did "waterproof" my One successfully for a mud run.) However, there is no altimeter, and although the FAQ says it measures steps when pushing carts or strollers, we have tested it and it does not. I push a lot of strollers, so that doesn't work for me.

    I love the sync back to myfitnesspal with calories burned and I love Myfitnesspal syncing my food logging back to Fitbit.

    I also have the Aria scale which Fitbit syncs to mfp.

    Good info. I'm a newb (as my son calls me) to all the weight loss gadgets, and I'm hoping to change that after Christmas. I'm very analytical, so accuracy is important.
  • Aello11
    Aello11 Posts: 312 Member
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    I have had the zip and the flex...both track steps (probably a bit over on the flex because of arm movement). My only issue is I cannot wear the Flex as it causes a painful rash everytime I do. Not sure of the exact contents of the wristband as I can wear other rubberized bands with no issues. So at the moment the tracker from the flex goes in my pocket.
  • iRun_Butterfly
    iRun_Butterfly Posts: 483 Member
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    I've had the Flex for going on 4 months now and find it to be a great motivator. I agree, it's not 100% accurate, but its pretty darn close. I figure for ever "mis-tracked" step it registers, there is probably another one it misses. If you're looking for an overall trend of your daily activity, it is great. There are a few tricks I've learned to get more use out of mine. For instance, if using an elliptical, if worn on your wrist, the flex wont pick up your strides, however if you stick it in your pocket it will pick up most of them (I lose about 1/10th of a mile on an elliptical). Same goes for using it while pushing a shopping cart (or stroller), just stick it in your pocket and it will register those steps. It is flawed, but over all I think it does a great job of keeping me motivated to move more throughout the day. I feel that I "need" to meet certain goals each day and will go out of my way to do so.
  • Nix_Way
    Nix_Way Posts: 201 Member
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    I have the new Fitbit Force, and I gotta say, since I've had it (about 1 week) its seems to me that its not the most accurate with steps ( fine with me.. I use it for a estimate of calorie burn) as something else might be.

    I use it mostly for motivation to keep moving and to have higher and higher goals to meet each day. I haven't learned all the features yet, but I love the sleep tracker and OMG the battery lasts forever!!!! Love that! And I like to be able to use it as a watch too! :)

    The most accurate thing to get would probably be a heart rate moniter, so if its spot-on accruacy you are looking for, do some research on that maybe.

    Yup.. mostly I use mine to try to challenge myself to do more each day till I'm having more active hours than non active hours of my day. It works great for that!

    All in all, I'd say I'm pretty happy with mine! I'm glad I got it. Its $30 more than the Flex, but you can see the numbers and not just dots on the screen, and its a watch! :) Its worth the extra $30 in my opinion.
  • vwbug86
    vwbug86 Posts: 283 Member
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    Are any of them heart rate monitors, or just pedometers? I'd like something to track my heart rate during running or exercise videos, and I don't want to shell out $$ for something that is cool but doesn't have the one function I want most.

    Then I would go with a chest strap HRM, which are to be worn during exercise. Fitbit is more for all day wear and activity, to count steps and estimate calories on more general activity.
  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
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    Thanks for the input everyone! I am leaning toward the flex - I think I would wear the wristband much easier than the One. I am more concerned about getting an accurate TDEE estimation because I haven't had great success in losing and maybe I'm not accurate on my TDEE estimation. I don't really care that it doesn't track my actual workouts because I do have a HRM for that. Looking on Amazon right now!
  • kdsp2911
    kdsp2911 Posts: 170 Member
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    I've had my FitBit Flex for just 2 weeks, but I really do like it. I've found that it is pretty accurate, probably as accurate as any pedometer. I enjoy being able to track my calories burned and see who close I am to my daily goal. It is definitely a huge motivator, and really puts into perspective how close you are to your food intake versus calorie output. I feel that it makes using MFP much more accurate for weight loss, as it adjusts your daily allowance based on your physical activity information.

    This has been a great investment for me!
  • wac021
    wac021 Posts: 9 Member
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    I just got the Force and I love it! I had the zip which I liked but I wanted an all over activity tracker which the zip didn't really provide for me. I've worn it in the shower and it's fine, I haven't had any issues and it's great. I think it's pretty accurate as far as my steps go, I know where I was according to my zip and this is about the same.

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