Fitbit Force- to buy or not?

I have been reading a lot about the Fitbit Force. Everyone seems to be buying one these days and that is one fitness item I have not yet pursued. I am just curious if anyone has used one and what your thoughts are on the data that it provides you? Is it worth it or is it just the next new thing? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :)

Replies

  • Psalm17v22
    Psalm17v22 Posts: 168 Member
    I bought my Force in November and I really like it. I like that it looks like a watch (and is a watch as well) and it's easy to check my progress. Because it's on my wrist, I'm not likely to throw it in the wash (not that I did when I had a FitBit One) or leave it on the clothes I just took off. I'm happy with it and I'm glad I bought it.

    God bless,
    Karen
  • ResultsAt30
    ResultsAt30 Posts: 4 Member
    Awesome! Is it waterproof?
  • Mav3rick54
    Mav3rick54 Posts: 180 Member
    I have had mine since 11/3/13. For me it it the Great Motivator. I started climbing stairs, I started walking more so I could reach the 10,000 daily goal (as an example, I walk a mile during my lunch hour instead of just sitting). I had been wanting to try for 20K and finally got there on New Years Eve. I was getting tired so I told my wife that I was going to go for a walk so I could hit the 20k. Never would have done that in the past...... It is a great tool if you are motivated by setting and reaching goals.If that is you....I highly reccommend one. I also give it a lot of credit for my 25 lb wt loss since mid October. Good luck.
  • Mav3rick54
    Mav3rick54 Posts: 180 Member
    Awesome! Is it waterproof?

    It is not waterproof....but is water resistant. I pretty much wear mine 24/7. They do not recommend taking a shower with one, but I have done so multiple times with no adverse problems....but I typically take it off for my shower.
  • mamamc03
    mamamc03 Posts: 1,067 Member
    If you are wanting to swim with something, I recommend the Polar products. I have used the FT4 countless times in a pool. I may look into what you are talking about.
  • xxghost
    xxghost Posts: 4,697 Member
    I have a Fitbit Flex. Not the same as the Force, but similar. And I looooove it! Best investment I've ever made. I wear it 24/7 - even in the shower. It is the best.
  • ResultsAt30
    ResultsAt30 Posts: 4 Member
    Congrats on the weight loss, Mav! And yes, setting beatable goals for myself is something I am very successful with. This sounds like the perfect tool for me! Thanks for the feedback!
  • Psalm17v22
    Psalm17v22 Posts: 168 Member
    Awesome! Is it waterproof?

    It doesn't have problems when I'm doing dishes or out in the rain, but I take it off when I'm taking a shower and for swimming.

    God bless,
    Karen
  • takehimaway
    takehimaway Posts: 499 Member
    I /really/ want one, but it is just barely out of my budget. Right now, my budget is either - buy a bicycle and helmet or buy the Fitbit Force, and let's be frank, I want both, but I /really/ want that bike TODAY. -sighs-
  • dshalbert
    dshalbert Posts: 677 Member
    I had the Flex and sold it and bought the Force because I can get an instant read without having to sync it with my iPhone. I really liked the Flex and now I love the Force. I've had it a little over a month now and I love being able to track how I'm doing as far as steps and activity daily. It also syncs with MFP which is cool. Also if you have friends with any of the Fitbit products you can add them to compete/motivate each other. There is also a commumity similiar to MFP for Fitbit users. I'm not on it as often, but I did joing the users in my area and I like to see where I am vs my fellow city dweller as far as steps for the month. Can you tell I'm just a little competitive? For me it's been worth the purchase.

    I believe that the Force is water resistant, not water proof, so you can wear it in the rain, but don't swim with it.
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    I've had the force for about a month. I love it! I love how it basically gives you your TDEE for the day based on how much you move.
  • straitcrzyMary
    straitcrzyMary Posts: 75 Member
    It's on sale at Best Buy with code of bloggers15off until tomorrow.. $117.00 shipped
  • Samuraiko
    Samuraiko Posts: 180 Member
    I'm planning to pick up a Force on my next paycheck. Belated Christmas gift to myself. :D
  • vlmay1955
    vlmay1955 Posts: 100 Member
    My husband got me a Force for Christmas. I like it a lot. I am already pretty motivated, but it's nice to keep track of steps, stairs climbed, miles etc. and compare day to day. Gives you that little extra motivation to reach a specific goal that's displayed on a nice dashboard - vs. just doing something because you know you "should". It seems to be pretty accurate, and to sync pretty well with MFP too. I wish it was smaller (I am very petite and it's kind of big on my wrist) but nothing is perfect. if you are looking for something to motivate you to keep moving I think it's a very good tool.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    I'm also contemplating buying a Fitbit device. I know I want a wristband, but I might opt for the Flex because my budget's pretty tight. I've read some things about the Force being more accurate than the Flex. Does anyone know if there is truth to this? Are there any differences besides the display and the Force's ability to count stairs?
  • Imfineru
    Imfineru Posts: 21 Member
    I recently received the Force as a Christmas present and it has shown me that I overlooked and under calculated my overall calories burned on a daily basis. On off days (no workout) I was putting down a very low number for steps walked and taking out the garbage etc. However after wearing the Force for a week, I was logging a lot more calories burned (I sit at computer most of day), which allowed me to eat more.

    Before the Fitbit I was always hungry - and now I know why. I wasn't logging all my calories burned, so I was eating less. Since I have started wearing the Force, I am no longer hungry, and even lost another 2 pounds.

    I have it synced to MFP - I used to manually log my cardio days by taking a picture of the screen, and logging the calories burned when I got home. NOW, I don't need to do that. The Force synced when I got home, and when go to MFP to see how many calories are left (for dinner) it's automatically calculated. No more picture taking.

    Force also monitors your sleep habits, however I noticed that if you just lay there and don't move your arm, it thinks your asleep so it logs as you being asleep. I am trending this a bit longer to come to a more certain way of logging sleep.

    Overall the Force has helped me reach my goals and has basically taken out the hunger part. It is very comfortable to wear - I barely notice it's on, even during a 70 minute high intensity workout.

    Good Luck!
  • deb54
    deb54 Posts: 270 Member
    This may be a dumb question but does the fitbit Force just count steps WALKED...how about RUNNING ?
  • lvhuse
    lvhuse Posts: 18 Member
    I bought the Force 2 weeks ago (plenty of Star Wars jokes abound in my house...."I see you are using the force! Hahaha"). I needed something to keep me motivated to get up and move because I'm at a computer literally all day (I sit in front of one for 8 hours at work, then go home and sit for another 4-6 for grad school). I LOVE it. So far I have found it to be accurate for tracking walking, running, and since it has an altimeter, hiking (lots of going 'up' here in Colorado). The sleep tracker is only approximate, but fun to look at. I take mine off to shower but wear it for everything else. It needs charged about once a week and charges up super fast. I have the MFP apps on my phone and ipad, so I can easily sync up activity and calories. If you do an activity that the Force doesn't track well, such as ice skating, weight lifting, etc, you can go into the MFP activity tracker and tell it what you did and at what time of day you did it and how long, and it will compensate accordingly on the fitbit for calorie burn (although some people just take it off and track it here seperately). Best of all, if you exceed your step goal, the fitbit app will call you an overachiever. I sort of love that. :D

    Good luck with your decision!!
    Lindsay
  • Imfineru
    Imfineru Posts: 21 Member
    Due to the intensity of "running" it would be logged as steps "taken", but would also be logged as "very active minutes".

    From the site:

    How does Force track my steps?
    Fitbit trackers use a 3-axis accelerometer to understand your motions. By analyzing acceleration data, our trackers provide detailed information about frequency, duration, intensity, and patterns of movement to determine your steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and sleep quality.
  • Samuraiko
    Samuraiko Posts: 180 Member
    For those who wear the Fitbit Force - does it matter which wrist you wear it on? The reason I ask is because I'm naturally righthanded, and when I walk (especially when I have my bag over my shoulder), I tend to hold the shoulder strap with my left so the bag doesn't swing. I don't know if the Fitbit needs to be on my right to register the arm movement when I walk.

    Which then raises the other interesting question - I wonder if it will register the movement of my hands when I type, because I type all day for work, and I type FAST. :)
  • Imfineru
    Imfineru Posts: 21 Member
    You are supposed to wear it on your non dominant wrist, but if you need to wear on the dominant side, you are able to adjust the settings in your Fitbit account to accommodate the differences in movement.

    It does not log your typing.
  • vlmay1955
    vlmay1955 Posts: 100 Member
    I bought the Force 2 weeks ago (plenty of Star Wars jokes abound in my house...."I see you are using the force! Hahaha"). I needed something to keep me motivated to get up and move because I'm at a computer literally all day (I sit in front of one for 8 hours at work, then go home and sit for another 4-6 for grad school). I LOVE it. So far I have found it to be accurate for tracking walking, running, and since it has an altimeter, hiking (lots of going 'up' here in Colorado). The sleep tracker is only approximate, but fun to look at. I take mine off to shower but wear it for everything else. It needs charged about once a week and charges up super fast. I have the MFP apps on my phone and ipad, so I can easily sync up activity and calories. If you do an activity that the Force doesn't track well, such as ice skating, weight lifting, etc, you can go into the MFP activity tracker and tell it what you did and at what time of day you did it and how long, and it will compensate accordingly on the fitbit for calorie burn (although some people just take it off and track it here seperately). Best of all, if you exceed your step goal, the fitbit app will call you an overachiever. I sort of love that. :D



    Good luck with your decision!!
    Lindsay

    This pretty much sums up my feeling about the Force. I am VERY happy with it. Only thing it doesn't do that I wish it did is monitor heart rate. I imagine a newer version will eventually have this as well.