Fitbit

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lambchoplewis
lambchoplewis Posts: 797
in Health and Weight Loss
Thinking of getting a fitbit. Does it help in weight loss?? What kind to buy???
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  • ladylattier
    ladylattier Posts: 18 Member
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    I have a FitBit and I love it. I have the One, but I would love to get a Flex eventually. I think it helps because it keeps you motivated as far as making sure you get your steps in every day.
  • jessiej99
    jessiej99 Posts: 28 Member
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    I just purchased the force and I love it. It makes you more mindful of daily activites and it provides you with data to help you track your patterns to promote weight loss. And it's a pretty cool watch. You can also monitor your sleep patterns, active minutes, calories burned, steps taken, and stairs climbed.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    I have the Fitbit One. I didn't want the Flex mostly for fashion reasons - what happens when I don't want to wear it in 6 month's time? But that's just me.

    To be honest, within about 2 weeks I was ready to return it. I'd heard people saying how motivating it was, that it made them work harder to get to that magical 10K steps a day. For me? Not so much. Which is strange because I tend to be fairly competitive and have been known to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to beat my own score in some video games. But I stuck it out and I've found it to be useful.

    I don't use it to get my TDEE or to count calories, I don't eat back my exercise calories, so I don't link it to MFP. What it does do for me is keep me mindful, and that's huge for me. I don't get obsessive about reaching the magical 10K steps number but if I get lazy and don't want to go the the gym I check in with the Fitbit and if I've gone 8K steps I feel like I can take a day off. But if I've only gone 5K steps then I need to get my butt to the gym.

    So, for me, it's not so much as a motivator but way to keep track of my daily activity level.

    I use a Polar FT4 heart rate monitor when I do intentional cardio exercise, and I also use a simple iPhone app as a pedometer.


    If I were just starting, I'd look into the Polar Loop. It supposedly does what the Fitbit does to monitor your daily steps, but also acts as an HRM.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    With the Polar Loop, the wrist device is $99 and if you want HRM functionality you have to buy a chest strap for another $80 or so. But at least they interact (I assume). You could accomplish the same with a Fitbit and HRM for about the same price but you'd have to manually log your HRM calorie burns.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    I have the Fitbit One and I absolutely love it.

    I use it for maintenance and the calories are spot on, I have maintained without hitch and it is a great motivator.
  • lambchoplewis
    lambchoplewis Posts: 797
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    Thanks all - I will check into Fitbit flex, fitbit one and Polar Loop
  • SameMe_JustLess
    SameMe_JustLess Posts: 245 Member
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    I would get the Force over the Flex.
  • ethompso0105
    ethompso0105 Posts: 418 Member
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    I've been wearing the Fitbit Flex for a week. It's taking a little getting used to, but I really enjoy it. It makes me more accountable to my activity and is incredibly satisfying to feel the buzz when I reach my goals. :) I don't know if it's all attributed to moving more due to the Flex, but I've already lost about 3 pounds.
  • rondaj05
    rondaj05 Posts: 497 Member
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    Thanks all - I will check into Fitbit flex, fitbit one and Polar Loop

    I just ordered Fitbit One, should have it the end of the week. One thing I read in a review here (search MFP for reviews) is that the ones you wear on your wrist aren't as accurate as the One if you use your hands / arms a lot bc it reads your arm movements as steps. Also, you can't "read" your progress on the wrist models if I remember correctly.
  • ethompso0105
    ethompso0105 Posts: 418 Member
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    I would get the Force over the Flex.

    But don't get the Force if you have a sensitivity to nickle. People are having some serious reactions to the Force models.

    http://www.today.com/health/fitbit-force-users-report-skin-rashes-device-2D11929574

    ETA: I looked at Fitbit's FB page and they're being incredibly responsive to the concerns people are having. I was impressed to see that they're taking care of things quickly and efficiently. :)
  • fitphoenix
    fitphoenix Posts: 9,673 Member
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    I just got the Fitbit Force at the beginning of January and love it! It's not a magic button, of course, but it makes me far more mindful of my activity level during the day. (I log "actual" exercise on MyFitnessPal and have a HRM to track the actual burn there.) It ensures that I walk around a bit more if I'm having a mostly sit at the desk day at work, that I take the stairs more, etc. It basically helped switch around my brain to teach me how little bits of movement throughout the day will add up in additional to my actual cardio and strength workouts. I like having graphs and trends, enjoy tracking my sleep, and like how discreet it is. (I guess if the bracelet isn't to your fashion sense it could get in the way for some people, but it's small and black and just not that noticeable on me.)

    My mom got one for Christmas (Fitbit Zip) which means that we can encourage one another, which is nice.
  • jchrisman717
    jchrisman717 Posts: 780 Member
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    Thanks all - I will check into Fitbit flex, fitbit one and Polar Loop

    I just ordered Fitbit One, should have it the end of the week. One thing I read in a review here (search MFP for reviews) is that the ones you wear on your wrist aren't as accurate as the One if you use your hands / arms a lot bc it reads your arm movements as steps. Also, you can't "read" your progress on the wrist models if I remember correctly.

    I have the flex and I work at a desk typing and writing all day. I actually tested it to make sure it wasn't recording steps while I was sitting at my desk doing my normal work and it did not. It has been really accurate as far as I can tell and not giving me bogus steps for weird things like typing, driving, etc. And the force does give you a reading on the device like a watch. I love my flex.
  • donnat238
    donnat238 Posts: 309 Member
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    I have the FitBit One and I love it! Plus it synchs with MFP and adds my exercise calories.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Flex... and it is my very best friend. I find it really motivates me to see my steps/calories burned for the day so far and if it's not high enough it gets me moving! Definately recommend it!
  • kcrxgirl
    kcrxgirl Posts: 114 Member
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    I had a fitbit and loved it. Note I said "had" I went through 4 of the things in a little over a year. They just randomly stopped working. Then when I contacted the company to get a replacement they kept trying to tell me how to fix it instead of just sending a replacement. After the 4th one quit working, I decided I was done with FitBit.
  • wvtracyann
    wvtracyann Posts: 106 Member
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    I just got the force and I am in love! It connects right up to MFP and Endomondo which is awesome and it keeps me motovated. It helps me determin what calories are needed daily not just one number for the whole week. Some days I need more some days less. It also has a silent alarm which is really nice. I like looking at my sleep patteren to see how well I slept. If give encouraging messages when you are close to your goal and alerts you when you reach your goal. Plus I can still use my heart rate monitor and log it and it knows how to calulate that in :)
  • scrapjen
    scrapjen Posts: 387 Member
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    I'm a HUGE Fitbit fan ... I've had mine for over three years and really am addicted to my Fitbit feedback. We are a Fitbit family as well (two of my boys, my parents, three brothers and three SILs) ... that said I bought the Zip for hubby and it didn't take.

    I did a pretty comprehensive post about the Fitbit on my blog (the features, what to expect, the different types) ...
    http://jenbsjourney.blogspot.com/2013/08/wondering-about-fitbit.html

    We have every kind of Fitbit in the family ... it just depends on what you want and what you are comfortable with (are you ok with wearing it on your wrist, do you feel you would lose/wash a clip-on, do you want immediate feedback, stair counting, sleep tracking? What's your price point?)

    I really do recommend the Fitbit - it's great for all-day feedback. I've found it quite accurate with most types of activity (I'll wear a HRM and compare those stats to my machine and the Fitbit estimates). It's NOT a magic bullet, it won't "make you lose weight" but it is a valuable tracking tool and it can be very motivating as well!

    Good luck!
  • No_Finish_Line
    No_Finish_Line Posts: 3,661 Member
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    so can you sink it with MFP so that your calories are based off of what the fit bit says?
  • gonnasee33
    gonnasee33 Posts: 163
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    I have a Fitbit ONE and I LOVE it.. its nice be be able to set goals ( IE 10K steps for the day , etc) and be able to track them reasonably well
  • thesimsisters
    thesimsisters Posts: 73 Member
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    I got the fitbit zip for Christmas and have been loving it. It is very motivating to get me moving more during my workday (desk job) in addition to my evening exercise. As someone asked, yes you can sync it with MFP so that it will tell MFP how active you are and adjust your calories accordingly. I love knowing how many calories I'm burning. And if I want to eat something special that night and stay within my calories...I know I better get to stepping during the day lol!

    I also love the different smilie faces on the zip, for some reason it amuses me when it's really happy that I got in alot of steps :D

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