FitBit??? Yes? no? Maybe so?

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  • determined_erin
    determined_erin Posts: 571 Member
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    I love it. I have a FitBit One. My goal is to reach 15,000 steps/day.
  • ktsmom430
    ktsmom430 Posts: 1,100 Member
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    LOVE MY FITBIT!

    I could care less about calories burned. For me it is all about moving more and my fitbit gets me up and moving, constantly pushing myself to move just 1000 steps more. I have had mine for 1 year. The past 10 days I have had 3 days of over 30,000 steps and so far this year I have been over 20,000 steps, every day except for one day when I was sick and only got 14,000.

    The fitbit is ideal for me. Makes me move more. 100% improvement over barely being able to move!
  • SkinnieFinnie
    SkinnieFinnie Posts: 145 Member
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    I have a FitBit. I love it... absolutely LOVE it!
  • toiletski
    toiletski Posts: 126 Member
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    I just got a Fitbit Flex last weekend and I love it! It's really shown me how little I do while I'm at work so I try to make an effort to move around more, park further away at the store, take the long way around etc. so I can meet my daily step goal!
  • Zibberroo
    Zibberroo Posts: 31 Member
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    I spent nearly a year looking over the devices and their pros and cons. It came down to the fitbit and basis b1 for me. When the basis steel edition came out, I bit the bullet and spent 200 bucks. There will always be room for improvement, but I am very pleased with my purchase. I would recommend the basis to anyone, but it really is up to your preference of how you want to wear your device, and the small differences that each one offers. Good luck to everyone on your decisions.
  • nentecular
    nentecular Posts: 101 Member
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    I wouldn't be without it and I do eat a big chunk of calories back.
  • rlynnehawk
    rlynnehawk Posts: 71 Member
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    I would highly recommend it. I've lost twice the weight since I've been using one. I always want to do that extra amount to reach my goals everyday. I do at least 10.000 steps everyday, but most days I go for the 30,000. In 20 days I lost 9.8 lbs by adding the extra effort . It is a very motivating tool!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    I'm afraid that if I get one I'll use it as an excuse to eat back more calories that I should, since I'm guessing at least of the calories that I think FitBit counts (like walking around the office or grocery store, etc) are already accounted for in my MFP daily calorie allowance.
    Just like any other aspect of weight loss, using an activity tracker takes a whole lot of trial & error to find what works for you.

    They work by tracking all your step based activities. (Non-step workouts are logged either in the tracker app or in MFP.) They send your TDEE to MFP, and MFP compares your activity level to your TDEE. If you've burned more than your activity level, you get more calories to eat. If you've burned less (and you've enabled negative calorie adjustments), you lose calories.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,655 Member
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    Fitbit One worked for me, and continues to. That's what got me started. I hit my goal weight last summer and have been going strong ever since. I set my activity level to Sedentary and enabled negative calorie adjustments... this has worked remarkably well with my highly variable activity day to day. When I say "highly variable" -- yesterday I burned nearly 2,000 calories; a few days ago, I burned under 1,400. I've walked as little as 900 steps on one day, and over 43,000 on another. Using the Fitbit with MFP helps me keep that variance sorted out so I don't eat way outside my range on a weekly (or even daily) basis.

    If your preferred calorie-burning activities are NOT primarily step-based, then a Fitbit device won't be as useful to you. I mix it up, but the step-based logging is a godsend for me... and yes, the numbers, badges, and racing with FB friends are all pretty highly motivating too.
  • Pamela_June
    Pamela_June Posts: 341 Member
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    It took me a very long time to finially order the Fitbit One...it clips on...not the wrist one..... anyway ... love love love it... it does motivate me and it very easty to wear... keeps the charge for almost a full week...records steps, stairs and other stuff too....and you can record how well you sleep ...anyway... I vote is yes it is worth the money....

    Pam
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    I'm thinking of getting a FitBit, and would love to hear opinions on the matter.

    Is FitBit really that helpful? Is it worth the money?

    I'm afraid that if I get one I'll use it as an excuse to eat back more calories that I should, since I'm guessing at least of the calories that I think FitBit counts (like walking around the office or grocery store, etc) are already accounted for in my MFP daily calorie allowance.


    I love my Fitbit Force! I use it to track my steps, stairs and sleep patterns and to make sure I'm getting my 10,000 steps a day. But I totally ignore the calorie information it provides. WHY?...because what I have been doing prior to having a Fitbit was working for me. And while getting 10,000 steps in a day is awesome healthy thing to do it doesn't replace my regular workouts. It's simply part of my daily routine and NOT calories I would eat back.
  • Alissakae
    Alissakae Posts: 317 Member
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    I love my FitBit Zip. I'm a visual person, so seeing the graphs of my progress each day is a motivator to me. And I really am moving more to make sure I hit my goals and get that big grin every day!
  • Coltsatc
    Coltsatc Posts: 36
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    I use the FitBit app on my Iphone 5s and love it! It's free on the phone. Helps me get up and moving around more every day.
  • rondaj05
    rondaj05 Posts: 497 Member
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    I bought FitBit One last month. I did multiple searches of the forums here before I decided what to get. The search function of these forums is awesome too btw... I found where other people had done side by side comparisons of the different FitBits and also compared them to other brands. AND.. multiple said the customer service from FitBit is awesome, several people have posted that they received brand new replacements for damage and even loss as one poster here said.

    As someone else said, I bought mine on eBay, brand new, for $67, anywhere else it's $100.

    It's the best $67 I've spent this year, it motivates me to take extra steps and you can add friends for additional motivation and challenges.

    ETA: someone said something about pop up messages on their phone?? I'd like to know more about that please!! :flowerforyou:
  • Nightfall30
    Nightfall30 Posts: 112 Member
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    I think it really depends on your lifestyle. For example, I am a student and I choose to walk anywhere that can be walked to in an hour instead of taking public transport and I walk at least an hour each day as part of my routine - I don't have the scope to add any more activity to my daily routine. That's the reason I do not feel I would benefit from a FitBit - so, instead, I bought a polar ft4 heart rate monitor - I exercise 5-6 times a week including cardio 3-4 times a week. My hrm and I form a better match than I would have made with a fitbit. Therefore, ask yourself why you want it, would it really encourage you to walk an extra mile a day, can you fit that into your schedule, etc. Hops this helps!
  • crystalfisher89
    crystalfisher89 Posts: 196 Member
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    I have the fit bit flex... Love it!!! Keeps me motivated on my rest days to move a little more to hit my 10,000 step goal everyday. I also enjoy that it adjusts my calories at the end of the day and gives me a count for how many calories I burned. My best friend just got one as well and she really likes it as well.
  • meltedsno
    meltedsno Posts: 208 Member
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    July 1, 2013-- size 18/a TIGHT 18
    Feb 28, 2014 -- size 8/ KINDA LOOSE 8

    weight lost from July 1, 2013 to November 23 2013 -- 52 lbs gone

    November 23 2013 to February 28, 2014 -- don't know... haven't stepped on a scale since November 23, but am guessing a minimum of 20 lbs more

    Attribute this to my Fitbit and lifestyle changes.... Love the Fitbit... never ever wore a size 8... will never, ever wear a size 18 again, thanks to my fitbit.... it rules my life! and I love it! by far, the best investment ever!!!!!
  • Leesa22
    Leesa22 Posts: 73 Member
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    Love Fitbit! It can motivate me to move more, and I have literally been wearing one for 2 years, this April, my first one broke in December and the 5 days, I was without one, felt like I lost a part of myself ;) Really keeps me motivated. Top notch customer care too!
  • Sunshine2plus2
    Sunshine2plus2 Posts: 1,492 Member
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    Same here! I have also been thinking about it!
  • MarKayDee
    MarKayDee Posts: 196
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    I love my Fitbit Flex. I don't use it to eat back extra calories so much as to make sure my deficit is on track everyday. I don't have it synced to MFP, but I track my breakfast and lunch plus any day time snacks then when I'm getting ready for dinner I look to see how many calories I've burned on my Fitbit versus how many MFP says I have left for the day. For example I am set to lose 1.5lbs a week, at lightly active for a deficit of 750 calories (allotted 1,660 per day). Today I have eaten 1,130 right now and have 530 left for the day, but my Fitbit says I have only burned 1,909 total today. Which means I either have to skip dinner, eat just veggies, or go for a jog to burn enough for a meal. Most days I find I'm right on track between the two, and I will keep burning Fitbit calories for the night just being alive, but today I was a little lazy and had an excessive lunch (pad Thai) I'm not really hungry so I will probably eat a bit of asparagus with grilled onions and call it a night, or maybe a grilled chicken thigh which will by the end of the night balance out to right on track for the deficit I want.

    It's a lot of unnecessary math for most people, but I find that my problem meal is dinner, and having to sit down and actively THINK about how much I eat for dinner versus just eating at an assumed deficit helps me to not just say "oh I have six hundred calories left I can eat two potatoes with dinner and still be fine!"

    I guess what I'm saying is my Fitbit is helpful in not only tracking my exercise goal (training for a 5k) but also keeping me aware of the cause and effect of weight loss.

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