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MyFitnessPal Community

FitBit??? Yes? no? Maybe so?

JenJBS

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.

Replies

lizziebeth1028

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Same here! I have also been thinking about it!

MarKayDee

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.

LissaK1981

I love the fitbit, I have owned 2 of them, the ultra and the one. Their website is great. You can track all kinds of stats. I love the sync with mfp function. You can track all kinds of things and make custom trackers. I love the step counts, floor counts and distance counts. The calorie burned is pretty accurate for outdoor stufflike hiking, running and jogging. I use it in combination with a polar HRM and compare them all the time. It is usually spot on give or take 20-50 calories during my hikes. I broke my 1st one (the ultra) because of the way it clipped to my shirt, I was too rough. But they are not made like that now. I love the sleep function too. I also have a motoactv which I dropped 200 on but found out after it is way inaccurate on calorie count, even with a hrm sync to it. If you want any specific info him me up with a PM

sbrownallison

As others have said, I don't use mine to count calories or eat back calories. For me, it's motivation to move more, meet certain Fitbit goals (10K steps, 10 stairs, 5 miles), then try to exceed them. My husband has one, too, and today he achieved his "50 stairs" badge. I remember how proud I was when I got mine. I've been bummed out this winter and didn't always hit my goals. Today, however, was a beautiful, sunny day, so got 14K steps, 58 flights, and 6 miles. I feel so much better when I move more. Good luck with your decision. (I haven't had one day of regret for getting mine; wear it 23.5 hours/7 days a week!)

PunkyRachel

YES! YES! YES!

RonJr88

YES...I Love my fit bit...

heartcallah

just bought one, yesterday. Haven't taken full advantage but I think it's great to get a true idea of how active i am. it's comfortable to wear! i love the idea of the silent alarm and can't wait to test it out tomorrow morning.

redwoodkestrel

I've had a Fitbit Zip for about a month and a half now. When I first got it, it really opened my eyes to how little I was moving at work - I would often end my 8.5-hour work day with around 2000 steps, and then just go home and relax for the rest of the evening.

Once I added people from MFP as friends on Fitbit, my competitiveness kicked in, and I wanted to make sure I was getting 10,000 steps at the end of the day, so I started walking after work. Now I'm at the point where I want to get as close as I can to 10,000 steps AT work, and then get over that during my walk after work. My current daily average is 13,000+, and it's steadily increasing.

Since most of my exercise is step-based, I let Fitbit sync with MFP, and vice-versa. I like that the Fitbit knows, during a workout, the variability that happens - when I slow down or when I speed up... vs. when I add exercise to MFP, it assumes the same rate over the entire time period. So I feel the calories burned estimate is more accurate with my Fitbit. I still don't eat back 100% of the earned calories, but I do eat back some, and certainly enjoy the extra! :happy:

easjer

I've had a flex for about a week. After a bunch of research, I'd decided on a Force . . . five hours before they recalled it. Since they've been cagey with the info about when they'll release the new version of the Force and since I wanted a tracker now, I settled on the Flex. I really like it! I wish I could have the additional features of the Force, but the tradeoff in waterproof and ability to change bands may offset that yet.

I think it tracks fairly well, though a bit high. Some people complain than the Flex picks up non-walking wrist movement, that's true, but it not wildly inaccurate for me. Typing or scratching my nose aren't being counted as steps. I have definitely, definitely increased my walking/movement since getting it, and have been hitting over 7,000 steps with just a little more effort to get up from my desk twice a day and walk around the floor for a bit. Especially handy - I have an alarm set to the Flex to vibrate twice every weekday to remind me to get up and walk around.

The one problem I have is that I can't sync at work, because I'm not allowed to install outside software on the computer, and my phone is not BlueTooth enabled, so I don't see the Fitbit/MFP adjustment because it isn't synced throughout the day. I don't eat back all of my calories, but I do eat some. I think that' just better.

ElizabethFuller

I have had a Fitbit one since I started my diet journey. I have my MFP exercise level set to "sedentary" to allow for non-work days when I walk less and so MFP gives me a calorie goal of 1200 oer day. Not much BUT if I walk the recommended 10.000 steps my Fitbit transfers extra calories over.
It's not cheating to eat back your exercise calories, this is what you're supposed to do. Eating back calories transferred via your Fitbit is no different to those from a HRM or from the gym machines. I don't usually eat them all back but I will always eat at least some of them and I've lost weight pretty consistently over the 6 months.
I LOVE my Fitbit - get one, it'll keep you moving!

Edited for spelling, as usual!

kinmad4it

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!

Some highly impressive numbers there. I average around the same 30,000 steps a day too on work days and certainly know I've walked them. On non work days I always strive to get at least 10,000 steps done as a bare minimum.
What are you doing to get such impressive numbers? As 30,000 is over 15 miles for me and that's a lot of walking.

keyofnight

I bought a FitBit Flex three days ago because I was feeling a bit lost trying to lose weight on my own. I didn't know exactly how active I was, and I didn't know if I was eating enough food to lose weight safely. So far, the experience has been revelatory. Wearing a FitBit while keeping up with MFP—even if only for a few days—has given me enough knowledge to make sense of so many pieces of my life: why I'm big but haven't gotten any bigger, why I get light-headed sometimes, exactly how much I need to walk or eat to meet my goals. It's great.

hamelle2

I have a flex and love it! I panic when the battery is low!
Its fun and motivating. I wasnt sure at first about the flex but now im glad I spent a bit more. The sleep tracker has shown me how to improve my habits and give my body what it desperately needs to be healthy.
I use the silent alarm all the time also.

If you decide to make a purchase, I hope you like yours as well.

Losingthedamnweight

When you don't have a fitbit, you look at it at its most basic level. "Oh it's just a pedometer" some people say. Then you get it. Then you look at all the information it gives you like how many steps you've gotten, hills climbed, active minutes, calories burned vs eaten and it's just fascinating. You clip that sucker on and forget about it and check the app periodically throughout the day and if you really get into it, which is easy to do, it becomes addictive and hugely inspiring. My fitbit is what pushed me to keep getting out everyday. Without it, I also feel like I wouldn't have such a good estimation of my tdee and knowing exactly how many calories I burn. It's different to actually have a device on you tracking what you do as opposed to simply inputting your stats to an online calculator. You learn to have faith in the numbers and it pushes you to keep going.

I can't imagine life without my fitbit. It's part of my daily life. If it broke, I'd buy another in a second

GrinderX

I have a Force and love it. My only caution is for guys, make sure you take it off during your "alone time", or it will give you way too many steps and totally screw up your data for the day.

JenJBS

Thanks for all the information and input. I've bought my new FitBit on Amazon.com. Thanks!!!

rsgarciadvm

Yes, absolutely. I have had a FitBit One and it makes it so much easier to tabulate calories burned and help judge how much you can eat back (if you wish). Since the fitbit is recording my steps and activities (except rowing etc), I set my profile to sedentary as far as my activity level and let the FitBit do the work.

jeardawg

My fitbit has become an essential part of my routine, I feel naked without it. Its so nice to know when I am having a sedentary day vs a really go getter day. I never use the extra calories as an excuse to eat more. But I always use the fitbit as an excuse to lazy less....

shesliketx

I just bought a FitBit Flex, and so far I really love it. Mostly for the motivation factor though. All of the logging I do is through MFP, and just sync it to FitBit. However, it's such a great daily reminder and motivator that's right there on your wrist. And I find that it encourages me to be more active in my normal daily routines, not just through workouts.

So far I've seen that I'm doing a lot more walking, and a lot more outdoor activity. Especially when I'm binge-watching Netflix, and then look at my Fitbit and realize I've only taken 2,000 steps the whole day..... haha.

jeardawg

When you don't have a fitbit, you look at it at its most basic level. "Oh it's just a pedometer" some people say. Then you get it. Then you look at all the information it gives you like how many steps you've gotten, hills climbed, active minutes, calories burned vs eaten and it's just fascinating. You clip that sucker on and forget about it and check the app periodically throughout the day and if you really get into it, which is easy to do, it becomes addictive and hugely inspiring. My fitbit is what pushed me to keep getting out everyday. Without it, I also feel like I wouldn't have such a good estimation of my tdee and knowing exactly how many calories I burn. It's different to actually have a device on you tracking what you do as opposed to simply inputting your stats to an online calculator. You learn to have faith in the numbers and it pushes you to keep going.

I can't imagine life without my fitbit. It's part of my daily life. If it broke, I'd buy another in a second

I lost mine this last week, the 24 hours it took me to get another was hell..... I agree with every word you said

jjoh553028

I have a nike fuel band. I love it. It keeps me motivated to keep moving. I work at an office with very little activity during those hours. I have found that I will walk around the building more just to watch the progress. I dont really pay any attention to the calories, I keep track of them on mfp.

GingerLolita

I love my Fitbit Flex. I finally have an accurate TDEE and I've found that it varies from just above my BMR at 1500 to nearly 3000. Yes, I do have days when I eat more now than I used to. But now I know that my hungry days are just when I'm most active and my body needs the fuel. With the built-in deficit, you shouldn't overeat.