FitBit

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  • Cpollard6608
    Cpollard6608 Posts: 22 Member
    I had the Flex and now have the Force, which has been discontinued. I love both of them and the fact that they are wrist-worn, which makes it impossible for me to lose them in the wash etc. For me, I personally look at them for tracking my activity on a daily basis, but it also serves as a memorandum for me to stay the path. It is also motivating for me when I have lounged all day and see that I have not gotten anywhere near my daily steps etc. I think they are worth it, but with anything it is only as useful as your make it. Good luck!
  • oXGetFitBabeXo
    oXGetFitBabeXo Posts: 341 Member
    I had the Flex and now have the Force, which has been discontinued. I love both of them and the fact that they are wrist-worn, which makes it impossible for me to lose them in the wash etc. For me, I personally look at them for tracking my activity on a daily basis, but it also serves as a memorandum for me to stay the path. It is also motivating for me when I have lounged all day and see that I have not gotten anywhere near my daily steps etc. I think they are worth it, but with anything it is only as useful as your make it. Good luck!

    And where do all of the results come up at?
  • VJ97
    VJ97 Posts: 37 Member
    I have the Flex and absolutley love it. Keeps me motivated :drinker:
  • Live_To_Win
    Live_To_Win Posts: 340 Member
    PC, Laptop, Smartphone. I use mine as a reminder and I use the Flex, it is harder to lose. I use it for my minimum walking of 10k steps a day
  • sarabeth120
    sarabeth120 Posts: 172 Member
    I have a Fitbit... have had it since December 2012. It keeps me motivated to get walking; especially when you can add friends on their site and compete with them all. It also syncs with MFP.

    I used to have the Zip, but I upgrade to the One in January. I love my One. The Zip is around $50 and the $100. The only difference between the two is that the One counts stairs climbed and you can track your sleep as well with it. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's pretty cool to see it.

    I don't have any experience with the Flex or the Force, but I do know that you wear them on your wrist (as opposed to clipping them on your clothes like you do with the Zip and the One). I don't know how well they count steps and I don't know how accurate they would be for me because I move my arms a lot when I walk.

    There is actually a Fitbit group on here... you may get more replies if you post this question in there.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1290-fitbit-users
  • Live_To_Win
    Live_To_Win Posts: 340 Member
    It also has an led readout of lights as well
  • squishycatmew
    squishycatmew Posts: 151 Member
    I think there is a Fitbit users' group here on MFP, who can probably answer your questions better. However, I can give you my experience - my parents bought me a Fitbit One for my birthday, since it tracks all the metrics that Fitbit is capable of tracking (the Flex does not, the Force is currently off the market) and has a digital readout, and can be easily worn in a number of places (I clip mine to the center gore on my bra, which I thought at first would be weird, but I never notice it, really - it just means if I want to look at the display rather than the synced data on my phone, I have to step aside to the ladies' room or something. It can easily be clipped inside a pocket, however.

    I have only experienced one issue with it so far - one night I seem to have turned it off sleep mode and then back on again in the middle of the night, without noticing.
  • oXGetFitBabeXo
    oXGetFitBabeXo Posts: 341 Member
    This sounds great.. so you set yourself up on a website then to count calories and the fitbit records the steps and heartrate? .. is there a band to go near your heart or is it getting your pulse from your wrist?
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    this link is the page on their website that compares all of their models:

    https://www.fitbit.com/comparison/trackers

    from a basic calorie traicking standpoint they are all the same, they all count your steps and give you access to the website so you can see your calories burned for the day. (I can argue with myself on this and say that fitbit one appears to be the only one that calculates floors climbed which can have a large effect on the calculated burns)

    Basically it comes down to how you want to wear it, how much money you want to spend, and some of the display options

    I personally have a fitbit one and love it. A concern of mine (and I often hear form other people) is it is a clip on, will it fall off? So far nope, I got it for christmas and have worn it almost every single day and not had it fall off once. Daily I hook it too my jean pocket, when I run I hook it on my pants of high up on my sportsbra. Never had it fall off yet. The clip is actually pretty impressive in strength. They have replacement clips you can buy online for about 16$ if you think yours is getting worn out.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I have the flex. It's great. Really motivating.
  • rhoule76
    rhoule76 Posts: 217 Member
    I have the Flex also and love using it. The only downside is it doesn't do flights of stairs or have a LED screen.
  • sarabeth120
    sarabeth120 Posts: 172 Member
    This sounds great.. so you set yourself up on a website then to count calories and the fitbit records the steps and heartrate? .. is there a band to go near your heart or is it getting your pulse from your wrist?

    The Fitbit is just a pedometer. It doesn't measure heart rate.
  • PhoenixRising7
    PhoenixRising7 Posts: 194 Member
    This sounds great.. so you set yourself up on a website then to count calories and the fitbit records the steps and heartrate? .. is there a band to go near your heart or is it getting your pulse from your wrist?

    The fitbit does not track heart rate. If you'd like to track your heart rate during cardio workouts, you would need a heart rate monitor.
  • glamsam8
    glamsam8 Posts: 39 Member
    I have a flex, and it's great! Really helpful in showing me how much I've walked etc. If you were to buy one, I would recommend taking it off if you're not actually moving(mine was super sensitive for a bit) and it's great if it connects to your phone! Getting out my laptop all the time was a bit of a hassle, but connecting to my phone made it so easy... I do everything on there lol
  • oXGetFitBabeXo
    oXGetFitBabeXo Posts: 341 Member
    I do have a heart rate monitor i just wasnt sure which was better.

    I hear great things about FIT BIT :)
  • iampam4399
    iampam4399 Posts: 81 Member
    So, let me ask...if you get one, and you're sitting at your desk (not walking or dancing or climbing steps, etc) then does it record your arm movements as walking? I have a desk job so sitting is a large part of my day, and while it would be nice to include that as "activity", it's not realistic obviously. I am interested in a Fitbit or Flex or something along those lines, but would prefer something with accuracy. And wearing something on my writst would be preferrable for me. TIA.
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    Don't. Go buy a Garmin device. It'll make all other devices look like toys............... ;-)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    So, let me ask...if you get one, and you're sitting at your desk (not walking or dancing or climbing steps, etc) then does it record your arm movements as walking? I have a desk job so sitting is a large part of my day, and while it would be nice to include that as "activity", it's not realistic obviously. I am interested in a Fitbit or Flex or something along those lines, but would prefer something with accuracy. And wearing something on my writst would be preferrable for me. TIA.
    A Fitbit One or Zip is more accurate. You wear it clipped to your torso (bra, waist, whatever). The Flex will count some arm movements as steps. It's still useful as a baseline but if you're a drummer or something, you probably will have some inflated data.
  • dianabranke
    dianabranke Posts: 5 Member
    I just bought a FitBit Flex and it is motivating me to move more. Some nights I'm walking around our almost 2 acre yard just trying to get my 8,000 steps for the day!
  • boolz
    boolz Posts: 61 Member
    I have the One and really like it. I don't like wearing things on my wrist, so the One works well for me - I wear it in my bra. I always have my smartphone in my pocket, so I can regularly check my progress. I'm doing the State of Slim diet, so I like being able to regularly see if I'm getting enough steps in and push myself to move more.

    What works well:
    - the steps seem pretty accurate, from the limited testing I did
    - the sleep assessment seems good. I'm a terrible sleeper, so I use this to try to improve
    - the "active minutes" feature is good to help make sure I get some intensity in
    - I like the fact that I can customize the goals

    What doesn't work well:
    - the stairs function is completely bogus
  • laney4818
    laney4818 Posts: 73 Member
    I have the FITBIT Zip and I love it!!!!! It's really helped me a lot! pushes me to get my minimum 10,000 steps a day and then I log other exercise in MyFitnessPal.

    Somehow, it's made a huge difference in my motivation which has translated into a lifestyle change.
  • sabyx_is1
    sabyx_is1 Posts: 64 Member
    I have the FitBit Flex and I'm very happy with it. I used to have a KiFit (Boddybug in America) but the only incovenience about it was that it was very awkward to wear - around the top of the arm (although I used to mostly wear it in my bra after a while).

    Fitbit Flex is very compact and you can wear it around your wrist. You can also buy different colour wristbands to match your outfit.

    The ONLY PROBLEM I have with it is that it doesn't record the calories burnt during High Intensity Interval Training accordingly. I read somewhere that it isn't meant for those kind of activities as it doesn't measure your heart rate. So, instead, I use a HRM and log those calories on the FitBit app.

    I hope this helps, x
  • newday180
    newday180 Posts: 10 Member
    I'm waiting for the new one to be released: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/05/21/new-fitbit-concept-p-wearable-revealed/
  • mikeyrs
    mikeyrs Posts: 176 Member
    I looked at the Fitbit line and their Web App. I was kinda' turned off because Fitbit forces you to sync with your computer or smartphone to know exactly where you're at during the course of the day. So, I chose the Withings Pulse. I was so impressed by the Pulse and their Health Mate Web App and Health Mate iOS App, I ended up buying the Withings blood pressure monitor and the Withings Smart Body Analyzer scale which also fully integrate with both Health Mate Apps. The Pulse has its own display where I can check my step count anytime without connecting to a phone, it can measure my pulse and my specific dissolved oxygen (Oxymetry) simultaneously during a brief rest period which is a good indicator to identify the onset of an imminent asthma attack, and consumers have a choice of wearing it clipped to a pocket (or elsewhere) or it can be worn like a watch on the wrist depending on user preference.

    The only downside to the Withings Pulse is that it is not waterproof. To address the waterproof issue, I recently purchased a Garmin Vivofit. The Vivofit is worn on the wrist and will easily pair with Garmin's heart rate monitor. For me, the Vivofit is ideal for swimming, fishing, kayaking, and other watersports.

    So, I wear both of them with the Withings Pulse clipped to my pocket and the Garmin Vivofit worn on my wrist.

    As for accuracy, I've found the Withings Pulse is more conservative in its count because my Pulse is clipped to my pocket rather than worn on my wrist. Any random motion of your hand (like when driving a car) has some potential to count as a step when wearing any activity tracker on your wrist, including the Garmin Vivofit. The difference between the Withings Pulse (clipped to my pocket) and the Garmin Vivofit has varied by as much as 1300 steps during the course of a given day depending upon how animated my arm motion has been throughout the day. I'm a lefty so I'm toying with the idea of moving the Vivofit from my left wrist to my right wrist and wearing my watch on my left wrist. Perhaps that switch will reduce the potential for erroneous step counting.

    The Withings Pulse and Withings Health Mate Apps are geared more toward overall family health, while Garmin Connect Apps and the Garmin Vivofit is targeted toward individuals pursuing a more active and athletic lifestyle. Both integrate quite well with MFP without being too intrusive. Both Withings and Garmin have released fairly frequent software updates and quick bug fixes for their products from my experience.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    The Pulse is a great choice, but just for accuracy- the Fitbits also have a display. The Jawbone Up doesn't have a display.
  • Pamela_June
    Pamela_June Posts: 342 Member
    I have the Fitbit ONE... it clips on...just about anyway....and I love mine... not problems and if you do have a question or problem the support folks are great and fast.... money WELL spent!
    :happy:
  • MYhealthyjourney70
    MYhealthyjourney70 Posts: 276 Member
    i have a flex and love it... it is worn on my wrist and is water resistant so i never take it off... i wear it in the pool while doing water aerobics... i am able sync with my phone so i know where i am at activity wise throughout the day...
  • Nertak
    Nertak Posts: 34 Member
    I have a fitbit one. Really like it It has a really good battery life, hardly needs to be charged and charges really fast. I haven't had any problems with it syncing. the clip it comes with is really strong so little risk of it falling off of whatever you clip it to.

    The one downside is its really small. Thats usually nice but can lead to it getting lost. There is an app you can get to help you find it if its misplaced though. I put it on my night table when i sleep and my cat has nocked it off several times. One time he actually ran off with it.....
  • doIdaretoeatapeach
    doIdaretoeatapeach Posts: 26 Member
    I'm thisclose to buying a FitBit One. The black model is about $99, but a couple of sites have the burgundy color for $80. For something I plan to wear hidden, I'll go for the off color and $20 savings.

    Sorry to hear that it doesn't track stairs well, though.
  • squishycatmew
    squishycatmew Posts: 151 Member
    I'm thisclose to buying a FitBit One. The black model is about $99, but a couple of sites have the burgundy color for $80. For something I plan to wear hidden, I'll go for the off color and $20 savings.

    Sorry to hear that it doesn't track stairs well, though.

    I've actually not had an issue with that - it seems pretty accurate, though it combines stairs and inclined steps (which is fine, really, since walking up a hill, while not the same as walking up stairs, is also not the same as walking flat).

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