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MyFitnessPal Community

What kind of results did you get from having a FITBIT?

oXGetFitBabeXo

I am really thinking about getting a Fitbit flex.. Do you have weight loss story you would like to share?

Replies

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I lost my weight long before I had my Fitbit, but it has helped me increase my TDEE. More food = always good

mattbakhoum

I had the fitbit flex, but i prefer the jawbone up24 - both have helped understand better how often i'm moving and how much i'm not. in particular the idle alerts on the jawbone are awesome. if you're idle for an hour (or whatever interval you choose) the band will vibrate to let you know. i use this as a trigger to get on the elliptical for 5 minutes or just get up and walk around a little just to get some movement if i haven't otherwise. pill reminders, alarms, better interface - it does everything the flex does, just a little bit better. the only problem is that after many recalls, the brand image is a bit tarnished, but when it works, it's fantastic.

tgates123

I LOVE my FitBit One! I got it as a gift for Christmas a year and a half ago and absolutely do more activity because of it. If I look down and see I've only done 2000k steps that day I get up and move! On the other hand when I forget to wear it (I know this sounds bad) I'm kinda like...eh...I don't need to take the stairs..I forgot to wear my fitbit so it won't count. I know, makes no logical sense. They have great customer service too. Mine stopped working about a year in and I emailed them. I had no receipt since it was a gift but they had me photograph it and email it to them and they sent me a brand new one. That kind of customer service is hard to find.

I recently went to Disney World and walked 21k steps and I was sooooo proud! I've lost about 30 pounds so far. Ok, done with my lengthy reply but it's really the one thing that's made a difference..that and my fitness pal.

bobbyguns

The Fitbit Flex is a great way to know where you stand deficit wise, and challenge yourself each day to make sure you're keeping things going in the right direction. I know exactly where I stand towards the end of the day so I can make necessary adjustments to meet my calorie balance. It's definitely helped me in my quest for leanness.

I can also personally attest to their outstanding customer service. After having the Flex for about 6 months, it came off of my wrist while boogie boarding in the ocean. I emailed FitBit; and after just providing a copy of my receipt and an explanation of what happened, they sent me a brand new tracker at no charge.

kmariet7

I have a fitbit zip. I have lost 30lbs in 6 months! I started at 2300 steps baseline and now 6 days a week I shoot for 10-15000!

Early_Riser

Worth every penny. I too realized that if i didn't do cardio, I wasn't moving.

carolpa1

I got a Fitbit One and yesterday was my first day. I logged a grand total of 3.121 steps, leaving me to realize that I need to get moving! LOL Today, I forgot to put it on. I think seeing the number each day will make me push myself to be more active, trying to increase my number.

Note: It doesn't work sitting on my dresser.

cdealtry

Spanner in the works here...... Have a Nike Fuel Band (there are other brands!) for over a year and it's great for checking your calorie burn and acts as a real motivator.

Highly recommend any way to improve motivation and this will without a doubt.

GiveMeCoffee

I lost most of my weight before getting one, but I love having my flex, it's tells me the truth about how active or inactive I am being. More active = More food :drinker:

AutumnElf80

Spanner in the works here...... Have a Nike Fuel Band (there are other brands!) for over a year and it's great for checking your calorie burn and acts as a real motivator.

Highly recommend any way to improve motivation and this will without a doubt.

Yep I have a Body Media, and it works on the same concept as the others. Without it I wouldn't be nearly as active as I am.

Ibleedlipstick

I started with a FitBit Ultra three years ago, and it really raised my awareness of how little exercise I was actually getting in. I had always thought that I was quite active, but I was only getting about 4000 steps in each day! I was able to maintain my weight for the first two years, until I broke it and didn't replace it for several months. During that time, I gained about 40 pounds! I then bought a FitBit One, and lost thirty pounds last year. I stopped wearing it during a particularly stressful time, and gained 25lbs back!

The FitBit alone isn't going to magically make weight fall off, but for me, the awareness really helps me.

StaciMarie1974

Got a Fitbit One for Christmas and I love it.

Its not a magic device - but gives me a way to measure how active I am. I set goals, I voice my goals, I'm accountable for them. Combination of moving more and accurately logging/tracking my calories in = 35 pounds lost in ~6 months.

I like the community effect, having 'friends' and being able to challenge each other. And the One works well for me, as I clip it on my pants pocket/waist and its always with me. Easy to use, works great with MFP.

callas444

I started with about 4000 steps a day average when I first got my fitbit (one). That was a year ago. Now I am consistently between 11,000-15,000 a day. It changed everything.

FeraFilia

I have a FitBit One... I've only had it for a month, so my "success" isn't really all that tangible at the moment. But I've found that with my competitive nature, I am competing with myself to get my weekly steps average higher than the previous week (I love that the FitBit site will send an email with your week's progress).

I really like it, and only take it off for showers or non-walking cardio (like the elliptical). I put it in timer mode, and use my HRM instead, to fill in that time.

Edit to add: I love that you can enable "negative calorie adjustments" meaning if you're less active than your setting for MFP it takes calories away from your goal. That alone makes me want to move around. Just to make sure I don't lose calories for the day!

Swiftdogs

I discovered I am NOT sedentary even though I have a desk job. I was being too restrictive with my calories. I lost the weight by eating up to my adjustment. So far maintenance is going well.

pinkraynedropjacki

I have had my One since Nov 2012. I got it after I lost my weight so it didn't help me lose weight at all. But it does keep me active. I physically can't sit down all day, from the moment I wake up anywhere between 4am and 5:30am till the time I crash into bed at 10pm or later. I figured if I am up & going anyway... then may as well have a way of seeing what I do. So now I do 30,000 minimum steps per day. Actually doing them right this second.

One gets me to walk everywhere, no really everywhere. I don't drive, none of us drive in this house cause we dont have a car or a license. I could catch public transport but refuse to and I can't afford it. So I walk everywhere. To work, shopping (daily with what we need) to the Dr, to appointments in the city, hell I walked 23km to get mascara cause it was costing me $1 per tube. Today I am not working (day off) yet I am walking up past work to a different supermarket to get stuff. I will end up walking 10km there & 10 back. This is after I reach about 15,0000 steps here at home, and it will be before I go over to the park for a short 5km run (I hurt my leg a little last night so a short one is all I can manage)

With my Fitbit One I am just more aware of how much I do & know I want to do more.Without it I would go for my run.. then do nothing all day & wonder why I was in such pain. I'm very very VERY OCD about mine. VERY.

amberlykay1014

Do you need a smartphone to use a fitbit? How does it connect to MFP?

Frappleberry

I got a fitbit zip and started using it 2 days ago, I've been quite office bound so it has shown me how little I move on an average day, it's definitely going to motivate me to find ways to be more active during my work day. It isn't synching up with mfp which is frustrating though!

Chevy_Quest

Do you need a smartphone to use a fitbit? How does it connect to MFP?

Here is a good place to start... hope it helps.

http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/questions/5972114-link-fitbit-to-my-fitness-pal

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I just got my Fitbit One last Wed., and I love it. I turned on negative calorie adjustments on MFP to allow it to take away calories if I'm not as active as my MFP setting (which is set to sedentary).

I'm an accountant, so I really love having all kinds of data an information available. Like everyone, I also like the badges that Fitbit gives me for a high number of steps or stairs for the day.

sue_stef

I got my fitbit flex December 31 A late Christmas gift to myself
I started my weight loss efforts at the start of December with diet and walking
I had lost 16lbs in December so anything on my ticker after that
is what I have lost since
through diet and walking
I have my minimum steps set to 15,000
I usually hit around 20,000

hearthwood

I bought the Jawbone UP, it costs a little more about a $140.00. It not only tracks steps but you can add in other workouts on it. Cardio, strength, hiking, etc. and it also syncs with MFP. The difference is Fitbit has a reader on the device, the UP you plug into your phone to get a reading and to add in other type workouts. I use it with my Android, but they have models that go with I-phones also.

You can pick up either at Best Buy. But either one you decide on is a huge help in determining calories burned. The UP calculates that for you and puts it right on MFP. I bought the UP wristband type because I knew I would lose something or throw in the washing machine a small device that attaches to clothes.

nutmegoreo

I started with a Flex and found that it wasn't appropriate for my work environment and changed to a Zip. I wouldn't say that it has given me results, but it has helped me feel much more comfortable in making the choices that I have as far as exercise and eating. It tells me I am burning anywhere from 1900 (on a very inactive day) up to 2500 (on a very active day), so I feel comfortable eating between 1600-1900 calories.

Do you need a smartphone to use a fitbit? How does it connect to MFP?

I do not have a smart phone. It comes with a USB synching device that I have plugged into my laptop. It auto updates when I am around the laptop. The biggest problem with this is that when I work late/night shifts, I don't have an update between MFP and Fitbit. Although by now, I have a pretty good idea of what is going to happen. Also, with some of the models (the Zip, for example) there is a display screen which will tell you what's going on. My Zip gives me steps, calories burned, distance, time, and face which is usually sad by how little I do, but occasionally appears happy when I am particularly busy.

amandzor

I love mine. Got it for my birthday. Had it about a year.

The website has some pretty cool statistics, and you can see your sleep and most/least active days.

It has limitations. It is not a HRM and tends to overestimate your burned calories. It's more of an....activity monitor which hels you keep track of how active you've been in a day.

It's a tool, not a solution.

pangepange

I got serious about tracking in MFP after buying my Flex, so to me, it's been an invaluable tool for my weight loss. I couldn't sustain the 1200 calorie net diet logging exercise alone, but the Flex helped me realize how many extra calories I was earning in my day-to-day activity.

I got serious about MFP and Fitbit at the end of January and have lost just over 20lbs so far.

woolfman72

For me what it has done is challenge me everyday to hit that 10k steps before leaving work. I have a desk job and its not an easy thing to do . It makes me get up from my desk for what ever excuse i can come up with. I walk for 45 minutes at lunch time . Then it taunts me to see how close to 20k steps i can get. Someone else posted this story but its a great example of what it does for me.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/06/30/140630fa_fact_sedaris?currentPage=3

If you get one you can add me as a friend if you like (or anyone else ) https://www.fitbit.com/user/2FWGKD

hookilau

I am really thinking about getting a Fitbit flex.. Do you have weight loss story you would like to share?

Benefits I got from my fitbit (I had the zip) was all mental. With it, I made sure to get those 10k steps each day & made a conscious effort to park further away from stores & employ all sorts of tips & tricks to get more steps.

For a sedentary person, this is a great tool to help keep one motivated :drinker:

emalethmoon

I have a fitbit zip and it's been a great motivator. It's also a great reality check -- it shows how days in my office I really am more of a bump on a log than an active person. The big graphics on the website for fibit are also really rewarding in a pavlovian way.

Chevy_Quest

@emalethmoon - That is the quote of the day :drinker:

The big graphics on the website for fibit are also really rewarding in a pavlovian way.

Samstan101

As many people have already said it made me realise when I started how little I moved. I have the Fitbit One and its my little clip on nagger! I boughht it the day I started this and its been the best gadget I've owned! I now use it as a guide to my TDEE (I log all exercise etc on the Fitbit website) and so plan my deficit based on the average. Its been a massive help in getting me to where I am now and I'm sure will be just as important as I work towards my goal.

ETA: Someone above said that the website over-estimates cal burn. I've found the opposite when comparing steady state cardio against my Heart Rate Monitor I've found the Fitbit website under-estimates. I need to redo my runing stride though now I'm lighter and a more experienced runner as this may be the difference (as a handy tip make sure that you set your profile up and adjust the default walking & running strides to match your actual stride length).