FitBit Flex vs. HR Monitor

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smashley_mashley
smashley_mashley Posts: 589 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My company recently reached a goal on safety measures and will be providing everyone with either a FitBit Flex, a wrist BP monitor, or a 4 person survival pack as a reward.

I am opting for the FitBit Flex.

I currently wear the Polar FT4 HR monitor when I exercise to help me keep track of my HR, duration of exercise, and calories burned.

Does anyone know how the FitBit works? How does it keep track of calories burned if you are not wearing the chest band? is the FitBit as accurate as a HR monitor? would it be worth wearing both? Does the FitBit Flex keep track of your HR? It doesn't look like it has a screen to which you can look down at and get an immediate reading?

Thoughts?

Replies

  • PDT816
    PDT816 Posts: 6
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    All my friend's Fitbits are grossly inaccurate. Ride in something bumpy like a golf cart and they will record that you've just walked several miles. My buddies do love them however, but I would never trade a HRM for one when working out.

    Fitbits are accelerometers, they can record changes of directions. Take a step, go up a stair, etc and the device knows it's moving and counts it.
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
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    It is not a heart rate monitor. It tracks your movement in "steps". So it's great for people to see how active they are during the day. Are you really sedentary? Lightly active? Etc. Plus it will accurately adjust your calories based on your movement that day (normally spend your days on your feet as a nurse and it's your day off and you're on the couch it will adjust calories accordingly). For exercise it's great to track if you are running, walking, etc. If you are on a bike, weight lifting, etc. you will need to enter that in manually. It will also track your sleep.

    I find it to be pretty accurate.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    The FitBit is not a HRM. It's a pedometer. It uses the info you put when you set up your Fitbit to translate that into calories burned. It's not for monitoring exercise specifically but for day to day activity. For exercise HRM is superior.
  • smashley_mashley
    smashley_mashley Posts: 589 Member
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    So what it sounds like is that the FitBit would be a good compliment to the HR monitor but don't rely on it as the be all and end all as the HR is superior?
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    So what it sounds like is that the FitBit would be a good compliment to the HR monitor but don't rely on it as the be all and end all as the HR is superior?

    Two completely different tools for two completely different purposes. HR for workouts, Fitbit for day to day activity.
  • keengkong
    keengkong Posts: 83 Member
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    Get a Fitbit unless you think you may have a problem with high blood pressure.

    The most accurate way of determining calorie burn is direct calorimetry, which is difficult to administer even in a laboratory setting. The next most accurate way of determining calorie burn is indirect calorimetry, which involves wearing a facemask attached to a $40,000 device which weighs at least 5 pounds. The BodyMedia Link is supposed to be the most accurate commonly used fitness tracker. However, it's a pain to use, involves wearing a conspicious armband at all time, and requires paying a monthly fee. I received similar results using my Fitbit. According to a recent study, the Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip averaged readings that were 10% off the indirect calorimetry reading. The average is calculated by taking the difference between the two readings, whether high or low, expressing that as a positive number, adding them up, and dividing by the number of tests. The BodyMedia Link averaged 9% off the indirect calorimetry reading.

    Heart rate monitors don't accurately measure calories burned. If you use a heart rate monitor from Polar, you're likely to receive far different calories burned reading than if you use a Garmin heart rate monitor. This is despite the fact that they both rely on the same company (Firstbeast) to provide a formula for determining calories burned.

    As a practical matter, I've lost weight since I started using the Fitbit. You're likely to get a better idea of how many calories you're burning that if you didn't use an activity tracker.

    As to claims that the Fitbit records steps while driving in a car, I've never had anything like that happen to me. (I own both a Fitbit One and a Fitbit Flex.) The Fitbit is a remarkably improved pedometer. I might walk 100 steps and have it record 101 steps. I consider that quite impressive. You'll have a greater error rate with calculating calories, but it's still more accurate than not having one.
  • susanrechter
    susanrechter Posts: 386 Member
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    Fitbit=gadget;. fun for a week; a waste of time; expensive; didn't monitor accurately.
    I returned mine. But, if it comes free...I'll take it.
  • upnorthtim
    upnorthtim Posts: 376 Member
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    <<<<<< love my FitBit. I like having a goal of "steps" to reach every day and find it very motivating. I've had it for a month....still having fun with it.
  • RUNNING_AMOK_1958
    RUNNING_AMOK_1958 Posts: 268 Member
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    Get a Fitbit unless you think you may have a problem with high blood pressure.

    The most accurate way of determining calorie burn is direct calorimetry, which is difficult to administer even in a laboratory setting. The next most accurate way of determining calorie burn is indirect calorimetry, which involves wearing a facemask attached to a $40,000 device which weighs at least 5 pounds. The BodyMedia Link is supposed to be the most accurate commonly used fitness tracker. However, it's a pain to use, involves wearing a conspicious armband at all time, and requires paying a monthly fee. I received similar results using my Fitbit. According to a recent study, the Fitbit One and Fitbit Zip averaged readings that were 10% off the indirect calorimetry reading. The average is calculated by taking the difference between the two readings, whether high or low, expressing that as a positive number, adding them up, and dividing by the number of tests. The BodyMedia Link averaged 9% off the indirect calorimetry reading.

    Heart rate monitors don't accurately measure calories burned. If you use a heart rate monitor from Polar, you're likely to receive far different calories burned reading than if you use a Garmin heart rate monitor. This is despite the fact that they both rely on the same company (Firstbeast) to provide a formula for determining calories burned.

    As a practical matter, I've lost weight since I started using the Fitbit. You're likely to get a better idea of how many calories you're burning that if you didn't use an activity tracker.

    As to claims that the Fitbit records steps while driving in a car, I've never had anything like that happen to me. (I own both a Fitbit One and a Fitbit Flex.) The Fitbit is a remarkably improved pedometer. I might walk 100 steps and have it record 101 steps. I consider that quite impressive. You'll have a greater error rate with calculating calories, but it's still more accurate than not having one.

    This sounds like rocket science!
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
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    I have an earlier version of the Fibit. It's a great general fitness monitor especially suited for people who are not regular exercisers. It measures steps and stairs climbed, while estimating intensity. A heart rate monitor, by contrast, measures the heart rate and is good for gauging general cardiac health while exercising and interval work.
  • julielh72
    julielh72 Posts: 92 Member
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    I love my FitBit Flex. I wear it all the time. It tells me my TDEE. I log all my food on MFP and with FitBit linked I can ensure that I keep calories in less than calories out. Non step based exercise I log directly on MFP. I love having a step goal to achieve each day and it keeps me motivated. Works for me!
  • TilKingdomCome
    TilKingdomCome Posts: 89 Member
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    If buying for everyone in the company go for the Fitbit. Everyone can be 'friends' and compete against each other daily with their number of steps. What a fantastic way to promote a healthier, more active workplace.

    FWIW, I tested the whole driving = steps theory yesterday. I found this to be a load of BS. I have however been wary of the calorie adjustment (extra calories it gives me or deducts) as I am someone who eats back as many exercise calories as I can but I think it is just my conscience getting the better of me as I am still losing weight. I have both the Flex and a Polar HRM. I only wear the HRM when I start a new exercise routine to log accurate burns or have dropped enough weight to warrant checking whether calories burned is the same or less.

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