Really disappointed in fitbit

i'm curious about the pendant one. Do you think it dangling on the neck would cause any of these movement issues people are mentioning?

Tracking sleep is important for those who aren't getting an average of 7.5 - 8.0 hours of sleep a night. There is a correlation between sleep and weight loss, so if you aren't getting enough sleep, you can see by the log where the issues may lie and address them. If you've got the sleep thing down (90+% efficiency, you can opt for the Zip which doesn't track sleep and is less expensive than the Ultra or the One.

I'm not sure why your FitBit isn't tracking steps on a treadmill. If it's a Flex or Force, it could be that your hands are remaining stationary or not matching your stride as you walk/run. If it's a Ultra, Force or Zip, it should track just fine.

If you want to add the treadmill as an exercise, then no, it won't sync with the treadmill, but the interface to add exercise to your FitBit log is *very* easy (but I believe that adding in treadmill as an exercise will factor in calories burned, but not the steps on the treadmill.)

As for accuracy of the steps, once I adjusted the step length, it came to within 10 steps (out of 10,000) when I ran a comparison with a couple of other pedometers.

I haven't had an issue with sweat making it icky. Maybe because I wear an all-cotton sports bra and it absorbs excess sweat?

So, what do I love about the FitBit? Actually, everything except that it can't withstand more than 4 or 5 rounds in the washer & dryer! Ha!

i'm curious about the pendant one. Do you think it dangling on the neck would cause any of these movement issues people are mentioning?

I've worn my One on a chain but I keep it under my shirt so it's not really flapping around. If you ran with one dangling loose I think it would think you're moving more than you are.

I have no idea how or if they tweaked the Flex to work on the Tory Burch pendant, since it's a wrist model. I don't know anyone who's sprung for those expensive holders.

http://help.fitbit.com/customer/portal/articles/1276472-how-does-my-tracker-count-steps-

I think that explains how some treadmills/walkers could miss steps. Though holding the rail is probably way more common.

I think the sleep thing was clear without the Oxford comma. :happy:

I am on the fence with mine. Some of the information helps, like all others who posted, it helps keep you motivated and really shows how sedentary I am at work. However, it doesn't seem to track as well on the elliptical or rowing machine, but loves it when I walk. I am trying to use it as a tool for motivation and not rely to heavily on calories burned or steps taken (although that is what I intended when I bought it)

I don't log any exercise except for swimming because I can't wear it in the pool. Otherwise, it should be giving you credit for activity calories.

Good luck.

I love mine too. I don't worry if it is entirely accurate in terms of steps/distance because it still indexes my daily activity....high steps = higher activity level and vice-versa. I take it off when I drive, however, as a one hour drive can give me several thousand steps! I shower with it everyday with no problems. I do log the sleep but I don't pay much attention to it. The best part for me is setting an activity goal to reach which I find highly motivating.

my friend suggested I hook it on my shoe lace for the treadmill, so that recorded. So it's better.

Yes ^ this! Even during the day when not on the treadmill.....that way it is not counting all your arm movements as steps. Did you know it count's steps when brushing your teeth and doing dishes etc. I don't want that counted, I want just my steps counted.

Fitbit says it doesn't count steps when your driving in a car, but that it Does count them when you are pushing a stroller or shopping cart........HOW DOES IT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE? It doesn't know the difference.....they just want you to buy it.

So, I think wearing it on your left ankle (secured with that strectchy wrap stuff) or hooked on your shoe laces would give you a TRUE step count.

They should really come up with one that you wear on your ankle that can measure your stride and speed as well.....that would be innovative!

Now being able to sync it with mfp is awesome....it does some really neat things....just needs some major improvement to be worth the 99 bucks they are charging for it.

Just my 2 cents

Put yours on your shoe and walk around the block then back on your wrist or torso (wherever your model was designed to be worn) and walk around the block. You'll notice that your calorie burn for the walk with it on your shoe is 2-3 times what it is when worn as designed. If all you care about is number of steps, that's fine. But if the calorie count matters to you, wear it where it's supposed to be worn.

It doesn't count most driving as steps because most driving doesn't generate a step-like motion in the driver. It counts most stroller pushing as steps because it does.

We burn calories from all activities, including brushing teeth and washing dishes. Its designed to estimate calorie burn from activity, not literally provide you a count of just your actual steps taken while walking.

my friend suggested I hook it on my shoe lace for the treadmill, so that recorded. So it's better.

Yes ^ this! Even during the day when not on the treadmill.....that way it is not counting all your arm movements as steps. Did you know it count's steps when brushing your teeth and doing dishes etc. I don't want that counted, I want just my steps counted.

Fitbit says it doesn't count steps when your driving in a car, but that it Does count them when you are pushing a stroller or shopping cart........HOW DOES IT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE? It doesn't know the difference.....they just want you to buy it.

So, I think wearing it on your left ankle (secured with that strectchy wrap stuff) or hooked on your shoe laces would give you a TRUE step count.

They should really come up with one that you wear on your ankle that can measure your stride and speed as well.....that would be innovative!

Now being able to sync it with mfp is awesome....it does some really neat things....just needs some major improvement to be worth the 99 bucks they are charging for it.

Just my 2 cents

Put yours on your shoe and walk around the block then back on your wrist or torso (wherever your model was designed to be worn) and walk around the block. You'll notice that your calorie burn for the walk with it on your shoe is 2-3 times what it is when worn as designed. If all you care about is number of steps, that's fine. But if the calorie count matters to you, wear it where it's supposed to be worn.

It doesn't count most driving as steps because most driving doesn't generate a step-like motion in the driver. It counts most stroller pushing as steps because it does.

We burn calories from all activities, including brushing teeth and washing dishes. Its designed to estimate calorie burn from activity, not literally provide you a count of just your actual steps taken while walking.

Ok, to be fair, I just performed a test. I walked with it on my arm and used normal arm movements and it did count those steps Perfect. Then I walked the exact same number of steps holding my arm still and guess what...it counted ZERO!!!! So I'm only burning calories if my arms are swinging?

I've had the Fitbit One for just over a year now. It has helped me to see how sedentary I really am and helped to realign my calorie goals. I've not had any problems with it counting my steps on the treadmill, or just walking and running in general, but it definitely doesn't pick up how active I am during my Krav Maga classes. I just log that in MFP the usual way and let them sort it out between themselves.

I'm not quite ready to replace my fitbit just yet, but this is currently looking like the main contender for if / when I finally do: https://amiigo.com/

I've never been able to really see any great purpose to these. These calculators are pretty good estimates to start with so long as you are being honest with what you're inputting. From there you can just up or down as necessary...it's pretty easy IMHO to dial things in without some device giving you yet another estimate (which is all it is). I'm pretty active...I don't need some device to tell me that.

This is curious. Mine works perfectly on a treadmill (but then again it's just a zip)

I love my fitbit. I use it for regular daily stuff and for sleep. I use a Polar FT4 watch for exercise though as I want to monitor my heart rate at all times during exercise.

I don't have a Fitbit, but many of my MFP friends have them. I have noticed that at first they all complain about the device ; however, after a few weeks they are in love with it.

Since it seems like there is a period of adjustment before users figure it out, give it a few weeks.

Good luck.

Go buy yourself a Garmin, it'll make all other devices look like the toys they are.

I also have a Garmin.

It is useless for tracking my steps, recording my sleep and syncing with MFP to sort out my daily calories

It's awesome for recording my runs and bike rides though.

Ahh. I've been looking at these. Counting on Santa this December but also want a watch that will track swimming distance......talk about being addicted to electronic feedback!!