To Fitbit or not to Fitbit

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  • yellowsnowdrop
    yellowsnowdrop Posts: 154 Member
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    I've got a FitBit 1 which I use all the time, I never eat my exercise calories back and have lost 26lbs in 13 weeks, I stick to my MFP allowance of 1200 cals. Wouldn't be without my FitBit now, best thing i ever bought.
  • moijo75
    moijo75 Posts: 11
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    Well i chose to fitbit.. just bought the scales and sleep activity wristband.. i hope its everthing you guys have said and i lose a shed load of weight and get healthier with time ;) lol
  • scoobydooteresa
    scoobydooteresa Posts: 20 Member
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    i only want to lose 12 more pounds (will be in normal BMI then) and just got a fitbit zip and love it. i would say yes because it gets you motivated to move more.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    Saw an interesting article that said that basically 10% of people are naturally 'self tracking'. They like to play with it, are motivated by it, and keep using them. (They also like logging food.) Another 20-35% use them when pushed a bit by others or in a social group where everyone tracks (like at work where they push it or they are in weight watchers). The rest just stop using them by 6 months.

    Now tha's really informative!
    People saying they like their fitbits and have had them a few weeks...is not really informative.

    I've had mine a year, wore it religiously through my 20 pound- weightloss then maintenance, but I must say I'm tired of it now...

    Yup this does make sense.

    My JawboneUp should be here tomorrow...

    Didn't like the look of the fitbit wrist band...looks like a cheap watch I had in grade school...

    I like my gadgets to an extent but with me I find the longer i have them the more I use them...

    I am looking forward to seeing what the Jawbone is like etc.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I HATE my Fitbit!!! The only thing it is good for is a constant reminder on my wrist to move - that is good.

    The Fitbit really only measures steps (including stairs), it bases your calorie burn on that. I have a flex and unless I move my arm - it doesn't count the steps. So pushing a shopping cart, carrying children or groceries, etc. - doesn't add steps. In addition, I think the sleep tracker is worthless - especially if you or your partner move a lot during the night.

    And, if there is a problem - their customer service is horrible.

    I'd highly recommend something other than the Fitbit.

    WOW - I have had nothing but great experience with their customer service. My clip broke on my 2 year old fitbit one. It fell off and I thought I lost it. I ended up finding it after contacting customer service and they sent me a new clip for free.

    I love my Fitbit - feel lost if I don't have it on during the day.
    Ditto. I've had GREAT experiences with their customer service!
  • tiffypooh2u
    tiffypooh2u Posts: 299 Member
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    Not sure if this will be of any help to you, as I never actually owned a FitBit... HOWEVER......... I was going to purchase one. I went to Best Buy and was looking at the FitBit (FLEX I believe). The Best Buy worker told me that it isn't great and pointed me towards the JawboneUP. Now, I really really liked the Jawbone up. It was very comfortable and easy to use. Nonetheless, I am almost always pushing a stroller when I go for walks, stores, and so on. Because I was wearing it on my wrist, it wasn't tracking my steps accurately because I had my son in tow... So it was either take the JawboneUP back, or put my son back and if your a Mommy who loves your child, you know that it was definately time to take the Jawbone Back... hahaha
  • srd_23
    srd_23 Posts: 43 Member
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    I love my fitbit flex. It keeps me motivated and I have friends (online and real life) that I try to match or beat. I excercise way more now that I have one. It isn't 100% accurate, but does seem to be more accurate than just using MFP by itself. On a side note, you can get extra bands in all kinds of colors for pretty cheap, so you can accessorize as well!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I love my fitbit flex. It keeps me motivated and I have friends (online and real life) that I try to match or beat. I excercise way more now that I have one. It isn't 100% accurate, but does seem to be more accurate than just using MFP by itself. On a side note, you can get extra bands in all kinds of colors for pretty cheap, so you can accessorize as well!
    and fancy jewelry!
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
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    Get yourself a Garmin device. It'll make all other devices look like the toys they are.
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
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    I didn't get my fitbit until I was about 2 months away from my goal. I wish I had gotten it sooner but I'm so happy I have it now that I'm maintaining. It actually motivates me to move more. I just got the zip because I don't need it to monitor my sleep. Best $40 I've ever spent!
  • GretchenReine
    GretchenReine Posts: 1,427 Member
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    I decided I wanted to get a fitness band after finding that I did better with my eating after starting MFP because I like the game of trying to get the amt of protein my Dr. wanted me to get but keep it under 1300 calories. I thought I would feel the same way about tracking my steps. So I evaluated several of the fitness bands including Fitbit. What I found was that none of them are 100% accurate so I looked at other attributes to determine which one I wanted to buy.

    I ended up with the Garmin Vivofit mainly because it had a watch battery that's supposed to last a year. I already have 2 phones (one for work) and an IPad I have to keep charged so just the convenience of not having to remember to charge it every few days. It does all the basics the others do but if at a later time I decide I want a heart rate monitor there is an accessory I can get at a later time. I could have bought a them together at a discount but I wasn't sure I wanted the heart rate monitor.

    The big thing with any of these products is since they aren't 100% accurate you have to use them as a comparison to yourself. I used the first few days to see how many steps I typically take and then when I can I try to go higher. Another nice thing about the Garmin is it sets a goal for you based upon your average # of steps so as you increase your steps your daily goal increases too.

    Good luck!

    How do you like the VivoFit? I am thinking of getting one. I have a Garmin HRM and I know the chest strap should work with it. I just don't know if it will do much more than count my steps which I have a pedometer for. Just wondering if it's worth it and what other things it does.
  • susanfry1
    susanfry1 Posts: 1 Member
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    I had a fitbit and loved it because I didn't know any better. I now have a misfit shine which is WAY more accurate. the problem with the shine is that it does not sync with my fitness pal and since I am counting calories I have to use them separately. I would still stay with the shine despite this issue. I have researched different trackers. the misfit is the only one that is completely waterproof. it tracks cyclng far better than the fitbit and I spin 3days a week.
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
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    I've had a Flex for 6 months now & still enjoy it. It's become so much a part of my eating/exercise habits that I don't think I could do without it now. It syncs flawlessly with MFP - I like that it takes calories away from me on MFP when I'm having an exceptionally lazy day, and it gives me calories on days that I'm active. I used to really enjoy the sleep tracker, but I stopped using it after a couple of months just because I always forget to start & stop it.

    The longer I have it, the more on the fence I am about the wristband style. I finally bought some prettier bands, so that helps - but sometimes I just want to wear something normal on that wrist, like a watch or bracelets! On the other hand though, there are a lot of pros to the wristband, like the fact that it's less likely to be lost or washed, less likely to get sweaty & nasty like something in my bra would, I can leave it on 24/7 & in the shower [although I don't], etc.
  • ImBlackMamba
    ImBlackMamba Posts: 5 Member
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    I HATE my Fitbit!!! The only thing it is good for is a constant reminder on my wrist to move - that is good.

    The Fitbit really only measures steps (including stairs), it bases your calorie burn on that. I have a flex and unless I move my arm - it doesn't count the steps. So pushing a shopping cart, carrying children or groceries, etc. - doesn't add steps. In addition, I think the sleep tracker is worthless - especially if you or your partner move a lot during the night.

    And, if there is a problem - their customer service is horrible.

    I'd highly recommend something other than the Fitbit.


    I have to agree with some of this. Too many steps tracked that allow for too many calories burned when syncing with MFP IMO and the sleep tracker freaked me out so much I took the thing off after three weeks and haven't put it back on. Keep in mind can you can choose not to track sleep but, I was seeing 3-4 hours a night and that was very demotivating.
  • AngelaRoberta
    AngelaRoberta Posts: 24 Member
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    I think it will be a personal thing. Are you going to remember to wear it or check it during the day/week?

    I have a fitbit one and the aria scale. I love it and feel lost without it. I have also been VERY impressed with the customer service I get from fitbit. They are fantastic over there and have solved my two issues very quickly. And I like the way fitbit interacts with other apps I use (like MFP.)

    But that said, I also bought a fitbit one for my son and he forgets to wear it half the time. For him, I am not sure it's worth the investment. (The good news is he's accidently washed it twice and it survived both trips in the wash.)
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I love my Flex, as long as it keeps working. Just got my third Flex in the mail yesterday (second replacement)....here's hoping :wink:
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    I have been using a fitbit flex since May. It's ok.

    I like the sleep efficiency tracker.
    And it does motivate me to try and get more steps in.

    However, on strength training days - I def don't meet my step goals, which seems to be what it's centered around.
  • galt67
    galt67 Posts: 2 Member
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    Love my Fitbit Flex! The steps, sleep monitor are VERY helpful!
  • Chickaboo2014
    Chickaboo2014 Posts: 136 Member
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    I decided I wanted to get a fitness band after finding that I did better with my eating after starting MFP because I like the game of trying to get the amt of protein my Dr. wanted me to get but keep it under 1300 calories. I thought I would feel the same way about tracking my steps. So I evaluated several of the fitness bands including Fitbit. What I found was that none of them are 100% accurate so I looked at other attributes to determine which one I wanted to buy.

    I ended up with the Garmin Vivofit mainly because it had a watch battery that's supposed to last a year. I already have 2 phones (one for work) and an IPad I have to keep charged so just the convenience of not having to remember to charge it every few days. It does all the basics the others do but if at a later time I decide I want a heart rate monitor there is an accessory I can get at a later time. I could have bought a them together at a discount but I wasn't sure I wanted the heart rate monitor.

    The big thing with any of these products is since they aren't 100% accurate you have to use them as a comparison to yourself. I used the first few days to see how many steps I typically take and then when I can I try to go higher. Another nice thing about the Garmin is it sets a goal for you based upon your average # of steps so as you increase your steps your daily goal increases too.

    Good luck!

    Use of a Heart Rate Monitor increases the accuracy of the calories you burn. Try exercising 30 minutes with a heart rate monitor and see what that shows then log that same exercise into MFP and see what value they give you. You will notice a significant difference; I did anyway; and I was surprised and heart broken because I thought I had been burning all these calories and really wasn't. No wonder my weight loss was going extremely slow. Having said that, the HRM is good for planned cardio-type exercises. One that has a time indicator (on the wrist display for example) works best so you can enter the time you started the exercise on MFP and it will sync with Fitbit to not double-count the calories burned. I wear my Fitbit everyday. It helps me gauge where I'm at and track the amount of activity I get daily; then I adjust things if I'm starting to slack.
  • citalk2much
    citalk2much Posts: 50 Member
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    I have the flex and love it, it keeps me moving and it tracks my cal burn each day and unlike MFP it is more realistic

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