A Fit-Bit is totally unnecessary...

I gave serious thought to getting one but then decided that I probably wouldn't trust it anyway and would second guess it, plus it wouldn't do what I'm most curious about (calculate the burn of my taekwondo class) and so I'd be paying $100+ just for curiosity's sake. Though work is having STEPtember so I need a pedometer for that, they are recommending we download the app Moves - but it's reviews are fairly negative...

for me the goal is to become a naturally thin person again. … I want to get away from logging food…and counting calories..and gosh..the idea of having that thing monitoring my every move? yikes!

My FItbit Force is dead on my desk. Enough said.

Some people have actually documented that their Fitbit has made them gain weight.

It goes like this ..... you walk your 10,000 steps, Fitbit says you burned 2400 Calories, you figure you can eat 500 of those calories as you should have plenty to spare, you eat said calories .. but the Fitbit is wrong and those calories you just ate cause you to actually gain .. as the Fitbit is just a device, and like your HRM may actually be "way out" on your calorie burn.

So .. thus, you thought you were doing well and such, but that device actually caused you to gain due to the fact that for some people the data it spits out is just not accurate.

Fortunately I found it easy to lose and I am in maintenance. But personally I think that these devices are only good for one thing ... motivation. That motivation could get you off the couch where you would not have done otherwise ... and that for some people can lead to good things. But for others .. these devices can be a failure.

They are just estimates (aka math calculations) when it comes to calorie burn amounts and you have to see how your real world numbers work out. If they are different than your Fitbit / Nike / Jawbone / Polar / Garmin / Soleus etc .. you will have to alter what you do. And .. from what I have seen .. there is NO Perfect Fitness Tracker.

Oh I now use a NIKE Fuelband SE ... much more fun than a Fitbit, but it does give considerably less steps than a Fitbit.

If you are a stepper / dieter then stay with a Fitbit. If you want something more ... there are other options out there.

Fit bits are kinda creepy and they look like something you would wear if you were under house arrest, like one of those ankle bracelets.

They have clip-on ones, too.

I've owned all three current Fitbits - just got the Flex two weeks ago. It helps me see how active I am on the job (I work in retail and am always walking around) and if I need to do a little more walking at night. Obviously, yes, it's not for everyone, but it's certainly helped me out a lot.

My FItbit Force is dead on my desk. Enough said.

Some people have actually documented that their Fitbit has made them gain weight.

It goes like this ..... you walk your 10,000 steps, Fitbit says you burned 2400 Calories, you figure you can eat 500 of those calories as you should have plenty to spare, you eat said calories .. but the Fitbit is wrong and those calories you just ate cause you to actually gain .. as the Fitbit is just a device, and like your HRM may actually be "way out" on your calorie burn.

So .. thus, you thought you were doing well and such, but that device actually caused you to gain due to the fact that for some people the data it spits out is just not accurate.

Fortunately I found it easy to lose and I am in maintenance. But personally I think that these devices are only good for one thing ... motivation. That motivation could get you off the couch where you would not have done otherwise ... and that for some people can lead to good things. But for others .. these devices can be a failure.

They are just estimates (aka math calculations) when it comes to calorie burn amounts and you have to see how your real world numbers work out. If they are different than your Fitbit / Nike / Jawbone / Polar / Garmin / Soleus etc .. you will have to alter what you do. And .. from what I have seen .. there is NO Perfect Fitness Tracker.

Oh I now use a NIKE Fuelband SE ... much more fun than a Fitbit, but it does give considerably less steps than a Fitbit.

If you are a stepper / dieter then stay with a Fitbit. If you want something more ... there are other options out there.

You should sell it on eBay.

I gave serious thought to getting one but then decided that I probably wouldn't trust it anyway and would second guess it, plus it wouldn't do what I'm most curious about (calculate the burn of my taekwondo class) and so I'd be paying $100+ just for curiosity's sake. Though work is having STEPtember so I need a pedometer for that, they are recommending we download the app Moves - but it's reviews are fairly negative...

I just brought a MP3 player for my son's birthday at Walmart. It has a pedometer on it. I purchased the 8gb one for $28 but they had some 4gb ones under $20 just make sure you check to see if they have the pedometer first.

I love my fitbit - i don't feel defeated when i don't achieve the 10,000 steps - i do feel motivated to achieve that success daily. I guess if we followed the logic your applying or no one would measure our food or use MFP because of feeling "defeated" when we don't stay under our calorie goal. Just saying......

I have used mine regularly for 10 weeks. At first it made me obsessive. I wanted to reach a higher count day after day. But then I realized it was wearing me down as I was trying to move more than my body wanted or needed. But now that the newness has worn off, it helps me be less obsessive. Instead of needing to follow a specific walking path I can enjoy walking around the yard to follow my son while he drives his ride on toy. It motivates me to chase my son around the house more. Also, I can count my walking and running as I clean the house. As long as I reach 10,000 a day I feel very comfortable and accomplished. 15,000? Well, that it awesome.

**Edit: I will note that a regular pedometer is about as useful as a fit bit if you don't want to become obsessive about it. The weekly progress reports - including a 'best day' and 'worst day' as well as an average count - can be discouraging if all you want is your daily counts.

I'm an IT analyst. What I like about the Fitbit is the same thing I like about MFP. It provides data. Data I can measure and use to adjust my goals and record my results over long periods of time.
Everyone uses these tools differently. For some, these tools are helpful. For others, they can become an issue. To each their own.

+1 I wear it faithfully and make sure I get my steps and calorie burn in. It pretty closely matches what I am losing, so I guess it is accurate for me. Love it!

I gave serious thought to getting one but then decided that I probably wouldn't trust it anyway and would second guess it, plus it wouldn't do what I'm most curious about (calculate the burn of my taekwondo class) and so I'd be paying $100+ just for curiosity's sake. Though work is having STEPtember so I need a pedometer for that, they are recommending we download the app Moves - but it's reviews are fairly negative...

I just brought a MP3 player for my son's birthday at Walmart. It has a pedometer on it. I purchased the 8gb one for $28 but they had some 4gb ones under $20 just make sure you check to see if they have the pedometer first.

Also, the Fitbit Zip is $59, not $100, and has most of the features of the other models.

OP: glad you discovered this without buying one. Good for you.
And a great post to remind us: everyone's different.

I ADORE mine. I find it very motivating, and fun.

It is Not for everyone. But I love my Fitbit Flex. I tried it because I had points to use thru verizon and got it for free. Works great for my motivation. I have a desk job, just helps me keep track of when I need more activity. I have used it against gps and others, seems to work great even when not moving your arms.

I've been hitting 10k consistently for several months and recently was invited to join fi.it. The challenges on there use your FitBit steps and you are rewarded with points that you can spend on things from their catalogue. They even do international shipping. I used to use neufit but they shut down.