Fitbit? love or leave it?

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rebekah215
rebekah215 Posts: 3
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been looking into the Fitbit but they are a little expensive if it is something that doesn't work properly or is a waste of money. Im curious of everyones opinions? Thanks! :smile:
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Replies

  • Rlavigne93
    Rlavigne93 Posts: 119 Member
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    I looked into getting one and decided against it. They definitely seem to work well, and the syncing with your phone and MFP is pretty cool. I just couldn't justify the $100 price tag. Pedometers are pretty cheap and I have a free app on my phone for sleep tracking. I could definitely see getting one if I had the money to spare though.
  • alexkirkp
    alexkirkp Posts: 26 Member
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    I really like my fitbit zip. I got it new on Ebay for $37. The only downside to getting them on Ebay is that fitbit probably won't give you any warranty with it.
  • JessGWise
    JessGWise Posts: 7 Member
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    I really love my fitbit flex. I walk a lot at work, and I really like seeing how many steps I take and challenging myself to walk even more. When I really need to get my steps in, it sort of pushes me to park farther away, take the stairs instead of the elevator etc etc. I also like that it syncs with MFP. I have used inexpensive pedometers before and they don't work nearly as well as this.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I guess that really depends on you...I had no problem just plugging my stats into these calculators and being as honest as possible with my perceived level of activity, etc and making minor adjustments along the way...I think I would have been a bit pissed off spending that kind of money for something that is pretty easy to lock in on your own. Add to that, it's still just an estimate.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Just get a zip on ebay. I lucked out and got one for $15. There isn't really much difference between the zip and other models. If sleep tracking is your thing you can just use your phone and an app - you can use your phone to track steps, but the convenience of a small gadget you can carry at all times is superior. In the case of sleep, you aren't really lugging around your phone everywhere, you just have it next to you on your bed.

    The only benefit I can think of for the more expensive models is tracking stairs, if you do a lot of stairs. I don't so it's not relevant to me (plus you can always add your stairs as an exercise).

    I do not like things on my wrest, not to mention the potential for false steps if you do things that require repeated hand movements like chopping food. With the zip you can just wear it on your bra. Covert, easy and no false steps.

    What's really different between counting steps and manual logging is that anything less than 5000 steps is considered sedentary. It allows you to gauge your activity level, and I find their calorie predictions to be accurate in my case.
  • daveymac31
    daveymac31 Posts: 118
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    Just go get a pedometer. I have a fitbit, and it says it tracks sleep. It doesn't. It tracks movement. If you lay still, it says that you are sleeping. It can't count calories correctly. Only a HRM can. It gives you a very basic caloric burn, but it isn't close. It does a great job counting steps though. Depends what you want it to do. IMO its a waste of money.
  • Jonalee1977
    Jonalee1977 Posts: 415 Member
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    I love mine One! It's a great motivator and helps me log my activity more accurately. I always use my Polar FT7 when I exercise but my One accounts for the rest of the stuff I do during the day that I would never log. Is it a glorified pedometer? Absolutely, and it's worth every penny in my opinion.
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    Love it! I treated myself to a FitBit 101lbs ago and really don't think I'd have lost as well without it. It's too easy to log all your exercise on MFP and not realise that your first mile and a half each day is already included within MFP's sedentary, so effectively you can erode your deficit without realising. Also, FitBit's burn rates are more realistic than MFPs meaning you're safer eating back your exercise calories. It''s not merely a pedometer, it's an activity monitor and works with your personal data.
  • bidimus
    bidimus Posts: 95 Member
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    I have a similar product, the Garmin Vivofit. Same basic idea. I love it, especially since I normally sit at a desk all day but not always. It's really just a fancy pedometer but raising awareness of how active you actually are I find to be helpful. Especially since some days I'm sedentary and others much less so. I set MFP to sedentary then rely on my Vivofit to fill in the blanks when I'm not.

    It is not an accurate measurement of calories burnt through the day. It is a rough estimate of activity levels and beats wearing a HRM all day. It's also fun to participate on step challenges which I think Fitbit has as well.

    For the years of use you'll get out of it the $100 price isn't bad for something to help motivate you imo.
  • flippedoutmum
    flippedoutmum Posts: 3
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    Well........ I guess I can give an honest reply later - because I'm about to go jump in the car to go buy one!! lol
    My Mum has gifted the money for me to get it for my birthday.
    I've been on the weight loss roller coaster for some time and it's a very difficult ride. I'm wanting to be my daughters kidney donor when she will eventually need one (it's a certainty - it's just a matter of when). I lost my way after my 40th birthday last August, but am now very much back on track and only have 3.5kg left to get back to where I was back then. Once that small goal is achieved, I only have 8.5kg left to get to my lifetime Weight Watchers goal!! So far I'm down 12kg from where I started - but it's always the second half that's the toughest and I KNOW the fitbit will help in my motivation. :happy:
  • wlock75
    wlock75 Posts: 8 Member
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    I picked up my fitbit one last week off of craigslist for $40. So far, I love it. I have it connected to MFP, runkeeper, and the Walgreens app to earn points. Most phones will count steps, but sometimes at home I do not always have my phone on me. It does not actually track "sleep" but your actual movement, which shows restlessness. Interesting to see how much you toss and turn and night. I also like the silent alarm. You can set the alarm and it will vibrate to wake you up.
  • marianneread
    marianneread Posts: 21 Member
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    I agree with Jonalee. I use an HRM when I exercise, but I love my FitBit One for tracking the rest of my day. It made me realize that even though I exercise most mornings, I then go to work and sit ALL DAY, and then I go home and sit ALL EVENING. This motivates me to get up more often, take the long way around to the printer or bathroom, park farther away, walk to the mailbox or the nearby grocery store. It depends on what kind of person you are. I like 'getting credit' for doing the little bit extra, seeing my steps increase. Yes, it's a glorified pedometer, but it encourages me to do little things that add a couple miles a day, which I think is worth it.
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
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    I love mine as a motivational tool and I love the charts and stuff on the fitbit dashboard (and app). It works for me.

    ETA: I have a Zip, got it on sale at best buy a long time ago when I had some left over best buy rewards certificates that were close to expiration so I don't remember exactly what I paid, somewhere in the $20-30 range (regularly $60). I don't care about the stairs bit really, and don't monitor sleep (if I do I just use an app on my phone that does the same thing) so it has enough tools for me, and I like that it takes batteries rather than charging -- yeah, it's an added expense but it's way nice to just kind of forget about it for 4-6 months, hahaha.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    If you buy one from ebay or CL and it doesn't work (and many of them don't), you're S.O.L. Just a heads up. I've opened up around 6 packages over the years. I think 3 didn't work right and were replaced under warranty.

    If the cost is your main deterrent, wait for Black Friday sales when they're around 20% off. Or get a Zip now. That is around $59.

    Manually logging exercise on MFP gives you about the same thing but if you do a lot of non-exercise activity and would like to know how much, that's when a Fitbit is handy. Some days I burn way over my MFP estimate just from being busy. I would not be manually logging all the little things I do all day to know that. It's good to see that I can skip a workout on those days and still earn a positive MFP adjustment for activity.
  • alexkirkp
    alexkirkp Posts: 26 Member
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    If you buy one from ebay or CL and it doesn't work (and many of them don't), you're S.O.L. Just a heads up. I've opened up around 6 packages over the years. I think 3 didn't work right and were replaced under warranty.

    This shouldn't be an issue, only it failing after using it. On ebay paypal and your credit card have you completely covered, worse case is a bit of a hassle. For craigslist verifying that it is functional shouldn't be a problem.
  • lastchance2010
    lastchance2010 Posts: 500 Member
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    I have been looking into the Fitbit but they are a little expensive if it is something that doesn't work properly or is a waste of money. Im curious of everyones opinions? Thanks! :smile:

    My first one was the Fitbit Ultra and I loved it. It lasted a few years before biting the dust and then I got a fitbit One and love it! Def worth the investment!
  • themusicdude
    themusicdude Posts: 35 Member
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    I've got a One and it's fine. I love the tech integration (since I'm a nerd) but as far as results a cheap pedometer probably would have worked as well. Right now I'm planning on buying a Polar FT-60 to track my heart rate and calorie burn rather than how many steps I'm taking... I don't think the Fitbit is very accurate with calorie conversions.
  • Italianma7
    Italianma7 Posts: 83 Member
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    I have a fitbit one and I love it. I believe that it is pretty accurate. I also have a polarft7 and love it. I use fit bit everyday when I go to work and use polar ft7 when I work out. both of them are amazing tools in helping with my weight loss. I don't think that you will be disappointed.
  • mrsdwp
    mrsdwp Posts: 13 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Zip and love it. Getting it directly from the company was worth it for me. I had one malfunction for me after a few months of use and the company switched it out for me with no trouble at all. One year later and my clip broke. Again they replaced the clip with no trouble at all. I love how it syncs automatically with by iphone and it motivates me to move.
  • AlyssamR6712
    AlyssamR6712 Posts: 114 Member
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    Love it :love:

    i love getting the weekly progress reports because it tells you everything... all your steps for the week, your calorie intake, your calorie burn and on average how much you sleep.. that is my favorite feature

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