Fitbit? love or leave it?

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  • Melissastgermain15
    Melissastgermain15 Posts: 1
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    I just started using the fitbit flex last week and I love it... It pushes you to walk the 10,000 steps a day. It does not track well on the elliptical machine
  • WithWhatsLeft
    WithWhatsLeft Posts: 196 Member
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    Well I don't LOVE it - but I like it. I love my Polar F60 HRM, which I wear when I work out. My Fitbit flex I wear 24/7 and have had it for a little over 2 weeks now. I think it's pretty accurate and so far trust the calorie count it's giving me. Myfitnesspal integrates nicely with it via a tracker app, so I only have to keep track of stuff on MFP.

    It's really a very convenient, good pedometer with nice software. If you aren't sure, buy it and give it a week.

    I said I'd give it a week to decide if I'd keep it, and now I'm up to 2 weeks. Thus far I'm finding it helping.
    Oh - for the member who said they hated stuff on their wrist - so do I. I have lost so many lovely pieces of good jewelry because I can't stand it for long, take it off and loose it - but I actually don't mind the flex. It's a pretty good design; didn't take me long to forget I had it on.
  • andielyn
    andielyn Posts: 233 Member
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    I have an old Polar HRM and it's on it's last leg, so my hubby got me a Fitbit Flex for my b-day last week. Honestly I didn't know if I'd like it and if so thought I'd like the One. But I'm loving it so far! I still see the need to use an HRM for biking or other exercise, so I'll still be replacing my HRM soon (another Polar) but I am amazed at this little gadget. Yes it's a pedometer but so much more. First I thought of my job as very sedentary but a few days of wearing it at work I realize how much I really am up and down and walking around the building. I miss not having the stairs tracking on the Flex (it's on the One) because I live in a 2-story house and work in a 3-floor building and am on all 3 floors daily. But I think in the long haul this info might be superfluous, I love the integration between this site and Fitbit's. Still getting used to the calorie adjustment (and wish this site would add that to the news feed like it does for exercise). There's my input. :)
  • buzz3d269
    buzz3d269 Posts: 87 Member
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    LOVE it lol. Fitbit kicked off my change to a healthy lifestyle - I received mine for Christmas last year, for the first 5 months I just concentrated on getting my regular 10000 steps. In May I upped it, and started using MFP to change my diet. The combination of the two keep the kgs coming off.

    The fitbit reminds me to keep moving. And with the social aspect of it, I'm encouraged to keep going to compete with my friends.
  • hll2465
    hll2465 Posts: 31 Member
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    Absolutely one of the best purchases that I have ever made. It motivates me to get off my butt and move! I am a very competitive person though. If you use it the way it is intended it works wonders. I have lost 42 pounds in large part to the FitBit. Worth every penny!
  • 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.

    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.
    All of mine seemed to work fine but would then shut off intermittently. I don't know how you're going to test that it synchs and charges ok and doesn't turn off randomly with a CL sale.

    I'm a sucker for deals but I see people on the Fitbit site expecting warranty replacements and they don't get it. People lose or wash theirs and get free replacements, very often. Or their clip falls apart and Fitbit sends them new ones. But not the ebay ones.
  • SandyBVTN
    SandyBVTN Posts: 367 Member
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    I would definitely get one (but not the bracelet one) if I walked more, but even though I love walking for fitness it's just not in the cards lifestyle wise for me right now. I'm doing other workouts, at home, so the fitbit isn't for me.

    If I walked a lot I'd get one in a heartbeat!
  • cwrig
    cwrig Posts: 190 Member
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    Fitbit is useful if you main exercise is walking. It does not track anything other than the number of steps you take.

    If walking is your thing, it can help motivate you by letting you know how many or how few steps you take each day.
  • california_haley
    california_haley Posts: 220 Member
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    so far im totally loving mine. its really motivating. i got mine for about $75 on ebay. i too had a hard time paying the $100+ for a fitbit flex.
  • evsplava
    evsplava Posts: 35 Member
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    I like my one but not crazy about the aria. Warranty, how easy it is to lose whether or not you will consistently use it are all things to take into consideration
  • dropdeadmediocre
    dropdeadmediocre Posts: 8
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    I LOVE my fitbit flex...

    The step count is very accurate - I wasn't sure I could trust it, so for the first few days, I wore both the flex and my old pedometer. Results were nearly identical. I wear it on my non-dominate hand, with sensitivity set to normal.

    It stays charged for the whole 5 days it says it will, and I can wear it in the shower. It's nice not to have to think about putting it in my pocket - or remembering to wear pants with pockets to work.

    It definitely keeps me motivated to keep moving. With my regular pedometer, I was averaging 5,000 - 6,000 steps per day... But I REALLY love the way the website/phone app responds when I hit my goal, so I'm regularly getting 10,000 steps per day, now. For instance, at work, instead of using the intercom system, I get up and walk to the person I want to talk to, no matter if they are on the other side of the building or not.

    It's perfect the way it syncs with myfitnesspal, too.

    I haven't had any problems with mine, except that it didn't come with the large wristband like it was supposed to, but customer service was excellent and took care of that right away.
  • SeattleRaven
    SeattleRaven Posts: 40
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    I love my One--in combination with EveryMove.org, I am motivated to keep my activity level up even with a desk job. I bought my Fitbit at Best Buy and kept the receipt. When I lost it due to a stretched clasp, Fitbit replaced it free, no postage charged. So save your receipt.
  • Arleigh7
    Arleigh7 Posts: 150 Member
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    I love mine but have lost 4 of them over time. I now buy them on Craigs list as people get them as gifts or get tired of using it. Just make sure it's working by pressing the button and seeing it display before you hand over the cash. I think they are great and do help me to walk more.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I have a Zip, bought it on eBay for around $35, brand new, still in the box. If you're worried about it not working, make sure you buy from a seller who takes returns.

    I've had mine since January and it works great. Is it necessary? Nah, but I like gadgets, and wanted something else to motivate me and to compare or confirm numbers with, and the Zip does that for me.

    I decided on the Zip because I didn't need the sleep or stair tracking, it seems to be the most secure/least likely to come loose or fall off, and it's the cheapest. :tongue:

    I managed to get one for my mother-in-law for about the same price from Target - waited for a sale, had a couple of those $5 gift cards they give out when you buy three packs of Peet's coffee or two packs of Charmin, etc, and additional 5% off with my Red Card. Yeah, I'm cheap. Frugal. I prefer frugal. Haha.
  • RangedLunatic
    RangedLunatic Posts: 49 Member
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    I got one about a month ago, and I love it. My only complaint is that I don't use the sleep tracking, and I probably could have saved about $30 if I'd gotten one without that capability. Mine does have stair tracking, though. I don't really need it to track stairs, but sometimes when I do a lot of climbing it will say I've climbed the equivalent of 200 flights of stairs... now that's motivation!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I see a lot of people saying the calories aren't accurate. They use METS to estimate calories, which I believe to be a more accurate measure than a heart rate (which could be affected by stress, coffee, weather, or illness). In my case their calories are spot on to eat back. Every week they send a report containing your weekly calorie deficit and it appears to accurately reflect my weight loss. Maybe I just lucked out
  • Aarjono
    Aarjono Posts: 228 Member
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    I love my One. It has been a real trooper. I've misplaced it a couple of times and even accidentally put it through the washer and dryer, and it is still going (thank goodness). I love the new smartphone app for it as well.

    David Sedaris wrote a cute New Yorker essay about his Fitbit obsession and how he has channeled it.

    http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/30/stepping-out-3

    (An obsession that has ultimately led to having a garbage truck named after him in his little English town, LOL.)
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I love my fitbit flex! I did have an issue with my first flex after about 7 months, but I got the $20 geek square insurance from best buy and replaced it, and they only charged my $5 to keep insurance on the new one. I know fitbit also has really good customer service since I contacted them first about my problem, and they seemed to be willing to replace it with proof of purchase from a retailer (although if you bought it off ebay or something, this may not work).
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Fitbit is useful if you main exercise is walking. It does not track anything other than the number of steps you take.

    If walking is your thing, it can help motivate you by letting you know how many or how few steps you take each day.
    I know you post this all the time but they really are not just step counters anymore. They don't estimate step-less activity but they don't really use step count itself as part of your calorie estimate.

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/projects/2014/03/accelerometers.html
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
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    I had the Fitbit Flex. IMO, a total waste of good money. Since it is worn on the wrist it really measures wrist movement - not steps. If you are walking and carrying something or pushing something - it is far from accurate. The sleep measurement - worthless.

    I'd save my money...for me it's a LEAVE it!

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