Advice on buying a Fitbit

I have the same question - response anyone?

I have the Zip and I love it! For me it just made so much more sense. It's half the price of the One and the Flex. The Flex goes on your wrist (which I didn't want). The Zip uses a watch battery that lasts about 5-6 months VS the one and flex that need to be charged once a week.

The only thing the Zip doesn't do that the other two can do is it doesn't monitor sleep (meh, for me) and it doesn't count floors climbed (I kind of wish it did).

For me the Zip just makes so much more sense but it really depends on what you want out of it. If the floors climbed and the sleep feature are a must for you, you have to decide if you want something that you can tuck in your pocket or bra or if you want something you have to wear on your wrist 24/7.

I have a flex and I really like it. I have been so much more active since I got it because I feel ashamed when I look down and see i'm only at 20% of my daily goal... so many nights I go for a walk or jog when I otherwise wouldn't have thought about it. No matter which one you get the app is great and syncs with MFP.

My journey back into MFP started when my wife bought me a Jawbone UP24 for Father's Day. No matter what you get, having a fitness band is a great way to track your activity! I highly recommend getting one. The great thing about them is they interact directly with MFP and other apps: I record a workout in MapMyFitness, it syncs to MFP and my UP app, and done! My neighbor has a Fitbit and was jealous when I was showing him the app for it.

A comment about my experience: My UP24 suddenly failed after a couple of months. They sent me a new one, and I hope it lasts. If you buy this one (which has a great app and what has been described as top-of-the-line sleep tracking) then I suggest you get a service plan. No fitness band is waterproof so this is very important for what you pay for. I am not a service plan kind of guy, but if I could do it over again I wouldn't hesitate.

Personally, this thing changed my life and my thinking. I showed it to 2 other people over Labor Day and they have them now, too. I highly recommend you get a fitness band!

I agree with the poster who said check them all out and decide based on what suits you better.

I checked a few of them out and ended up getting the JawBone UP...it is a wrist one that tracks steps, food (and syncs with MFP), sleep patterns, extra exercise, moods even...

It's not water proof but is water resistent...

The UP24 is blue tooth and with the latest update the battery lasts about 2 weeks vs 7 days...mine is not Bluetooth (I plug it into my headphone jack of my android) and the battery lasts about 10 days.

I love it...it has made me more conscious of my movements esp since I have an office job.

I debated forever, trying to decide whether I needed/wanted a fitness tracker. I too have the JawBone UP24, and LOVE it! It has made me very aware of how much I move, how well (or NOT) I sleep and eat. I feel lost when it's not on! Mine is Bluetooth, and it usually lasts a week before having to recharge. It's immediate gratification, knowing how many steps I've taken and how many more I have to go. Very motivating!

I had the Fitbit Flex - a complete waste of $100. Not accurate, only measures steps, calories based on steps not exercise. My advice - Don't buy one!!!

I have a Fitbit Flex. I choose it partly due to it's water resistance (I can swim/shower with it on, and I'm forgetful enough that this comes in handy). It's really easy to charge, which I only really need to do ever 1.5 weeks or so. The whole thing feels pretty sucure on my wrist. I've lost pedometers in the past, which is why I didn't want to go with something like that. With Fitbit you do need to log certain types of excerise (like biking) since that can't be tracked with wrist movement. I find this pretty easy to do, and because It syncs to MFP I don't have to type that data in more than once.

I absolutely love my Fitbit flex! I love data etc so have the premium subscription on top of the basic info - it's great to see my activity levels are in the 97th percentile etc. so many days I have done a bit more to try and meet my goals - eg tonight while I was cooking I danced about and jogged on the spot while I was waiting for some chicken to cook! I've also been parking further away in the Asda car park and walking around more at playtime when I'm at work!

I also have real difficulties with sleep - I can fall asleep within minutes but I wake up loads having nightmares/hallucinations in the night. The Flex tracks sleep and while I'm sure it's not the greatest way to do this, it helps me to compare different situations. It's easy to see when I'm stressed/relaxed/have had some wine!

Look at the different available options and see what information you're most interested in/motivates you most! Good luck!

If you're really unsure, do your research. Fitbit isn't the only choice out there, and there's several factors which might affect your decision.

Do you want it to sync with a phone app? If so, what kind of phone do you have, and does it use Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart, or ANT+? That will make a difference as to which tracker is right for you.

Do you want it to connect to a heart rate monitor chest strap?

Do you want to be able to change it's appearance, or wear it somewhere out of sight?

Have you looked at the software and apps for each of the trackers you're considering in order to see what they offer and how easy they are to use?

Do you want to be able to set your own goals? Swim with the tracker? Track your sleep patterns? Sync with MFP? Sync with other apps like Runkeeper or Endomondo? Do you want a wearable tracker, or a clip-on? Are you likely to lose it or forget about it when you get in the shower? Are you likely to be in situations where you can't charge for several days?

These are all questions you'll want to look at before you decide.

I bought a zip about 3 weeks ago. I LOVE, Love, love it! I started with the zip due to the price (about $65 at my Walmart.) I figured if I actually used it and found it helpful I would perhaps upgrade later on.

I love this little gadget. I don't even know I have it on. It counts steps, calories burned, miles walked and has a watch mode. I personally don't care how many stories I've climbed, it still counts the stairs as steps. Ditto with the sleep feature.... don't care. It will still give you the calorie burn for your sleep time if you choose to wear it to bed. I wear mine every where except the shower and the pool.If I'm doing sustained cardio, I opt for my heart rate monitor for more accurate results, but it's really not that far off from the zip. You can sync it every day and see your results for the day/week.

Best money I ever spent, other than weights

Boils down to what is important to you as far as tracking goes. Syncs easily with MFP and most newer smart phones

We are using free app from mapmyfitness that interfaces with MFP for things like walking, biking.... We use it on our android phone. Tracks the calories burned, etc.

I have the jawbone up24 and love it. I have it set to vibrate every hour of inactivity. This helps me out as i have a deskjob and get lost in my work a lot. It vibes and i do a lap around the building, get some air, get some sun. I also like the sleep map it has. Its amazing that with 8-10 hours of bedtime how little "sound sleep" you actually get.

syncs nicely with myfitnesspal.

I have a Fitbit and I love it. But there are some drawbacks. It doesn't track a lot of the activities that I do like my boot camp, weights, swimming. It isn't great for biking either isn't accurate. My question is how do you sync them to allow you to add other activities. When I try to log boot camp into MFP then it changes the Fitbit reading down by that amount. So I find I don't get the benefit of adding all my activity only the cardio that the Fitbit picks up.

I have a Fitbit Zip, which is working out well for me. I found mine for under $60 on Amazon--but if you shop there, be careful because different colors are going for different prices. I went with the zip for two reasons; the price, and the fact that I could wear it invisibly, on the waistband of my slacks. I didn't want something on my wrist that people would see and ask me about.

It's really nice to have the lengths of my walks logged automatically. I used to forget to check the clock or set the stopwatch on my ipod, and wouldn't have a very good idea of how long I'd been out. It also works well tracking the length of time I spend on the stationary bike at the gym. My Leslie Sansone DVDs not so much--although I've read you can clip the Zip to your shoe if it isn't picking up an activity when worn at your waist.

It's really interesting to see how active or inactive you are in your daily life. I had no idea how sedentary my job was until I saw how few steps I'd taken at the end of a workday. The only problem I've had is forgetting to put it back on after I shower and change clothes for the day. (I usually get dressed in workout/housework clothes first thing, then shower and dress for work or whatever. At that point I'm usually rushed and I sometimes forget the Zip.)

I also have a fitbit one and I love it. Have used it constantly for over a year. I'm a numbers person so I love it and it syncs to MFP. I also got the Aria scale that automatically syncs as well. It clips on my bra which is nice since I don't like to wear anything on my wrist.

Also, when I'm not wearing a bra I clip it to my shirt. Works just the same for those extra around the house steps. They really add up!