Fitness Trackers????? Please help!!!!

EWHerbie
EWHerbie Posts: 5
in Fitness and Exercise
I posted something like this before but didn't get much of a response. Does anyone recommend one of those Fitness trackers. I have been to the big electronics store and it is overwhelming the amount. I would like to try one but are they worth it? and what does everyone recommend? Please give me some feed back

Replies

  • jdbeach_2000
    jdbeach_2000 Posts: 8 Member
    I like the Fitbit. I had a Flex but now I have a Fitbit ONE. I think it's worth it. It tells you how many steps and calories you took / burned. It helps push you to meet your goals. You might have what you feel is a busy day but look down and you really haven't moved that much. It keeps you from guessing how much you moved. There are lots of new items on the market or coming out soon. I guess you have to look at what you want from it and find one to meets your needs and budget.
  • funchords
    funchords Posts: 413 Member
    IMHO it only helps you if it drives you forward -- drives you to do more than you're currently doing. I see you have lost 50+ and have 10 lbs. to go, this might be a good investment for you at this point. I would not say the same if you had not already lost 50 lbs., because a lot of new people think that weight loss happens primarily in the exercise habits. You're experienced enough to know that it happens first in the food habits.

    What are you hoping to get out of a fitness tracker? What is your exercise like now and what would you want it to be like?
  • anniegal63
    anniegal63 Posts: 1
    I bought a Fitbit One probably two months ago and have never regretted it. I use it to track steps & activity levels, as well as my sleep, which I'm finding has a HUGE correlation to my overall well being each day.

    I'd considered the Fitbit Flex (wristband) first but a friend convinced me the One was the better option, and I'm glad she did. I was never crazy about having something on my wrist, and the One is easy to tuck away any number of ways. I use my phone to get the info from the One anyways, so I don't need direct access to the gadget itself very often.

    There's a lot of insight gained from tracking any aspect of fitness that you can. And while fairly pricey, my Fitbit gives me lots of useful input on how I'm doing every day, which makes it worth it to me!

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited November 2014
    I love fitbit's. Actually, I'm looking forward to the release of the 2 new fitbits that will have a HRM in them. I've had a Zip and a Flex. My husband has the One.

    I was considering switching out my Fitbit for the Garmin VivoFit since it can be paired with a Garmin HRM. However, since hearing about fitbit's integration of a HRM into a watch like tracker, I think I might just get that when it is released. The Fitbit Surge (although pricey) is looking like my ideal fitness band.
    xojrbqi66tb2.jpg
    My husband still might switch to the VivoFit. He wants a wrist band option that can sync with a HRM, is water proof, and has a display but can also be removed from the band and thrown in his pocket while at work (he works sanitation at a meat factory...so stuff on the wrist is a no no).

    For me, I love the data it provides me about my day. I still have to manually add activities that I do outside of walking, but at the same time, it showed me just how lazy I was last year. Since I got my first Fitbit, my activity level has improved a bunch. Were I used to get <3000 steps on a lazy day is now more like 4 to 6000 is a "lazy" day. It underestimates my calorie burn a bit, but I can live with that.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    A nice tracker to see if you like them is a Fitbit Zip. You can get one now for $59 and around Thanksgiving for usually $49. The rest run $100-$250, mostly.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    It can indeed be overwhelming, so start with what you want out of it, and then see if anything out there matches.

    1. Do you want to sync with MyFitnessPal? Several of them do, including Fitbit, Garmine Vivofit, Bodymedia Fit and Polar Loop. There might be more that have been added since I last checked, and new ones are added if there are enough requests and the company in question is willing to sync.

    2. Do you want to sync with your phone? This matters because some fitness trackers use Bluetooth, some use Bluetooth Smart, and some use Ant. And some older ones sync only with your computer with a USB cable. It's good to know what capabilities your phone has in order to ensure that your fitness tracker works with it.

    3. Do you want to get it wet? Some people like to track swimming or other water sports as well, and a few of the trackers will allow this, although I don't believe that they're terribly accurate at tracking swimming.

    4. Do you want a long battery life? Some trackers will have to be charged every couple of days, and some will last for a year with no charging.

    5. Do you want any special features in the software? For example, an exportable spreadsheet is very helpful. Also, some incorporate their own social features so you can have "Fitbit friends."

    6. Do you want to set your own goals? Some trackers have more or less flexibility in changing the goals.

    7. Do you want it to be accurate? Some are more accurate than others. There's a couple of articles out there with comparisons of various trackers, but they won't include the newer models.

    These are the questions you want to answer before you decide on a tracker. Also, go to Amazon or another large retailer and read through the reviews before you decide. Many times they can alert you to ongoing issues that the device may have.
  • QueenE_
    QueenE_ Posts: 522 Member
    I love my Fitbit One.
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    Fitbit One as a fitness tracker and if you want a bit more look at the superb new Polar M400, which has an attractive price tag for something that can so much.
  • smashley_mashley
    smashley_mashley Posts: 589 Member
    I started my current (exercise) journey in December (the calorie counting started in May this year). I got a HR monitor for Christmas and would track only workouts. In June, my work announced that everyone would get one of three reward items one of which was a fitbit flex. I was really excited but we didn't get them until late September. During this time, I continued to use my HR monitor. When I did get my Flex, I wore it along with my HR monitor and hated it. I found that the calorie tracking wasn't accurate, I would be on the elliptical for 50 minutes but it would only register 20 "active" minutes. I found it underestimated calories burned and it just wasn't for me. I sold it within a month of getting it.

    8931969.png
  • EWHerbie
    EWHerbie Posts: 5
    Cool thanks everyone! has anyone had experience with the Samsung gear Fit? i was playing with one yesterday and it seems to have it all, HRM, steps and alert.
  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 320 Member
    I bought my wife a fitbit flex last week. The calorie data seems a little bit too high for common sense, but it wears well and has excellent app integration. Once you figure out how many real calories your fitbit calories are worth, you're set. In other words, if fitbit claims you burned 1000 calories, you've probably burned something much less.
  • CGPrincessWarrior
    CGPrincessWarrior Posts: 76 Member
    I have the Garmin Vivofit and I LOVE it. It's a great device and it encourages me to get up and move more. I also had the Body Media which I think is the best device out there as far as accuracy is concerned but you have to wear it on your upper arm and so that makes hiding it a bit more difficult. If you don't care about that, I would get one of those. Totally worth it!! But if you want something simple, I would go Garmin or I have heard good things about the Fitbit :)
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    I bought my wife a fitbit flex last week. The calorie data seems a little bit too high for common sense, but it wears well and has excellent app integration. Once you figure out how many real calories your fitbit calories are worth, you're set. In other words, if fitbit claims you burned 1000 calories, you've probably burned something much less.
    Your wife understands that when her Fitbit reads '1000 calories' it's referring to what she's burned all day from midnight on, including her BMR, right? I've never seen a Fitbit assign 1000 calories to one workout, unless maybe you ran a half marathon.

  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    smashley_mashley wrote: »
    I started my current (exercise) journey in December (the calorie counting started in May this year). I got a HR monitor for Christmas and would track only workouts. In June, my work announced that everyone would get one of three reward items one of which was a fitbit flex. I was really excited but we didn't get them until late September. During this time, I continued to use my HR monitor. When I did get my Flex, I wore it along with my HR monitor and hated it. I found that the calorie tracking wasn't accurate, I would be on the elliptical for 50 minutes but it would only register 20 "active" minutes. I found it underestimated calories burned and it just wasn't for me. I sold it within a month of getting it.

    8931969.png

    Most of the ACTIVITY trackers are not meant for tracking sport activities, especially if they have no heart rate monitor included. It cannot track calories correctly if it is not connected to a heart rate monitor!

    For a heart rate monitor device to measure your calorie expenditure correctly it would have to be able to estimate your VO2 max, which quite a few sports watches can do.

    Most activity trackers are not much more than fancy step counters. For sports you need to look into sports watches, such as the ones from Garmin, Polar, ...

    Stef.

  • EMTFreakGirl
    EMTFreakGirl Posts: 597 Member
    edited November 2014
    rundiva2012 wrote: »
    I have the Garmin Vivofit and I LOVE it. It's a great device and it encourages me to get up and move more. I also had the Body Media which I think is the best device out there as far as accuracy is concerned but you have to wear it on your upper arm and so that makes hiding it a bit more difficult. If you don't care about that, I would get one of those. Totally worth it!! But if you want something simple, I would go Garmin or I have heard good things about the Fitbit :)
    I have a BM Fit...Love it, hate the monthly fee for the website. Do all of the others have the fee for tracking, does anyone know which ones do/don't? I'm thinking of getting the Misfit Shine. Any thoughts on this one?

    edited because I hit send before finishing my thoughts!

  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    As far as I know the Body Media and Weight Watchers trackers are the only ones with monthly fees.

    I would love to try a Shine or their new one. I think it only has a phone app, if that matters.
  • gail1961
    gail1961 Posts: 111 Member
    I have the fitbit one since January and I really like it. I got it on ebay for about $73. I read a lot of reviews (one was in PC Magazine), and it got really great reviews. It is tiny though so make sure you secure it INSIDE a pocket and that you know where it is before you do your laundry. I clip it inside my pocket or bra. It syncs with MFP.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    rundiva2012 wrote: »
    I have the Garmin Vivofit and I LOVE it. It's a great device and it encourages me to get up and move more. I also had the Body Media which I think is the best device out there as far as accuracy is concerned but you have to wear it on your upper arm and so that makes hiding it a bit more difficult. If you don't care about that, I would get one of those. Totally worth it!! But if you want something simple, I would go Garmin or I have heard good things about the Fitbit :)

    I got the BodyMedia for accuracy. It is very accurate, but since being purchased by Polar, they're having issues with the software off and on. Plus, they still charge a small monthly fee (around $5, totally worth it when it works) but they gave me credit for a couple of months because of the software issues.
  • Poofersgrl
    Poofersgrl Posts: 161 Member
    Would love the Vivofit if it was cheaper. Looking now at either the zip or the Misfit Flash. I wouldn't mind something worn on the wrist.
  • botography
    botography Posts: 95 Member
    I have the FLEX. Problem, 1. bracelet hard to attach 2. Does it really track exercise. When I compute I get more calories than it burns. Is it accurate 3. Battery goes out in 2 days if that. Love it but hate it as well. It just keeps me motivated but I am not sure how accurate it is. Help
  • SweatLikeDog
    SweatLikeDog Posts: 320 Member
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    I bought my wife a fitbit flex last week. The calorie data seems a little bit too high for common sense, but it wears well and has excellent app integration. Once you figure out how many real calories your fitbit calories are worth, you're set. In other words, if fitbit claims you burned 1000 calories, you've probably burned something much less.
    Your wife understands that when her Fitbit reads '1000 calories' it's referring to what she's burned all day from midnight on, including her BMR, right? I've never seen a Fitbit assign 1000 calories to one workout, unless maybe you ran a half marathon.

    You've missed the point. I used a nice round number as an example. It's a given that BMR is part of any calorie tracker reading. Fitbit overstates calories. Period. Wear it overnight and it'll state you're burning over 200 calories per hour!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I've had Fitbits for 5 years... four of them, maybe. None have ever given me anything even anywhere near 100 calories per hour for BMR.

    Mine don't overstate calories by much. I know because I've lost a lot of weight while wearing them and closely tracking intake and my weight loss is pretty much what my deficit suggests it should be.
    I got the BodyMedia for accuracy. It is very accurate, but since being purchased by Polar,
    They were purchased by Jawbone.

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    I bought my wife a fitbit flex last week. The calorie data seems a little bit too high for common sense, but it wears well and has excellent app integration. Once you figure out how many real calories your fitbit calories are worth, you're set. In other words, if fitbit claims you burned 1000 calories, you've probably burned something much less.
    Your wife understands that when her Fitbit reads '1000 calories' it's referring to what she's burned all day from midnight on, including her BMR, right? I've never seen a Fitbit assign 1000 calories to one workout, unless maybe you ran a half marathon.

    You've missed the point. I used a nice round number as an example. It's a given that BMR is part of any calorie tracker reading. Fitbit overstates calories. Period. Wear it overnight and it'll state you're burning over 200 calories per hour!


    Mine only gives me 64 calories per hour on inactivity. 64*24 = 1536. 1536 is my approx BMR. My approx TDEE however is somewhere around 2566 (based on loss vs intake data). Fitbit however estimates my TDEE to be around 2472 for the last 30 days. That's close enough for me and not bad for just an estimate from a device.
  • halleymw
    halleymw Posts: 246 Member
    There are going to be a host of new trackers coming out soon. The microsoft band looks interesting. Seems to be having a few problems, so may want to wait for version 2.
    http://www.zdnet.com/whats-wrong-with-the-microsoft-band-7000035341/
    Mike
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    I bought my wife a fitbit flex last week. The calorie data seems a little bit too high for common sense, but it wears well and has excellent app integration. Once you figure out how many real calories your fitbit calories are worth, you're set. In other words, if fitbit claims you burned 1000 calories, you've probably burned something much less.
    Your wife understands that when her Fitbit reads '1000 calories' it's referring to what she's burned all day from midnight on, including her BMR, right? I've never seen a Fitbit assign 1000 calories to one workout, unless maybe you ran a half marathon.

    You've missed the point. I used a nice round number as an example. It's a given that BMR is part of any calorie tracker reading. Fitbit overstates calories. Period. Wear it overnight and it'll state you're burning over 200 calories per hour!

    I beg to differ. Mine reads approximately 64 calories per hour when I'm sleeping.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    brianpperkins wrote: »
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    WalkingAlong wrote: »
    SweatLikeDog wrote: »
    I bought my wife a fitbit flex last week. The calorie data seems a little bit too high for common sense, but it wears well and has excellent app integration. Once you figure out how many real calories your fitbit calories are worth, you're set. In other words, if fitbit claims you burned 1000 calories, you've probably burned something much less.
    Your wife understands that when her Fitbit reads '1000 calories' it's referring to what she's burned all day from midnight on, including her BMR, right? I've never seen a Fitbit assign 1000 calories to one workout, unless maybe you ran a half marathon.

    You've missed the point. I used a nice round number as an example. It's a given that BMR is part of any calorie tracker reading. Fitbit overstates calories. Period. Wear it overnight and it'll state you're burning over 200 calories per hour!

    I beg to differ. Mine reads approximately 64 calories per hour when I'm sleeping.

    I agree also. According to my Fitbit, I burn about a cal a min at rest. If your wife is burning 200 cals an hour while she is sleeping, she must be a really big gal or has her data points set wrong. It uses a BMR number and adds to it the more steps you make throughout the day.

    I have been using the FB One for about 16 months, lost over 50 lbs with it and have been maintaining my weight for about 6 months now. The FB One really has made this entire process easier for me.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    I have a jawbone, which tracks steps, workouts, sleep (including naps), food, MFP. I love having all this data. ;-)

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