I saw the Surge online at Target this morning and ordered it. I'll get it on Wed. ...

So I have my surge and have been playing. I used the exercise feature on the surge and it went to the fit bit app without a problem, I was trying to get it to sync with MFP. I can get the steps to sync but not the exercise. Is the exercise be including in the steps sync?

editorgrrl wrote: »

mazzucam wrote: »

So I have my surge and have been playing. I used the exercise feature on the surge and it went to the fit bit app without a problem, I was trying to get it to sync with MFP. I can get the steps to sync but not the exercise. Is the exercise be including in the steps sync?

Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Do not log step-based activity—your Fitbit is tracking that for you. Log non-step exercise (like biking or swimming) in Fitbit—never MFP. You won't see the exercise in MFP, but you'll get Fitbit calorie adjustments.

MFP compares your Fitbit burn to the activity level you've chosen, then adjusts your calories accordingly. Be sure to enable negative calorie adjustments under "diary settings." If you don't, you might not eat at a true deficit on less active days.

Thank you that makes sense

Hi! I had the Bodymedia arm band too! I have the surge and Loooove it so far! (Bought it in Target )

I got mine last week. I am enjoying it however it is not transferring the steps to MFP. I see that others are experiencing this. I have contacted MFP about the issue to see if it is on their end.

I too picked up the Surge in the limited-release email so I've had it for nearly a month now. I really like it. A slight downside for me, the sizing for their L and their XL bands has a very narrow crossover point, and I'm right in the middle of it. I took a risk on the L limited-release and it's ok though I wish I could get it just a hair looser, but it's been fine. I suspect if the XL has as many slots in the strap as the L does, that the XL would have been slightly better and I could tighten it up. The band appears to be integral to the watch though, doesn't appear to be any sort of an easy replacement but I'm ok with it.

The band is indeed super-comfortable, and with their previous band problems they sound paranoid in the instructions about keeping it clean and taking it off a lot and all that, but I usually only have it off in the shower and my skin is just fine after ~4 weeks.

It's nice not to have to remember to press a button for sleep-tracking, though I've found it a bit off -- if I'm being insomniac and lying there trying to sleep, apparently I don't toss and turn enough and it says I still slept. Guess that algorithm would be hard to get perfect.

Steps seem pretty accurate, though it seems to miss a few if I'm, say, carrying something carefully in my non-dominant hand.

Of course, for great accuracy, it has a GPS function and it's been fun to hike and come back and have the map in the app.

Now that it tracks certain types of exercises and more accurately, I do wish that, similar to the way apps such as MapMyRun are handled, it could sync the actual exercises to MyFitnessPal and not merely be considered a step tracker when there's an actual exercise logged on the Surge.

An extra bonus is that it tells me caller ID and shows me texts (oddly, there's no way to clear them but to shutdown/restart the tracker; I've confirmed that with Fitbit support). It doesn't seem to catch them all though even if the phone is near (I think it's when there's more than one in quick succession), and sometimes there's a delay between getting them on my phone and having them echoed to the Surge. I'm trying to see the pattern and report it.

The silent alarm is stronger than the one on my One was (and of course I don't have to remember to put the tracker in a sleep band, and those sleep bands' velcro would die after only a few months of use too so I don't miss that), so that's helpful in forcing me awake.

The one other downside is that for me, with the One syncing to my Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Tab 4 and Mac that I'd get around 13 days between recharges. The Surge doesn't go more than three days and now once I've had it totally die on me without getting the "battery low" email. Oh and if you track anything with the GPS the battery life is more like one day. Takes about an hour to recharge fully though. However, I've seen it not charge well once, I charged it at night and I think the charging cable didn't snap in cleanly. Do check and make sure the battery indicator has a little lightning-bolt next to it.

Also, I feel left out... I didn't get the "limited release email" and didn't have any opportunity to get one earlier, though I'm a current Fitbit user and have been interested in an HRM (was about to buy a Polar before I noticed Fitbit was developing one). The first contact I got from Fitbit about the Surge was this morning when they sent me an email saying it is available. I feel forgotten.

Hello all!!

I received my Surge last month and have loved it so far! It takes some getting used to as it is a pretty sophisticated tracker! The issue I had initially was that the Small size band is a bit snug.... so I'm hoping that when I lose some weight, it'll be just right!!! (Sucks that it doesn't come in a Medium!!)

Also, I paired my Surge to my cell phone to receive notifications-- and this worked beautifully, however I couldn't erase them off of my Surge after I read them! If anyone finds out how to do this, please let me know!!! And feel free to add me as a friend as we can take this journey to fitness together!!

Kim

I feel so left out... for those of you who got the Surge last month, did you buy directly from Fitbit or from a retailer? How did you find out about it? As a current Fitbit customer, I feel like I should have been sent the special email and given the opportunity to buy it earlier as well.

The closest REI to me is 2.5 hours away and I haven't been near there recently. You'll see above that I have one on backorder from REI and the most recent thing they have said is that they will get some on 1/11/15 and will ship then. Since 1/11 is a Sunday, I expect it will probably ship on 1/12. Then to get from their distribution center in Washington to my home in Iowa will take a few days at least. That assumes they actually get some on 1/11.