Fitbit...... Worth it or nah?

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welovehighheels
welovehighheels Posts: 11
in Getting Started
I don't really have a good way to track calories.... Is it worth the money or no? And which one is best if I'm in the gym 5-6 days a week doing everything from Zumba to incline to personal training????? Thanks in advance!!

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  • Selaen
    Selaen Posts: 31 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I love my Flex... When I calculate my TDEE using the Harris Benedict formula, I get a kcal count very similar to what my FitBit gives me so I trust it up to a certain extent, but mostly for me it acts as motivation. The BUZZ-BUZZ I get when I reach my goal for the day is a fab motivator; if I don't hit it by a 8pm, I know I haven't done enough exercise for the day.

    And the graphs I get on the Dashboard are fab; it tracks my health as a whole, which is good. I've figured out that for some reason, Thursdays are not good nights sleepwise; now I need to figure out why.

    I'd however say that for calorie-counting, you'd be better off investing in a HRM and tracking on MFP. The kcal's burned during exercise when measured with my Fitbit are about 10% from what my HRM is telling me (especially during weight training!). You can easily track using just MFP and a HRM. BUT for motivation, for me the Flex has been amazing...

    Saying that, they've brought in a new one that does HR as well; not sure about how good that is though...

    *edit: some spellingz
  • txteachermom
    txteachermom Posts: 83 Member
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    I have a FitBit Zip and I love love love it! I'm slightly obsessed with meeting all of my goals. It helps me stay active and push myself just a little harder.
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 795 Member
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    I am finding it a good motivator. Also it was really eye-opening to see how inactive we tend to be on an average day.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    I love my Flex. It is water resistant so I can wear it while swimming and doing my water aerobics. It gives me the information and motivation I need to get enough activity in when I am not at the pool.
  • redwoodkestrel
    redwoodkestrel Posts: 339 Member
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    Fitbits are a great way to track calories if most to all of your exercise is step-based. If you do workouts that are NOT step based, then your Fitbit will not give you an accurate record of calories burned. A heart rate monitor is a better bet for tracking calories burned for steady-state cardio workouts, regardless of whether or not they're step-based.

    That said, I LOVE my Fitbit and it works great for me since my cardio workout of choice is running.
  • welovehighheels
    welovehighheels Posts: 11
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    Thanks everyone!!!! I'll check out the flex as well as a HRM. I have one. I just can't find it since I moved.
  • jackie26us
    jackie26us Posts: 22 Member
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    I just got a fitbit flex tonight. This thing rocks. My mom got me an ifit for Christmas and it was defective so I returned it today and got the fitbit for the same price.
  • xsix
    xsix Posts: 62 Member
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    Worth it! Especially when logging your sleep patterns, i have not been using mine for a bit. I'm about to again however.
  • debbiegramsof6
    debbiegramsof6 Posts: 2 Member
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    Where do I see how my Fitbit one syncs with MFP?
  • Renee0887
    Renee0887 Posts: 214 Member
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    I bought my Fitbit One mostly to track my sleep but I've since made some Fitbit friends and we challenge each other, great motivation and lots of fun!
  • 4ever420
    4ever420 Posts: 4,088 Member
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    For me, worth it. If something happened to mine right now, I'd be at the store when it opened in the morning buying a new one.
  • GeneaCindy
    GeneaCindy Posts: 148 Member
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    I use a Polar Loop and a chest strap heart rate monitor and love it. With the hrm I can tell how many calories I burn during my workouts, which can be a bit surprising. A good, hard, strength-training workout can really burn calories!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    debbiegramsof6 wrote: »
    Where do I see how my Fitbit one syncs with MFP?

    On the blue bar at the top of this page, click where it says "Apps". The Fitbit tracker should be right at the top of the popular apps section since it is one of the most commonly used. Click on it and follow the prompts.

  • fit_mama30
    fit_mama30 Posts: 178 Member
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    I have a Fitbit one and I like it. I use 'sedentary' as my settings, and Fitbit always gives me additional calories depending on my steps, activities, etc. I find it's quite reliable and motivating. Of course, it may not be as accurate as a HRM but it's more convenient for me (and discreet).
  • irishguns
    irishguns Posts: 53 Member
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    I got a fitbit flex for Christmas and I like it so far. I had a body media monitor that I got about 5 years ago (or so). In my opinion it was a little more accurate with some things but I had to wear it on my arm and, for me, it was bulky so I didn't really wear it all that much.

    Fitbit just came out with a monitor that also includes a HR monitor. I kind of wish my husband had waited on getting mine for Christmas and gotten me the HR monitor one but overall I like my flex.
  • newfie026
    newfie026 Posts: 34 Member
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    I lost my fitbit zip and I was totally upset and felt like I was missing a limb. I ordered a fitbitOne because I don't do bracelets very well and I need to see how I'm doing, so the flex and others are not for me. I can't wait to get my limb back!!! I love them!!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited January 2015
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    newfie026 wrote: »
    I lost my fitbit zip and I was totally upset and felt like I was missing a limb. I ordered a fitbitOne because I don't do bracelets very well and I need to see how I'm doing, so the flex and others are not for me. I can't wait to get my limb back!!! I love them!!

    I know how you feel. I've had my flex about a year now and just can not be without it. I do better with something actually attached to my body so I have a bunch of different bands in different colors (found them on Ebay for about $3 each). Wearing my Packer Green right now!

    Yesterday I took an extra rest day. I always check my steps before going to bed, even when I know they are low because it is so much a part of my life now. Part of me was depressed that I didn't even get in 4000 steps but it was planned. It was a good reminder how little activity I can get if I don't make an effort. My Fitbit pushes me to get that effort in.

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