Fitbit - Pros/Cons

Shelleo71
Shelleo71 Posts: 38 Member
edited November 10 in Fitness and Exercise
Thinking of investing in a Fitbit, however, I'm a bit overwhelmed with all the varieties out there.

Pros - Cons - Looking for any advice before I purchase, thanks!

Replies

  • xxlilkaycexx
    xxlilkaycexx Posts: 14 Member
    I have the flex and for me the biggest pro of mine is the motivating factor. When I'm wearing mine, it definitely motivates me to move a little more just to get the number up. I also like that it tracks my sleep.

    Cons- kind of expensive for what it actually does. I got mine for Christmas so I'm not sure exactly how much it costs, but if I was buying it myself, I would probably buy a cheaper brand that does basically the same stuff.
  • Shelleo71
    Shelleo71 Posts: 38 Member
    Good to know, appreciate the info. I think wearing it would motivate me also. I have a pedometer but I don't think it's an accurate count of my steps. Plus it's not where I can see it all the time, if that makes sense. Not like I'm looking at my waistband all the time! LOL At my desk typing, I'd see the Fitbit. :)
  • shadykatiekate
    shadykatiekate Posts: 41 Member
    I just got the charge hr and I absolutely love it! It motivates me to reach the goal of 10,000 steps a day. It's nice that you can link mfp and fitbit together! I use fitbit to track the calories I'm burning/heart rate/sleep and mfp for food. They sync together nicely.

    My only con is the price. But it's totally worth it because it's an investment in my health- and who can put a price on health?
  • AlyssaJoJo
    AlyssaJoJo Posts: 449 Member
    I had the fitbit one for three years and loved it. It motivates me to move. The cons of that one was that I went through SO MANY of the silicon holders. It was overly annoying and got to the point where I wasn't wearing it as much. I liked that it had a sleep mode but often forgot to get it going before bed or when I just woke up.

    I just upgraded to the Fitbit Charge HR. LOOOOOVE it. Love it so much. I really wish I would have upgraded to a wrist one sooner. It's nice to not have to worry about it. I love that it does auto sleep mode, and the fact that it has a HRM is amazing.
  • slucki01
    slucki01 Posts: 284 Member
    I have the Fitbit One and I love it. I've been using it for a couple of years. A big pro is the motivation factor. Not only does having a goal and tracking steps motivate you to walk more but you can friend other people with Fitbit's and it becomes a further motivation. I'm "friends" with 8 other people (who I know personally) and seeing their step totals pushes me to do a bit more. I also like the sleep tracking function. I've found a direct correlation between my sleep efficiency and the level of difficulty of sticking to my eating plan. the One doesn't have a HRM, which would be nice to have, but that's the only thing missing. I prefer the One to the wristbands -- just a personal preference -- because I don't like having something around my wrist all the time.
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
    I have the zip

    Pro: good motivator to move more, syncs up with MFP so I don't have to manually input anything

    Con: Price and the quality of the plastic sleeve is kinda cheap...it will break from putting it on and off my bra (replaced it twice now)
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
    I HAD the Fitbit flex - it is now in the trash. My advice is don't waste your money.

    Pros: Motivates you to move

    Cons: NOT at all accurate in step count, sleep tracking, doesn't track exercise except steps, website has many issues (like saying I had 250,000 steps in like 10 days - NOT).

    My overall opinion is that a tracker you wear on your wrist isn't accurate since it depends on wrist movement to count the "steps".

    Some swear by the Fitbit - I just swore at it.

    Best of luck with your decision.
  • dougpconnell219
    dougpconnell219 Posts: 566 Member
    I also have the hr. I love it. It records my calories burned from running. And the competative aspect with my friends is great.
  • trackercasey76
    trackercasey76 Posts: 781 Member
    I have the ONE and I love that I can just set it and forget it, I don't log any exercise, I just set my activity level to sedentary and let it do the adjustments.
  • Shelleo71
    Shelleo71 Posts: 38 Member
    Thank you all for your advise and opinions. Appreciated.
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
    I have the One, and I LOVE it. I thought I had lost it and went without it for 3 days and was ready to just go buy a new one when my husband found mine.

    Pros: VERY motivating, syncs with MFP, inconspicuous - I can wear it with anything including fancy dress-up outfits

    Cons: Not inexpensive, the silicone holder isn't fantastic, doesn't have an HRM, doesn't track exercise other than steps
  • Amandatorie
    Amandatorie Posts: 93 Member
    I used the zip for years. I stopped because I essentially felt like I learned what I needed to learn from it, you know? All it does is track your steps. So really, all it is is a pedometer. I know some of the newer ones also track sleep, and now there are ones that are also heart-rate monitors, but aside from that all it is is a pedometer.

    It wirelessly syncs to my phone, so I can just look at my phone to see my steps which is nice. And it syncs to MFP, so that was nice too...although now I"m trying not to eat back all my exercise calories, so I don't want it to sync.

    I have the iPhone 6 which also tracks steps...I'm sure it's not very accurate, but any real walking I do I always have my phone one me so I can get a general idea of how active I've been.

    Anyway, a year ago I would have said I loved it and it was so worth it. Now I know how many steps I walk in an average day, and in a sedentary day, and in an active day so it's not exciting to see it on the fitbit anymore.
  • AgentOrangeJuice
    AgentOrangeJuice Posts: 1,069 Member
    Pro, motivation, CON it's not a GPS Watch with HRM
  • ssabby1
    ssabby1 Posts: 1
    I have the Charge+ HR and absolutely love it. The pros are it is a constant reminder to get up and keep moving. I like that it syncs with all the aps I use to track fitness/diet, battery life is long (about a week wearing it 24/7) and I love that it is waterproof. A con is that I can't control my music from the device while working out. Other than that, I think it is awesome and would highly recommend it.
  • oldholden
    oldholden Posts: 11 Member
    Been using a Flex for some time now.

    PROS: Motivation and a joy for someone with OCD - joke Joyce !!

    CONS: Take the readings with a grain of salt, use them as a average AND DO NOT EAT YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES/KJS !!

    Bottom line - if it helps you reach your goals use it
  • radiosilents
    radiosilents Posts: 223 Member
    I had been wanting to get the Charge HR when it came out, but before it did I found out about the Misfit Flash – it was way cheaper and had many of the same features (though no HR). I got it on sale at Amazon for $25 and I LOVE IT. Looks-wise it reminds me of a Swatch watch which is right up my alley. It also has a wristband that actually fits my wrist (I have an 8-incher!), but it also comes with a doohickey that you can clip on, too. Now at this point I am not sure if I will get a FitBit because I like it so much. I just really want an HR thingy. :)
  • adwilliams03
    adwilliams03 Posts: 147 Member
    ssabby1 wrote: »
    and I love that it is waterproof. A con is that I can't control my music from the device while working out. Other than that, I think it is awesome and would highly recommend it.

    As in, you can swim with it on and it tracks that activity, or you can get it wet when washing your hands and it won't damage it?
  • Codefox
    Codefox Posts: 308 Member
    Depends on what you want to get out of it:

    1. Motivation to hit step goals? Will that keep your interest for long? Do you do other sports? if you do other sports then the usefulness of a fitness tracker is limited.

    2. Just move in general? I recently got a Vivofit simply because it has a reminder that pops up when you haven't moved in an hour and won't go away until you do. I actually think having that reminder is way more important that just counting your steps.

    Step counting tells you what you did during the day. If that provides motivation then its great. If it doesn't and you're just looking at the number every day then its pretty much useless.

    And my red bar just popped up so time to go for a walk ;)
  • murdilu9
    murdilu9 Posts: 1
    Hi - I got the force for Christmas, and I like it o.k. My biggest problems with it are the price/value and the website - which seems kinda clunky to me, especially when syncing with MFP if a lot of your exercise is from biking/swimming/elliptical/skiing.
  • dougpconnell219
    dougpconnell219 Posts: 566 Member
    adwilliams03 wrote: »
    ssabby1 wrote: »
    and I love that it is waterproof. A con is that I can't control my music from the device while working out. Other than that, I think it is awesome and would highly recommend it.

    As in, you can swim with it on and it tracks that activity, or you can get it wet when washing your hands and it won't damage it?

    It isn't waterproof. It is water resistant. They claim you can shower in it. I don't.
  • CharleneMarie723
    CharleneMarie723 Posts: 98 Member
    I have had the Charge HR for a few days now. I love it.
    Pros
    1) Keeps me moving. I have a "friend" that I had and always try to outstep that person. Ha!
    2) I love watching the HR change. My resting HR is around 40 and I like how I can see graphs and data points throughout the day.
    3) I find it to be accurate. I took my pulse while resting, right after two minutes of jumping jacks, and right after a walk up a flight of stairs, and all 3 readings were spot on.
    4) I find the calories burned to be about accurate. I normally eat in the 22-2400 range to maintain. FitBit is telling me about that on average as well.

    Cons
    1) Not waterproof- I like to swim and would like to know how strenuous of a workout I'm getting.
    2) You have to resync every time you charge it or the HR feature doesn't work
    3) FitBit still has a few bugs they are working out. I lost a HR graph for an entire day- can't seem to get it back.

    Overall, I am thrilled with it. I have counted steps (731) and it recorded 723 on my way to the grocery store. I'm concerned about how long the material itself will last and hope that it wears well.
  • thepurpleleopard
    thepurpleleopard Posts: 3 Member
    I can't decide whether to buy the charge HR or wait for the jawbone up3
    both have good/bad points.......has anyone on here seen or used an up3?
  • adwilliams03
    adwilliams03 Posts: 147 Member
    dougpconnell219 wrote: »
    adwilliams03 wrote: »
    ssabby1 wrote: »
    and I love that it is waterproof. A con is that I can't control my music from the device while working out. Other than that, I think it is awesome and would highly recommend it.

    As in, you can swim with it on and it tracks that activity, or you can get it wet when washing your hands and it won't damage it?

    It isn't waterproof. It is water resistant. They claim you can shower in it. I don't.

    Thank you!
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    I'm a fan of the FitBit One. As often as I take my regular watch off (and sometimes forget to put it back on), I'm sure I'd do the same with the wrist-mounted FitBits and end up missing a lot of steps.

    But the One is nice because you can either clip it to your belt / clothing or you can just dump it in your pocket. That makes it very unobtrusive.

    Beyond that, I imagine the experience is similar to any of the other FitBits out there. It's not necessarily a precision instrument, but I've found that it's accurate enough that I can use the information it provides to lose / maintain / gain as desired.

    The biggest headache I had was dealing with non-FitBit-able exercises. FitBit and MFP will synch up to prevent you from double-dipping, so you just need to be sure you use accurate times when recording.
  • subversive99
    subversive99 Posts: 273 Member
    I love my Fitbit One. I can't wear a watch style one as I have a skin 'condition' which kills watch batteries. I find it really helps me be motivated to move more. As well, after entering my information in numerous TDEE calculators, I find that it's estimated daily calorie burn for me lines up very closely with the sites. Linking it with MFP and using it as a way to make sure I am in a deficit every day is working great for my long term fitness plan.
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