Garmin Vivofit
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I have a garmin vivofit as well, and so far I like it, just not sure I am using all of the features. I just wear the band and sync with my phone. To me, its more of an accessory, it doesn't motivate me to get up and move any more than I already did.0
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20yearsyounger wrote: »Just curious Carrie, why is it that important? Do you think you are missing out on calories? Usually for me, how I start and finish doesn't have an impact on the overall average HRM so I wouldn't think the dips would make a major difference to that either.
I just want things to work as advertised. I'm not that upset or i would have called them asking for help or complaining by now.
Even with the dips it seems to be working out a lot better than the HR on my bike. That thing likes to tell me my heart rate is somewhere around 185 when i am peddling 10 mph. No way.
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JoJoJubblies wrote: »I'm looking at buying the heart rate monitor too.
For me the HRM is a must, I love it. I'll look you up and send you a connect request. I'm dwfalls67.
For those that are getting the heart rate drops, I am as dumbfounded as you are by this. My problem is that this is the third system that I have had that does this. I have tried tightening, loosening, wetting, moving, contact gel, and shaving but nothing has worked. The tighter and higher with the contact gel worked best but even then, it still dropped out. Which I have to wonder now is the type of strap that I have. All three systems that I have had had the hard plastic HRM as opposed to the soft HRM strap which I have to surmises that the different dielectric material could make a difference. So I’ll eventually put out for one of those to see if I get a better reading.
What I haven’t investigate much into is rather or not connect factors the zero heart rates into the average or does it filter out zero’s perhaps replacing it with a baseline number. I have sent two emails to the helpdesk on this matter with no replies. If I do hear something, I will try to post the response here.
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Carrie makes sense. Just didn't want you to think about tossing it just because of the drops. I started with just a band but decided to get the strap so that I don't have to log my activities manually. I have 3 other HRMs but none of them ANT+. I've seen them drop out on occasion on the machines I use in the gym as well. I checked my drop outs on cycling and maybe they are about 15 secs each but not as often as yours. I heard the soft strap is even worse.
The only problem I am running into is with multiple activities. Sometimes it combines them on load even though I know I turned off/on the heart rate monitoring between them. Will have to research this.0 -
20yearsyounger wrote: »Carrie makes sense. Just didn't want you to think about tossing it just because of the drops. I started with just a band but decided to get the strap so that I don't have to log my activities manually. I have 3 other HRMs but none of them ANT+. I've seen them drop out on occasion on the machines I use in the gym as well. I checked my drop outs on cycling and maybe they are about 15 secs each but not as often as yours. I heard the soft strap is even worse.
The only problem I am running into is with multiple activities. Sometimes it combines them on load even though I know I turned off/on the heart rate monitoring between them. Will have to research this.
I had someone on my friends list say that theirs done the same grouping of activities. So far all of mine have been individual.
One day last week i had one short activity that didn't show up at all. It was just a test type thing i did so i wasn't worried about it but it just never appeared.0 -
20yearsyounger wrote: »As long as you enter the right time it shouldn't be double counting. I don't bother entering my walks on MFP, only my other activities. However, if walking is your only activity, then go for it.
I am having a hard time with this double counting issue. I have the heart rate monitor and I love it (even though the battery died about a month in...) I do a lot of working out at home via workout videos. When lifting, it seems to be fine. But when I am doing cardio, my band counts steps and an activity (HR function is activated). I think it makes my adjustment WAY over estimated. I have just learned to live with it though and just not eat back ALL of the adjusted calories. It's just an annoyance.0 -
CarrieCans wrote: »I have my first major gripe about it.
The heart rate monitor has yet to work right. It works but there are tons of drops every time i use it. You would think i had a ton of heart attacks by looking at that.
This is every single time i've used it. Right from the beginning. Ive tried repositioning it, spitting on it, moving it around, wetting it with a washcloth, switched the shirt i was wearing. I am running out of ideas. If it's static then i'm pretty much screwed because i live in a dry heat house and it's too cold to ride topless lmao
Might have to change the battery. Same thing happened to me. Once I replaced that battery, it started working fine. 0 -
CarrieCans wrote: »I have my first major gripe about it.
The heart rate monitor has yet to work right. It works but there are tons of drops every time i use it. You would think i had a ton of heart attacks by looking at that.
This is every single time i've used it. Right from the beginning. Ive tried repositioning it, spitting on it, moving it around, wetting it with a washcloth, switched the shirt i was wearing. I am running out of ideas. If it's static then i'm pretty much screwed because i live in a dry heat house and it's too cold to ride topless lmao
Might have to change the battery. Same thing happened to me. Once I replaced that battery, it started working fine.
I thought about that one. I haven't been anywhere near a store that has anything other than hearing aid batteries. I have a button battery shopping list that is growing rather quickly.0 -
I got the Vivofit for Christmas also. I haven't used the heart rate monitor yet and not sure how the sleep thing works. I mostly use it to track my steps, miles and calories. My phone isn't the right Android 4.6 so I can't sync it with my phone, ugh. I also feel I'm not using it to it's potential yet.0
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CarrieCans wrote: »CarrieCans wrote: »I have my first major gripe about it.
The heart rate monitor has yet to work right. It works but there are tons of drops every time i use it. You would think i had a ton of heart attacks by looking at that.
This is every single time i've used it. Right from the beginning. Ive tried repositioning it, spitting on it, moving it around, wetting it with a washcloth, switched the shirt i was wearing. I am running out of ideas. If it's static then i'm pretty much screwed because i live in a dry heat house and it's too cold to ride topless lmao
Might have to change the battery. Same thing happened to me. Once I replaced that battery, it started working fine.
I thought about that one. I haven't been anywhere near a store that has anything other than hearing aid batteries. I have a button battery shopping list that is growing rather quickly.
Internet... 0 -
I saw somewhere that it takes 10 mins for it to count as an activity. @mhankosk, are you sure that's impacting your calories? Usually mine just tracks the steps for the activity, but the total calorie count at the bottom for the steps doesn't include the calories from the activities.0
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I've had a Vivofit for nearly a year now (I waitlisted to get one of the first ones) and my original batteries are still going strong. I use it in combination with the Wahoo Tickr Run HRM since it is both ANT+ as well as Smart BT. I really like the fact that my Garmin Connect data syncs with all of my other metrics tracking apps (My Fitness Pal, Apple Health, etc).
I use mine more as a passive tracking device than an active motivator. I went into settings and disabled the red bars, my display shows only time/date, steps, distance and HR. The sleep tracker is my only gripe as I wish they would make it more granular and give some indication of what "less active" and "more active" relates to for a baseline. I see the recorded movements but that doesn't really tell me anything other than I moved my hand.
I'm also right handed and wear mine on my right wrist since I also wear an actual, analog watch on the left. I've switched it between the two wrists and noticed no discernible variance in step data. My sleep data got more consistent switching to the right wrist since I typically sleep on my right side.
My primary activity type is cycling so I use the Garmin Edge as the main device for logging workouts. I'm advcyclist at Garmin Connect.0 -
I got the Vivofit for Christmas also. I haven't used the heart rate monitor yet and not sure how the sleep thing works. I mostly use it to track my steps, miles and calories. My phone isn't the right Android 4.6 so I can't sync it with my phone, ugh. I also feel I'm not using it to it's potential yet.
Set it to sleep at night when you lay down and wake it up in the morning when you get out of bed. it will tell you how long you sleep and the charts will show you how much you move around. It might not be the most useful tool but it could have a good purpose.
In my case i discovered what i suspected. I don't get enough hours of sleep. I toss and turn rather then just wiggle around. My BF basically wakes me up every night when he gets up for work. I also noticed that the days where i am more active, i get better sleep.
It showed me proof that sleep is something i really need to work on.0 -
20yearsyounger wrote: »I saw somewhere that it takes 10 mins for it to count as an activity. @mhankosk, are you sure that's impacting your calories? Usually mine just tracks the steps for the activity, but the total calorie count at the bottom for the steps doesn't include the calories from the activities.
I'm not "sure" that it is double counting. It just seems that the daily calories burned (neglecting activities) is more on days that I am doing cardio. I know that activity section is working properly, because I am using the HRM and you tell it when to start and stop, but I do think it is adding "steps" when I am just jumping around which is impacting the daily burn from steps.0 -
The sleep isn't as intuitive as other interfaces I've seen but I use it to help me personally. When I fall below the 2nd line from the bottom then I hit my good sleep. When I rise above it and stay above it for a while then I'm up. Is it the best indicator? Probably not, but it stops me from suffering on my workouts the next day. Not enough time under that 2nd line from the bottom, need to lower my intensity and focus on a good night's rest.0
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I have one and I love it!!! It was a Christmas gift from my hubby. I find that I am much more active. Using the Garmin Vivofit and MFP have really kept me on my toes and makes this journey so much fun.0
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CarrieCans wrote: »CarrieCans wrote: »I have my first major gripe about it.
The heart rate monitor has yet to work right. It works but there are tons of drops every time i use it. You would think i had a ton of heart attacks by looking at that.
This is every single time i've used it. Right from the beginning. Ive tried repositioning it, spitting on it, moving it around, wetting it with a washcloth, switched the shirt i was wearing. I am running out of ideas. If it's static then i'm pretty much screwed because i live in a dry heat house and it's too cold to ride topless lmao
Might have to change the battery. Same thing happened to me. Once I replaced that battery, it started working fine.
I thought about that one. I haven't been anywhere near a store that has anything other than hearing aid batteries. I have a button battery shopping list that is growing rather quickly.
Internet...
Small town i live in so whenever possible i try to buy things local and hold off on the internet shopping.0 -
Shouldn't it add steps when you are jumping around? I use mine more to make sure that I had enough activity for the day. If my steps are at my goal, then I don't need to do more cardio. If it isn't, then I didn't do enough today.
I find that the calories Garmin calculates are low (maybe because of the net versus gross) and I haven't seen an impact on my weight loss.0 -
20yearsyounger wrote: »Shouldn't it add steps when you are jumping around? I use mine more to make sure that I had enough activity for the day. If my steps are at my goal, then I don't need to do more cardio. If it isn't, then I didn't do enough today.
I find that the calories Garmin calculates are low (maybe because of the net versus gross) and I haven't seen an impact on my weight loss.
I don't hate that it counts them as steps. It is just causing the calories to be double counted. Once in the "activity" and once in the 2000 steps I get when doing that activity.0 -
These are just watch batteries right? You can get them anywhere. I get mine from the pharmacy down the street.
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Honestly I don't even set it to sleep anymore. The next morning I just going in and look at the chart and set the time to when I actually went to sleep and when I woke up.0
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Hi Everyone i ordered the Vivosmart yesterday. I also got the soft strap HR monitor. I have a Jawbone now but wanted something new and since i already have the Forerunner 220 i thought i would keep it in the Garmin family.0
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I got my Vivofit last Aug (with HRM) and a Forerunner 15 last Oct. Love the products but the regular and reoccurring syncing issues make the products not worth a nickle.
For those of you who recently obtained the Vivofit, the fact that the Garmin Connect site stops working approximately every two weeks for a few days at a time, may not bother you now, but after a few months, the fact that Garmin won't do anything to address the issue starts to wear thin.
I would NEVER buy another Garmin product ever, and I would NEVER recommend a Garmin product to anyone.0 -
20yearsyounger wrote: »Shouldn't it add steps when you are jumping around? I use mine more to make sure that I had enough activity for the day. If my steps are at my goal, then I don't need to do more cardio. If it isn't, then I didn't do enough today.
I find that the calories Garmin calculates are low (maybe because of the net versus gross) and I haven't seen an impact on my weight loss.
I don't hate that it counts them as steps. It is just causing the calories to be double counted. Once in the "activity" and once in the 2000 steps I get when doing that activity.
I guess I don't fully understand what you mean by double counting. I thought that most of systems basically calculate your BMR activity and give you a standard burn for doing nothing, and then based on the specific time your activity occurred, it overwrites the calories based on the activity. So yes, it would include steps in that activity, but it would not count those steps as part of the calories burned for the Daily steps. For instance, when I go to the activity breakdown view, I can see the steps for my activity and I can see the Daily steps without the steps in that activity and a very low calorie count. I know that's what fitbit does. Not sure about here.0 -
mhankosk, I think I may understand now. I'm using my heart rate strap so it does all that. I'll have to check and see what it actually did when I entered my activities manually.0
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20yearsyounger wrote: »Shouldn't it add steps when you are jumping around? I use mine more to make sure that I had enough activity for the day. If my steps are at my goal, then I don't need to do more cardio. If it isn't, then I didn't do enough today.
I find that the calories Garmin calculates are low (maybe because of the net versus gross) and I haven't seen an impact on my weight loss.
I don't hate that it counts them as steps. It is just causing the calories to be double counted. Once in the "activity" and once in the 2000 steps I get when doing that activity.
I'm having this issue as well, it is driving me bonkers. I'll get 300+ calories added from a run logged as an activity from the HRM. It will show up as an activity in MFP. Then I will get another 300+ that shows up in MFP as a garmin adjustment. I know I didn't earn 600 calories with a short run. With a small deficit set in MFP, this can really screw up my losses if I don't pay enough attention.0 -
Beats me. I don't get those type of adjustments in MFP. I set all of my activity at sedentary and only use garmin for my exercise logging.0
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I don't hate that it counts them as steps. It is just causing the calories to be double counted. Once in the "activity" and once in the 2000 steps I get when doing that activity.
It's likely that there is a level of accounting for extra steps, and that the HRM will be overestimating calorie expenditure because the algorithms aren't designed to account for the type of activity being described.
HRMs will always overestimate resistance training and DVD type activities.0 -
Hi all, got mine Vivofit for Christmas - absolutely love, love love it!. have been on the 125 challenge board as rustyboo. Maybe will see you guys on that board. I find it definitely motivates me to keep moving. As an aside, I found an awesome app to sync with the vivo - it's called Icardio - its a free app that measures your pace/calories burned etc and it will sync to mfp so that you don't have to manually add your exercise to mfp. Icardio will also summarize your workouts, how many you did, how many hours, how many calories etc. what your best times were. there is an edit function for the workouts so that you can say what the weather was like etc. love that app. take care and happy monday. p.s. re: syncing issues, have only experienced them 2-3 times since december and so, since i know that it is going to get fixed quickly can look past that. had a fitbit flex that NEVER synced, piece of junk was so mad was going to throw the stupid thing out. right now it's gathering dust in my drawer. take care all!0
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I got mine for Christmas too and I have the HRM chest strap. I like it and think it works. I've lost 5lbs in January and had been stalled, so it is doing its job.0
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