Is Fitbit worth the money?

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DemoraFairy wrote: »

gia07 wrote: »

I love my fitbit.. It has been my new toy for nutrition and fitness and activity...

However let me add my personal experiences (and I speak on behalf of the others that has the same issues)...

Fitbit does make some crappy "equipment". I own the "charge" and the band does not hold up and the display button falls off when you are or not looking. For the $130.00 + and up you pay, you may get a week, month or maybe 6 months before the defects start showing through.. These are know issues and are all over the Fitbit community about these mfg and or design flaws...

Do your homework and read all the posiive and negative reviews on any tracker and look for not just does it track things well but is the equipment optmal and long lasting...

I have been through three trackers in 6 months and that's were I will end it ...

Edited to add the batteries also have major issues...

Wow, I've had my Fitbit One for just over one and a half years and never had any problems with it, still working perfectly.

All I am saying is that I speak for my self and others (and there are others) that do have issues with the "equipment" it self.

I love the app and even the desktop website. It tracks well and it does more than I need and is awesome. The equipment does not hold up long term and I wear mine 24/7 except charging, showering and washing dishes.

My advice is to simply do your homework so that the money you spend is something you will get your moneys worth. I have had a replacement given to me everytime and that is great.. but when you are away from your tracker, then you do not get the data recorded and it is a hassel, and decide how you want your money spent...

There can't possibly be 100% positive feed back on every single formum about every single product or thing... SORRY

I've owned my Fitbit Charge HR for about a month now, and am not disappointed at all with spending the money on it! It keeps me accountable and motivated. In my opinion, it is worth it if you feel YOU are worth it! xoxo

I love my Fitbit one, I've had it for 2 years now. The only problem I had was the silicone holder started to break a little about a year into my owning it, I emailed Fitbit customer service with a picture and they were super prompt and nice and sent me a new one for free.
I have a separate HRM I use for my specific workouts that I then sync to my Fitbit account and my Fitbit account to MFP. TBH I am not sure about the heart rate monitor on the wrist that the Charge has as far as accuracy, but anyhow I don't like to wear things on my wrist so will stick with my One.
I will second others, on my non active days I can be VERY non active so I like to eat based on my daily activity and my Fitbit lets me do that

I have a charge HR and I have really mixed feelings on it. I love the tracking, that I can get at least a rough HR estimate if I want it, and find the step counting to be accurate. I also like the stop watch function so that you can use if you hold the button down, and use it frequently if I am doing short bursts of something. Stair climbing isn't that accurate, HR isn't that accurate (I still wear a chest strap if I really care about watching my HR during a workout), plus you're stuck with it on your wrist. I also suspect the calorie burn might not be that accurate....

Another issue with these is that it puts emphasis on steps, which is fine, except it's really frustrating to swim and cycle and have these basically be useless, I would prefer a different measurement of activity, or some calculation to have these count towards the step goal.

Oh! And another thing, the screen on this scratches so easily, it looked months old within a few days. Other than that quality is holding up. The band did stretch, but I eventually was able to just wear it a notch tighter (there was just a frustrating period where I was in between notches)

I received this as a gift, and am contemplating exchanging it for a One, since overall that seems to be more reliable and costs less. Plus you can clip it instead of wearing it like a watch.

So, I'd say go with a cheaper fitbit version, and hope that in the next year something more comprehensive and reliable comes out

I won the Fitbit Flex from work, I don't think it is worth it. I was so excited to get and start using it, but it is not accurate. I like using the app RunKeeper to track my runs. I just got a Polar Heart Rate Monitor FT4 (it is about half the price of a Fitbit) and am pretty excited to start using it. I think this will work better for me!

For me, yes. I have the one. I've had it for a week, and I've found myself wanting to go "all green". That makes me get up and move my bum, but before, I'd just sit and eat. As long as I ate within my calories, no harm no foul. At least that's what it used to be! Love it!

I have the Charge HR. I've found it instrumental in getting me moving more regularly. I have been using it since January. I like all it's features, including the sleep tracking. I find I get credit for things that aren't steps (like if I'm drumming or sanding the walls on the renovation I'm doing)... but I'm ok with that because those activities are usually still ones that are physically taxing.

I did have a problem with mine about a month and a half in. The unit stopped responding. I called their customer service line, and they told me how to reboot the device, and if that didn't work, I could return it to the store or send it back to fitbit. The reboot worked, but if it spaces out again, I will be replacing the device.

I've made a point of reaching my step goal for the entire work week, and had a "woosh" of weight loss this past week. I'd like to think that it's working to keep me motivated well enough to lose the weight.

For me, it definitely was. I work in a place where I can't bring my cell phone into the building and thus, can't use any walking/movement trackers already imbedded there. It has helped me to ensure that I'm moving enough each day, and as a result, I've broken my previous plateau. I also like how it links to MFP nutrition, though I think MFP adds too much to the added calories for the day.

thelazydandelion wrote: »

Or any other tracker for that matter.

I'm aware this will have been asked a 100 times before but I don't feel like wading through all the previous posts.

My sister has one which has peaked my interests but the price puts me off, yet I realise it may have the ability to motivate me.

I got a Jawbone Up 24 for Christmas and I used it for about a week. I don't really care about reaching a certain number of steps through the day or anything. I go to work (in an office) and move when I can, and then I work out. Also the sleeping function just didn't work at all. I was awake when it said I was sleeping and I was sleeping when it said I was awake. Oh well. At least now I know it's just not for me.

I got the Misfit Shine about 5 months ago and I really like it. It's completely waterproof (I walk the perimeter of the swimming pool in summer, so the waterproof feature was important to me) and it uses a watch battery which lasts about 18 mos. so no need to ever take it off. It tracks steps pretty accurately (when I compare it to my smartphone tracker and MapMyWalk) and also tracks sleep. You need to sync it with a smartphone app, and I do wish the app was a little more robust. I wear mine on my ankle, but you can wear it on your wrist or as a pendant around your neck.

Angierae75 wrote: »

Keep in mind that if you're using a flex, and doing something where your hands are full, or you're pushing a cart or whatever, you should take your flex off and shove it in your pocket so that it picks up your steps.

Mine picks up steps no matter what my hands are doing. I have tested it many ways and have seen no difference. The only time it doesn't pick up all of the steps is when I am jogging in the pool. No matter what my arms are doing, I get about 80% of my steps because there isn't enough impact on the bottom of the pool because of the buoyancy of the water.

This whole thing about "your arms have to be moving" is a falsehood.

Upgraded from a One to a Charge HR in January. It is an essential tool for me, and I love having my TDEE records so that I can adjust my eating or my activity as necessary to hit my goals. Also with the HR it does a better job of adjusting for the hills and inclines in my daily walking route.

earlnabby wrote: »

Angierae75 wrote: »

Keep in mind that if you're using a flex, and doing something where your hands are full, or you're pushing a cart or whatever, you should take your flex off and shove it in your pocket so that it picks up your steps.

Mine picks up steps no matter what my hands are doing. I have tested it many ways and have seen no difference. The only time it doesn't pick up all of the steps is when I am jogging in the pool. No matter what my arms are doing, I get about 80% of my steps because there isn't enough impact on the bottom of the pool because of the buoyancy of the water.

This whole thing about "your arms have to be moving" is a falsehood.

I'm glad this has been your experience. It has not been mine. I've spent an hour in the grocery store and only a very small % of my steps have been picked up while I was pushing the cart around.

80% of my steps isn't enough accuracy for me. It might be for others.