How have you benefited since you started using your Fitbit?

Options
retirehappy
retirehappy Posts: 4,754 Member
For me, for the first time ever, I am seeing a real relationship between my calories in and calories out. My Fitbit reports are showing me @1lb per week weight loss and I am seeing that result, it doesn't come off in a week, but after a couple of weeks, yeah, the weight drops off. I LOVE this result. I am also getting outside a lot more to walk, both in my neighborhood and area lakes, I get to see the birds and other wild life everyday, and that makes me a happier person. My husband is also joining me on those walks, so we are spending some quality time together not just watching TV or cleaning around the yard and house.

I'd love to know what benefits others are getting.
«1

Replies

  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Options
    You pretty much nailed it. I feel motivated to weigh all my food and log it because I am confident that I know how many calories I'm burning. I move more - I try to make sure I have some steps in every 15 minute period shown on my activity tile (during the day, of course). I'm also walking outside more, with my husband. However, that isn't really directly attributable to the Fitbit as we didn't start the walking until I'd had the Fitbit for most of a year. It is costing me money, though. Without it, I probably wouldn't have spent $500 on a standing desk (which I love!).
  • lmbecker12
    lmbecker12 Posts: 46 Member
    Options
    I have dieted for years....

    I think for the first time, I'm truly realizing how inactive I am/was and why losing weight is so difficult. I am learning that getting off the couch and moving really DOES make a big difference! I also feel like for the first time that it truly is a lifestyle change rather than a "diet and exercise".

    In the last 5 weeks, I've lost 10 lbs...still enjoying everything that I always have, just eating less, and moving more...
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Options
    My Fitbit (well Fitbit's since I own a Flex and Surge...I also had a zip, but I gifted it to my mom) has been worth every penny. It's been a definite eye opener. When I first got a Fitbit, I was such a couch potato that even a workout wouldn't bring me up to MFP's estimate of what I should burn as a Sedentary person. That's just bad. Bad I say. I mean, I'm not disabled. There's no reason for me to be that much of a couch potato.

    The website is amazing. I love graphs that compare your calories in and out. I also love that it syncs with trendweight, because trendweight takes all the scale fluctuations and smooths them out so that I can see whether I'm losing or gaining or maintaining.

    I'm now to a point that I even get positive adjustments on my rest days and my activity level on MFP is set to Lightly Active.
  • txrn123
    txrn123 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    It let's me see how many cals I burn at work. I'm a nurse and didn't realize how many MILES I do in an 8 or 12 hr shift. In 8 hrs I average 5 to 6 miles and for a 12 hr shift I do between 6 to 7. Before I got my FB I was using just MFP so I wasn't aware of how many cals I was burning and could eat on my work days, I just went by the amount MFP told me I could have. Which meant I was leaving A LOT of uneaten cals. And from what I understand, if you under eat your body holds onto the fat to help feed the body. I make sure that on my off days that I walk for at least 5 miles so my intake on those days gets to be around the same as my high cal burnt work days.
  • SheaChez
    SheaChez Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Oh yes, for me just seeing how much or little I move in a day is really motivating. I've been using the Fitbit for a little over a year and have lost about 40 pounds! This tracker coupled with My Fitness Pal is a very good reality check. What you think you eat or the amount of exercise you do, vs. the real time tracking is eye opening.
  • rachaelgifford
    rachaelgifford Posts: 320 Member
    Options
    Having the negative calorie adjustment has showed me just how damaging inactivity can be!
  • valerie_neuharth
    valerie_neuharth Posts: 18 Member
    Options
    I've lost 13lbs in 100 days....Fitbit made me aware of how much I didn't move...and now I move a lot more!
  • akdetweiler
    akdetweiler Posts: 38 Member
    Options
    I've lost 7 lbs since getting my Charge HR and started wearing it on March 9th. I LOVE IT. It is very accurate for me and has helped me see exactly what I need to do to take the weight off. Before my Fitbit I was losing weight inconsistently, and yo-yo'ing. I now have seen steady progress that makes me feel confident I can reach my goal weight
  • odirish
    odirish Posts: 82 Member
    Options
    I was considering whether to buy a Fitbit or not. I'm glad I found this thread.
  • FishyK
    FishyK Posts: 147 Member
    edited April 2015
    Options
    I'm also in the hooray for Fitbit crowd. I have had a few lazy days and it's shocking how little I can move. No wonder my diets kept "failing." Now I have both MFP friends and actual, real life friends on Fitbit. The latter is especially important because I know that people I know well can see when I'm active and when I'm not. There are consequences to not hitting my 10,000 +. I find myself doing more housework because, steps. While waiting, pacing instead of sitting because, steps. At the office, walking instead of phoning or emailing to answer that question. Walking in the neighborhood, even if I only have time for a quickie because, steps! And weirdly, craving hiking. What is UP with that? Good times.

    And my Charge HR is showing me a steady decline in my resting heart rate in the last 3 months, which is a function of my 18 pounds lost and lots of steps!
  • berylw49
    berylw49 Posts: 68 Member
    Options
    Within a month of buying my Fitbit last summer, I joined the gym, because it seemed like a more efficient way to get in my steps. Now I go 6 days/week--a habit I've never been able to form before--and I love it. The Fitbit challenges have caused me to step even more, and I went from averaging 17k steps a day to averaging 24k steps a day. Having the calorie adjustments in MFP allows me to EAT with confidence and continue to lose weight. For the first time in my life I feel like I have a sustainable lifestyle that I'll be able to maintain once I reach my weight loss goal. Fitbit changed my life.
  • lectric102002
    lectric102002 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    I like my Surge for tracking exercise and runs. Even though the heart rate monitor isn't 100%, I think it averages out over the day. I usually always hit my goals early in the afternoon and that takes a lot of stress out of deciding what to eat.
  • tmcronk
    tmcronk Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I have set a goal of 10,000 steps per day and I have accomplished that goal for 7 consecutive days. Now my Fitbit has completely died - wont charge or reset. I did order a new one!
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Options
    tmcronk wrote: »
    I have set a goal of 10,000 steps per day and I have accomplished that goal for 7 consecutive days. Now my Fitbit has completely died - wont charge or reset. I did order a new one!

    Did you check with Fitbit customer service before you ordered the new one?
  • Mary_2791
    Mary_2791 Posts: 3 Member
    Options
    The most amazing result is surely getting more active! If you don't get obsessed over the exact number of calories is a perfect motivator! I started walking more, and taking stairs, and it changed my overall health, although I do boxing and workout regularly, there is still some change that can be done and it really works! Changing little things makes a big difference and fitbit helps ;)
  • FitGamerSmoak
    FitGamerSmoak Posts: 224 Member
    Options
    I found that now that both my husband and I have one, plus friends to compete with, it really gets us up and moving more. I had a garmin Vivofit that initially I loved, now I love this one even more. Plus there are no more nights as to who is going to walk the dogs, we fight over it so we can get more steps in. Plus it's about more quality time. I spend time out with my husband, dogs, and son (1 year), and we walk all the time now. Plus I've only had it for a few days :-)
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
    edited April 2015
    Options
    It got me off my butt! I do low and moderate intensity workouts, but the bulk of my activity is just pacing. Between MFP, Fitbit, my hubby, and my support team at the health center I am down from 262 to 180lbs. Still have more to go as I am only 5'2.5", but I feel like it's doable with the help of my tools and team. (Editing to add that I started at 5000 steps/day last September, then went to 7500, 10K, and now 15K as my goal. I usually get between 10K-20K per day.)
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,754 Member
    Options
    CoachJen71 wrote: »
    It got me off my butt! I do low and moderate intensity workouts, but the bulk of my activity is just pacing. Between MFP, Fitbit, my hubby, and my support team at the health center I am down from 262 to 180lbs. Still have more to go as I am only 5'2.5", but I feel like it's doable with the help of my tools and team. (Editing to add that I started at 5000 steps/day last September, then went to 7500, 10K, and now 15K as my goal. I usually get between 10K-20K per day.)

    Congrats on that weight loss and having a support team :)
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    Options
    It motivates me to move, definitely. At 4:45 I looked and saw I was only at 4000 steps. Went to take a walk and came home 5100 steps higher (I would have gone longer if it weren't for the wind).
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Options
    malibu927 wrote: »
    It motivates me to move, definitely. At 4:45 I looked and saw I was only at 4000 steps. Went to take a walk and came home 5100 steps higher (I would have gone longer if it weren't for the wind).

    Yeah, wind is frequently what kills our walks, too. I good breeze can be welcome on a warm day, but too much wind, or a cold wind, and I just don't want to be out there.