Fitbit. Cost vs Effect

I've had the fitbit One for over two years and I love it. I have easily been able to gain/lose/maintain weight eating over/under/at the number of calories it calculates. It really shows the difference between an active and inactive day, when they don't really "feel" that much different most of the time. (Because the vast majority of those calories has nothing to do with workouts. The key to raising your TDEE is not just doing a bunch of cardio.)

I have the Zip and love it. Sometimes it can be easy to over or underestimate the calories you burn in your daily activities so it gives you a really good idea. Plus it's fun to compete in the challenges with friends.

I used the charge HR for three days and sent it back. I had to wear it super high up to get an accurate heart rate, I didn't find the floor count to be accurate, and I wasn't sure what to do with the information about sleep. I've been using my Zip for over two years, it didn't cost that much money, and it keeps me honest about how much activity I'm getting.

momuv3princesses wrote: »

Can someone with a Zip tell me what bells and whistles it does not have? I have an Ultra. I thought the Zip does everything that mine does?

I love my Fitbit. It keeps me motivated to get in a certain number of steps. Days when I don't think about my Fitbit I really do not get in as many steps so I try to look at it throughout the day and be conscious of how many steps I am getting in. It really works for me! I think if you are unsure of spending the money on a more expensive one, I would get a Zip for half the price (Amazon was the cheapest).

I went from an Ultra to a Zip. The Zip doesn't track your sleep, floors, or specific exercise (there's no button to push to start/stop tracking an activity). You also have to keep it supplied in batteries (mine eats through batteries every 2 months; that's when I get the email/notification "battery is low".) It also gives a more "generous" burn count than the Ultra and One, well mine does. It tells me I'm burning 3000 calories a day as my TDEE when I'm barely losing eating 1840 calories. If you're thinking of upgrading, I'd get the One which is a better version of the Ultra.

For me, getting a Fitbit helped me keep active. I want to hit my step and mileage goals.

I love mine. I have the Charge HR as I'd received a small bonus from work. Since wearing it and syncing with MFP I've lost 11lb that has been hanging around for a year or more. I thought I was fairly active but having this has made me realise how often I'm actually sedentary. It's meant I've started walking to the station for my daily commute rather than driving, and I'll always take the stairs at work now.

For me it has been worth every penny of the cost, but I understand for others it might seem like a fad. Horses for courses.

christinev297 wrote: »

All i want to know is how many steps, kms and calories i burn everyday. I don't need a sleep monitor because i already know my sleep is crap, i don't need a stair counter as i don't walk up or down any steps, I dont like the thought of having to wear a bracelet all the time and i don't need a heart rate monitor because the only exercise i do is walking.

Based on all of the above, is why i chose the Zip. It fits my needs perfectly

Yes. I also have a Zip and it works well for me. Being able to wear it under clothes is a big plus.

It has helped me to increase my casual activity, and that is making a difference with weight loss. I pretty much always get an intense workout for an hour a day, but before the FitBit, I wasn't moving enough the rest of the time. It also helps me to monitor when I am overdoing things.

christinev297 wrote: »

All i want to know is how many steps, kms and calories i burn everyday. I don't need a sleep monitor because i already know my sleep is crap, i don't need a stair counter as i don't walk up or down any steps, I dont like the thought of having to wear a bracelet all the time and i don't need a heart rate monitor because the only exercise i do is walking.

Based on all of the above, is why i chose the Zip. It fits my needs perfectly

Yes. I also have a Zip and it works well for me. Being able to wear it under clothes is a big plus.

It has helped me to increase my casual activity, and that is making a difference with weight loss. I pretty much always get an intense workout for an hour a day, but before the FitBit, I wasn't moving enough the rest of the time. It also helps me to monitor when I am overdoing things.

Buying a fitbit was the best thing i could have done. I was averaging 2000ish steps a day before i got it, now i'm averaging around 20,000 a day. All in the space of a few weeks.

I got a fitbit and it has definitely helped me. I was previously walking and assuming I did a lot more than I actually did! Now I'm walking at least 7.5k steps a day.

angelexperiment wrote: »

The polar loop is supposed to count for if you have to use a stroller. It does not have a altimeter for stairs tho. It can be worn swimming to 20. It is waterproof and can be used while cycling. It is the only band that can hook up to a chest strap hr monitor which is the most accurate hrm. Tho both are bought separately. This is what I want. I initially wanted the fitbit zip but have heard many bad reviews so if im spending that much 20 more for a loop might be worth it.

I have a Loop and it counts steps if I am pushing a shopping cart, but it also registered over 2K in steps when I was on my knees scrubbing the grout on the bathroom floor yesterday lol. That was the first time I have noticed any drastic discrepancies in the step counts.

For everything else it is fairly accurate. It helps keep me moving as I see it flash and know its time I need to get up and move around to avoid getting the dreaded inactivity stamp. I use the HRM when I am out with my dogs or on the treadmill as I have to watch my HR closely per DR orders until I have another stress test done.

The Loop website is not as interactive as the Fitbit site from what I have seen but I dont really use that part of all that often.

OP it all depends on what you want out of it. For me it was totally worth the investment to get an activy tracker as MFP comes close but its based on averages not your actual caloric needs. I thought I was fairly active outside of work, I have a desk job where I would normally sit for 8 hrs a day, the Loop proved me wrong. I was a couch potato the majority of the day & night, I have now done almost a complete turn around activity wise.

Before you go out and buy it. Download the app. When i was on my search thats what i did. And i ended buying Jawbone (still available at Groupon for $49) because i liked their app better. It was faster and had more things to offer, like you can but between the hours of 4-5pm i did cycling. It records the right amount of calories you burned during that time. And it still gets paired w MFP. Also i know to some it might not matter, but i liked the look of it aswell. Its sleek. Another thing, i used to have the Sketchers go walk (horrible) and it was so hard for me to synk w my phone. Jawbone you plug it in to your phone and takes 3 seconds to load. Its all up what you are looking for, a pedometer or a all in one? I recommend Jawbone.