Wearable Activity Trackers....
EmmaleighM
Posts: 32 Member
I would love to get everyone's opinions on which wearable activity tracker is your favorite and why. Also, I'm not sure if I should be looking for one with a heart rate monitor or not. And if so why it is more beneficial! Thanks!!!!
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I have a Peak Basis and like to be able to track my activities related to the calories burned during the that time. The FITBIT with the HR monitor had been recalled or I would have purchased that one. It is smaller and syncs with MFP. It is nice to know just how many calories you really burn.0
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I have a fit bit charge and I love it. I have a few friends that have one so we do competitions with each other on the challenges. Gets you walking as no one likes being last!
Also it syncs with MFP so I don't have to add it to my exercise.
I don't have the heart rate monitor one but they are supposedly more accurate when it comes to how many calories you've burnt.0 -
hmm well..I rely on my Bodymedia for what i've burned in the day..but...the past year i've just been constantly breaking out from wearing it (i've had it for two years..)..and honestly I dont see where its helped me lose weight..but i'm a slow loser anyway..I wear a fitbit..i was addicted to getting my steps in at the beginning..then I wasnt..but I was too attached to wearing it to stop..But i've now gotten back into making sure I have my 10k steps..so I rely on that for my steps. I also wear a polar heart rate monitor when I do my cardio..but not for weights..not sure why..just give myself a break from wearing it..I use to have a polar loop..i wore it for a month..but didnt like it one bit..to clunky..got in the way when i tried to type out things on my laptop..and it was just another pedometer to me..i didnt have the heart rate band to sync it with..0
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EmmaleighM wrote: »I would love to get everyone's opinions on which wearable activity tracker is your favorite and why. Also, I'm not sure if I should be looking for one with a heart rate monitor or not. And if so why it is more beneficial! Thanks!!!!
You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (your maintenance calories)—way more accurate than any online calculator. Most Fitbits can track your sleep. And Fitbit challenges are great motivation—and fun.0 -
Definitely need to get one with a hr monitor if you want to correctly track how many calories u burn0
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Definitely need to get one with a hr monitor if you want to correctly track how many calories u burn
Not necessarily. I lost the weight & maintained for nine months with a Fitbit Flex—which doesn't have a heart rate monitor. TDEE is by definition the number of calories at which your weight will maintain. So my Fitbit burn = TDEE.
The only way to test the accuracy is to trust your Fitbit for several weeks, then reevaluate your progress.
Also, when you connect a Fitbit to MFP it adjusts your daily calorie goal to TDEE minus deficit. And you no longer have to log any step-based activity, since the Fitbit tracks it for you. I was shocked how many steps I get just doing laundry.0 -
I am using a Polar A300 which works well for me. It is an all day step tracker with a Bluetooth connected chest strap for workouts. I have used it for swimming, running, and elliptical machines. The results seem realistic and it transfers workout and step data to myfitnesspal. I also plan to use it for cycling, hiking and canoeing. It is waterproof. I had a Fitbit charge hr which I returned (thanks having purchased it through Amazon) because the step count was off by about 33% while walking. Probably a defective device but Fitbit support was not helpful and did not want to send a replacement.0
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I have a Garmin Vivofit, and it's great. It tracks steps, goal for steps (counts down how many more to go), how many miles, calories burned, sleep, and also has the time which is nice that it functions as a watch too. It also has a motivator bar- it's a little red bar on the screen of the vivofit that appears when you have been sitting for an hour or more. It then adds a bar every 15 minutes after. To make it go away, simply get up and move around a few minutes.
It has the ability to track heart rate if you also have the monitor. It syncs with MFP and my iPhone, which then in turn syncs with MyPlate too.
So far I like it- it's waterproof, comfortable and not lumpy or clunky.0 -
What do you want it to do? What types of activity do you want it to track/monitor? Do you want a watch or a "wearable"? Does it need to be water proof?0
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I like my Withings tracker, and I also have a pedometer on my Samsung Gear watch. Both nice.0
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I used to have a Fitbit flex but just switched to a Withings Pulse and scale and absolutely love them.0
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editorgrrl wrote: »Definitely need to get one with a hr monitor if you want to correctly track how many calories u burn
Not necessarily. I lost the weight & maintained for nine months with a Fitbit Flex—which doesn't have a heart rate monitor. TDEE is by definition the number of calories at which your weight will maintain. So my Fitbit burn = TDEE.
The only way to test the accuracy is to trust your Fitbit for several weeks, then reevaluate your progress.
Also, when you connect a Fitbit to MFP it adjusts your daily calorie goal to TDEE minus deficit. And you no longer have to log any step-based activity, since the Fitbit tracks it for you. I was shocked how many steps I get just doing laundry.
This. I love my flex.
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Depends on your activity. I have a Fitbit Flex more of a tracker to motivate me at work to ensure I'm taking breaks and getting up every hour or so. I use a Polar H7 and the associated smartphone app for run/bike/swim and cardio tracking. Some great information and interesting to track how your body becomes more efficient over time, burning fewer calories with the same effort. The Polar website is great if you're a data geek and get excited seeing your activity graphed. Also has a nice algorithm for resting days.0
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Definitely need to get one with a hr monitor if you want to correctly track how many calories u burn
Incorrect. Heart rate is not an accurate indicator of effort. The few studies that have been done on accuracy put BodyMedia at the top, and it uses galvanic skin response and temperature changes to assess effort. Too bad they quit making them. You can still find them here and there online.0 -
SnuggleSmacks wrote: »Heart rate is not an accurate indicator of effort. The few studies that have been done on accuracy put BodyMedia at the top, and it uses galvanic skin response and temperature changes to assess effort. Too bad they quit making them. You can still find them here and there online.
I think Jawbone bought BodyMedia, and put some of its technology into the newest UP activity trackers.0 -
Following because I would like someone to have a better approximate calorie burn for cardio, walking/hiking, maybe cycling
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editorgrrl wrote: »SnuggleSmacks wrote: »Heart rate is not an accurate indicator of effort. The few studies that have been done on accuracy put BodyMedia at the top, and it uses galvanic skin response and temperature changes to assess effort. Too bad they quit making them. You can still find them here and there online.
I think Jawbone bought BodyMedia, and put some of its technology into the newest UP activity trackers.
Poorly, based on reviews. It's the UP3.0 -
Following because I would like someone to have a better approximate calorie burn for cardio, walking/hiking, maybe cycling
Activity trackers track step-based activity. Non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) must be logged either in the tracker or in MFP—never both.
Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your tracker burn during that time.0 -
Any fitbit that goes on the wrist I have a flex currently and hope to get a charge soon 0
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My Polar M400 sport watch activity tracker should arrive in the mail tomorrow. I ordered this model because of the built in GPS and also includes a HRM. The polar chest straps are very comfortable to wear during my activities that I need to record so I don't mind it at all.0
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Depends on your activity. I have a Fitbit Flex more of a tracker to motivate me at work to ensure I'm taking breaks and getting up every hour or so. I use a Polar H7 and the associated smartphone app for run/bike/swim and cardio tracking. Some great information and interesting to track how your body becomes more efficient over time, burning fewer calories with the same effort. The Polar website is great if you're a data geek and get excited seeing your activity graphed. Also has a nice algorithm for resting days.
I have a Polar Loop bracelet that I love and the Polar HR7 that I use with the smartphone app. Their website is great and you can get all kinds of information about your workouts. I love Polar products!0 -
editorgrrl wrote: »Following because I would like someone to have a better approximate calorie burn for cardio, walking/hiking, maybe cycling
Activity trackers track step-based activity. Non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) must be logged either in the tracker or in MFP—never both.
Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your tracker burn during that time.
Thank you. I'm a bit confused. So you log it but only in one place? And overwrites because I assume it syncs and uploads your exercise ? Sorry, dumb questions.
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Exercise syncs both ways, so log it in one or the other—never both. Whatever you log in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time. For example, if you log a workout from noon to 1 p.m. in MFP as one calorie, Fitbit now thinks you only burned one calorie during that hour.
It'll take trial & error to find if you prefer logging in Fitbit (that's what I do) or in MFP. I lost the weight & have maintained for ten months, so I say trust your Fitbit.0 -
Stay away from FitBit. I have nothing good to say about them. Their Surge is an utter failure on their part and I wish I had never gotten one. Waiting on my 4th replacement to arrive. Tracking on all areas is between 40%-70% off. Battery life has never exceeded 3 days before it sends a low battery notification and stops syncing altogether. Once I can afford to replace it I am currently researching the Microsoft Band to see if it will work for me.0
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editorgrrl wrote: »Following because I would like someone to have a better approximate calorie burn for cardio, walking/hiking, maybe cycling
Activity trackers track step-based activity. Non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) must be logged either in the tracker or in MFP—never both.
Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your tracker burn during that time.
Thank you. I'm a bit confused. So you log it but only in one place? And overwrites because I assume it syncs and uploads your exercise ? Sorry, dumb questions.
If your tracker is synced with MFP, you only log one place because they share data. I log everything into MFP (both food and exercise) and Fitbit uses the info for their calculations. I do not log any step based exercises. My Fitbit calculates the calorie burn from that and sends it to MFP.
Regarding the calorie burn and the TDEE: I have a flex so no HRM on mine. I tested my Fitbit's info by doing my own TDEE calculation using my real data. I added up all the calories I ate for the month of April, multiplied the weight I lost by 3500 per pound and added it in, then divided the result by the 30 days. I then checked my average TDEE from Fitbit. The two numbers were within 100 calories of each other so I am confident that Fitbit is reasonably accurate. I do believe that the longer you wear it, the more accurate it becomes because it has a lot of back data to work with.
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DO NOT get the Sony SmartBand.
It does not sync with MFP and the app it uses is ridiculous0 -
What about the polar A300 or even the FT4 or other older ones...do they sync with MFP?
Really appreciate the help and advise-even though I jumped on this thread to ask questions too 0 -
I like my Withings tracker, and I also have a pedometer on my Samsung Gear watch. Both nice.
I just bought the Activite Pop and it isn't tracking my steps accurately at all. I've been walking around all day and its still showing me at less than 1,000 steps. I'm about to return it but am giving customer service a few more days to answer my email. Have you had any problems?
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I have a Jawbone UP and I really like it. The app is great, and the sleep tracking seems to be very accurate. The app itself is intuitive and can actually be motivating. Sometimes I feel like it's not tracking every step, but it's better to err on the conservative side than to overestimate steps, knowuddahmean? Plus the battery life is good - up to a full 7 days. It's easy to slip on and off the wrist when needed. You can program different alarms into it too. My only problem is I don't know anyone else who has one, and only after inviting like 20 random names to join my team, I finally found one person who is active and joined my team, lol0
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happysquidmuffin wrote: »I have a Jawbone UP and I really like it.
My only problem is I don't know anyone else who has one, and only after inviting like 20 random names to join my team, I finally found one person who is active and joined my team, lol
You can find UP teammates in the Jawbone UP Bracelet group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/13420-jawbone-up-bracelet0
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