Is the fit bit or other devices worth the cost?

I am also currently looking into which activity tracker I want to get. Do you want something that you'd wear all day long or just for your workout? I used to have a Polar tracker (I can't remember which model it was), but I really liked it and I did what I needed it to do. They are cheaper then a Fitbit, etc. But less high tech.

I'm sure others will be able to help you more. Good luck!

I don't have any of those. Runkeeper does an excellent job tracking my runs...time, distance, pace, calories, etc. ...and costs me nothing.

I have also downloaded various free apps to my phone...pacer and google fit... to get a general idea of how many steps I take and calories I burn a day. They probably aren't quite as accurate as these things you pay a lot of money for, but they are free and I don't have to carry or wear anything extra.

That being said, if you think having all that data and a new toy will motivate you, it might be worthwhile. It can't do any harm.

Hi Julie, yes I wear a fitbit charge. I bought mine (it is the small) and it was just under 130.00 on Amazon. The other size is something like 10.00 to 15.00 dollars more..

I was using another tracker before I got this one. I do not have an iphone so I use the desktop dashboard (sit behind a computer all day) and love love it..

It does everything I need it to,it tracks steps, floors, calories in and calories out, daily, weekly deficit, sleep, and create reports from your data, it has alarms you can setup to get your butt in gear or get out of bed (LOL) and it has a stop watch that will record your workouts and put it on your dashboard for you, and it interfaces with MFP and even has caller ID for your phone, etc..

I hope this gives you background...

editorgrrl wrote: »

Right now, the sync between Jawbone & MFP is broken: https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1983451--jawbone-syncing-issues-

I have a Jawbone UP24 and a Fitbit Charge (I recently upgraded from the Fitbit Flex), and Fitbit's customer service is a million times better than Jawbone's. So I say get a Fitbit.

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

I currently use an UP24 but a lot of my collegues use the firtbit charge. I prefer the UP as it gives me more "targeted" information, but both are in my opinion good devices although I have to agree with the post above.

They are only as good as the person using them. If you use all the functions then they are worth the money. If you need a network around you, check with your friends and co-workers as to what they use.

I had a BodyMedia band and really liked it - I also felt it was very accurate but it was weird wearing it around my upper arm and people would ask what it was, etc. I now have a FitBit Charge and there are pro's and con's with it. Pro - it has a user friendly interface. You can add "friends" and you can add accountability by doing step challenges with your friends. These are the main reasons I enjoy it - motivation and awareness. Con's - it is not the most accurate. One night I was blow drying my (long, thick) hair and I run my fingers through and brush it out while I am blow drying and it counted like an extra 500 steps. CRAZY! I just remind myself that it is not 100% accurate but still gives me an idea of how many steps I am taking and calories burnt. I also do not like that I cannot wear it swimming, etc and that the data for when you are biking and things of that nature are very inaccurate. I am a numbers geek so I really enjoy comparing calories in to calories out and all of the data. I still use my Polar ft7 heart rate monitor when I work out to get a very accurate number of calories burnt during working out and I can monitor my heart rate

i have the fitbit zip. it was around 80 at meijer, they do sales on them most weekends. it tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and active minutes. no sleep tracking.

I have a Fitbit Surge which is quite large for most people. I would recommend that or the Charge HR. As far as extra steps are concerned, I don't have too many problems with extra steps...I can even wave my hand around and not get extra steps!

That being said, you can "negate" steps on the dash board by simply adding the activity "Driving" and any steps in the specified time period will simply zero out! I utilize this function a LOT because I drive my motorcycle a lot and it counts about 500-700 extra steps by the time I get home.

A group of us at work (RNs at the VA in Pittsburgh) bought the fit bit charges. At first I didn't think I would follow through, but after three weeks I've lost five pounds just watching what I eat and trying to walk 5,000 steps at work. I'm beginning to feel the competitive spirit, however, as some of my co-workers are doing 10,000 and up steps a day and having this fit bit keeps me honest and gives me motivation. I've tried other trackers before, but this one with the support of other staff has really helped! I wear it all the time, and I was surprised at just how badly I sleep.

MoiAussi93 wrote: »

I don't have any of those. [...] That being said, if you think having all that data and a new toy will motivate you, it might be worthwhile. It can't do any harm.

Agree with the above but I would prefer to call fitness trackers a tool. not a toy - it's all on how you approach using them.

I don't have a wear-everywhere tracker. Google Fit, a free app on every Android device, is enough to motivate me. When it came out I soon grew addicted to being sure I filled out my daily quotient of activity. That's all I needed from an "activity" tracker and as my phone is generally always on me, I'd no need to spend more.

Last fall I'd installed Strava, a free version - available on web / Android / iPhone - on my Nexus smart phone and I'm so glad I did. It covers all my running and cycling history, the only things I really care to track in more detail. Google Fit takes the data from Strava into account so it isn't duplicated so now I've got running, cycling, and general movement all covered, for free. Strava updates to MFP, too.

That all said I also own a Garmin running/cycling watch (you can see where I'm going with my own personal preferences) that includes integration with a chest-strap heart rate monitor. I added the Forerunner much later down the line and only after I decided to step up my running training several notches. I was otherwise doing fine with the phone in a small waist pack (SPI Belt) but had killed the screen with accumulated sweat and rain over many runs. Decided a running watch in addition to the other benefits would be cheaper than repairing or replacing cell phones several times a year and is a whole lot more convenient than putting a cell phone in a zip-lock bag each run. Most often I leave the phone behind now except for very long runs.

Phones are not waterproof or even water resistant. Some fitness trackers are water resistant, not waterproof, and some you can wear in the pool.

Hi Julianne! I have a Fitbit One and it has made such a big difference for me. It tracks my steps and syncs with MFP, adjusting my daily calorie goal as needed based on my activity level. Plus, it gives me encouragement throughout the day (it's totally cheesy, but I love to see that vine picture grow). And, since I'm my own worst competition, I challenge myself each day to get a few more steps in than I did the day before.

Love my Fitbit Flex. $99 at Costco. I'm very motivated to get my daily 10,000 steps. Heck, I'll march or jog in place just to accomplish that before I go to bed.
Only drawback is it isn't meant to go in a pool and I swim 3xs a week. But, I just log that activity here on MFP. My daily activity has improved greatly since I began wearing my Fitbit in early March.

I have a Vivofit and love it. I can wear it all the time (swimming, in the shower, etc). The battery lasts about a year. I've worn it since I bought in January and find it helpful to remind me to keep moving.

I tried the Vivofit and sent it back because it gave me an inactivity warning when I was on my way out of a grocery store where I had just spent 45 minutes walking around pushing a shopping cart. It hadn't recorded a single one of those steps because I wasn't moving my wrist.

I tried the Polar Loop and sent it back because it recorded steps at times when I was typing or driving.

I tried the Fitbit Surge and sent it back because it is HUGE and it's so rigid that it was leaving bruises on my wrist.

I will probably send the Up3 back because Jawbone has not lived up to any of its promises and says they will turn on features in some amorphous future update which may or may not happen. It took them 6 months to ship the preorders past the date when they said they would, so I expect them to take at least that long to finish the freaking software for this beta piece of tripe.

rachael00679 wrote: »

I bought a Fitbit flex. I wore it for a couple of weeks and now I don't bother. It's ugly. I can't wear it to bed as I find it uncomfortable. I find generally it the novelty of it wore off pretty quickly....and that is what it is, a novelty. If your a gadget person then you might like it. I find my activity levels are consistent during the week and rarely change. My organised exercise is steadily increasing, which is what I aim for (except the last week because iv been unwell). Whether or not I wear a device plays no bearing on whether or not I will get out there and do what I set out to achieve.

That's too bad. I love my flex, I don't even notice it anymore, and when I don't want people to see it, I just take out the tracker and put it in my pocket- keeps working the same way! It's not really a novelty to me, it's helped me steadily increase my movement and lose 15 pounds over the past year.