Considering a FitBit, couple of Q's?

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Replies

  • Versacam
    Versacam Posts: 109 Member
    WBB55 wrote: »
    Versacam wrote: »
    Okay, thanks for the advice everyone.. I guess as I hardly ever just go for a stroll then I may be better using the HRM for the actual exercise I do.

    Ah, but the thing is it tracks ALL of your little activities. At least the One does for me. I may not do any formal exercise in a day, but one day might be 1750 calories burned and another might be 2150 calories burned. No exercise to track. Just I popped in for groceries, cleaned the house, stood around doing dishes, etc. With the FitBit I have, it keeps track of ALL THAT and helps me see the patterns of activity. Until you track it, I'm not too sure you realize how much all those little things add up. For me they typically add up to more than any formal exercise does in my daily burns.

    YMMV.

    Yes, this is what I wanted it for, but I'm confused, sorry! So if I get one, won't it be inaccurate due to me waving my arms about a lot during the day?

    I don't mind buying a more expensive one with the HRM.. I just want something that adds up all those little extra's like you said, and also if I walk around the shops etc, so I get a good estimated burn.
  • Versacam
    Versacam Posts: 109 Member
    I just noticed you said you have the FitBit "One".. which clips to your body.

    How does it know how active you have been and a calorie burn without the HRM part?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Versacam wrote: »
    So if I get one, won't it be inaccurate due to me waving my arms about a lot during the day?

    I use my hands a lot, and my Flex & Chrage HR burns are accurate. I lost the weight—and kept it off.

    The only way to gauge the accuracy is to trust your Fitbit for several weeks, then reevaluate your progress.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    edited August 2015
    Versacam wrote: »
    So if I get one, won't it be inaccurate due to me waving my arms about a lot during the day?
    You can play around with the arm settings and see what works best. If I keep my ChargeHR on my right hand and not the left, it'll pick up steps from me twisting my hand back and forth.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Versacam wrote: »
    I just noticed you said you have the FitBit "One".. which clips to your body.

    How does it know how active you have been and a calorie burn without the HRM part?

    I hope this doesn't sound snarky, but because they have averages and algorithms to help the fitbit figure out if I'm walking, running, standing, sitting, etc. and then it applies the data it has according to my recorded age, height, gender and weight. Those activities fit a certain pattern in the accelerometer logs they have in their database. It doesn't track my HR, but it DOES know that walking at 3mph burns about x number of calories. Or standing burns y number of calories. Or walking up stairs burns z number of calories. If I walked up stairs for 15 minutes and stood for 30 minutes and walked @ 3mph for 15 minutes, it spits out a result for that hour of "activity."

    The only things I add to my One is biking and swimming. I let it track everything else and it seems to do a good job +/- 70 calories or so vs. my weight tracking and intake data.
  • ewoksrule3
    ewoksrule3 Posts: 230 Member
    I have the fitbit Charge HR and mostly do a desk job at work. I'd say it only "accidentally" adds 10-50 steps a day from my typing and hand motions, so I don't think that should be too much of a concern unless you tend to violently yank your arm up and down repeatedly. I love mine. It helps a lot to have an overall idea of how many calories you're burning throughout the day so you can tailor your eating to match. Just using the numbers I'm given from a calculator, I would never know that I tend to be much less active and therefore burn less calories when I'm home on the weekends than I do during the week - even though I work mostly a desk job! It uses your heart rate, age, weight, and movement to determine your calorie burn, and seems to be pretty accurate for me, given how much it says I'm burning, what I'm eating, and the amount of weight I'm losing. They are a smidge expensive, but if it helps me actually get healthy and lose weight, I think it's worth it! I agree with others on driving. It does accumulate steps while driving sometimes, especially on bumpy roads. I just look at it more as I'm trying to increase activity from my baseline, so if my driving is every day, it will be a part of the normal baseline. But, like other people have said, there are ways to get around it if you want to.
  • Versacam
    Versacam Posts: 109 Member
    edited August 2015
    Not snarky at all, thanks for explaining.

    I appreciate all of the replies.. I'm still not sure whether to get one, I guess I could always return it if I'm unhappy with it. I'd just love to see my daily burn change and I really do think it would motivate me to be more active. I also hate having to wear the chest strap as I have to put "lube" on it to keep it moist, therefore my bra/chest is wet too, and if I'm out for the day then I just wouldn't bother.

    I'm now not sure whether to get the "One", due to my arm movements in the day, or to get the Charge, as I like the HRM aspect of it.

    Thanks again!

  • Pawsforme
    Pawsforme Posts: 645 Member
    DonziGirl wrote: »
    Also consider the vehicle you drive and the roads you drive on. I have the One that clips on but ended up not wearing it. I live in the country where we have a lot of bumpy roads. Making the matter worse is if I ride in my husband's 1 ton truck. My FitBit said I was SUPER active but in reality I didn't even meet my step goal.

    LOL -- Reminds me of last week when I was mowing (on a riding lawn mower). The yard is sloped and bumpy. I didn't take my Fitbit off before I started, but I checked my stats. When I was through it said I'd walked 3400 steps and climbed 23 flights of stairs. This week I took it off before I got on the John Deere!
  • mihalich1978
    mihalich1978 Posts: 1 Member
    Having ms band for a week and very happy with accuracy, sensors, etc.- still trying to cheat it somehow but no way. Correctly handles body movements, driving, sleeping. A bit inaccurate sometimes (lower than actual readings for me) on hr, but it was not unexpected from wrist monitor anyways.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Versacam wrote: »
    I'm now not sure whether to get the "One", due to my arm movements in the day, or to get the Charge, as I like the HRM aspect of it.

    You probably know this, but the Charge does not have a heart rate monitor. (Also, it has a clasp rather a buckle.) You mean the Charge HR.

    Here's a comparison of all the models: https://www.fitbit.com/compare
  • Versacam
    Versacam Posts: 109 Member
    Ah yes, sorry, you're right.. the Charge HR.

    Maybe I just need to take the plunge and get one! :)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,394 Member
    I would actually consider the ZIP.

    More accurate step count than wrist based ones.

    HRM is NOT needed to calculate TDEE based on Step based activities.

    HRM is NOT CORRECT way to calculate TDEE for non-steady state aerobic activities. So calculating your weight training or calisthenics based on HRM is as, or more, inaccurate than looking up the values for those exercises in a book (or the Fitbit database which is what I would do instead ;-)

    So... that pretty much only leaves cycling as an activity that the HRM based Fitbit would excel at relative to the ZIP.
    But cycling is also well understood in terms of evaluating your burn based on time and speed and your TDEE for that time period can be evaluated even better by apps such as Strava and entered into your Fitbit account if you use something like a Zip.

    Floors count for your own motivation but are not factored into your TDEE

    Sleep is marginally useful (not really useful) and offers minimal insights if you already know what time you head to bed.

    HR is version 1; but works fairly OK (just doesn't hit the highs and lows as fast as other HRs, and has issues with excess sweat).

    GPS on the surge is also version 1 and can stand improvement compared to more mature GPS watches.

    All in all, knowing what I know now, I would probably pick up a zip if my charge HR broke. Though to be honest if I was buying one for the first time I would still get the Charge HR and then read back the advice and say I should have listened to it :smiley:

    So buy from somewhere where you can return with impunity.
  • Versacam
    Versacam Posts: 109 Member
    Okay, I'm getting the Zip.. it's cheaper and I will mostly use it on days out walking etc.. and use my Polar HRM for other exercise (cycling etc)..

    Will I be okay wearing it for a day here and there, or should I wear it every day?

    It's mostly for days out where I don't want to wear my HRM, but I know I'll be walking a lot and want a rough calorie burn..
  • Versacam
    Versacam Posts: 109 Member
    Thanks Pav, that was a good summary and was very useful for me! You should work for FitBit :)
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Versacam wrote: »
    Okay, I'm getting the Zip.. it's cheaper and I will mostly use it on days out walking etc.. and use my Polar HRM for other exercise (cycling etc)..

    Will I be okay wearing it for a day here and there, or should I wear it every day?

    It's mostly for days out where I don't want to wear my HRM, but I know I'll be walking a lot and want a rough calorie burn.

    Fitbits calculate your TDEE. No need to wear a Zip at night, as it doesn't track sleep. But wear it all day, every day.

    Do not log any step-based activity—your Fitbit will track it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit or in MFP—never both. Exercise logged in MFP (for example, your HRM burns) overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time, so there's never any "double dipping."

    Does your HRM sync with Fitbit? That way your HRM sends your burn to Fitbit, Fitbit sends your TDEE to MFP, and MFP adjusts your calories for you: https://www.fitbit.com/compatibleapps
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I'd recommend wearing the Zip every day. Every day is a chance to be more active and motivated to move. The FitBit EXCELS at tracking incidental steps and activity you do day-to-day that's hard to quantify. Just doing house chores burns makes you more active than sedentary. Track it. Learn your habits. Learn how you can be more active every day to burn calories every day (not just via set exercises, but just by living a more active life).

    Just my recommendation.
  • Versacam
    Versacam Posts: 109 Member
    My sleep is okay, plus I'd hate wearing anything at night, so no need for that function for me..

    Okay, so just wear it in the day and let it sync, but keep adding in my gym and mountain bike sessions with my HRM.. The Polar doesn't sync with MFP, I have to enter it manually.

    Great info everyone, you've all been really helpful! :)
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
    I love my Zip. You wear it on your body rather than on your wrist, so it only captures steps and not arm movements.