Fitbit or Polar are they worth the money?

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TMFP1
TMFP1 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I received and email from work about discounted and free Fitbits, I really never looked at these as I have a pedometer on my phone, but through work I can get the Zip Fitbit for free and the Charge HR for good discount. This got me thinking and looking and searching then I found the Polar A300 or possibly the M400.

I am looking for advice, and if they are really worth the money, since I have a Pedometer on my phone already. I won't be able to wear them all the time at work for safety reasons, but looking for motivation. I have as of late lost some and the winter time is hard for me to motivate myself to work out.

My workout consists of elliptical for 20-30 minutes and weight lifting, I also walk a lot for my job as well. Thought I would throw that out there if it others know what I am looking for in a tracker

So, I guess the questions are a)are either worth the money, especially since I won't be able to have them on all the time. b)If worth the money Fitbit vs polar? Looking primarily at accuracy but, if the Fitbit is close with out the strap that would be great!

Thanks for your time and input.
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Replies

  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
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    i can just speak generically that i love my tracker (garmin vivosmart). it helps with sleep, steps, i can create workouts, it syncs with mfp so i know how much to eat.
  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I definitely think mine was worth the money, but whether you think it's worth it is very individual - both in regards to whether you'll find the device useful and how much money you're happy to spend. I mean, I wouldn't think twice about buying a dress I liked for £20, whereas I have friends that would balk at the idea of spending £20 on something non-essential. So £80 on a Fitbit One was, for me, not that huge a deal, whereas some of my friends wouldn't even consider it because it would be too much money. So whether it's worth the money depends on how much money is worth to you.

    I definitely find it motivating. I don't keep my phone on my all day every day, so would never use a phone pedometer. Wouldn't you be able to keep a Fitbit Zip or Fitbit One strapped to your bra during work?

    The HR monitors are good for steady state cardio, but don't really give an accurate idea of what you're burning for the whole day. The non-HR ones are better for that. The Fitbit One has been shown to be consistently the most accurate out of a number of different trackers and phone apps in the studies I've seen.
  • SeanNJ
    SeanNJ Posts: 153 Member
    edited September 2015
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    DemoraFairy wrote: »
    The HR monitors are good for steady state cardio, but don't really give an accurate idea of what you're burning for the whole day.

    This. I have a Polar FT60, and cardio workouts are the only time I use it. If OP is looking for something to use for the entire day, the HRM ain't it.

  • lucyleigh4
    lucyleigh4 Posts: 33 Member
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    I love my Charge HR. You have to tell it when you are starting/stopping a workout, but I still love it. That isn't a problem for me. It also syncs with MFP, which I like.
  • Viylette
    Viylette Posts: 18 Member
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    I love my Fitbit Charge HR. The only time it is off of me is when I am showering or it is charging. It really helps me stay on track and keep up my healthy lifestyle.
  • fish2find
    fish2find Posts: 221 Member
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    I do think they are worth the money, I understand folks get into a routine a quit using them. The snap shot it gives you for the time you do use it is a real eye opener. (For Many) If just for 6 months along with a app like this one and you may be very surprised at what you find.
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
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    In both cases, they're worth the money *IF* you make them worth it. Both will deliver what they promise and provide you with information about your activity level. Having used FitBits, HRMs, and even pedometers in my phone, I find FitBits are more useful. That's because you clip them to your belt, put them in a pocket, or even put it inside your clothes and simply leave it there. I hardly knew it was there. That meant it was easy to have on my person for a whole day, whereas my phone often finds its way onto my desk or my kitchen table, meaning its pedometer is stationary while I'm walking around and doing things at home.

    The reason I don't find HRMs as useful is that, while they're more accurate in measuring calories burned, they are obviously present (in my mind), so when I used them, it was only for my workouts.
  • Timelordlady85
    Timelordlady85 Posts: 797 Member
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    I love my fitbit charge, it really motivates me to move more and I like getting a notification when I reach my step goal. The fitbit challenges are a nice way to be social while keeping fit too.
  • Domineer
    Domineer Posts: 239 Member
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    The FitBit ChargeHR set me back $150 but I use it religiously. I average slightly under 13k steps a day, up 5k steps from when I used my phone's pedometer. It has encouraged me to move more. It accurately counts calories from when you are moving and not moving. You are less likely to take it off, as with the phone you can easily put it down and forget to carry it for logging. It is well worth the investment. I track my sleep and realize I struggle with getting the daily recommended sleep. This fitbit has helped me to start correcting that. Graphs talk to me. I also enjoy the weekly report and the challenges with friends for step accomplishments. The MFP syncing is great, but not perfect, as it sometimes takes a while for it to sync to give you that accurate picture before consuming your favorite cheat meal or snack.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    I think it's a waste of money. There is nothing it does that I can't get from an app. I don't need it to motivate me because I'm plenty motivated on my own...and if I weren't, I wouldn't listen to it, anyway.

    But I'm not really into techy stuff. If you're into that kind of thing and think it's fun or you want reminders to get up and do something, it's a great idea. :)

    Different strokes!



  • TMFP1
    TMFP1 Posts: 4 Member
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    Thanks for the responses and input. I believe I will go with Fitbit.
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,493 Member
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    My fitbit charge was worth every penny to me. It was the catalyst for losing 40 pounds in 6 months. 18 more to go!
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Zip that I use strictly as a pedometer. It encourages me to walk more because I am friends with a few people who throw out walking challenges and my steps are posted online for all to see. I'm parking at the far end of parking lots and have joined a cheap gym that I pass once a week just to use a treadmill for an hour . . .
  • UnicornInTheMaking17
    UnicornInTheMaking17 Posts: 24 Member
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    I love my Fitbit charge HR! It has made this journey even more fun for me. Motivation can come and go, at first MFP and MapMyFitness were enough to keep me motivated and give me enough to work with to keep on track. After about 40 lbs though it seemed like I needed something to get me excited again. Fitbit was it for me! I love the detailed charts, it seems fairly accurate, and between the apps and the fitbit I have an extremely detailed log of my fitness. I don't regret it at all!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Does using the pedometer on your phone run your battery down? A friend who used it had that problem. The Zip is a great device. Very similar to my Fitbit One but it doesn't track sleep (a feature I don't use) or flights of stares. And it can attach to you constantly, meaning you can put your phone down. :)

    If its free, why not try it out?
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
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    I love my fitbit charge, it is really useful and helps me keep track of my daily burn or basically my CICO comparison so I know how much I can eat and when. I also find it light years more accurate then my phone pedometer was. Honestly if fitbits calorie counting database was as good as MFP's I would never even use MFP anymore.
  • biggsterjackster
    biggsterjackster Posts: 419 Member
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    My fitbit surge is great.
  • LadyMcClure
    LadyMcClure Posts: 42 Member
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    I have the Fitbit Charge HR and my hubby has the Fitbit Surge. We love them. I actually didn't even buy my Fitbit (or join MFP) until I had already lost 25 lbs - the Fitbit is my motivation to lose the last little bit and get my BMI and body fat percentage down to where I want it. If you have the means, the Fitbit Aria scale is nice too. Lots of scales will give you your body fat percentage but this one links to your Fitbit account and you can see trends over time without having to log it yourself in a notebook or spreadsheet.
  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
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    My Fitbit Charge HR has made the difference in me being successful this time around. I have a hard time resting at night if I don't have all those green lines telling me I have met my goals. I will get my 10,000 steps, but then I need just a bit more to reach 5 miles, so I keep going, then I need just a bit more to reach 12,000 steps, then just a few more minutes to reach another goal!

    I started out just struggling to get the 10,000 steps, but now I average 13K on a slow day.

    I find the calorie burn to be pretty accurate too . I am eating back 1/2 of my exercise calories from fitbit and I have been steadily losing 2 lbs a week.
  • Speckle38
    Speckle38 Posts: 53 Member
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    I wouldn't get one for your wrist if you can't wear it all day at work. Get the free Fitbit Zip and see how you like it.

    I've been using a Polar HRM for about 15 years or cardio exercise only, so it pre-dates the types that you're looking at. I recently got a Fitbit Flex and the real benefit of the Fitbit is the constant tracking and seeing immediately how active/inactive I've been. One of the girls in my office is upgrading to the Charge HR after using the Flex for about 4 months, but we generally don't have any restrictions on what we can wear to work.

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