Fitbit: Useful?

I *love* mine. I had heart surgery in May. Prior to that, if I got in 2000 steps in a day I was doing well. Now that my heart is getting all of the oxygen/nutrients it needs, even on days I don't formally "work" out, I average between 5000 and 6000 steps. I've had the Zip for about a year now, and want to upgrade to one with a HR monitor, because while i can check my HR on machines at the gym, the weather is cooler now and I want to get outside, but I do need to watch that my HR doesn't go above about 140 bpm to protect the by-pass grafts. If I was not watching my HR at the gym though, I would have no idea that now I need to speed up on the treadmill and add an incline to even get my HR over 100! So monitoring your HR and activity is great for measuring your progress, and knowing when you really need to step it up to maintain the same level of cardiac intensity.

I also want to upgrade to monitor my sleep. Poor sleep = elevated cortisol, which has both blood glucose control implications (I'm diabetic) and weight control implications.

I got a Charge HR about a month ago.

It hasn't made any difference to the steps I take, just confirmed what I already knew...that I move a lot for someone with 2 desk jobs.

I'm more interested in heart rate and sleep that are measured on it. I am a really light sleeper and never sleep through the night. I've been taking ZMA the last couple of weeks and can see from the Fitbit that my deep sleep has improved and I spend less time in REM mode.

I enjoy the heart rate too. I've been able to notice that my heart has to work harder to put me into certain zones as I get used to a workout. I also found from the Fitbit that on high resistance days I burn way more calories than on cardio days.

So I like it but after a month the novelty factors are gone and its probably not going to teach me much else. I'm doing some of the "challenges" to keep me interested but as I said it doesn't really motivate me to move more. I move where I can. The thing is though when I move I swing my arms a lot now to get that heart rate up.

The Fitbit is giving me an additional load of calories each day!

I'm going to give mine to my partner as he is not very active. I think its very useful for someone who needs a push or thinks they are fitter than they really are. For what it is its cheap enough and there's no chest strap for the HRM. I prefer my Garmin Forerunner though.

I have the Charge HR and I love it. I've had it since June I think, of this year, and it does still motivate me (when I allow it to). It does give me more calories, but considering I can be a lot more active than my activity setting on MFP (low because I'm not always) that's a good thing. I don't do the challenges, but just keep it for myself - at least at the moment. It's still a worthy investment to me, and if mine broke and I couldn't get it replaced for free due to warranty, I'd buy a new one.

I love the app too, and that it tracks sleep (even if not 100% accurately, it gives me a good idea of what's going on) and BPM, which I'm trying to lower.

So if you can afford it, I'd say go for it. Since it's also used as a watch, even if you do end up forgetting about it - you forget about it when you're wearing it, and chances are, it won't be another gadget in a drawer somewhere, never to be used.

I got a fitbit on Halloween and I love it.

I'm.already very active but know that some days I can be more active than others. I set my goal steps for 19,000 and challenge myself.to meet it every day, where some days I would.normally.only hit 7-10k if work is particularly desk-based as it varies.

Hitting more goals,.knowing where my workouts are taking my.heart rate,and tracking sleep.eith the charge HR has been really.useful for a data-geek like me and has.been extremely motivating. Im.just working toward my.next badge.

Oh, how I love mine!! I have had it for over a year now and would definitely go out and buy a new one if this one broke. I feel like it keeps me motivated, I do competitions with friends (but only people I know...) We push each other to do more etc. I don't generally eat back fitbit calories (When I woke up this morning and logged into MFP it had already given me 587 extra calories having walked from bedroom to dining room....) Unless I do a really long walk...
Either way, it is motivating and forces you not to be lazy!

flippy1234 wrote: »

I have the Fitbit Zip and love it. Tells me just what I need to know and no more. My husband has the Charge and wears it every day. The best thing for me is that it tells me how lazy I am sometimes. Then I feel guilty so I get up and go.

the bit in bold. I have a zip. cheap, discreet (I just clip it onto my bra) and easy to sync with my phone. I know I'm not that active during the day, so seeing low steps makes me go out for a walk. I don't pay attention to the calorie burn, but do use it to record an approximate mileage (I've never calibrated my steps, so only count anything over a mile)

I love my Charge HR. It gives me a better idea on what I'm actually burning. (I ride to work 20 min each way. MapMyRide and MFP tell me I should be burning between 300-400 calories on that ride. I average 185. It gives me a better estimate for my TDEE

I don't have a fit bit- I have a suunto but it does same thing just more geared towards running. It's like my baby. I have to have it with me. And then I geek out over all the run data I upload. It's an obsession.