I have the Polar FT4. I used it for about a year during workouts and found that the online calculators and my fitbit/bodymedia were darn close. So I stopped wearing it. I did like it. Easy to use and will keep you motivated to get the burn you want if you are not there yet.

I found very little difference between my HR numbers from my Polar blue tooth chest strap with my iphone and Polar's app and the HR numbers from my Charge HR.

Also wearing the strap to get an all day burn no. ran down my phone's battery. Fitbit is soooo much easier. I don't bike nor swim enough to worry about any inaccuracy in the Fitbit's guestimates for those.

Have you tried the ideas in the FAQ for getting the Fitbit to be more accurate for you? Step adjustments, how you wear the Fitbit etc?

It does have a strap. And I didn't wear it all day. Just while exercising. They are all so similar in their numbers that it's really a personal preference. I think when I started focusing on non exercise energy expenditure it helped overall. Just being more active. But it's really up to you what you're looking for and why YOU want it.

ambsnic17 wrote: »

@retirehappy -where would I find the FAQ? Is it a thread I have to search or stickie somewhere?
I don't feel the Fitbit is accurate with my workout though. I want something that will give me a calorie burn per workout. I do more than walking and I feel that's all a Fitbit is good for.

It is a stickie for this group.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/926789/protein-sources

Yes - Zip is not going to be great except for walking and running. And some other step-based workouts.

Which with a manually corrected stride-length - I've been surprised just how dead on mine is for the distance - and therefore the calorie count too - compared to a much more accurate formula based on VO2max test.

But any HRM is not going to be good estimate either if your workouts are interval in nature (by big changes in HR) even if cardio, or lifting which is anaerobic.

So if lifting and intervals is your big workouts you want to log - forget HRM if that is sole purpose of it.
If guessing if Fitbit was not accurate with HR, it is likely because of those reasons.
Though some have accuracy issues just reading high HR for constant cardio.

And even if correct cardio usage - definitely not the cheaper Polars which use a very basic formula for calorie burn and very inaccurate compared to their better models.

But a nicer HRM with better calorie burn for purpose of better HR training also - now that could be useful, because you automatically get that with better ones.

What are the workouts you need better tracking on?
Because for some - the database entry will be better anyway.

Like if you did intense cardio for 30 min x 3 weekly = 90 min, and Fitbit saw lower HR (which would actually balance out false elevated calorie burn perhaps) and said you burned 900 calorie, compared to nicer HRM of 1000 calories - is 100 calories wrong in a week worth a new HRM?

Now - if you did 90 min x 6 weekly of alternating intense cardio routine - now you might be talking a significant difference.