Should I get a fitbit?

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Replies

  • cassieknights951
    cassieknights951 Posts: 48 Member
    I have the Fitbit flex and find it very motivating. Some friends also have one so we complete challenges for most steps etc and helps keep me going. I have it synced with MFP so all calories burned then get added into my daily allowance
    One week In and I've lost 3.6Ib
  • afackler26
    afackler26 Posts: 3 Member
    I just got the jawbone up2. It's less expensive than the fit bit. I love it. It tracks so much and I can set it to give me reminders to keep moving and it sends me encouraging motivation. It also tracks my sleep patterns so I can improve on my sleep. It has really kept me motivated and it also will sink with my fitness pal.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    srecupid wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    Wow, I'm surprised at the number of people with negative things to say. It seems like the majority of fit bit posts on MPF are unanimously positive.

    I'm a hater, myself. My motivation is internal and I resent anyone or anything trying to modify my behavior. So for me personally, I wouldn't use it. If someone gave one to me, I still wouldn't use it.

    But many people on MFP seem to like them.

    You are inclined to like expensive purchases even if they are junk. Mine broke after a few months sent it back for a full refund and don't miss it. Sure it might make me take an extra lap or something but, I don't really think that's worth the price. The right song coming on right as i'm finishing up is about the same motivation. And I don't trust the numbers enough to have it be deducted from mfp. I guess it's extra info at your disposal but, i'm in information overload right now anyway

    Yeah, you are financially vested in liking something you paid more for. I've never considered confirmation bias as a huge factor in the fit bit phenomenon, bit it totally makes sense.

    Except they are only like $50, that doesn't mean anything to me, I can blow that on dinner. The fitbit numbers, even the non HR versions, seem to be very reliable. It shows you how much your TDEE can vary from day to day, and that kind of information is invaluable to me.

    IMO they are totally worth the small amount of money.
  • pollypocket1021
    pollypocket1021 Posts: 533 Member
    jeepinshawn wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    srecupid wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    Wow, I'm surprised at the number of people with negative things to say. It seems like the majority of fit bit posts on MPF are unanimously positive.

    I'm a hater, myself. My motivation is internal and I resent anyone or anything trying to modify my behavior. So for me personally, I wouldn't use it. If someone gave one to me, I still wouldn't use it.

    But many people on MFP seem to like them.

    You are inclined to like expensive purchases even if they are junk. Mine broke after a few months sent it back for a full refund and don't miss it. Sure it might make me take an extra lap or something but, I don't really think that's worth the price. The right song coming on right as i'm finishing up is about the same motivation. And I don't trust the numbers enough to have it be deducted from mfp. I guess it's extra info at your disposal but, i'm in information overload right now anyway

    Yeah, you are financially vested in liking something you paid more for. I've never considered confirmation bias as a huge factor in the fit bit phenomenon, bit it totally makes sense.

    Except they are only like $50, that doesn't mean anything to me, I can blow that on dinner. The fitbit numbers, even the non HR versions, seem to be very reliable. It shows you how much your TDEE can vary from day to day, and that kind of information is invaluable to me.

    IMO they are totally worth the small amount of money.

    I think most people consider $50 a substantial amount of money. Any purchase over $20 my husband and I discuss and honestly generally forgo.
  • pamfin
    pamfin Posts: 169 Member
    I got a Charge HR for christmas and love it so far. I generally love tech type things and the fact that it generates reports is a big bonus for me. I do love a chart!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    srecupid wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    Wow, I'm surprised at the number of people with negative things to say. It seems like the majority of fit bit posts on MPF are unanimously positive.

    I'm a hater, myself. My motivation is internal and I resent anyone or anything trying to modify my behavior. So for me personally, I wouldn't use it. If someone gave one to me, I still wouldn't use it.

    But many people on MFP seem to like them.

    You are inclined to like expensive purchases even if they are junk. Mine broke after a few months sent it back for a full refund and don't miss it. Sure it might make me take an extra lap or something but, I don't really think that's worth the price. The right song coming on right as i'm finishing up is about the same motivation. And I don't trust the numbers enough to have it be deducted from mfp. I guess it's extra info at your disposal but, i'm in information overload right now anyway

    Yeah, you are financially vested in liking something you paid more for. I've never considered confirmation bias as a huge factor in the fit bit phenomenon, bit it totally makes sense.

    I bought my charge from REI, so if I didn't like it, I could have returned it. I resisted for a long time, because I didn't think something so seemingly simple would make a difference. Well, I was wrong. It's accurate enough for me and provides me with information in a manner that is highly motivational. To each their own, but while the cost certainly made me hesitate, I could have gotten back that $100+ if I didn't like my fitbit.
  • laropmet
    laropmet Posts: 52 Member
    There are a lot of posts on here bashing the fitbit purely because it's expensive. Yes it's costly but if it does the job and gets you moving then it's worth it. Whether it works for an individual person is based solely on what motivates that person. I have an active job and i'm ridiculously lazy on days off. I use my fitbit to remind me to keep moving. On the app I have an elderly lady who walks. If i have too many lazy days she overtakes my step count and it's a huge kick up the backside. On my very active days I climb up the rankings and sit among the male runners which is a bit of a confidence boost. The fitbit is what you make of it. If you need the motivation and like the numbers then use it but it's not a miracle tool. You are never going to lose weight just by wearing it.
  • ki4eld
    ki4eld Posts: 1,213 Member
    I have a Charge HR. Hubby and I gave each other one for Yule. I'm a data junky, so all the data points are wonderful. I will do almost anything to see all of those bars green at the end of the day. The "over/under" graph for calories is also a real eye-opener. Very motivating.

    I've found it to be accurate for the way I live my life. The steps it gives me that I didn't take are balanced by the ones I took that it didn't credit. For 2 weeks, I wore 2 other pedometers to check for accuracy and the HR was accurate on balance at the end of each day.

    Check Amazon. On the Fitbit site, the HR is $150. We got ours on Amazon for $120.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    jeepinshawn wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    srecupid wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    Wow, I'm surprised at the number of people with negative things to say. It seems like the majority of fit bit posts on MPF are unanimously positive.

    I'm a hater, myself. My motivation is internal and I resent anyone or anything trying to modify my behavior. So for me personally, I wouldn't use it. If someone gave one to me, I still wouldn't use it.

    But many people on MFP seem to like them.

    You are inclined to like expensive purchases even if they are junk. Mine broke after a few months sent it back for a full refund and don't miss it. Sure it might make me take an extra lap or something but, I don't really think that's worth the price. The right song coming on right as i'm finishing up is about the same motivation. And I don't trust the numbers enough to have it be deducted from mfp. I guess it's extra info at your disposal but, i'm in information overload right now anyway

    Yeah, you are financially vested in liking something you paid more for. I've never considered confirmation bias as a huge factor in the fit bit phenomenon, bit it totally makes sense.

    Except they are only like $50, that doesn't mean anything to me, I can blow that on dinner. The fitbit numbers, even the non HR versions, seem to be very reliable. It shows you how much your TDEE can vary from day to day, and that kind of information is invaluable to me.

    IMO they are totally worth the small amount of money.

    Which one is $50?. Certainly the cheaper models that only count steps dont do a very good job calculating calories burned. All steps are not created equal. And even the HR can't be 100% accurate. I'd rather eat my baseline and then adjust accordingly if I'm consistently hungry. Maybe when they get close to perfection I'll jump in again.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
    So @EngineerB , you've had the feedback, what did you decide?
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    edited January 2016
    You don't need one to lose weight.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited January 2016
    You shouldn't get one, but you could. It's not essential, but it could be a good tool for motivation if most of your exercise is step-based. I bought a cheap used "Zip" from Ebay and loved it, I think I managed to catch a deal for 14 dollars because it was being sold without the clip and got a clip for 4 or 5. Although I received Charge HR as a gift later, I do think the Zip is more than enough unless the price tag motivates you.

    Note: 2 years later, the Zip still works and my sister uses it.
  • EleanorLynn1989
    EleanorLynn1989 Posts: 130 Member
    I got a Fitbit Flex for Christmas and now that I've gotten used to it, I love it. I'm not comfortable with the wristband though, so I'm thinking of also getting the Zip like I had planned, and then MAYBE after that I'll get the Surge or HR. It's definitely helping me get motivated. It's encouraging to know that even the littlest thing can make such a big change. I love checking my Fitbit stuff and realizing how much walking can help me, so I'm not sitting around on my buns all day, even if it's just walking around the house, which is what I've mostly been doing, especially in this weather. haha
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    It helps me because having more data, and seeing those numbers on black and white, tends to help keep me motivated.
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