Cheap mans fitbit suggestions please?!

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amandajpiper
amandajpiper Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I want a fitbit to track calories burned, heart rate, etc. The other bells and whistles are great, but, not necessary. I have 7 kids though lol so I can't drop $150 on one! :( The darn kids want to eat and stuff... Soooo, can anyone recommend a more affordable alternative to the fitbit?! Tia!

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  • chey282
    chey282 Posts: 96 Member
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    Check on Amazon they often have stuff on sale!
  • gdyment
    gdyment Posts: 299 Member
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    If money is tight I'd suggest skipping it - it's neat but not super accurate. Money better spent on some weights or a gym pass or some swimming entries, etc.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    If I use a pedometer at all, it is the old fashioned kind that jiggles to count your steps. It works fine and tells me how many calories I have burned, steps I have taken, and distance I have travelled.

    Most of what I do, water activities, dancing, or lifting doesn't respond well to Fitbit/HMR's I just take my data from MFP and extrapolate my energy expenditure - cardio averages out at 200 cal per hr for me, I am petite.

    Check out the used sports goods sites in your area, people are always upgrading and selling on. Or put a wanted ad in.

    Cheers, h.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    what exactly are the other bellls and whistle? so far what you identified is a heart rate monitor. is this specific to exercise or all day monitoring? do you mind wearing a strap or are you looking for wrist based. do you want to compete in step competitions, if so with fitbit friends or anyone? Do you even care about steps? Lots of alternatives out there but you have to narrow down what you want to pick the right one.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    amandajpiper wrote: »
    I have 7 kids though lol so I can't drop $150 on one! :( The darn kids want to eat and stuff...

    i always say, if i didnt have kids, i would have so much money!


    my friend got something like a fitbit off amazon for under $10 i think. not sure if it has the hrm or not
  • amandajpiper
    amandajpiper Posts: 22 Member
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    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    what exactly are the other bellls and whistle? so far what you identified is a heart rate monitor. is this specific to exercise or all day monitoring? do you mind wearing a strap or are you looking for wrist based. do you want to compete in step competitions, if so with fitbit friends or anyone? Do you even care about steps? Lots of alternatives out there but you have to narrow down what you want to pick the right one.

    I'd like a wrist band type to wear all day. The other bells and whistles are the sleep monitor, calorie counter, etc. I sort if want something to remind me that I've been sitting too long as well. This way when at work, I will know when's a good time to get up and move a bit. I surely want a bit more then just a heart rate monitor. But the main reason I want it is to let me know how many calories burned when physical. "Pushing a 40lb child in a stroller through the snow for 4 km's" is not an option I can chose on mfp lol
  • amandajpiper
    amandajpiper Posts: 22 Member
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    middlehaitch wrote: »
    If I use a pedometer at all, it is the old fashioned kind that jiggles to count your steps. It works fine and tells me how many calories I have burned, steps I have taken, and distance I have travelled.

    Most of what I do, water activities, dancing, or lifting doesn't respond well to Fitbit/HMR's I just take my data from MFP and extrapolate my energy expenditure - cardio averages out at 200 cal per hr for me, I am petite.

    Check out the used sports goods sites in your area, people are always upgrading and selling on. Or put a wanted ad in.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks, I've peaked on kijiji and there are quite a few fitbits up there for a realistic price. I'm thinking of maybe a flex. Any idea if this is a good one?
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    I like the misfit...its not a hrm though...but it inexpensive, easy to use and water proof.
  • karmaheart
    karmaheart Posts: 75 Member
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    amandajpiper wrote: »
    I want a fitbit to track calories burned, heart rate, etc. The other bells and whistles are great, but, not necessary. I have 7 kids though lol so I can't drop $150 on one! :( The darn kids want to eat and stuff... Soooo, can anyone recommend a more affordable alternative to the fitbit?! Tia!

    Check out the garmin vivofit. It's $49 on amazon.

  • anewme0108
    anewme0108 Posts: 1 Member
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    I don't think the flex has the heart rate monitor. But it is a good tracker for Fitbit and love that you can change bands with that tracker.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    amandajpiper wrote: »
    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    what exactly are the other bellls and whistle? so far what you identified is a heart rate monitor. is this specific to exercise or all day monitoring? do you mind wearing a strap or are you looking for wrist based. do you want to compete in step competitions, if so with fitbit friends or anyone? Do you even care about steps? Lots of alternatives out there but you have to narrow down what you want to pick the right one.

    I'd like a wrist band type to wear all day. The other bells and whistles are the sleep monitor, calorie counter, etc. I sort if want something to remind me that I've been sitting too long as well. This way when at work, I will know when's a good time to get up and move a bit. I surely want a bit more then just a heart rate monitor. But the main reason I want it is to let me know how many calories burned when physical. "Pushing a 40lb child in a stroller through the snow for 4 km's" is not an option I can chose on mfp lol

    Flex doesn't have the HR monitoring. You might also experience some issues getting credit for pushing the stroller with a wrist based (I overcome that issue by placing it in my pocket). Garmin vivofit has the get up and move bar with an option for an HR strap for heavy exercise. without hr they go for $50, HR added another $20-$30. The 2nd version goes for I believe $80-$90 but still needs a strap. HR in the wrist gets more expensive. I personally find the fitbit challenges to be better and bought a zip on eBay so that I can do the challenges in addition to using my garmin for running and my other athletic endeavors.That fitbit wont measure effort of pushing in the snow though without HR.

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