Does anyone use Fitbit?

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  • hedgiie
    hedgiie Posts: 1,245 Member
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    i got the charge hr, i love it. i helps a lot with my fitness efforts. this device renewed my enthusiasm in fitness again.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    I got a polar heart rate monitor 2 christmases ago. I wonder if it make sense to get the charge and then use both while at the gym.

    It is one of the cheaper ones?

    What's it's purpose - attempted calorie counter?

    Fitbit will be better than the Polar than for estimating calories for the RIGHT kind of workout.

    Steady-state aerobic same HR for 2-4 min. That applies to any HRM estimating calories actually.
    So lifting and intervals is exactly opposite of that.

    But the Fitbit's can especially have issues reading HR's changing fast or going high - whereas the Polar would be better at that - but the cheaper Polar's have cheaper calorie burn formula used.

    So depends on your workout and if knowing your HR even matters- or just were wanting it for calorie burn.

    So if performance in cardio aerobic workouts because doing intervals and high intensity - Polar.
    If simple stuff and just want calorie burn - Fitbit.
  • oeagleo
    oeagleo Posts: 70 Member
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    Jumpergirl3, I have a Fitbit charge HR, and have the same problem. Needs a recharge every other day. I turned everything off per Tech Support, (which, actually kind of defeats the attractiveness of the unit!), and still Monday Charge, and Wed morning "Your fitbit charge is low" appears. I whined to Fitbit, they immediately sent me a new (well, in a plastic bag, I assume it's new) one, and it had the same problem, I E-mailed them again, and told them this one was the same as the other one, and they MAILED ME YET ANOTHER ONE, no questions asked! Something must be up with these units, as for them to ship out a unit that expensive that quickly, is a bit odd. Excellent customer support, but I still suspect the unit, or something in the design of the unit. I have since purchased a Jawbone UP3, and we'll see how this one works as for my purpose. I also wear a Polar V800 but it doesn't do the heart rate thing, except with the chest strap, (even works while swimming, if you can believe that! Great Unit!), so I wanted something to wear for everyday activities that will sync with MFP. That's the one drawback on the Polar, they haven't got the Android sync with MFP yet.
  • Alarae21
    Alarae21 Posts: 171 Member
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    I love my Charge HR! I get such a kick out of seeing how my heart rate rose during workouts and it's a massive motivation to achieve my goals.

    The app is excellent as well. I genuinely forgot to put my Fitbit on before work (it was on a quick charge while drying my hair) and throughout the whole day I was just gutted that I didn't have it with me.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    Only had a Fitbit surge, so unsure what others offer etc

    Surge works for me, no issues etc.

    Calorie burn seems accurate compared to other calculators, treadmills, actual results.

    Is the surge like a rare model? Or is it the price that makes it not popular?

    I got mine as a gift. But when ever people talk fitbits it's always charge, one, charge hr etc
    The price was my deterrent. I know some don't like how bulky the device is.

  • mykaylis
    mykaylis Posts: 320 Member
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    i've had a charge HR since they came out and i love it.

    i have delayed sleep phase syndrome and hypnic myoclonus, so i find it extremely useful to check my sleep pattern if i feel like crap sometime. chances are, if i have zero energy to work out, it's because i've only slept 2-3 hours in a night. no knowing why i was tired so much was psychologically killing me.

    i also believe it more accurately assesses my calories burned, which are always listed less than MFP says if i enter the values in here. MFP was 200 calories off what fitbit said, meaning over the course of a month, it made a huge difference in whether i gained or lost. i still don't think it's 100% accurate but it's good enough to be a useful tool.

    i find i do a lot more stairs than it records. one week i climbed the equivalent of the empire state building and it only recorded 20 floors. i don't know how accurate it will be when i pull my bike out for the summer, but perhaps since it'll detect an increase in heart rate, it'll be meaningful.

    i want to get something for my husband for father's day but i don't know if i should order him a charge HR or if another one would be more useful. he has a desk job, he's super obese, and has wrists that are large enough that my large Charge wristband won't work for it. recommendations?
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
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    Well, I'd check to make sure he was on board with getting a Fitbit. Giving something like that to someone could rub them the wrong way.

    There's an XL Charge HR and the Surge might have wider bands. Check the sizing chart to determine what he'd need. The Fitbit One or Zip are also alternatives.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    It'll be good for the bike for estimating calorie burn - though steps will obviously be meaningless.
    You may get road vibration though, which will count towards something.