got it didn't like it and already mailed it back. I do a lot of mini stepper and treadmill work at my desk and my steps were not being counted. So it went back

Just got the Fitbit Alta in the mail today (preordered it early this month) and it is AWESOME. Got it in teal - it's GORGEOUS and there are so many options for it to customize it I especially like how sleek it is and non-bulky it's shape is when wearing it. Definitely my new best friend!!

@BarbieAS thank you for your review especially the double tap vs single tap tip. I should be getting mine in the mail tomorrow. Glad to hear that it is much sleeker design hoping it looks okay for work.

Christine_72 wrote: »

Sweedeez wrote: »

Just got the Fitbit Alta in the mail today (preordered it early this month) and it is AWESOME. Got it in teal - it's GORGEOUS and there are so many options for it to customize it I especially like how sleek it is and non-bulky it's shape is when wearing it. Definitely my new best friend!!

Yay @Sweedeez , can you let me know what you think of it once you've got used to it all.

Everyone, how does the calorie burn/step count compare with your previous fitbit? Accurate??

For me, so far steps appear most comparable to how my Charge HR counted them but calories closer to my One (which I did end up going back to for about a week before getting my Alta and which did give me significantly fewer calories than my Charge HR for comparable days of activity, which I suspected would happen). All of that is 100% in line with my expectations. No complaints on accuracy thus far, though I really need at least 4-6 weeks of data to really test it out.

Christine_72 wrote: »

I just had a look through the Alta fitbit forum.. And I get the distinct impression that it's terribly inaccurate, underestimating by ALOT. I haven't got mine yet, it's on lay-by.

How are you guys going, have you found it be accurate?

Underestimating calories or steps or both?

I've found my steps to be a tiny bit lower, but I attribute that to being busier at work than usual (which means fewer trips to the gym, getting out at lunch less often....just in general more time on my behind at a computer). My calories are also hundreds lower than my Charge HR...but that was an expected and hoped-for change due to some tweaks I've had to make to get my Fitbit to spit out an accurate TDEE based on my true (medically tested) RMR as compared to what they would use for my BMR based on my actual stats (I won't go into too many details, it's kind of boring and majorly long-winded, but Fitbit tracking my HR and using it in calorie burn calculations was majorly messing me up).

According to my own recordkeeping, from 11/26/15 through my change to the Alta about 6 weeks ago, using my Charge HR I averaged 7,687 steps per day and a 2,383 TDEE. From the change to the Alta until last Thursday (my weigh-in day), I've averaged 7,242 steps/day and a 1,776 TDEE. However, compared to my actual change in weight, my Alta TDEE is much more accurate - I was calculating my Charge HR was overestimating my TDEE by about 400-500 calories per day on average, and my Alta is almost dead on - certainly within an acceptable margin of error. But, that's me, and I'm a bit of a special snowflake in this regard. And, as I said, I had to tweak my stats to get to where it was accurate for me - if I had my real stats listed in Fitbit, I'd still be getting a significant overestimation, just less of one than with my Charge HR.

I want the Alta. I have a Flex now. I wear splints to sleep so it's been important that I could take the tracker out of the band and put it in a clip attached to my splints. The Charge and Charge HR don't have removable bands so I didn't consider them. But the Alta has a lot of the same features and does have a removable band. And the band itself looks a lot more classy. It's definitely the one I want. I wish they had a trade in program. For example, they just sent me a replacement Flex. If they'd sent me an Alta instead, I would happily have paid the difference.

So for now, I have to wait. Maybe until Black Friday in November.

Yeah, I read some of those yesterday.

Like I said, I might not be the best person to judge this stuff, just due to other factors. But, it's quite accurate for me WITH the tweaks I made to make it accurate (that I would expect to have to make with any other Fitbit or similar device), and that's compared to actual weight change/calorie intake vs calorie burn data, so I personally believe that it's probably not that far off for most people. There are a lot of people who are complaining about underestimating, but also a good number of people complaining about over counting steps. So who knows.

I have the Fitbit Alta....I love it!!! No problems at all. I wear it at work, of course, and even with my arm down in a shampoo bowl numerous times a day, not one scratch! I have hit it on a door facing and no scratch. Don't bother with those screen protectors because you don't need them!

Got my Alta and a screen protector for it and put it into use this weekend. It was a little challenging to get set up but now that it is, I love it. It's more classy than the Flex was and shows more information. I don't feel it's inaccurate either.

Got 8 screen protectors for $1.49 on eBay. So I won't have to worry about scratches.

I do find that it doesn't fit as well. With 2 spaces free on the band, I feel the Alta is too lose. The tracker itself is kind of heavy so it falls forward when my arm is down and the other way when my arm is up. With 1 space free, it leaves an imprint of the tracker on my arm after a day of wearing it. Could use a fit just between those two.

I got the small and yes, I had difficulty clasping it. Apparently you need to do it a couple times to make the holes loosen up a bit. But I found I could unhook the whole band from the tracker on side. I tried it to see if I could get it off and put it back on that way. That's generally what I do now. I don't unclasp the band at all, except when I tried the tighter size.