Do you need an activity tracker to lose weight?

sadiepie05
sadiepie05 Posts: 52 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering if activity trackers really help with losing weight? Are they just for fun or an important tool? I'm a fairly active woman that needs (wants) to lose around 30lbs.
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Replies

  • Determinedtoloseliz
    Determinedtoloseliz Posts: 89 Member
    I have one but you don't need it. I use it because I find it interesting but I still lost weight before I got it
  • sadiepie05
    sadiepie05 Posts: 52 Member
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Activity trackers are for fun and you don't need one to lose weight. A calorie deficit is needed to lose weight.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside/p1

    Right, but do they help with a more accurate CICO?
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    I find mine to be very helpful, especially since it's synched to MFP and automatically updates the amount of calories I can consume in any given day based on my activity level. :)

    I lost 75 lbs in under a year.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    sadiepie05 wrote: »
    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Activity trackers are for fun and you don't need one to lose weight. A calorie deficit is needed to lose weight.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside/p1

    Right, but do they help with a more accurate CICO?

    Some have found trackers to be inaccurate to a degree. Others have found them to be spot on.
  • sadiepie05
    sadiepie05 Posts: 52 Member
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    I find mine to be very helpful, especially since it's synched to MFP and automatically updates the amount of calories I can consume in any given day based on my activity level. :)

    I lost 75 lbs in under a year.

    That's awesome!
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    It isn't necessary, but it helps me be a little more active and understand how many calories I'm burning/how many I can eat (which is the most important thing to losing weight).

    Samsies. I have a Fitbit One and I know I wouldn't be as active without it. I initially bought a Fitbit to help me figure out my TDEE so I had a better idea of how many calories I should eat to lose.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    No, you absolutely do not *need* one to lose weight. Can they be handy and fun and motivating? Yes. But absolutely necessary? No. I, and thousands of others, lost weight before having one. I like my Fitbit now but just see it as helpful, not a necessity.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    No, they are not necessary. I enjoy the step counter in my phone though because it motivated me.
  • Zipp237
    Zipp237 Posts: 255 Member
    I don't need to keep a record, but I enjoy having a record. I use the Health app that comes with the iPhone.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited June 2016
    No they are completely unecessary. IF you like "techy" gadgets you might like to get one and see what it can do for you in terms of tracking many areas of health like sleep, calories in and out, exercise activities, heart rate, how many steps you take in a day, etc.. it captures data.. who does not like data capture from wearing a watch?

    I do not find the tracker helps with weight loss.. the app does allow me to see calories in and out, but what I put into the tracker is what helps with weight loss not the tracker itself. Do you need a tracker to run 3 miles.. def not.

    Some trackers like my Forerunner does have the the added benefit to be an all around activities tracker and running tracker all in one.

    If it feels too over the top for your lifestyle and habits and , def do not get one.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,630 Member
    sadiepie05 wrote: »
    Do you need an activity tracker to lose weight?

    No.

  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    I'm down 43 pounds without one. The goals MFP have set up and using a food scale keep me very accurate.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    I've lost almost 80# and I've never spent a penny on anything to lose weight :) if it will motivate you, great!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    You don't need an activity tracker to lose weight. However i wouldn't be without mine. It motivates me, syncs with mfp and works out the correct calories for me, and gives me a much more accurate TDEE than any of the calculators I've used...
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  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    Not needed at all. I like having my fitbit though for the challenges
  • svel713
    svel713 Posts: 141 Member
    They're not necessary but can be fun to have. I have the much less popular Runtastic Orbit, which I got in April for $43. Works for me since its waterproof, which the Fitbit isn't. But the community for it is much smaller, and it lacks all the fun challenges Fitbit users get.

    It also doubles as a watch and catches my phone's texts/calls at work, which is useful since I can't keep my phone on me when working.
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    You definitely don't need one.

    I really like having my apple watch though which tracks my activity, heart rate etc. Partly because I'm a gadget nerd, but I do find it motivating to see more calories to eat when I'm more active. I really like not having to enter exercise separately and stop to think about whether the activity I've just done is already counted in my daily activity or not.
    I find the numbers it calculates are pretty accurate for me.
  • Alarae21
    Alarae21 Posts: 171 Member
    You don't need one at all. I lost initially without one using just MFP.

    I bought one just over a month into my journey, and it has been a boost for weight loss in terms of motivating me to be more active. So it has helped weight loss indirectly but it isn't the reason why I'm losing weight. That's the calorie deficit.
  • Vanyahiril
    Vanyahiril Posts: 89 Member
    Note: I do not own one, so take my words with a grain of salt...

    From what I gather, a fitness tracker should probably be viewed as an accountability "partener," rather than a weigh loss tool. So not essential, but useful!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I lost 25 lbs without an activity tracker.
    Some people find it to be a useful tool or motivating to use an activity tracker.
  • Annahbananas
    Annahbananas Posts: 284 Member
    No but it sure as heck helps lol

    It's a awesome thing just purely from a motivational standpoint
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    They're nice to give you an idea of how much your normal activities burn, but they're not necessary (plus they're not accurate anyway!).

    All you need really is to adjust what you eat depending on whether you're losing weight or not.
  • Docbanana2002
    Docbanana2002 Posts: 357 Member
    I find it helpful for estimating my calorie burns and it motivates me to move more because it increases the number of calories I can eat on MFP.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,171 Member
    You don't need one, but lots of people find them helpful. I have a fitbit and I find that it does motivate me to be more active. But I have lost 54 pounds so far. I lost the first 29 before I got the Fitbit and the last 25 since then. I think I would have still lost without the Fitbit, but it is fun and I'm kind of a data nerd so the more figures I have to analyse the more interesting I find the whole weight loss journey.
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
    I lost weight just fine before I got a Fit Bit, although I did kick up my weight loss when I got my very first pedometer last year. Now I have the Fit Bit Charge HR and I love it. It's a great motivational tool to increase the intensity of my walking. It was an eye opener on how little effort I was putting in. I've even added in some jogging here and there. I find mine to be pretty accurate for calorie burns so I can eat back my exercise calories and still lose weight. :) Being able to eat more food is definitely a plus.
  • AidenT94
    AidenT94 Posts: 39 Member
    I enjoy mine, and I've found it helps me move more in my day (I'm not nearly as active as I used to be). I think the calorie counter on mine is a little off, but I tend to lowball how many I'm burning and highball how many calories I take in.
    I went with the Walgreens Striiv Activity Tracker Touch, since I used to work for Walgreen's and got a fairly hefty discount on it. The only thing I dislike about it is the fact that if I'm holding something in my left arm, it tends to not count the steps I take. I would research a bunch of different activity trackers and maybe even download a couple of free apps if you have a smart phone, to see if it's worth the money to buy one.

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