Fitbit is it worth it?

formybabies79
formybabies79 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm looking into buying a Fitbit but I am wondering if it's really worth it. Looking for some feedback and experiences. Did the Fitbit really help to motivate you or is it more like a gadget that doesn't make much of a difference?

Replies

  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,122 Member
    Depends on the person wearing it. If your serious you will try and do better every week. I try to beat my personal best most days
  • andrea_nichol
    andrea_nichol Posts: 47 Member
    I like mine and it has motivated me to become more active. Tracking my pace also motivated me to train for a half marathon last year. It syncs well with MFP as well.
  • Ammey68
    Ammey68 Posts: 65 Member
    I love mine! I've noticed a HUGE difference in my daily activity, mainly because the FitBit helps me be a lot more aware throughout the day. I really like the challenges with my friends- I like to win, so it motivates me to take extra walks or runs just to beat them.
  • Konigboy
    Konigboy Posts: 86 Member
    I have the Fitbit Blaze and I feel it has helped motivate me. I can say my weight loss has increased since having it, as it gives me more accurate of a calorie burn, then using the exercise date with MFP. You might want to do some research if syncing with MFP, as I am hearing depending on phone you have, might not work. I believe newer android models have issues.
  • formybabies79
    formybabies79 Posts: 13 Member
    Which one do you guys use? I think the sleep tracker could be a fun factor too right? I try to go to the gym or pool every other day and I do walk a average of 10000 steps a day according to my phone but I'm not sure how accurate that is since I have the phone in my purse or forget to grab it all together.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited July 2016
    It depends on you. Mine motivates me. I have gone from less than 3k a day to averaging close to 12k - 16k a day. When I first got mine, I was so Sedentary that even doing a 20-30 min workout wouldn't give me extra calories. Sadly my workouts were only bringing my daily calorie burn up to what MFP estimated for a Sedentary person with my stats. It was a big eye opener. I started with the Zip since it was the cheapest model and I wasn't sure I would like it. That was in 2013. I have a Blaze now. It has helped me to adjust my intake based on my activity level.

    It's not for everyone though. Some people don't find the data useful or motivating. Fitbit has a 45-day return for any reason policy if you purchase from their website.

    There is also Misfit which is a bit cheaper. Then there is Jawbone, Garmin, Microsoft Band, Samsung Gear, and Apple Watch to consider.
  • Alarae21
    Alarae21 Posts: 171 Member
    It is a massive motivational tool for me. If i don't go to the gym I know my reported calorie burn will be down, so i rarely don't go. On the days I just can't go due to conflicts, I still feel bad!

    My Fitbit has definitely helped push me in the exercise area, to the point I go to the gym 6 times a week, with 4 of those days doing double classes (2 x 1 hour).
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
    I have the Fitbit One. I can say that it 100% motivates me. I like numbers, so seeing the data I get from it makes me want to walk more. I've went from sedentary to walking at least 3 or 4 miles a day for the three months I've had the Fitbit.

    Also, it helped me to see just how much I wasn't moving before. I have negative calorie adjustments enabled, and on a normal day I wasn't even walking a mile, which now leads to MFP deducting around 200 calories. I had no idea I was even less active than MFP's sedentary activity level.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
    I won a Fitbit One in a contest. I really didn't think I would ever use it (I didn't even really want it when I won it), but I thought "What the hell" and started using it. That was an awesome decision. I had no idea how active or inactive I was from day to day (it can vary a lot with my job) or how many steps I took on a daily basis. After using it for a few months, I figured out my daily calorie burn and started using that number to determine my daily caloric needs. I absolutely love it. A bonus was the silent alarm. I can actually tune out loud sound alarms, but a vibrating hand is really hard to ignore. The sleep tracking is kind of worthless as the One doesn't measure heart rate. As far as it knows, sleeping soundly or laying awake staring at the ceiling are the same things.

    It didn't really help motivate me to do MORE exercise (I walk ~3-5 miles daily on my own) but it did give me a more accurate way to track what I was doing. Can't imagine a day without it now.
  • songbird13291
    songbird13291 Posts: 120 Member
    Love my Fitbit, it's a great motivator.
  • Brianthesnail1971
    Brianthesnail1971 Posts: 9 Member
    I've had a Jawbone, a Fitbit HR and now a Fitbit Blaze. The Blaze is by far the best piece of motivational gadgetry ever invented (in my opinion). I started walking in 2014 with the Jawbone, but every day I'm motivated by groups to better my targets. There's a group for pretty much anyone, from those starting out on 5k steps a day to those that can only be postmen/women who do 40k + steps a day. It actually becomes fun.

    Beware ... It can become addictive !!
  • sadiepie05
    sadiepie05 Posts: 52 Member
    I've been using my Charge HR for a year and half. At first it was very motivating. I increased my activity and just generally started moving more. Now all of that is just habit and I don't pay much attention to it. I still wear it everyday though.
  • getfit_fritch26
    getfit_fritch26 Posts: 35 Member
    I really like my fitbit...I enjoy seeing my activity pattern and how many calories I burn when I am up and about vs when I am sitting at work.

    I like to compete with my friends and family to see who can get the most steps in a week!
  • futuresize8
    futuresize8 Posts: 476 Member
    I'm on my third Fitbit - it's the Charge HR. I do like it and bought my husband one, too, so that he would have a better knowledge about his levels of activity. Sometimes, we think, "I'm moderately active," when really, we're totally not. This helps me to increase awareness, and I appreciate having the data over time. The dashboard online in particular is really great for viewing long term data and the phone app is good for the short term info.
  • shandy4487
    shandy4487 Posts: 72 Member
    I have a Fitbit Flex and I LOVE IT!! I was using the S Health pedometer on my phone and it was nowhere near accurate. It would log about 6000 steps when my Fitbit would log about 9000! The sleep tracker is really cool, you can check how restful your sleep is. The weekly challenges are my favorite part :) I say definitely get one!
  • Tara4boys
    Tara4boys Posts: 515 Member
    I love mine! I have the Fitbit Alta which is by far the best looking Fitbit out there. I adore it. I have drastically increased not only my "exercise " but my overall daily movement. I really think it's that movement throughout the day that helps every aspect of my life - weight, mood, sleep, productivity, etc
  • BinaryFu
    BinaryFu Posts: 240 Member
    If you're competitive, it's good. If not, meh.

    Also, for what it's worth they have occasional issues with syncing with MFP and being a little overzealous with the calories added back in from exercise.

    Research that first and see if the solutions are tolerable for you - if they are, it will give you a much more accurate picture of how you're doing than without it.

    There are also other fitness trackers out there that may have features that are better for you than FitBit. Just depends on what all you want to do. For some people, especially in the summer, swimming is a must. Well, most fitness trackers will drown in even a few inches of water or a few minutes in a shower with you.
    1. Figure out how you want to use your fitness tracker.
    2. Figure out where you want to use your fitness tracker.
    3. Figure out when you want to use your fitness tracker (24/7, only while running, etc)
    4. Figure out what features your tracker is going to need based on the above (Swimming? Gotta be waterproof! Sleep monitoring? Constant heartbeat monitor or averaged or none? Step counter? Biking tracker? Workout tracker?)

    From there, get a list of the top rated fitness trackers and find the closest match (most people cannot find an exact match, but have to compromise on their wants/needs) and go from there.
  • lista10
    lista10 Posts: 73 Member
    I love mine and it helps me stay motivated
  • YorriaRaine
    YorriaRaine Posts: 370 Member
    I like mine strictly cuz I am a numbers person. My activity also varies heavily per day so I'm always confused what activity level I am. This way I can set myself to sedentary and eat back most of the exercise calories it gives me.

    That said, I have a one. I absolutely hate the wrist based fitbits personally. The one you can discretely attach to your pocket or if your a lady attach to your bra (if you want to attach it to your bra though I suggest picking up a BraWrap for Fibit on Etsy, less bulky and comfy). The heart rate monitor ones are cool but the technology isn't where it needs to be yet.
  • KimiAR
    KimiAR Posts: 117 Member
    I've had my Apple Watch and use the tracking part of it a ton. I find it very motivating to even just move a bit more during the day with my kids. I don't sync it w MFP bc I don't eat my exercise calories back but if I start doing much more I will probably have to figure something out.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
    I turned the pedometer on my phone before buying an activity tracker. If your phone doesn't have a good pedometer, you can pick one up for about $5. Doesn't need to be fancy, no bells and whistles.

    What I found is not only was it motivating for me to push further, I got frustrated with tucking my phone in my bra during workouts, mad when my phone was on the charger and I lost steps, etc.

    But it's not the magic pill. I know many people who bought a fit bit thinking it would make them get fit. If you don't use the data to improve your life, its not worth it.
  • megsi886
    megsi886 Posts: 27 Member
    edited July 2016
    Don't buy it for sleep tracking or because you're worried your phone is inaccurate when on your body. Not wanting to keep your phone on you all the time or having phone battery issues are good reasons.

    I like the jawbone activity trackers a lot better than the fitbit ones. They have a cheaper entry level and the mid tier bands are on sale online now. The fitbit I've used, a flex, counted thousands of spurious steps during other activities, wouldn't sync with my computer, and interfered with other Bluetooth devices. There seems to be no solution for these issues, just a bunch of awkward workarounds that are not nearly as easy as just using a different device. I think its step tracking is just too sensitive or not smart enough, because the jawbone has never had big numbers of false steps.

    The jawbone is not issue-free. They tend to work great for 4-10 months and then die, but then you get a warranty replacement, so it's less bad than it sounds. This is why I tried a Fit bit in the first place, and the fact that I quickly decided the fitbit was actually far worse should give you an idea how bad the fitbit's problems were. Today I'm using Google Fit with my wrist gloriously naked while waiting for my latest Up warranty replacement.

    I would get a basic model. You really don't need the added features in the more expensive trackers, at least not when you're getting a first device to see if it helps you. There's a lot of bling that just adds to the company's profit margin.

    Sleep tracking is not incredibly accurate or useful in any of the devices I've tried.

    Has everyone read David Sedaris's hilarious piece on the motivation and addiction of step counting? http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/06/30/stepping-out-3
  • RandiNoelle
    RandiNoelle Posts: 374 Member
    I LOVE my Charge HR! I do the challenges which brings the added motivation to move around. It's helped me with my running (being able to monitor my splits) and find what method brings the best time.
  • CincyNeid
    CincyNeid Posts: 1,249 Member
    I've got a Garmin and I really enjoy it. The 55K weekly challenge really helps me to keep in mind i need to keep moving throughout the day.

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