Fitbit - is it worth it?

Kaylee6349
Kaylee6349 Posts: 18 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was thinking of buying a Fitbit charge HR to track steps and my heart rate but I don't know if they are worth it. Do you have a Fitbit and if so do you find it helps with weight loss. Thanks

Replies

  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I do and I don't. But I don't really use it correctly. But the reason I don't use it correctly is that it is time consuming and tedious to do so. So, I'd say it really depends on how much you enjoy tracking everything. I got my SIL one for his birthday and he loves it. He's only had it for a few weeks so not sure if it will help with weight loss but it has definitely prompted him to become more active.
  • DarkmarkStar
    DarkmarkStar Posts: 4 Member
    It made me walk more. I was stationary no we're near 10,000 steps per day. Now I get up and move when I see my red line.I walk the house or walk my dogs. I stared out by doing Burn Body Fat 2 mile walk (Leslie Sansone's). Now I'm doing The START! Walking at Home American Heart Association 3 Mile Walk. I walk the last 2 miles through out the day.I'm 53 years old. hope this helps
  • DarkmarkStar
    DarkmarkStar Posts: 4 Member
    I forgot you can sync your fitbit to my fitness pal.
  • Jilly5878
    Jilly5878 Posts: 4 Member
    I love my Fitbit and it has definitely motivated me to move more and push myself when I am feeling lazy. I love to do challenges among Fitbit friends since I have a competitive streak. I bought the Fitbit HR and find that it doesn't accurately measure my heart rate especially during intense workouts but I like the heart rate feature for monitoring my resting heart rate. You can sync your Fitbit to MFP so there isn't any extra tracking that needs to be done.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    I use mine 24/7, in combination with MFP, and I love it! Great results all round....weight down, activity level up, sleep minutes majorly increased....I haven't found a con yet, other than the band, which if worn constantly tends to break down after 3 months or so, but to me, I don't mind purchasing three more for 40 bux....
  • AddieOverhaul
    AddieOverhaul Posts: 734 Member
    I have the flex and it has definitely helped me be more active. I love feeling the vibration of hitting 10,000 and the competitions with friends and coworkers helps because I'm competitive. I don't have to win (but I like to), but I definitely don't want to come in last place! I've had it since January and still use it every day. I was worried the novelty would wear off but so far it hasn't. If I still feel this way at 1 year I will upgrade to the Charge HR.
  • DoctahJenn
    DoctahJenn Posts: 616 Member
    If you're willing to change your routine, it can be very helpful. Knowing how much I move is allowing me to eat more is incredibly motivating. And if you play Pokemon Go.... catching pokemon becomes a workout. ;) I did 24k steps the other day running around with friends playing, and wound up with more calories than I could eat back. :D
  • brigg9
    brigg9 Posts: 104 Member
    It's a tool like any other. As long as you use it, it can certainly help you in your weight loss journey. I've absolutely loved mine, and it has definitely opened my eyes to my activity levels. I like the daily goals that it gives you to strive for as well, and I personally do better in the long run having mini goals to push for. It's all in how you use it if it's worth the price or not. Having had one for a few months now I wish I would have started with one!
  • hal1964
    hal1964 Posts: 82 Member
    I bought and tried both the Fitbit Charge HR and the Garmin Vivosmart HR. The Fitbit irritated the skin on my wrist. The software for the Garmin is wonky but I'll stick with the Garmin. Just remember, the heart rate indicated is more of a guideline. The only thing that helps with weight loss is calorie restriction.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    hal1964 wrote: »
    I bought and tried both the Fitbit Charge HR and the Garmin Vivosmart HR. The Fitbit irritated the skin on my wrist. The software for the Garmin is wonky but I'll stick with the Garmin. Just remember, the heart rate indicated is more of a guideline. The only thing that helps with weight loss is calorie restriction.

    Actually, you're a little off in your wording. What makes weight loss possible is creating a calorie deficit. BURN more than you eat. Therefore, walking, exercising etc, helps to create the deficit required to lose weight. Can it be done by just restricting calories? Yes. But why would you torture yourself if you could still eat without restricting, and still lose weight?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    edited July 2016
    A Polar chest strap will be more accurate than a Fitbit wrist strap unless the Polar is broken. It will also respond to changes much more quickly (so if you're running and the road goes slightly up hill, any chest strap will show you your body's reaction more quickly than a wrist strap).
  • GotDangerDave
    GotDangerDave Posts: 4 Member
    I have the Fit Bit HR Charge and I've been using since December. For my overall health it is very useful. The step tracking is not very accurate as it will track 50 or so steps before I get out of bed. The sleep monitoring is a good feature and has a handy alarm that vibrates to wake you up. The heart monitor works decent, but I'm not sure how accurate it is.
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    I've had my Charge HR since last August. The device itself lasted until late May, and then stopped charging, and Fitbit sent me a new device (free) because it was covered under the 1 year warranty.

    The HR feature will be more accurate if you do steady-state cardio, rather than HIIT or similar. It will not be particularly useful for weight-lifting calorie burns. I run. Mostly steady-state, so I'm completely satisfied with my results.

    My favorite feature of the device is the silent alarm. My husband is also a fan, because I get up at around 2:30 a.m. for work. :D
  • StevieFishwick
    StevieFishwick Posts: 27 Member
    JustMissTracy wrote: »
    I use mine 24/7, in combination with MFP, and I love it! Great results all round....weight down, activity level up, sleep minutes majorly increased....I haven't found a con yet, other than the band, which if worn constantly tends to break down after 3 months or so, but to me, I don't mind purchasing three more for 40 bux....

    Are you using an actual fitbit? My friend have had theirs for years with no problems! My fitbit is fantastic, I have the fitbit Blaze and I DEFINITELY recommend getting one! I've lost about 20lbs since I bought it. I'm a very competitive person so the fitbit really pushes me and it's easy to say "I moved enough today" when you really didn't. Also, I don't find it time consuming or hard to use at all. myfitnesspal is 10 times more time consuming (but still worth it). The fitbit will even realize when you're walking or running and automatically track that!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    GotDangerDave wrote: »
    I have the Fit Bit HR Charge and I've been using since December. For my overall health it is very useful. The step tracking is not very accurate as it will track 50 or so steps before I get out of bed. The sleep monitoring is a good feature and has a handy alarm that vibrates to wake you up. The heart monitor works decent, but I'm not sure how accurate it is.
    Ya, I saw enough reviews like this on Amazon that I went with the FitBit One, which does not have a heart rate checker but the consensus was that it was more accurate for steps.
    hal1964 wrote: »
    I bought and tried both the Fitbit Charge HR and the Garmin Vivosmart HR. The Fitbit irritated the skin on my wrist. The software for the Garmin is wonky but I'll stick with the Garmin. Just remember, the heart rate indicated is more of a guideline. The only thing that helps with weight loss is calorie restriction.
    I saw reviews on Amazon about skin irritation and figured I was sure to be one of those people so that's the other reason I went with the One.

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