Do you still use your fitbit?

Good morning!

My work is having a step competition over the next few months and they provided us a pedometer that's cheap, inaccurate and basically useless. I have a Fitbit flex that I decided to start using instead. I know there has been articles that shows Fitbit's aren't as helpful or accurate as people would hope them to be.

What are your thoughts on Fitbits? Which model do you have and why do you find it helpful/useful or not?

Any other constructive advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance! :)
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Replies

  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    Meh. To me, it's overrated, over hyped, uncomfortable and completely inaccurate compared to my previous activity tracker.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    I stopped using mine after about 3 years of constant use. I stopped losing weight when I started using mine because I think the calorie burn was so wrong (this is just my opinion and not verified by any scientific means).

    However, if you're using it to just count steps then I say go for it.

    IMO a Fitbit is good for people who have no idea how much they move throughout the day. I think it makes people aware of how little they move and maybe might motivate them to move more. I think it loses its effectiveness over time though for most people. Again, I have nothing to back this claim up other than my own opinion and use of the device.
  • Azercord
    Azercord Posts: 573 Member
    I completely agree with the post above. I also have a Blaze and it has been a great tool. It doesn't pick up too many extra steps either, if I sit at my desk for an hour it will often complain at me that I have taken zero steps and need to move around so nothing extra from work. The only place I've found that you really need to watch out is pushing carts around, there isn't enough movement in the wrist to register.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    I had an HR Charge that I used every day for half a year till it started to fall apart, then we glued it back together with gorilla glue, and I still used it every day even though it was butt-ugly AND covered in glue, then I finally exercised the warranty and got a discount on the (much prettier) Charge 2 (with the Tiffany-box-blue band), which I got about a month ago (and STILL use every day). Although inaccurate in tracking things like weight lifting, I do use it to track my heart rate, track my different exercises, and use it to push myself to get well over 10,000 steps a day (over 20,000 on the days I force my whole family to go hiking so I can get a lot of steps, LOL).

    Taking a dispassionate look at it, it's probably fair-to-middlin' useful, but from the perspective that we are all oddballs that can be motivated by some strange things, it also kind of functions as a l'il mini coach sitting on my wrist and definitely pushes me to go the extra mile.
  • Emily3907
    Emily3907 Posts: 1,461 Member
    I stopped using my fitbit. I didn't find that it really helped me or encouraged me. I got a Polar hrm instead and like that much better. I only use it for my workouts. I get better data about my workouts and it gives me a better gauge on where to improve.
  • PAnn1
    PAnn1 Posts: 530 Member
    I just got my FitBit about a month ago and love it! I used to use my HRM watch and loved that, too! For me, accurate or not, it still shows me something, and I can see the difference in how many steps/miles I have done and strive to continually do better. Just like a scale, they aren't all accurate, nor is one scale the same as the next, but it still helps us to shoot to do better. I compare my numbers daily (not the scale, that's every 2 weeks). These things ARE all tools, as murp4069 said. You can use the tools however you need to, to see how good or bad you are doing.
  • gryphonwind
    gryphonwind Posts: 3 Member
    I have been using the Alta for about 10 months. It is accurate for the most part - except when I "power" walk -LOL - the arm swinging causes it to be UNDER for some reason - so I put it in my pocket - but it does well for everyday movement. I find the best part about it is the motivation I get from challenges with my family. They help me stay accountable as well. I had another step tracker "jawbone" and it was great but no one I knew had one so there was no way to challenge.
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
    I think the steps are pretty much accurate except for the few extra you might get if you are moving arms only and not stepping. I just assume at the end of the day I actually have a little less than my FitBit says but it still motivates me. The challenges really help me move more too. I have Charge HR and have been happy with it after using a Flex for several months 1st. I had no problem with the Flex but just wanted one where I can see the steps on the band and having a watch is nice. I don't use the heart rate monitor as much as I thought it was but sometimes I look at it. Not sure how accurate that is, I haven't tested it.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,452 Member
    I had a Flex then got a Charge 2 because I got tired of pulling out my phone every time I needed to check the time. Gave the Flex to my DD and I like my Charge 2. I don't use it for calorie counting, just to count steps and check my activity level throughout the day. On average I've been doing 19,000 steps a day.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,262 Member
    I use it to gauge my activity level. If my step number is way down and I haven't done some sort of non-stepping activity in its place (e.g., lifting weights) I know that I need to move more.

    My Fitbit has never been close enough to accurate with my calories to be useful in that regard. But I've been counting calories long enough that I don't really need it for that.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,455 Member
    tahxirez wrote: »
    I have also used a fitbit for years and have never had an issue losing weight or maintaining while eating most calories the fitbit and MFP gave me. I suspect that some of those threads have a lot to do with logging inaccuracy than with fitbit inaccuracy or I'm a special snowflake that burns almost exactly what fitbit says I burn. Also its interesting to note that before i had a fitbit I was logging exercise here and probably not accurately logging food and not losing a dang thing. Fitbit changed the game totally for me.

    Pretty much all of this. I used a Flex synced with MFP while losing and now have a Charge HR and am maintaining pretty effortlessly. I have found it to be accurate for me and it's how I know that even as a petite female, it's possible to have a TDEE above 2000 and lose weight eating more than 1200 cals...
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,257 Member
    It's a tool and as helpful as you need it to be. In all instruments there's a degree of accuracy that needs to be known. Just don't expect more than the instrument is designed for.

    I started with a Flex and after a year it would not hold a charge. Called customer support and they checked diagnostics and sent me a new unit. I used that one for another year and upgraded to the Flex 2 a few months ago. It's a helpful pedometer. For HRM I prefer this increased accuracy of a chest monitor and use a Polar H7.
  • kksmom1789
    kksmom1789 Posts: 281 Member
    I have had a fitbit for a year and and I have worn it everyday. I love it even if the calorie burn isn't spot on I still love to see how many steps I get I use the extra calories I get as a buffer in case we go out to eat or I want a tasty treat but I only eat 50%-75% of them back. I have lost 30lbs in the last year and I attribute getting my fitbit a huge help with that #
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    I have a Fitbit Flex, primarily because my company sponsors step "competitions" that result in reduced health care premiums if you meet the goal (which is fairly easy--you just have to take 400K steps in something like 60 days... I usually get there in ~30 days). Even when we're not in the middle of the competition I still like to ensure that I am getting 10K+ steps most days (I work a sedentary office job). I also find the sleep monitor interesting. I do not, however, rely on Fitbit's calorie calculations.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I've been using one for years.
    First a flex, then a Charge HR.

    I love the thing.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    I stopped using it when I started using the Health app on my iPhone. One less thing to carry around. I use it as a rough measure and motivator, so I'm not all that obsessed with accuracy.
  • happymum37
    happymum37 Posts: 95 Member
    I started with a flex and then upgraded to a charge HR. I've always found it to be accurate. During ups and downs of dieting, it has varied in importance but when I'm doing well then it's a really good motivating tool. At other times it's just a watch
  • GYATagain
    GYATagain Posts: 141 Member
    Started with the Flex a few years ago and switched to the Charge HR a couple years ago. I find, when I'm paying attention, that it helps remind me I need to move more. I do not use it to "eat back" any of the calories - I use MFP to log and track calories and stay within that range. I also use the Charge HR for my 5 a.m. alarm and have set it for other alarms. I also have a Polar hrm and wore that on the other arm with the band to see how the Charge HR measured up and found that it was pretty much the same - so can use the HR part while doing cardio. Have completed several "challenges" with other folks. With having a deskjob - it helps remind me to get my big ole' backside up and moving, like right now.....gotta go walk down the hall!