Best fitness trackers?

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lucy_ac
lucy_ac Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I'm looking to buy a fitness tracker so that I can monitor my calorie burn more accurately. Does anyone have any suggestions on which one is best? I know a Fitbit seems to be the tried and tested favourite but was wondering if there is an alternative which is just as reliable for less money?

Also, those that do use Fitbit - any suggestions on which model is best?

Replies

  • size102b
    size102b Posts: 1,370 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I've had the Fitbit zip flex charge and now I've the blaze
    The blaze is good bit bulky though
    I get annoyed though when 10 minutes to the next hour it tells me to get my steps in especially when I can't as I'm working haha
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    Hands down Misfit. I love that it runs on a battery (which I rarely have to replace). It's been pretty darn accurate for me. And it's very affordable. I got the Shine but they are out with the shine 2 now. But I'm cheap. I'd buy a new shine off eBay for half the cost of the shine 2.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I like my Garmin VivoActive, but doubt it fits in the less money category. I needed something waterproof so went more towards Garmin than FitBit.
  • eatingems
    eatingems Posts: 106 Member
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    I have the Garmin Forerunner 235. I previously owned a Fitbit Flex [for steps etc] teamed with a Polar FT40M [for my heart rate when working out]. I 100% prefer my Garmin seeing as it does both.

    I find it's been more accurate than my Fitbit and my heart rate seems on par with what the Polar said it was, I sometimes take it with a pinch of salt seeing as it's on my wrist and my Polar required me to wear a strap around my chest which was a pain.

    I guess the only downside to the Garmin is the price. Also, I have the teal version and the straps a little grubby from constant wear haha.
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
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    I've had both Garmin Vivofit HR and a Fitbit HR. Hate that the Fitbit wasn't waterproof, and it wasn't comfortable. I personally love the Garmin, the screen was bigger, I thought it was more accurate than the Fitbit. Yeah, it's more expensive, but worth it.
  • ditditdee
    ditditdee Posts: 38 Member
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    I use the Misfit Ray and like it. It's one of the only ones that is swim-proof, if that's an issue for you.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
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    For some reason part of my post got cut off. That's what I get for trying to type on my phone while on a treadmill. :D

    When I was researching trackers one of the things that struck me was the lack of reliability with the Fitbit. Way more people then not had to replace theirs in less then a year. I've had my Misfit 2+ years and have not had a single issue with it.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
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    Saw a video that was done in a lab (wish I still had the link) that rated them as follows (from best to worst)
    1. Microsoft Pulse
    2. Apple Watch
    3. Fitbit HR
    4. Garmin
  • AliciaZitzmann
    AliciaZitzmann Posts: 3 Member
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    I had the Fitbit Charge HR for about a year and just upgraded to the Fitbit Blaze. I also bought the Fitbit Blaze for my boyfriend and he loves it! I swear by Fitbit, love their products and have had a lot of good experience with wearing them continually. :)
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I'm not sure there is a best or most accurate... and most people are going to make recommendations based on what they've used/liked/disliked.

    Decide what features you want, what style/size you prefer, and a budget... then go from there.
  • pennergy
    pennergy Posts: 1 Member
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    I just got a Xiaomi Mi Band 2 a few days ago because I was also looking for a lower cost fitness tracker. It has fewer features than more expensive models, but it's compatible with Google Fit (so it can sync the info through there to myfitnesspal) and does all the things I needed it to do! I've noticed it was not syncing steps accurately, but after I rebooted my phone it synced correctly. The first generation Mi Band is even cheaper (less than $20, I think) but has fewer features, and I read that it can overestimate your step count.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    lucy_ac wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm looking to buy a fitness tracker so that I can monitor my calorie burn more accurately. Does anyone have any suggestions on which one is best? I know a Fitbit seems to be the tried and tested favourite but was wondering if there is an alternative which is just as reliable for less money?

    Also, those that do use Fitbit - any suggestions on which model is best?

    The best way to know what is best is to decide what you want from a tracker.
    Do you want a 24/7 HRM? Wrist worn ones aren't the most reliable, but many like them
    Do you want a workout only HRM? Many have an optional chest worn HRM that you strap on for your workout
    Do you want to charge it on a regular basis? Some run on watch batteries
    What phone do you have? Not all trackers work with all phones if you want to sync that way.
    Do you swim or participate regularly in water sports? Many are only "splash resistant" and chest worn HRM's do not work under water
    Do you want something that also gives time so it takes the place of a watch?

    I had a Fitbit Flex but they do tend to burn out in about 2 years when the battery would no longer hold a charge. I found the calorie burns to be reasonably accurate although I had to enter my swimming as a separate entry. Of the current models, only the Flex2 can be worn while swimming and that was not available when I needed to get a new tracker. I chose the Garmin Vivofit2 because it runs on a watch battery, is waterproof, and has a watch mode. I have found the calorie burn to be a little high so I eat back 50% of my exercise calories instead of the 75% I did with Fitbit. It also had an optional chest worn HRM. I chose to not get it because the only steady-state cardio I do is swimming and can't wear it in the water.

    Flex and Vivofit were both about $90


  • flosoup38
    flosoup38 Posts: 71 Member
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    Loved my Fitbit one but I lost it. Loving my new Alta
  • Bentforkx
    Bentforkx Posts: 69 Member
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    Love my Garmin Vivoactive HR, only draw back was that the wrist HR was a little less reliable when I am weight lifting, purchased a chest strap HR monitor to match with my wrist unit and that problem is long gone.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2017
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    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    I'm not sure there is a best or most accurate... and most people are going to make recommendations based on what they've used/liked/disliked.

    Decide what features you want, what style/size you prefer, and a budget... then go from there.

    This^

    There is no "one" tracker that is best.

    I like my FitBit One because:
    My cardio is step based.....all trackers are pedometers.
    It's small and discrete......clips to my bra
    It has an altimeter.......counts stairs
    It doesn't count steps when I'm driving & does count steps when I'm pushing a lawn mower......with some wrist models this is not the case.

    Dislikes:
    No heart rate monitor......but not a deal breaker for me because my (steady state) cardio is step based. HRMs are not so useful for calorie burns on non-steady state cardio workouts.
    Small, discreet.....I've washed it. It came out fine but not everyone is so lucky.
    A buzz when I'm inactive for an amount of time would be nice.
  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    I had the cheapest Misfit for a while (it eventually broke, and I haven't replaced it). I liked it because it did track cycling, which is a lot of my exercise in most of the year.

    Now I'm just using Google Fit, which counts steps ok and uses GPS to track my cycling. I like it, and it's free.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    reading for inspiration. I've got a first gen, ancient Garmin. It still works great and I love that it has a battery instead of having to charge...but I HATE the HR chest strap. I've tried different ones and come to the conclusion that chest straps on girls are dumb things that cause under boob sweat.

    I bought my husband a garmin vivoactive hr thing for his birthday and I've kinda been drooling over it, but I'm not sure I'll remember to charge it or put back on after charging. I never take my garmin off. It's been in the ocean, the pool, I shower with it, wear it to bed. I took it off for a couple weeks at the end of my pregnancy. That's about it.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    enterdanger wrote: »
    I bought my husband a garmin vivoactive hr thing for his birthday and I've kinda been drooling over it, but I'm not sure I'll remember to charge it or put back on after charging. I never take my garmin off. It's been in the ocean, the pool, I shower with it, wear it to bed. I took it off for a couple weeks at the end of my pregnancy. That's about it.

    I take mine off when I sit down for breakfast, then I shower and then it goes back on. It's become habit and I've never had it die on me for lack of charging. Only issue is I sometimes get a rash so I've started sleeping with it on the other arm, and that has solved the problem.



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