Does anyone else feel this way about fitbits?

Sp1tfire · April 2017

So I've been an avid fitbit user for about a year. I mainly used it to track steps and calories burned. Then when I started exercising and doing more intense stuff I've started to dislike wearing. I feel like it boils down my fitness success to how many calories I burned (and I don't think it's always accurate because it doesn't seem to take resistance into account). It takes the fitness out of fitness for me. I'm in better shape than I have been my whole life, but my fitbit makes me feel like all that matters is my steps and my calories. I might stop wearing after I get back from college and focus on being in shape rather than focusing on how many calories the activity burned.

Your thoughts?

haleyj089 · April 2017

I really liked my fitbit in the very beginning but I agree with you - it seems steps and calories is all that matters in regards to daily progress. I like wearing it to track my steps but that's all I personally use it for. :]

usmcmp · April 2017

I only wear a step tracking device during my regular day to remind myself to be more active. I don't wear it at the gym, but I would probably wear it on a hike just to help gauge how tired I might be the next day.

gamerbabe14 · April 2017

I dislike fitbits...their steps aren't even that accurate.

Alatariel75 · April 2017

I gotta say, I pretty much use mine as a watch these days. And I could get a better looking watch.

cheriej2042 · April 2017

I never liked it I thought tracking steps versus actual calorie output was stupid. Then it fell off somewhere in an airport when I was traveling and that was that.

lorrpb · April 2017

I love my fitbit. It gives me another form of accountability. Is it perfect? No, few too k s are. But it has been indispensable in my journey.

middlehaitch · April 2017

Never been interested in using one.
How many steps I take in a day rarely reflects the amount of activity I have had.

Cheers, h.

Therealobi1 · April 2017

i like my fitbit, enjoyed loads of challenges last year. still participate in daily challenges when invited
i dont pay any attention to the calories burnt

CoachJen71 · April 2017

Sometimes I can get hung up on calorie chasing, but that would happen with or without the Fitbit because I already had a food obsession. So plus side is the Fitbit helps me manage my weight, the down side is that I can look to it for permission to eat more. Right now, I feel more secure in having it. Whether or not I ditch it down the road depends on if I can rebuild a healthier relationship with food.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld · April 2017

katadx wrote: »

So I've been an avid fitbit user for about a year. I mainly used it to track steps and calories burned. Then when I started exercising and doing more intense stuff I've started to dislike wearing. I feel like it boils down my fitness success to how many calories I burned (and I don't think it's always accurate because it doesn't seem to take resistance into account). It takes the fitness out of fitness for me. I'm in better shape than I have been my whole life, but my fitbit makes me feel like all that matters is my steps and my calories. I might stop wearing after I get back from college and focus on being in shape rather than focusing on how many calories the activity burned.

Your thoughts?

I think your giving fit bit too much thought.

After my work out I think how does that compare to the last time I did this route, time wise etc. I don't think what did fit bit say.

jbeth30 · April 2017

I have been going back and forth on buying one for myself. I think I have decided not to get one especially for the reasons you mentioned. I don't want to get caught up on a Watch telling me how many steps I should be taking a day. I want to focus on how good my body feels when I exercise without focusing on a number. It would almost be like me stepping on the scale and the scale telling me how good I have been. I would start looking at the fit bit in the same way. I don't want that. I want my body to tell me what I need… Not a fit bit

Zombella · April 2017

I like mine. I like seeing how many steps I've done (compared it to other steppers and a phone counting steps as well). I don't really pay much attention to the active minutes, but I like getting awards and seeing how far I've walked compared to countries or whatever. I also use apps to track my water intake. It is just fun. With one, when I drink, I water a plant. If I don't drink enough, it'll eventually die.

Seajolly · April 2017

I just use mine to watch my steps and also check the time.

But the step counter comes in handy to me.

loha2328 · April 2017

Mine has been an integral part of my weight loss just like MFP has. MFP tracks calories in and the Fitbit tracks calories burned. As long as I watched those numbers and kept an average 500 calorie deficit, then I lost a pound a week which has added up to a 60 lb. loss. I think that I am the kind of person that will always need to keep an eye on these numbers so as not to put weight back on. I guess it just depends on the individual and what they are using it for. For me, it was to aid in a weight loss journey, not to gauge fitness levels.

rainbow198 · April 2017

I have never been interested in these fitness gadgets. I only track my fitness walking/running miles (not steps) using a phone app and this works great for me.

Then again I've been maintaining for years, but I doubt I would still be interested even when I was losing.

I just want the bottom line (how many miles I've walked or ran) not so much the bells and whistles.

becky10rp · April 2017

My Husband got me a Fitbit about 2+ years ago. I used it for a week - then took it off. I'm OCD about exercise as it is - I workout 6 days a week, 90 minutes/workout. The Fitbit is not very accurate - doesn't 'count' my time on the bike, on the elliptical, lifting weights - but it would get on my last nerve if I didn't get those darn 10,000 steps in. If you workout consistently (and do something OTHER than walk or run) - I don't think it's very helpful. But I know a lot of people who swear by theirs. My Fitbit fed into my OCD tendencies - and seriously took the fun out of working out.

brb_2013 · April 2017

I liked it at first but I don't use it anymore. I felt like I failed if I didn't hit every mark and over time that was more discouraging then encouraging and I was always having to take it off to dry it because I run warm and always ended up sweating a ton and got lots of rashes even with regular washing and trading wrists. It became more cumbersome than helpful after about a year. It taught me a lot about myself and how much I move but wasn't a sustainable tool for me and I probably won't ever buy another.

gmstevens37 · April 2017

I liked mine for about a week. Good thing I got it free from air miles. Mine is the garmin one. It has the move meter that vibrates if you haven't moved for a certain amount of time. The thing is, I work in a kitchen, so I am never not moving, I am not always moving my arms that whole time, because I usually carrying something. For some reason, it counts my steps AND tells me I'm being a lazy *kitten*. Haha. Plus, it doesn't seem like the calories burned are accurate. Starts everyday with 400+ already burnt, while I wasn't even wearing it. Also it started sticking to my wrist. Which feels gross.
But at least I know how many steps I take in a day now. Which is all I really wanted it for anyway.

PowerliftingMom · April 2017

I take my Fitbit results with a grain of salt. If you lift weights and don't do much cardio, it's not an accurate way to track weight loss. For example, on my bench days I do a solid hour of heavy lifting, but it won't show many steps but I know I have burned more calories than the Fitbit is showing. I think the calories burned is really based on STEPS alone.

zyxst · April 2017

Nope.

malibu927 · April 2017

gmstevens37 wrote: »

I liked mine for about a week. Good thing I got it free from air miles. Mine is the garmin one. It has the move meter that vibrates if you haven't moved for a certain amount of time. The thing is, I work in a kitchen, so I am never not moving, I am not always moving my arms that whole time, because I usually carrying something. For some reason, it counts my steps AND tells me I'm being a lazy *kitten*. Haha. Plus, it doesn't seem like the calories burned are accurate. Starts everyday with 400+ already burnt, while I wasn't even wearing it. Also it started sticking to my wrist. Which feels gross.
But at least I know how many steps I take in a day now. Which is all I really wanted it for anyway.

That would be what you burned from BMR

I love mine. I'm lazy on my days off work (when I usually get 12-15,000 steps) so it helps me make sure I'm active enough for the amount of calories I'm consuming. As for non-step based exercises (elliptical or lifting), I just log them in Fitbit. That part has never been an issue for me.

haydiz70 · April 2017

I have a Fitbit Blaze and the Samsung GearFit2. I like both but I prefer the GearFit. I like to hike quite a bit and it's helpful seeing how many miles I've gone, elevation, etc and then seeing it all on a map afterwards. I also like keeping an eye on my heart rate when jogging or biking since I need to stay below a certain number due to health issues. Luckily, I've found the GearFit2's HR monitor to be accurate, not 100% but still very reliable. The Blaze is less accurate for me. Anyway, I've never been obsessive about reaching 10000 steps. I can see how activity trackers could be annoying if you feel like you have to take that many steps a day or feel like a fitness failure. Haha. Anyway, I love gadgets, so they're fun for me.

WorshipHK · April 2017

Calories are still important to keep track of for maintaining or losing weight, but I ditched mine a while ago because I also thought it was super annoying.

jujubeans1974 · April 2017

I have Fitbit One & Blaze ..My Blaze isn't accurate, so I just use it as a watch .. but my Fitbit one is very accurate, it underestimates about 6% .. so I feel comfortable eating back my activity calories .. but my only activity is walking, beside that , I'm very sedentary.. at the moment

getupforchange · April 2017

I used to have the jawbone tracker (same sort of thing) and loved it for tracking my sleep as that has always been a bit of an issue for me and it was a fun way for me to challenge myself every day to get more steps in (take the stairs and not the lift etc.) BUT I would never use it in the gym to track exercise/workouts. I use a HRM for that. After my jawbone broke I didn't feel the need to get a new one.

fitin50s2 · April 2017

Fitbit Blaze=worthless to me. Won mine in a contest. Gave it a try for a while. Inaccurate at best. Gave it to my daughter. I know many swear by these gadgets and if it works for them, so be it. Who am I to say differently. For me, an utter waste of time. At the end of the day, I'm going to do what exercise I have in mind and in my plan to do. I don't give a damn about what a tracker does or does not show me or wants me to do.

brdnw · April 2017

I got one for free and tried to wear it and just couldn't get into it. I don't care how many steps I take. I don't think that's a way to tell if you're being active or not.

I lift every day, i'm in 2 sand volleyball leagues and I do HIIT cardio every day for 15-20 minutes. It probably would say i'm not getting enough steps... i don't think doing a bunch of loops around my neighborhood will accomplish anything.

Does anyone else feel this way about fitbits?

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