Fitbits - waste or worth it?

I originally had a Jawbone. I really liked it at first and it actually has a better app than fitbit in my opinion. I thought I'd like it better because it had a battery and I wouldn't have to bother recharging all the time. Also, it was cheap and I wanted to be sure I'd wear it before I spent a lot of money. Then the battery died and I never replaced it. So, that didn't work out as planned.

I recently (March 5) got a Charge 2. I like it. I kind of wish I'd have waited and got the Alta HR because of the look. I prefer the smaller, more dainty look. But that said, I find it very motivating. My job is incredibly sedentary. Literally, I've had days where I only got out of my desk chair 3 times: coffee and bathroom mid-morning, lunch, and bathroom break in the afternoon. Now it reminds me to get off my butt and walk and tells me if I've done at least 250 steps each hour. I walk at lunch and it counts my hour. I measure my other activity too. I make a concerted effort to reach my step goal each day. It's worth it to me.

I got a fitbit blaze not too long after it came out I believe, and have had no issues with it other than the band slowly stretching (not surprising due to the material, and can be replaced, but not needed to yet). I find the features to be more than I need but lovely all the same, and there are ~quarterly updates to the firmware. It's comfortable to sleep with, gives me numbers and reminders to move every hour, just all around I enjoy it a lot.

I've dropped it, smashed it into things, and haven't broken it, so I ain't mad at the durability either.

I use a fitbit one, so no fancy hr just steps. I found it useful to get a general idea of my TDEE. I found it a bit eye opening at first because there were certain activities I thought I moved alot, and they were lower than I would have though in steps, and other things I never really thought about gave me lots, so it just gave me better idea of where I burn my calories.

As for accuracy, I personally found that if I track with MFP as accurately as I can my weight loss was pretty close to my deficit measured compared to my fitbit readings, so that made me think it was pretty accurate, maybe a little low for me. As I said though, the one only measures steps so non step based activity it cant account for very well so I account the slightly low estimate to that.

Love my Fitbit charge 2! I initially bought it to track my pulse as I have been having problems with chest pain. I also track steps but you can do so much more. Track calories burned and when you are actually burning them. Tracks stairs, running, cardio, biking. Has a stop watch and reminders to keep moving. Also a deep breathing exercise it walks u through. Well worth the $$. I sync it with MFP too.

Bluwaves1 wrote: »

I have used one for a month now and it really is good to look back to see how your week was, how much sleep you got, your resting pulse etc. you can see improvement in the numbers. unfortunately the place where I work just banned them so I probably won't use it because the 40 hour gap will make it kind of useless. But I would recommend it to anyone, just make sure you can use them at work first before buying.

Can't believe a workplace would ban them! Workplaces should be encouraging physical fitness no matter what kind of job you do. I would take this further. That's crazy!! It's not like it would be distracting, there's not enough stuff on it to distract anyone.

trinityskyyy wrote: »

Can't believe a workplace would ban them! Workplaces should be encouraging physical fitness no matter what kind of job you do. I would take this further. That's crazy!! It's not like it would be distracting, there's not enough stuff on it to distract anyone.

Some workplaces ban any kind of smartwatch or connected device because of security concerns. My previous employer did this because we worked with sensitive data, but they still allowed the non-smartwatch types that only tracked steps & such and didn't connect to the internet.

And, to answer the original question, I love my fitbit. I've had a few because i have a bad habit of sending the One through the washer & dryer and killing it, so I am getting ready to switch over to an Alta HR. It may not be the most accurate, but it does give me a baseline of how active I am and encourages me to be more active throughout the day.

It ended up being a waste for me because I have a very active job and it was a pain to try to keep it clean and not smash it. I eventually just stopped wearing it. I may eventually use it to track exercise or sale it. Idk yet lol

I have used various models of Fitbit for three years or more, currently wearing the Charge 2. I have never had any trouble with any of them and find them to be highly reliable. As others have stated, the device provides motivation, as well as a good understanding of what it tales to achieve one's movement goals. Apart from the device itself, the mobile app gives one additional data about sleep, active minutes, etc.

OP,
I dont have a FITBIT but a Tom Tom Spark 3+ Cardio HR monitor ( chest strap). I love it because I love telemetry. Tracking all facets for me really has made a difference in my overall physical performance and "look". Its not for everyone by all means if you cant afford it, its not necessary no. But it keeps me motivated if I want to break diet or not workout because I get a streak of lazy in the day time I have that constant reminder on my wrist at all times. It Totally keeps me going strong.

I have a used activity tracker I got for $20, I like wearing it but I don't stress out if I don't reach my daily goal like others do.

Fitbit blaze owner here. Originally a surge owner. Originally got them to keep track of my calories burnt. Now that I have worn them for a considerable amount of time, I know ABOUT how many calories I burn on certain days, based on what exercises I do. I do take the calories burnt as a rough estimate because I have noticed at times it would say my heart rate while walking was 185 beats per minutes. A few minutes later it would be down to 106.

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Psychgrrl wrote: »

Bluwaves1 wrote: »

I have used one for a month now and it really is good to look back to see how your week was, how much sleep you got, your resting pulse etc. you can see improvement in the numbers. unfortunately the place where I work just banned them so I probably won't use it because the 40 hour gap will make it kind of useless. But I would recommend it to anyone, just make sure you can use them at work first before buying.

How can your workplace ban them?

Yes, a hospital can forbid its nurses from wearing a fit bit. Even artificial nails are forbidden Can causes cross-contamination and also injury to patients skin.

Christine_72 wrote: »

To those of you with HR monitor devices, do you keep the HR monitoring switched on all day, or do you turn it on only when you exercise?

I wear it 24/7 unless I'm showering. When I sleep I wear it REALLY loose but don't take it off.

Christine_72 wrote: »

MsHarryWinston wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

To those of you with HR monitor devices, do you keep the HR monitoring switched on all day, or do you turn it on only when you exercise?

I wear it 24/7 unless I'm showering. When I sleep I wear it REALLY loose but don't take it off.

What i meant was, i thought there was an option to turn the HR monitoring on and off. For example, during normal daily activities you just use the step counter, no hr monitoring, then say you go for a run/purposeful exercise wherein you switch the HR monitor on to record your heart rate during your exercise, then when you're finished exercising you turn off the hr monitoring and revert back to a regular tracker.

I guess my question pertains to what is the point of recording your Heart rate when you're not exercising.

Am i being as clear as mud?

Of the handful of devices I've had so far, the ones with a HR monitor could all be turned on and off at will, however the only good reason to switch it off would be to save power if it's going to be awhile before you get to recharge.
The reason for keeping the HR on is simple, it allows the device to make a better calculation of your calorie burn throughout the day, regardless of specific exercise activities.
For example, maybe one day at work you spent an unusual amount of time going up and down stairs running errands, then your device will register a higher calorie burn due to the your heart rate having been higher during that time.
Another day maybe you spent 6 hours in front of the TV, then your device will register a lower calorie burn because you were being a couch potato!
Without a HR monitor, your daily calorie burn is calculated as an average for someone of your sex/age/height/weight and given a multiplier based on how active you state you are. It's not really a true reflection of what you're really burning, but most people should be not too far out.
The activity monitor with HR does a better job since it's actively working out your calorie burn throughout the day.
In most cases it's possible to get MFP to use the devices' reading for your daily calorie burn.

MontyMuttland wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

MsHarryWinston wrote: »

Christine_72 wrote: »

To those of you with HR monitor devices, do you keep the HR monitoring switched on all day, or do you turn it on only when you exercise?

I wear it 24/7 unless I'm showering. When I sleep I wear it REALLY loose but don't take it off.

What i meant was, i thought there was an option to turn the HR monitoring on and off. For example, during normal daily activities you just use the step counter, no hr monitoring, then say you go for a run/purposeful exercise wherein you switch the HR monitor on to record your heart rate during your exercise, then when you're finished exercising you turn off the hr monitoring and revert back to a regular tracker.

I guess my question pertains to what is the point of recording your Heart rate when you're not exercising.

Am i being as clear as mud?

Of the handful of devices I've had so far, the ones with a HR monitor could all be turned on and off at will, however the only good reason to switch it off would be to save power if it's going to be awhile before you get to recharge.
The reason for keeping the HR on is simple, it allows the device to make a better calculation of your calorie burn throughout the day, regardless of specific exercise activities.
For example, maybe one day at work you spent an unusual amount of time going up and down stairs running errands, then your device will register a higher calorie burn due to the your heart rate having been higher during that time.
Another day maybe you spent 6 hours in front of the TV, then your device will register a lower calorie burn because you were being a couch potato!
Without a HR monitor, your daily calorie burn is calculated as an average for someone of your sex/age/height/weight and given a multiplier based on how active you state you are. It's not really a true reflection of what you're really burning, but most people should be not too far out.
The activity monitor with HR does a better job since it's actively working out your calorie burn throughout the day.
In most cases it's possible to get MFP to use the devices' reading for your daily calorie burn.

Pretty sure the sampling rate on mine increases during an activity. So when I'm wearing it, it may sample the HR every 30 seconds or so, but if I turn on an activity it reads it more often (not sure the exact sampling rate).

So I leave mine on. I've got a Garmin VAHR.