FitBit pros and cons??

Its a convenient way to track steps and hr if you're doing steady state cardio. Cal burn is not accurate enough to rely on though ( per http://www.mdpi.com/2075-4426/7/2/3 ). I just do the normal mfp thing of only eating back a percentage of my calories, if I eat back any.

I do, however, find fitness trackers convenient enough to use daily (i've had a fitbit charge, fitbit charge2, and now have an apple watch series 2).

I have one and do not sync it to mfp. I log exercise separately.
I find the main benifit is it makes me realize when I need to get moving more.

I def keep it opposite of my myfitnesspal because I like to log my exercise separately to see the actual impact I am having. Also if you have kids, push a stroller, etc it doesn't count your steps because your arm is not swinging and that generally irritates me since I have a toddler.

Otherwise, I use it to make sure I am getting all my steps in each day and it reminds me every hour to get up and moving since I sit at a computer all day for work.

IMO they are useful for gathering data that can help you see trends and meet goals. You can see how much activity you've had on a day, a week, months, etc. You can synch it to your phone/MFP and it will make recording exercise a little bit easier. But it's not a magic bullet, it just provides information. The reminders are nice, I guess, like they'll remind you to move every hour or so. If you have friends that use them, you can compete with each other or encourage each other to reach goals. But you can do all that stuff without one as well. I've used one for a few years, I like it, but I think a lot of people expect it to do a lot more for them - that comes from the effort you put in, not the device!

Along with other responses, it's great to remind you how few steps you have taken. On a busy day it's inaccurate but on those days you know you've done lots. I found over 2 yrs the best of it is on a lazy day by 5 pm I haven't 7000 steps that would be cleared by 10am on a conscious day. It sinply keeps you aware. Nothing more but nothing more is needed if your determined

I don't have a fitbit but have used Garmin Vivofit devices over the years. I started with the original and am now using the Vivofit HR+. They have a lot of similarities but I ended up choosing the Vivofit and have been happy enough to return for more functionality.

I find the step tracking motivating. I love the constant heart rate monitoring as it makes tracking my workouts and bike rides/walks a lot easier. I like data and finding trends, and see that analysis as a good way to challenge myself in the future.

I also utilize the clock face, bluetooth audio controls, phone, and weather connections every day. It is also a good quiet alarm. It is nice to be able to decline/take calls subtly during visits, control my music in the shower, check the weather quick before heading out for a walk, and tracking how my sleep and activity patterns have improved.

I recently did alot of research on the fitbits and garmins currently available and got a new tracker. As a fellow rider one thing that always annoyed me was the inability to get my fitbit to not track my ride as me running. I like that with alot of the garmins you can turn activity tracking off so I dont get 15000 steps for going on a trail ride.

I had a fitbit one for many years and used a fr10 gps watch for running. Recently decided to try to find a nice all in one gadget. I found the step based trackers to be pretty decent at estimating daily calorie burns, my weight loss directly reflected the estimates used with mfp and my fitbit one calculations. I tried the vivosmart hrplus and was astounded at the calories it tried to claim I burned. I couldn't get a sync btwn that device and mfp to make any sense, and found the hr sensor very uncomefortable to wear, so decided to return it. From reviews I gather hr calorie overestimates are an issue across hr model trackers, not isolated to garmin. Settled on a garmin fr230 and am happy to have a combo gps watch activity tracker that makes much more sensible calorie predictions.

Ultimately there are alot of options, and alot of reasons to prefer one over another. Think about what you really want from your device, make a list of priorities, and do some comparing. I like the reviews DC Rainmaker (his site also has a comparison tool thats helpful in comparing devices from different brands) and techwear does, but there are tons of other reviews out there too. Good luck!

I don't understand the point of a FitBit - wouldn't your cell phone track your steps the same way if you keep it in your pocket? My iPhone does, and then syncs the steps with MFP. I've thought about getting a FitBZit because I like gadgets but it seems like a waste.

I my fitbit alta for awhile, but found that it aggravated my disordered eating. Having the constant calories burned reminder turned exercise into something less about fitness and health and more about that number. I checked it wayyy too much.

Someone without a history of eating problems will probably not experience the same problems though. I eventually stopped wearing it and switched to MFP and have been doing wayyy better ever since! I sit down in the morning and pre log breakfast and lunch, and then when I get home from work I log my snacks and dinner. I only need to think about it 2-3 times a day and I don't get obsessed that way. Exercise is also more fun now!

MommaDeQuatre wrote: »

So it seems that it mostly keeps track of your steps for you?? I do weight lifting and am active through several other means, I guess it would benefit me on my hiking adventures or when I'm walking up and down the orchard?

I Have a Charge HR and a flex. I have the flex for when I am in the water only. I wear my Charge 24/7 (except swimming and showers)

it tracks my sleep,
weight lifting,
walking,
running,
treadmill,
regular steps,
biking,
yoga,
Hiking,
it reminds me to move with a buzz,
silent alarm for wake ups,
active minutes,
floors climbed,
Heart rate while working out and
Resting hr,
miles walked,
calories burned (total)
it also tracks if I move at least 250 steps in 1 hour at least 10 hours a day.

and for reference it gives me about 35 calories burned for weighlifting for 20mins..

I do sync it to mfp for the adjustment but I don't always eat it back.

I'd never buy a fitbit because they don't make one that is useful for swimming. I don't care what else it does.
The dudes that track swimming well are expensive. But i finally broke down and bought the new Garmin Fenix 5X. The display is large enough to read without keeping a pair of readers poolside.
It has features for hiking like topographical maps on board.
Only used it for swimming so far and wear it as a watch through the day. I'll check the hiking feature when I get home from this month long business "adventure" in China. (12th month long trip in 3.5 years)

jdekft wrote: »

Does anyone have problems with wrist located trackers erroneously adding steps when not walking? I have a Jawbone Up that clips at the waist but I'm looking to upgrade. At work, I move files and do a lot of paperwork and I'm worried about over estimating of steps taken. Thoughts?

The only non-exercise activity it has logged as steps has been folding laundry. So now I just take it off when I'm folding. I get 10-17K most days and it's accurate. The majority are from purposeful movement, I.e. running or walking for exercise. I am basically a lump the rest of the time.