Is it worth getting a Fitbit?

Mine is accurate overall, if anything, it underestimates my calorie burns, although it does bug out occasionally and gives me crazy burns on walks, but then you don't have to eat all the exercise calories back. I've never had it count my steps while driving. I use the Charge 2 HR.

I use it because it definitely motivates me to walk more (so I can eat more without gaining weight).

I have a Charge HR and love it. I use it for all aspects, including the gentle alarm, “get up and move” notifications, etc. As far as calories, etc I use it as a reference point.

I love mine (I have an old model). I am much more active when I have this data (I’ve gone from walking about 6k per day to over 10k now that I see this info). The calorie burn has been very accurate for me.

It really depends on the individual. I have an Alta (not HR) and have found it to be accurate, a learning tool, and a motivating factor in my daily movement.

For those who say it gives them several hundred more calories than they believe they burn, I'd suggest changing your height in fitbit to be an inch shorter. I didn't have to do that, but that is one thing I have seen suggested by more than one person to improve its accuracy. I've also seen lots of people here on these boards say that theirs are accurate and they eat all calories earned.

In my previous job, I moved a lot more than I thought I did and was underfuleing. I have since changed jobs and, while both are technically sedentary desk jobs, in this job I move a lot less during the day. Having this information clearly provided by my fitbit has shown me early on with the new job that I have to both take longer walks outside of work and I need to try to be more deliberate about getting steps while at work. Sure, I could have learned this over time if I saw my weight creeping up while eating the same amount, but my fitbit showed me that I really need to be more conscientious now. I aim for 12,000 steps a day Mon-Fri and 15,000 Sat-Sun (I often get over 15k).

I have negative adjustments enabled. Without my fitbit calories, my MFP goal is about 1450 (at sedentary and not adding exercise). With my fitbit, my goal is about 2,000-2,100 on my 12k days. I tend to eat under that (1700-1900) Mon-Fri and then eat more on Sat and Sun (Sometimes around 3,000 on Saturday and normal on Sunday, sometimes around 2400 on both Saturday and Sunday).

I have a Fitbit Alta (not HR) and the exercise calories burned are surprisingly accurate. I used to manually figure out my calorie burns for exercise based on my height, weight, age, etc. I find that the Fitbit numbers are very similar to my manual calculations.

I do think that the total calories burned for the day are kinda high, though. I calculated my TDEE (daily calorie needs) manually and it is lower than what my Fitbit says I burn each day. I have found that I get better weight loss results going by my manual calculations than Fitbit's total calorie count. The manual calculation are about 500 calories lower. So, I have my Fitbit calorie deficit set @ 1,000. So, I eat 1,000 less than what Fitbit says I burn each day. And, I have lost 1 pound a week with a 1,000 calorie deficit.

I do like the sleep tracker data. And, I like seeing the calories that I have left to eat. This has helped me avoid overeating.

I have a Fitbit charge 2 and love it. I have never really looked at the calories, however have always thought they were high. I find using the calorie tracker on here better than Fitbit, due the vast range of foods, scanning and recipe import.

As for tracking steps - it does register some movement from your arm but definitely not that sensitive to pick up the movement when driving.

The heart tracker, sleep tracker and steps tracker are fantastic and, as said by previous comments, very motivational.

Mrs_P_6817 wrote: »

Another question for you all, will it pick up steps in my pocket? I’m a nurse and have to be bare below the elbow at work. I know that it won’t register my HR, but will it register my steps?

Other than the fact that they tend to get lost more easily you can get a zip or a one. The one has more functions and almost the same abilities as the HR units except of course for the HR. It can also be worn as a pendant.

Wrist units will pick up steps and you could even fiddle with your app and turn off the HR function but depending on the type of steps and amount of Impact the detection rate may vary.

morena2003 wrote: »

Oh, and the steps seem to be pretty accurate on the Fitbit. I was doing wrist exercises the other day because I have wrist issues. In spite of moving my arms a lot, it did not count the movement as steps. I have never had it count steps in the car. I've also compared it to the step count on my Samsung Watch and it was similar.

Depends on what you set as your main hand too. I always get random steps petting the dog or stirring food (and take my fitbit off when I grate cheese).