which fitbit to get?

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dawnna76
dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
help me decide. I would like to know which one you have and why you like it.

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  • Fitnessgirl0913
    Fitnessgirl0913 Posts: 481 Member
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    I have an alta and love it! I have previously had a zip but wanted one I could wear on my wrist so I got a blaze. The features on the blaze are really nice as it is more of a "smart watch" but I didn't like the heart monitor for 2 reasons: 1)Over time it actually caused a heat burn on my wrist where I wore it and 2)I found the heart rate monitor grossly overestimates calorie burn for things like weight lifting and jumping on the trampoline. If you watch a scary movie it counts that as exercise, ugh. I love my alts (the one without the heart rate monitor) because it is more sleek and stylish, there are tons of jazzy bands you can get for it and I even have "fitbit bling" I got off amazon for fancy occasions which is a decorative pendant you put over the screen. I also like it because I feel my calorie burn is more accurate without the heart rate monitor, however my main form of exercise is walking/running so if you do more biking or swimming something with a HR monitor may be more useful to you. Another pro of the alta (but to be fair I think most fitbits do this) is it vibrates every hour if you haven't moved (under 250 steps I think), which I like to remind me to get up from my desk at work. You can turn this feature off if it bugs you. Some features it comes with that I don't use but some people love are sleep tracking and display of text messages and phone calls.
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 787 Member
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    don't get a fitbit, get a polar a370 instead :D
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I have the Alta HR. It's my first Fitbit. I like that it's one of the smaller models, I have very petite wrists and most watches look ridiculous on me. I bought a metal magnetic band on Amazon to go with it and it's much better than the rubber band that comes with it.

    Overall, I like it. It seems pretty accurate. I enjoy tracking my sleep, my calorie burns, my steps, MFP adjustments.

    My annoyances are:

    - The Fitbit app can be really slow to sync updates and doesn't seem to do it automatically throughout the day. I have to drag down with my finger at the top of the screen to start the sync and it takes about 10 seconds.
    - The app is a little buggy. If I want to look at my overall heart-rate from the day, sometimes it doesn't load until I exit and enter the app again a couple times. Sometimes when I want to press on one stat to expand it, it just won't expand.
    - The watch face is supposed to turn on when you turn it towards your face. It actually works like 50% of the time. Most of the time I look like a crazy person, repeatedly raising my wrist to my face.
    - You're also supposed to be able to tap on the Alta's face to cycle through all the stats. This also works sporadically. I have to tap multiple spots on the Alta and multiple times to get it to cycle. Sometimes it works perfectly, but most of the time it doesn't.

    Even with the minor annoyances, I like it and I've been wearing it 24/7 (except showering) since I got it a couple months ago. It's so nice to get calorie burns easily when you workout. I was using a chest strap or just guesstimating before so this way is nice.
  • VeggieGirlforLife
    VeggieGirlforLife Posts: 777 Member
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    I also have an Alta without the HR and I love it. I only take it off to shower. I like the style which is sleek and understated for my job, but the bands can be switched out if you want to call attention to it. I like the reminders to get my steps in every hour because I have a desk job.

    I do use the sleep tracking because I'm trying to formulate a better sleep routine - it lets you know how many times in the night you were restless which can affect your sleep quality.

    It syncs very well with MFP for exercise calories. This helps me challenge myself to meet and exceed my goals.
  • amberbarry1
    amberbarry1 Posts: 4 Member
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    I have a charge 2 which has been necessary because I use the heartrate data for exercising.
  • Meelisv
    Meelisv Posts: 235 Member
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    firecat1987 wrote: »
    don't get a fitbit, get a polar a370 instead :D

    This.
    I find it weird how people now use "Fitbit" for "fitness tracker". Seems like a bit too early to get into Xerox/Kleenex/Google world here :smiley:

    I prefer Garmin devices myself, but all 4-5 top brands make very good trackers. It's really up to preference like features you need and design you prefer.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Meelisv wrote: »
    firecat1987 wrote: »
    don't get a fitbit, get a polar a370 instead :D

    This.
    I find it weird how people now use "Fitbit" for "fitness tracker". Seems like a bit too early to get into Xerox/Kleenex/Google world here :smiley:

    I prefer Garmin devices myself, but all 4-5 top brands make very good trackers. It's really up to preference like features you need and design you prefer.

    I did some research between Polar, Garmin and Fitbit and settled on Fitbit. I like the small, sleek devices that don't look like a brick on my tiny wrist. And Fitbit has the nicest app UI. And I liked the additional features that Fitbit provides.
  • Meelisv
    Meelisv Posts: 235 Member
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    Fitbit has nicest UI for sure. And it is most popular in the western world, so odds are there are more people you know who use one if you want to participate in challenges. Features wise it's not even close to Garmin (providing you have a device with those features integrated, and actually need them of course.)
  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 331 Member
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    I have a fitbit charge 2 and love it. It tells you that it is time to walk. You can track sleep, steps, see your heart rate. It motivates me to get my steps in.
  • Leannep2201
    Leannep2201 Posts: 441 Member
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    Following this with interest, because I’m also looking at getting a fitness tracker in the next couple of weeks or so....
  • sadiepie10
    sadiepie10 Posts: 30 Member
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    If your looking at Fitbit. The Fitbit Versa comes out in April.
  • LifeWithPie
    LifeWithPie Posts: 552 Member
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    Fitbit Charge 2 FTW! Love it. Had the Blaze for a couple of years, but found it too bulky. Kept getting stuck in my coat sleeve and stuff like that. I like the sleeker Charge 2. Has all the same features as the Blaze.
  • Asheea
    Asheea Posts: 211 Member
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    VeggieGirlforLife wrote: »
    I also have an Alta without the HR and I love it. I only take it off to shower. I like the style which is sleek and understated for my job, but the bands can be switched out if you want to call attention to it. I like the reminders to get my steps in every hour because I have a desk job.

    I do use the sleep tracking because I'm trying to formulate a better sleep routine - it lets you know how many times in the night you were restless which can affect your sleep quality.

    It syncs very well with MFP for exercise calories. This helps me challenge myself to meet and exceed my goals.

    Ditto. I love my Alta. I ordered a 10 pack of watch like bands from Amazon for it and I love changing it out to match my outfit or my mood. It does everything I need it to and helps keep me steppin'. I also love how it connects to my phone so I know when I get a text or a call and who it is.
  • BruinsGal_91
    BruinsGal_91 Posts: 1,400 Member
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    It depends what you want it for. I had a Fitbit One which was great for counting steps and reminding me to keep moving. But once I started to get serious about my running, I switched to Garmin.
  • BruceHedtke
    BruceHedtke Posts: 358 Member
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    I have a Fitbit Ionic and I really like it but it does have a couple of issues:

    Sometimes the syncing seems to just flake out but most times it's stable enough. More often (I like changing the clock face), it has issues with losing connectivity to the app.

    When charging the watch, it can add *alot* of phantom steps. I found that out the first time I charged it and without having worn it at all, it had wracked up over 40,000 steps. The fix is to restart the watch before charging it and that seems to work. Plus, I try to charge it when I'm at work (it does charge really fast) so I can keep an eye on it.

    I was excited for some of the other features, such as linking your bank card to the Ionic, but that only applies if your bank is supported and mine is not. I briefly tried to upload music but was having issues with my bluetooth adapter on my computer, so I quit trying and just never returned to try again. You can also wear it while swimming, which I plan on doing more of this summer.

    All in all, I think it's a solid fitness tracker.

  • xsix
    xsix Posts: 62 Member
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    I used to have a Fitbit, I dont use that brand anymore, but if you are dead set on it my friend has this one https://www.fitbit.com/shop/blaze?color=black&band=tpu and loves it. Me I use a misfit shine 2 which pairs with this website and coospoo hr monitor through my phone which gets it done.

    The stock band on my fitbit kept breaking, and I had to buy an after market one finally, not mention their support is not the greatest (IMHO) and their app has problems pairing with their equipment.

    Google Misfit Shine 2 and check it out.
  • aordaz0802
    aordaz0802 Posts: 4 Member
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    I love my Fitbit blaze!
  • BillEgbert
    BillEgbert Posts: 5 Member
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    I am now using the Fitbit Alta (my Fitbit Flex stopped charging after a year or so) and I find it to be an invaluable tool. In fact, getting a fitness tracker 3 years ago turned out to play a huge part in the transformation of my body and health. I have logged 12.5 million steps! I got the Fitbit brand because I was able to get one for free using travel points. While I will research other brands, when this one needs replacement, Fitbit seems to provide all the features I need.

    I like that the Alta is not big and clunky. With a black strap it can be worn with a suit without looking like a sports watch. The battery charge lasts a respectable 5 to 7 days. It syncs with MyFitnessPal, which is now a must-have feature for me. It fits well, even though I have quite small wrists for a guy, but the design will easily work on larger wrists. It is comfortable to wear 24/7. I love the feature to remind you to move if you haven't logged at least 250 steps in the last hour. The Android app is very motivating if you respond well to positive feedback. The green stars and bars help me stay motivated.

    As others have said, the syncing with my Android can best be described as "fussy" - especially after putting my phone in airplane mode. Every once in a while, it will just stop syncing with MyFitnessPal, but that usually gets resolved within hours and is probably network related. I have found that the strap on the Alta will separate at where the strap connects to the tracker (not at the clasp). I cannot wear it when working with kettle bells overhead in the gym as the strap ALWAYS separates when the kettle bell makes contact, causing the tracker to fall off!

    I would definitely get the Alta HR next time because the heart monitoring helps to provide more data.

    As mentioned earlier by other posters on this thread, it's not really the brand that is important. It is the features of the fitness tracker that are important. They are tools that provide excellent (although not completely accurate) information to be used in your health management. If you are tracking your food, water and exercise in MFP and syncing your fitness tracker, you have great information to work with. Understanding the impact of calories burned is very important whether your goal is to loose weight or gain bulk for muscle building.
  • joanrollier
    joanrollier Posts: 4 Member
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    I wanted a fitness tracker that I could wear in water because I do water aerobics and swim. I did some research and chose the garmin vivosmart 3. It's completely waterproof and I love that I can track my calories in the water.
  • lois1231
    lois1231 Posts: 331 Member
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    I don't know if we helped you any. As you see most people have their favorites. Good luck with whatever you choose.

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