Is a Fitbit worth switching to?
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kiela64
Posts: 1,447 Member
I have an activity tracker, a misfit flash. It’s several years old. It works great, I don’t need to charge it just change a battery every 6 months or so. It works for swimming and steps, I keep it in my pocket.
The only trouble is that it doesn’t sync (or, does not sync correctly) to MFP, so I’m trying to guess how to log my exercises. The biggest thing seems to be my daily steps. I have a job where I walk ~7000-1300 steps on days where I work. I get under 4000 at home. I don’t wear my tracker on my wrist because I am also doing a lot with my arms.
Anyway, an old thread of mine was trying to log my steps more accurately to give myself more calories in the work day because I was super hungry. Then another one is that I’m experiencing some hair loss and it’s possibly from losing “too fast” at 1.7lb/week rate instead of the 1lb/week I was aiming for.
My idea was that if I could be more accurately tracking my steps then maybe I could get a better handle on my intake and how to slow down but not stop 😛
I also swim. It’s probably the only exercising I will do outside of work. I’m sidelined now by my knees and a toe infection but I may go back soon I hope. My current tracker can track swimming. There seems to be only the flex2 Fitbit than can do that.
The downside seems to be another thing I need to remember to charge and possibly having to keep it on my wrist (I find wristbands annoying and I remember reading they’ll overestimate from arm movements and I do a lot of those picking and carrying things), the upside is actually connecting to MFP and hopefully more accurately counting my calories burned. Fitbits also connect to rewards apps like Carrot Rewards - I found out from a coworker. My current tracker doesn’t have anything like that.
I’d use a phone app except I can’t keep my phone with me at work when I do most of my walking. It’s too bulky to keep in my pocket.
The only trouble is that it doesn’t sync (or, does not sync correctly) to MFP, so I’m trying to guess how to log my exercises. The biggest thing seems to be my daily steps. I have a job where I walk ~7000-1300 steps on days where I work. I get under 4000 at home. I don’t wear my tracker on my wrist because I am also doing a lot with my arms.
Anyway, an old thread of mine was trying to log my steps more accurately to give myself more calories in the work day because I was super hungry. Then another one is that I’m experiencing some hair loss and it’s possibly from losing “too fast” at 1.7lb/week rate instead of the 1lb/week I was aiming for.
My idea was that if I could be more accurately tracking my steps then maybe I could get a better handle on my intake and how to slow down but not stop 😛
I also swim. It’s probably the only exercising I will do outside of work. I’m sidelined now by my knees and a toe infection but I may go back soon I hope. My current tracker can track swimming. There seems to be only the flex2 Fitbit than can do that.
The downside seems to be another thing I need to remember to charge and possibly having to keep it on my wrist (I find wristbands annoying and I remember reading they’ll overestimate from arm movements and I do a lot of those picking and carrying things), the upside is actually connecting to MFP and hopefully more accurately counting my calories burned. Fitbits also connect to rewards apps like Carrot Rewards - I found out from a coworker. My current tracker doesn’t have anything like that.
I’d use a phone app except I can’t keep my phone with me at work when I do most of my walking. It’s too bulky to keep in my pocket.
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Replies
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I love my FitBit and the auto syncing. Totally worth it to me.3
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I may not be super helpful but I LIKE fitbit cause it sync for the most part.
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For me, Fitbit is 100% worth it. BUT. I think it's only worth it to me because of the constant HR tracking. It makes the calorie burn estimate a lot more precise, I get HR readings for my workouts, and I get lots of health info from the HR. My resting HR is the first thing to tell me if I'm stressing myself towards a crash and burn, so keeping an eye on that is helping me with stress management and mental health as well. I primarily use my Fitbit to track my burn and HR, so I wouldn't switch to a model without the HR feature.
Now, here's the BUT. If you primarily want to track your swimming, the only models that provide both swim tracking and HR tracking are the pricier smartwatches (Versa and Ionic). For me personally, the Fitbit would be worth a lot less without the HR tracking, but it all depends on your goals. The Flex2 you mentioned can apparently be worn also as a necklace, so no wrist-wearing.
I do like the Fitbit&MFP sync a lot, and I find it very helpful.1 -
I unlinked my FB quickly again as it grossly overstates calorie burn. I only use it for general data nerdery, really.3
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You don't need a gadget to tell you if you're losing 1.7 a week and it should be 1lb, you are burning more than you think so eat some more
I've been Fitbit free now for over a year and getting rid of that gadget that was ruling my workouts and movements was the best thing I ever did. I know for some people they need it to motivate them, but I don't.2 -
I have the Fitbit Charge and love it. Battery lasts ages and it can track a variety of workouts and it does auto-track. However you cannot swim with it, so I would log that separately then.1
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LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »You don't need a gadget to tell you if you're losing 1.7 a week and it should be 1lb, you are burning more than you think so eat some more
I've been Fitbit free now for over a year and getting rid of that gadget that was ruling my workouts and movements was the best thing I ever did. I know for some people they need it to motivate them, but I don't.
Yes it’s not about motivation at all. My exercise is limited to what my knees can handle. It’s more about my daily burn with my extremely varied activity levels at work.
I see Fitbit has a buzzer for every hour to get up and move - can this be turned off? That sounds irritating. My sedentary days are, unfortunately, currently very necessary things.
I’ve been trying to up my calories and honestly it’s very nerve wracking trying to just guess. I feel like maybe if I had “proof” for myself then I would feel more comfortable.I have the Fitbit Charge and love it. Battery lasts ages and it can track a variety of workouts and it does auto-track. However you cannot swim with it, so I would log that separately then.
I wonder if maybe it’s worthwhile to get it and use it just for the daily activity part. Logging swimming separately, and it’s not like I need to toss my old one. I could keep it in my swim stuff to track that workout specifically, like I’m using it now unsynced just for info.
Because the reviews I’ve seen of the Flex 2 are that it needs to be charged every 3 days which sounds a lot like my Bluetooth headphones- which I eternally forget to charge and often end up with dead headphones in my bag for like a week 😂 but if the charge lasts longer then maybe that would be better!I unlinked my FB quickly again as it grossly overstates calorie burn. I only use it for general data nerdery, really.
Hm, i think my current one under states it 😐 maybe there’s no winning here.For me, Fitbit is 100% worth it. BUT. I think it's only worth it to me because of the constant HR tracking. It makes the calorie burn estimate a lot more precise, I get HR readings for my workouts, and I get lots of health info from the HR. My resting HR is the first thing to tell me if I'm stressing myself towards a crash and burn, so keeping an eye on that is helping me with stress management and mental health as well. I primarily use my Fitbit to track my burn and HR, so I wouldn't switch to a model without the HR feature.
Now, here's the BUT. If you primarily want to track your swimming, the only models that provide both swim tracking and HR tracking are the pricier smartwatches (Versa and Ionic). For me personally, the Fitbit would be worth a lot less without the HR tracking, but it all depends on your goals. The Flex2 you mentioned can apparently be worn also as a necklace, so no wrist-wearing.
I do like the Fitbit&MFP sync a lot, and I find it very helpful.
This is really interesting! I never thought about that interest in HR for mental health. I don’t think i want to drop $200+ on this. It’s not primarily for swimming but I liked that that one did do swimming also. It’s odd how expensive these are when I’m pretty sure the technology is similar to the misfit. Which was $20.
Unfortunately necklaces are worse. They just get caught in the hair at the nape of my neck and yank out hair. I stopped wearing necklaces ages ago. Just can’t stand it.
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I see Fitbit has a buzzer for every hour to get up and move - can this be turned off? That sounds irritating. My sedentary days are, unfortunately, currently very necessary things.
I’ve been trying to up my calories and honestly it’s very nerve wracking trying to just guess. I feel like maybe if I had “proof” for myself then I would feel more comfortable.
This is really interesting! I never thought about that interest in HR for mental health. I don’t think i want to drop $200+ on this. It’s not primarily for swimming but I liked that that one did do swimming also. It’s odd how expensive these are when I’m pretty sure the technology is similar to the misfit. Which was $20.
Unfortunately necklaces are worse. They just get caught in the hair at the nape of my neck and yank out hair. I stopped wearing necklaces ages ago. Just can’t stand it.
Yes, the time-to-move reminder buzzer can be turned off. I find it super annoying too. I don't really swim for exercise so I have the Alta HR which can't do swim tracking. It's cheaper than the smartwatches, a lot less clunky and with the changeable wristbands (off-brand from Amazon, not Fitbit's own) it actually looks like a bracelet or a slim watch instead of an activity tracker.
I have to charge it probably every 5 days, and it's not a problem since I keep the charger next to my phone charger on my nightstand. I've also heard that others have a habit of charging their (non-waterproof) Fitbits while showering and that's enough to keep the battery running.0 -
I have a love-hate relationship with mine. I love it because it was a gift from my husband and a sign that he supports me in my journey. I hate it because my weight-loss slowed down significantly when I started wearing it 7 months ago. Before fit-bit, when I used the pedometer in my phone and calorie estimates from workout equipment, I was consistently losing the 1 pound per week I wanted. With fit-bit linked to MFP, the extra calories were enabling me to eat too much. My loss halted, and I went though a period of frustration with the whole process. I'm now rising from the ashes, eating back no more than half of the fit-bit estimated calories, and back to losing 1 pound per week. Use with caution.
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Mithridites wrote: »I have a love-hate relationship with mine. I love it because it was a gift from my husband and a sign that he supports me in my journey. I hate it because my weight-loss slowed down significantly when I started wearing it 7 months ago. Before fit-bit, when I used the pedometer in my phone and calorie estimates from workout equipment, I was consistently losing the 1 pound per week I wanted. With fit-bit linked to MFP, the extra calories were enabling me to eat too much. My loss halted, and I went though a period of frustration with the whole process. I'm now rising from the ashes, eating back no more than half of the fit-bit estimated calories, and back to losing 1 pound per week. Use with caution.
This goes to show the burns can be overinflated - glad you're back on a losing streak
That happened for me too, I would have eaten most of my Fitbit burn back thinking I'd earned it, but I hadn't.1 -
I have the most basic and inexpensive Fitbit, the Fitbit Zip and love it. It syncs with MFP and tells me the number of steps, miles, and calories burned overall.
I also have a Polar heart rate monitor that I wear for workouts. It has a chest strap which makes it more accurate in determining heart rate. I should say that I've had a Polar HRM for a good 15 years and would not work out without one. Once, it detected an abnormally high heart rate which lead to me to the doctor and a diagnosis of SVT.
The Fitbit Zip and I have been together almost as long- maybe 8 or more years. Very dependable and affordable too.1 -
fittocycle wrote: »I have the most basic and inexpensive Fitbit, the Fitbit Zip and love it. It syncs with MFP and tells me the number of steps, miles, and calories burned overall.
I also have a Polar heart rate monitor that I wear for workouts. It has a chest strap which makes it more accurate in determining heart rate. I should say that I've had a Polar HRM for a good 15 years and would not work out without one. Once, it detected an abnormally high heart rate which lead to me to the doctor and a diagnosis of SVT.
The Fitbit Zip and I have been together almost as long- maybe 8 or more years. Very dependable and affordable too.
This sounds good, thank you!! but I don’t see it currently for sale at all 😐0 -
Can't really speak to fitbit, but I have a Samsung Gear sport and I love it. It can also track swimming (rated up to 50 meters deep) and I have found the calorie burn through the default Samsung app to be fairly accurate for me. If I try to use the UA record or map my run apps, my burn is overestimated. As a big data nerd, I love the additional information to help track. It has also been helpful to see just how sedentary I am while at work and has motivated me to go on walks during my lunch.
Like others have said, it is not necessary, but can be a very helpful tool if used properly.
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The Zip is still there on the Fitbit website but it's closer to the bottom of the screen under the products tab. Very basic but also affordable too!1
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fittocycle wrote: »The Zip is still there on the Fitbit website but it's closer to the bottom of the screen under the products tab. Very basic but also affordable too!
Thank you! I was on their comparison page and it wasn’t there. It’s hiding! 😛
Oh that’s interesting it’s more expensive than the flex 2.... 😐0
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