Looking for recommendations for fitness tracker

DJTerrum
DJTerrum Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
Hi everyone, just subscribed for premium of myfitnesspal and I am going to be starting off slow with losing some weight.

Currently I am just looking for recommendations for a reasonably priced fitness tracker that is compatible with myfitnesspal.

I don't need anything too special but anything that can track my exercise and put that calorie burn towards my statistics on the app would be really useful.

Many thanks for looking and I look forward to any responses! :)

Replies

  • Jullcifer
    Jullcifer Posts: 1 Member
    Hi! I am using polar A370 watch, and it is quite nice (although, I do notice it overestimates the amount of calories I burn in everyday life, but for exercise measurements, if I select right type of exercise, it is very close to "real" number ). And my friend uses Polar chest strap (with heart monitor), it is approximately twice of the watch price, but if you want only the exercise measurements, I believe it's more than enough. (Unfortunately, have no experience with other brands) Good luck!
  • DJTerrum
    DJTerrum Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks so much Jullcifer. I will keep that noted and look forward to any other recommendations :)
  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    My Garmin vivosmart is great. Wasn't very expensive, is comfortable and small, and tracks exercise and steps seemingly accurately.

    Plus I love the exercise reminder feature.
  • DJTerrum
    DJTerrum Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks Terytha! I had a look at the Garmin Vivosmart and they seem to vary in price depending on the model. Do you know which one yours is? I can get a trusted brand (Fitbit) for the same price but I'm looking for something reasonably cheaper.

    Many thanks!
  • bear2303
    bear2303 Posts: 251 Member
    I have an apple watch and i LOVE it! I've been using it for a few years now and i love it for my exercise and health journey. If you have an apple phone i personally think its the best option! Get one that has GPS and you'll likely never need anything else. I feel like it's pretty darn accurate and it just works so seamlessly with the iphone. Its not much more expensive than other watches but it also has a ton of features and integrates really well with MFP.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I'll mention to the desire to have it integrate well with MFP - the Apple direct sync doesn't, as Apple sends the wrong info over for MFP to do math with.

    If you are attempting to use MFP to learn the life lesson regarding weight management:
    When you do more you eat more.
    When you do less you eat less.

    In a diet a tad less in either case.

    Direct sync with Apple won't help that - but easily solved with syncing to Pacer app which then can be set to get the stats from Apple and present them correctly to MFP.

    But it's also well priced over other options.

    Ditto's to one of the Garmins - long battery life, feature list you decide on depending on amount to spend, workouts are synced over (compared to Fitbit they are not).
    But then again Garmin & Fitbit both have much better exercise diaries for review compared to MFP - don't even worry about it on MFP.

    Activity tracker for movement related logging and goals.
    It syncs correct info over to MFP.
    MFP for food related logging and goals with adjustment depending on what you really burn daily.

    Fitbit has much bigger customer base if you think you'll be inspired to move more because you can be in contests with other people for steps.
    Then again that sometimes causes people to choose workouts based on getting steps, not what may actually be more beneficial for them to spend their available time on.

    If hitting your goals is inspiring, Garmin helps with reminders.
  • DJTerrum
    DJTerrum Posts: 5 Member
    bear2303, thank you so much but I do not have an iPhone (My phone is Galaxy S8)

    heybales, really informative I really appreciate it. I'm looking for something just to count my steps and/or burnt calories which can copy over to my diary on MFP and calculate my calories burnt towards my total calories. I'm not looking for anything super special and I don't need reminders or inspiration. :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Garmin Vivofit 3 can be had for $50 at some Walmart stores.

    Optional holder so it can clip to clothes instead of being a watch type device.

    Vivofit 4 is newer version, more money around $70 on Amazon.

    Both very simple, counts steps, from that distance, and from that daily calorie burn and tracking, can auto-detect or allow manually starting a workout. Both methods can have the workout corrected on Garmin where you can review your activity.

    Has a reminder option but can be disable.
    If you choose not to sync constantly from device to phone - battery can last a year.

    Garmin account syncs to MFP.
    pretty simple and well priced if you don't need much - but want dependability from a brand name.
  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    You may also want to shop for used versions. Plenty of people get fitness trackers and end up not using them, so resale products are priced well. Try eBay, Nextdoor, Facebook marketplace, etc. You might be able to get a good one for $50 or less.
  • DJTerrum
    DJTerrum Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks so much heybales and boldknee. After lots of consideration I'm going to get a Vivofit 4 :) Really appreciate the help!
  • Danp
    Danp Posts: 1,561 Member
    I bought an Amazfit Stratos and it's outstanding.

    It's essentially the same functionality as a Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music just without the price tag.

    I've used it for everything from regular every day step tracking, to cycling, running, swimming, and even all 3 at once during a triathlon.

    It's got memory to load songs and bluetooth so you can connect your bluetooth headphones for music, cheststrap for accurate heart rate and any other bluetooth enabled devices (footpod, cadence meters, etc). It's also GPS enabled for route, distance and pace tracking. So all this means you can leave your phone behind.

    Definitely recommend and worth a look.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
    I'm cheap... I have Strava downloaded on my phone and sync the two apps
  • Al_1971
    Al_1971 Posts: 4 Member
    If you have paid for mfp premium I'd recommend a Garmin as MFP is built into the Garmin connect calorie tracking section and the two apps sync well. Vivoactive 4 would be my choice but there are other cheaper and more expensive premium options depending on your needs.
  • mkmaske23
    mkmaske23 Posts: 14 Member
    Before I got an iPhone and Apple Watch, I loved my Fitbit!
  • denjan333
    denjan333 Posts: 158 Member
    edited September 2019
    I’ll second the Polar products. I use a Polar A360 and it does sync well with MFP (through the Polar Flow app). It’s also a very accurate heart rate monitor. I also like the way it looks and you can get wrist bands in several different colours.

    I should add that it’s also waterproof, which to me is one of the best features.
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