Fitbits ... yes or no

dianashiner
dianashiner Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Was just wondering does anyone have an opinion on fitbits are they worth the money or not?! Thanks in advance
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Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,387 Member
    What for? What do you expect from a fitbit, and what functionality are you looking for?
  • dianashiner
    dianashiner Posts: 14 Member
    To track exercise and sleep?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I consider mine to be a worthwhile purchase.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,935 Member
    There's a huge Fitbit Group here on Myfitnesspal, with 149,000+ members.

    They'd likely say, "Yes," but I've never owned one.

    Here's the link to the group:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • dianashiner
    dianashiner Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you both I didn’t know there was a group
  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
    I had a Fitbit Flex 2 and switched to Apple Watch. I’m a huge Apple fan so I’m very happy with it. The only issue is that sleep tracking is not built in & you have to use a 3rd party app.
  • savannahs21
    savannahs21 Posts: 364 Member
    I love my Fitbit, worth the money. I have a Charge 2.
  • dianashiner
    dianashiner Posts: 14 Member
    Brilliant thanks I will do a bit more research
  • syreni87
    syreni87 Posts: 8 Member
    I think any tracker is great! Especially if it syncs up. I have an Apple Watch and even though I don't meet all my daily goals for activity- it's a constant reminder so it stays on my brain. I also had a Fitbit Versa 2 prior to this- and I loved that thing.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 6,533 Member
    I bought a Fitbit Versa two months ago based on reading a lot of recommendations for it. Overall I'm happy with it. There are some things it doesn't track well like the stair treadmill at the gym (I'm lucky if it registers 1 flight out of over 200!) and biking is hit or miss. I don't find it always accurate for heart rate during exercise as I've tried taking it with my finger on my pulse and it was higher. I'm maintaining at my current weight eating back Fitbit calorie adjustments so it must be balancing out.
  • dianashiner
    dianashiner Posts: 14 Member
    Fab thanks for so much detail that really helps
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,660 Member
    My favorite feature is the silent alarm. I wake up at 2am. My husband doesn't need to do that. I'm not sure that all the models have an alarm, but I think most do.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    I love mine. It motivates me to move more and alerts me when my activity decreases
  • dianashiner
    dianashiner Posts: 14 Member
    Thanks everyone you have all been so helpful
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    Be aware, though, that the devices don't (any of them) measure calorie burn, they still estimate it (from imperfect proxies like heart rate, arm movement, altitude changes, etc., along with your personal profile data).

    Like any other statistical estimate of this sort, they'll be pretty close for most people on all-day calorie burn, further off (high or low) for a few, and way off for a very rare few. That's just the nature of statistical estimates, even sensibly research-based one, which is what these give you.

    Watch your results, and adjust accordingly. Real-world results with your personal eating/exercise/bodyweight: That's the ultimate best guide.

    My device - a model I won't mention except to say it works well for many others reporting here - is around 25-30% off for my all-day calorie burn . . . approximately the same amount by which MFP mis-estimates me. The device is fine; I'm just atypical in some way(s). (Doesn't matter: I care more about my device for athletic guidance - heart rate, speed, distance - than for calorie estimates. And yes, the device knows my measured HRmax, for y'all tech-heads out there. ;) ).

    You'll probably be normal :) , but it worries me how many people think these devices are magically 100% accurate because mysterious shiny technology. Sadly, no. :lol:
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,540 Member
    edited April 2020
    Most people like them. Some people love them. Some people hate them. It depends on you, your relationship with technology, and your current head-space.

    I use a Fitbit, have used one model or another for quite a while. I generally have found them very useful in the past, and I continue to do so today. I never doubted, before even getting one, that I would love it and enjoy using it. And yes, unlike Ann, I am an average sort of guy!

    I have at least a couple of MFP friends who either hated the infernal device that tried to boss them around, or were wondering why they needed to carry another technobabble thingy on their wrist all day. They (and the relatives who gave them the devices as presents) wasted their money!

    🤷
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 7,400 Member
    Mine’s an Apple Watch but wow, what a difference it made. I think any tracker would, to some degree.

    Reminders to stand, goals to reach, stats to review, little firework graphics for accomplishments, “personal” congrats for milestones. It just rings all my hot motivational buttons.

    I honestly don’t think I’d be as far along as I am today without it.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,953 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    Mine’s an Apple Watch but wow, what a difference it made. I think any tracker would, to some degree.

    Reminders to stand, goals to reach, stats to review, little firework graphics for accomplishments, “personal” congrats for milestones. It just rings all my hot motivational buttons.

    I honestly don’t think I’d be as far along as I am today without it.

    Without the slightest intent of criticism (quite the reverse, because I love human viewpoint diversity sincerely) . . . the ones I bolded, when applied to me, just make my eyes roll when they show up on my wrist device/cloud app, and I've turned off a lot of that. :lol:

    I think it's great that those help you, and know that's true for others as well. It's kind of miraculous how much is designed into these tiny devices, things that can serve so many different interests, needs, and personalities. (I think you, like me, are old enough to remember before there were even basic-arithmetic pocket calculators . . . ? :lol: Heck, I'm old enough to remember before transistor radios . . . and even to know what a "transistor radio" is :lol: !)

    I actually even feel kind of validated by this difference, not in a judgemental/critical way, but in the sense that I feel like I'm alla time telling new folks around here "what's motivational/works for you depends on your personality", and fussing about "one size fits all" recommendations from others. Everyone's mileage really does vary!

    As a data geek, I do love my activity stats (and what I can learn from them, especially for on-water rowing), and some of the benchmarks like resting heart rate, though.

    This diversity makes for great feedback to OP, I think. Some people don't love the devices; some do; those that do, can love them for very different functions. Good stuff! :flowerforyou:
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,394 Member
    I love my Fitbit, although right now keeping it in my pocket instead of my wrist. Kept getting too wet under it, lol.
  • ChickenKillerPuppy
    ChickenKillerPuppy Posts: 297 Member
    Cannot imagine life without mine! I am very competitive, even with myself, so I channel that to make sure I hit certain goals each day. I am much more likely to offer to walk the dog, or extend my run, because I want to hit X steps a day. I have it synched with MFP and I never enter any exercise, I just go by the calories that the Fitbit registers with MFP (but then I only eat half back roughly). I lost regularly when I was losing and now I’m in maintenance so this was accurate enough to work for me (it may not work for everyone). I find it very motivating and I love the data points. And I just have an old Alta - nothing fancy.

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