Fitbit...to buy or not?

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cschmidt45
cschmidt45 Posts: 37
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone,
I'm new to MFP and see a calories tracker called Fitbit for purchase. I'm just wondering if any of you out there have used this tool for awhile and have seen actual weightloss results. Do you consider it a motivator? Is it worth the purchase price and what other benefits have you received from using it? Id also like to add some more friends. Please feel free to add me if you need some more weightloss buddies. Thanks!
Cindy
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Replies

  • tashakk86
    tashakk86 Posts: 81
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    i was wondering the same thing. let me know what you find out please
  • laurensohn22
    laurensohn22 Posts: 163 Member
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    Bump ** I want to know as well
  • Meatsies
    Meatsies Posts: 351 Member
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    Me too...been looking into those or bodybuggs. Bump!
  • cschmidt45
    cschmidt45 Posts: 37
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    It looks pretty interesting. If it helps motivate you with the end result being weightloss, I might be willing to part with my hard earned money:laugh:
  • Runningchick11
    Runningchick11 Posts: 53 Member
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    I have it, just purchased it in February but I try to use it every day. I like how it synchs together with myfitnesspal. I like to do stairs at work and think it's pretty accurate to keep track of. I also was really intrigued that it seems to track your sleep. It seems pretty on top of it for me. I'm not sure if it has really helped me but I do try to walk more and do more stairs to meet my goals on fitbit so I suppose that is a good thing!! You have a profile on fitbit and it tells you how many steps you've done, and what you should do, and your activity level, and a few other stats too. I am glad I purchased it! It's small, yet stays clipped onto your clothes and seems to work good, easy to use.
  • amphora
    amphora Posts: 43 Member
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    I went ahead an ordered one yesterday (Amazon has them slightly cheaper- you want the FitBit Ultra btw, that is the most recent version) but won't get it delivered until tomorrow. If nobody answers before I play with mine this weekend, I'll let you know how it goes! There are plenty of reviews on Amazon too if you want some opinions not MFP based...
  • KelliW_runner
    KelliW_runner Posts: 150 Member
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    I've been using one for 2 months now. Love it. Makes you very aware of your activity (or lack thereof) and therefore motivates to do additional moving. I did just recently purchase a heart rate monitor (Garmin Forerunner 610) and am starting to compare calorie calculations for running/walking. Tonight - 50 minute walk, about 3 miles. Fitbit said 400 calories burned (includes basal metabolic rate, too). HRM said 200 calories burned. Too soon to draw conclusions on accuracy of calorie burn - want to test with running, hiking, etc.

    For general use I recommend the fitbit to monitor relative activity level and serve as a motivator. It is small, discreet, holds battery charge for a few days, and has nice web interface. If you need to get extremely precise on calorie burns during workouts a HRM may be more accurate. Not practical to wear all the time, though.
  • birdsmom1
    birdsmom1 Posts: 31
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    I've had mine for about 3 weeks now and love it. I do find it to be a great motivator. I find myself taking longer routes to rack up more steps. On a busy day at work I have gotten in more than 20K steps. Fitbit goal is 10K. It's interesting to see how many steps you actually take in a day. I do have to question the stair counter as I don't really climb many steps at work. I know I always wake up tired and fitbit opens my eyes as to why! It tracks your sleep as well and how many times you wake up through the night. It syncs with MFP and will add in the exercise calories. I seldom eat them though. On bad days, they make for a nice cushion though. I like my fitbit enough that if something were to happen to it, I would replace it in a heartbeat. I hope this helps. Feel free to send me a friend request. Much luck on your weight loss journey.
    Valerie
  • Fitness4Paul
    Fitness4Paul Posts: 166 Member
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    I love my fitbit. It gives you a more accurate picture of your activity based calorie burn. It does motivate you to get moving if you're having a slow day. I'd recommend it to anyone working on their health and fitness.
  • elpiper
    elpiper Posts: 183 Member
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    uhhh....i lost mine after having it for like 2 weeks.....so.....i don't recommend it. It kept falling off, even with the included clip. waste of money.
  • hubkal
    hubkal Posts: 125 Member
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    I LOVE MINE! it never falls off! I run, jumping jacks, jump rope, and it makes me very aware of all my movement and how much more I can do in a day! It pushes me to take the stairs at work to get a new "badge" for most stairs in a day. It syncs with MFP and shows me real progress! it does not keep track of miles on the treadmill though, it does steps taken there, but not miles "moved". You sleep with it as well and it tells you how much you move around at night and helps you see how much you sleep compared to how much you think you do! I love it and now 3 of my friends have it. It is not cheap at 99 dollars, I got mine on Amazon and it came in 3 days! I love love love it!
  • crimsontech
    crimsontech Posts: 234 Member
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    I absolutely love my FitBit (started wearing one in August). I upgraded to the Ultra for Christmas (gift from fiance) and gave my old one to my mom, who also loves it. I bought my fiance one for himself recently and my sister wants one, too. It's a GREAT motivator and compared to the BodyBugg the price is absolutely right.

    Compared to BodyBugg, it has its own built-in display (BB doesn't), it's small and discreet (BB isn't), and the website is free to use for life (BB is free for 6 months, then costs money). And it costs less than BB. It's not as accurate as wearing an HRM but you can't really wear one of those all day, so the FitBit helps pick up the extra calories burned from your day-to-day activities.

    And it's DEFINITELY a great motivator! I set my step goal and strive to meet or beat it every day. It definitely has me parking farther away, walking more places, etc.
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    I :heart: my FitBit!
  • crimsontech
    crimsontech Posts: 234 Member
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    uhhh....i lost mine after having it for like 2 weeks.....so.....i don't recommend it. It kept falling off, even with the included clip. waste of money.

    Contact FitBit support. I've heard from multiple people that they'll replace a lost unit. I have worn one since August and it has never fallen off. I clip it to my pants pocket, my shirt, or the strap of my bra where I can read it.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    I have one, love it, for all the above reasons. best $99 I ever spent. the calorie burn is adaptive, for example, although it logs steps, and doesn't necessarily see intensity of my cardio work outs, it sort of compensates by tracking it as flights of stair climbed, due to how much high-stepping one does. Thru my fit bit, I have learned I can burn quite a bit of calories by window shopping :-)
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    uhhh....i lost mine after having it for like 2 weeks.....so.....i don't recommend it. It kept falling off, even with the included clip. waste of money.

    Mine's always clipped to my panties :blushing: and never falls off. i did lose the clip, and the wrist band, lol, I am a tad absentminded. I am sure they are here somewhere...
  • Fitness4Paul
    Fitness4Paul Posts: 166 Member
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    uhhh....i lost mine after having it for like 2 weeks.....so.....i don't recommend it. It kept falling off, even with the included clip. waste of money.

    Contact FitBit support. I've heard from multiple people that they'll replace a lost unit. I have worn one since August and it has never fallen off. I clip it to my pants pocket, my shirt, or the strap of my bra where I can read it.

    Yes, great point. The support on this product is pretty great. I called and asked for a second USB dock so it will update my profile from home and work. They said no problem and sent me one free of charge.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
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    uhhh....i lost mine after having it for like 2 weeks.....so.....i don't recommend it. It kept falling off, even with the included clip. waste of money.

    Contact FitBit support. I've heard from multiple people that they'll replace a lost unit. I have worn one since August and it has never fallen off. I clip it to my pants pocket, my shirt, or the strap of my bra where I can read it.

    Just FYI the step counting is much more accurate if you wear it at your waist or below. test it out, you'll be surprised.
  • elpiper
    elpiper Posts: 183 Member
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    I saw someone else had posted that. I tweeted them the day it happened, but I just now went ahead and sent an email. Thanks <3


    Wow you guys <3 thank you all for the encouragement on emailing them. I'm hopeful now. I would love to have my fitbit back....even if its a different one than the original! It was a great motivator for getting those extra steps in!
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    Mine is secure on my bra most of the time and attached to my pocket otherwise. I'm not all that sure how you could lose it.... You don't have to use the belt clip at all unless material is thick that you want to attach it to.
    It is a great motivator to walk, be active and get the stairs in. You get weekly reports so you can keep on top of everything. I don't believe it is as accurate as the body bug but it is just around $100 with no monthly fees so I am happy with that. I know people using the body bug and not losing. I lose about a pound or more every week.
    I changed MFP to lightly active from sedentary and eat 1400-1800 most days. MFP and FB link so you only have to enter stuff on MFP. I've had one or two times when it did not sync properly but overall no glitches. For real exercise like elliptical, Zumba you enter the start time on MFP to help FB adjust calories appropriately.

    Love mine, motivates me, had it since November and haven't "lost" it yet....although I have lost weight ;~)

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