FIT BIT ... need advice

simplysassi · April 2012

I know there must be tons of threads on here about FIT BIT but I can't figure out an easy way to filter through them to get to what I need to know. Initially, I thought about getting an HRM but I think after my research on it, I may have decided against it. Bottom line, the idea of wearing a chest strap just seems daunting to me.

So, I'm thinking serious about a FitBit, but know little about them. Can anyone help?

1) heard they sync up to MFP. how does that work? If I walk 3 miles, will those 3 miles just show up automatically on MFP? How often does it sync up to MFP throughout the day?

2) does it monitor speed or just distance? (my pedometer now just calculates steps/distance, so I'm missing true calories burned)

3) sleep monitoring... this one really confuses me. Sometimes I wake up at night and just lie motionless. How does the fitbit know if I'm really asleep or just being really still?

4) any advice or recommendations on brands/models?

stephenatl09 · April 2012

I gave mine away. It tracks "sleep" as long as you do not move. It really isn't sleep it's a lack of motion. I found mine to be unreliable at best. Sometimes it tracked steps I did not make and didn't track steps I did. For almost $100 I feel it was not worth it. I would go with the HRM myself.
It synchs when you get close to your laptop or put it on the charger. I really did not like the way it interacts with MFP.
It says it tracks stairs etc but it didn't do that very well either.

simplysassi · April 2012

interesting.... so, if I sit motionless say, watching TV.... will it think I'm sleeping and calculate that as sleep?

Do you have an HRM then? I'm still slightly curious about them.

stephenatl09 · April 2012

I've been looking into them but to be truthful after wasting $100 on the Fitbit I am very weary. I have been just using the data in MFP for strength training and use the data from the equipment at the gym for my cardio.

stephenatl09 · April 2012

I know there must be tons of threads on here about FIT BIT but I can't figure out an easy way to filter through them to get to what I need to know. Initially, I thought about getting an HRM but I think after my research on it, I may have decided against it. Bottom line, the idea of wearing a chest strap just seems daunting to me.

So, I'm thinking serious about a FitBit, but know little about them. Can anyone help?

1) heard they sync up to MFP. how does that work? If I walk 3 miles, will those 3 miles just show up automatically on MFP? How often does it sync up to MFP throughout the day?

2) does it monitor speed or just distance? (my pedometer now just calculates steps/distance, so I'm missing true calories burned)

3) sleep monitoring... this one really confuses me. Sometimes I wake up at night and just lie motionless. How does the fitbit know if I'm really asleep or just being really still?

4) any advice or recommendations on brands/models?

If you have a pedometer that is basically what a Fitbit is, imo is was vastly misrepresented in the advertising.

mexy04 · April 2012

I know there must be tons of threads on here about FIT BIT but I can't figure out an easy way to filter through them to get to what I need to know. Initially, I thought about getting an HRM but I think after my research on it, I may have decided against it. Bottom line, the idea of wearing a chest strap just seems daunting to me.

So, I'm thinking serious about a FitBit, but know little about them. Can anyone help?

1) heard they sync up to MFP. how does that work? If I walk 3 miles, will those 3 miles just show up automatically on MFP? How often does it sync up to MFP throughout the day?

2) does it monitor speed or just distance? (my pedometer now just calculates steps/distance, so I'm missing true calories burned)

3) sleep monitoring... this one really confuses me. Sometimes I wake up at night and just lie motionless. How does the fitbit know if I'm really asleep or just being really still?

4) any advice or recommendations on brands/models?

Just get a HRM...Target has a NB model that is just too easy. No matter what you buy it will always be an estimate either way. The chest strap is not bothersome I stick under my sports bra and I forget its there.

Jupitermermaid · April 2012

I totally LOVE my fitbit! I got it specifically for the sleep tracking (Im a chonic insomniac), and it does an amazing job of trackin when I'm asleep and when I'm fidgeting. It doesn't count lying still as sleeping......for some reason, it can tell the difference between being inactive and sleeping. I'm lost without my fitbit when i misplace it or lose it. i think it is worth it's weight in gold! Just my opinion.

IrishHarpy1 · April 2012

The responding poster must have gotten a bad item, because I have had ZERO issues with my Fitbit. I find it rather accurate at estimating steps and stairs, and the calorie burn *must* be right on -- because I lost my last 10 pounds after I started tracking everything with it.

I'm sure there are FAR more people here with positive experiences as opposed to negative. There is a Fitbit group on here that you may want to check out.

laurelmc · April 2012

interesting.... so, if I sit motionless say, watching TV.... will it think I'm sleeping and calculate that as sleep?

Do you have an HRM then? I'm still slightly curious about them.

No, you have to set it for sleep mode for it to track sleep, it's not just any time you're not moving. I've found mine to be super precise with the # of steps, less so with the stairs, although I do a lot of getting up and down off the floor all day at work so I think maybe it thinks I'm going up a step or 2 when I stand back up. There will be some days where I'll come home and it will say I went up a flight or 2 even if I didn't.
It syncs to yours computer whenever you're in the room w/ your computer, but you can see the updated data all day long on the FitBit itself.
Overall I think it's been a fun little thing, it's kind of fun to challenge myself to get more steps/stairs/miles than the day before.

tenunderfour · April 2012

They both estimate calories burned, but they are for very different functions. The Fitbit estimates your calories burned during normal daily activities.... walking, climbing stairs, etc. The HRM is for estimating calories burned during exercise, particularly aerobic exercise. So I think it just depends on what you want to measure.

Also, to activate the sleep monitoring function you have to hold the key down to start a timer. When you wake up, you hold the key down to stop the timer. It will record this as sleep. So to answer your question - just sitting on the couch would not be recorded as sleeping.

I have both a HRM and a Fitbit. I like them both.

Curt959 · April 2012

The Fitbit syncs with MFP via "wireless" connection. Fitbit does not reflect monitoring speed per se; however, it does monitor distance experienced for a given exercise activity in the context of time and it calculates calories burned based on your age, weight, and time spent on various activity levels. I'm not sure how sleep monitoring works, yet my sleep data appears to be relatively accurate.

Overall, whereas some question the accuracy of the Fitbit data, I think you can question the accuracy of all activity monitoring devices. While I will not guarrantee the absolute accuracy of the FitBit, I feel the information is "relatively accurate" and would recommend it, as I love my Fitbit!

Jacwhite22 · April 2012

I love my fitbit....would be glad to answer any specific questions you have....it does a pretty good job estimating calories and unlike hrm you wear it all day...Not just when working out.....it makes me take the steps instead of the elevator and gets me to walk more...

MzFreeSpirited · April 2012

I love my FitBit. I have had it for about 3 months. I find it to be accurate in counting my steps. At first I used to monitor my sleep with it but I dont anymore. I forget to turn it on sometimes.. lol. It keeps me motivated in regards to knowing how active I am. I think I am also going to incorporate an HRM with it.

In order to sync your Fitbit go to Tools > Then click on Learn About FitBitUltra> Then you should be able to click a link that says Link Fitbit. Hope this helps

ambitious01 · April 2012

I love my fitbit. I was at a standstill with my weightless and bought mine about a month ago. I love it. It fits on your pocket and tracks your steps and is also an altimeter. I have lost 10 pounds since getting mine and find myself competing with everyone I can find. I don't recommend the additonal $50 premium service for the sleep portion. I read where a lot of people have lost theirs, and it can't be gotten wet or else it is destroyed. In summary, I love it, but I don't see accuracy in heavy exercise. I recommend the fitbit over say bodybugg or bodymedia.

Getting2KnowMe · April 2012

I just purchased a HRM today. I have one with a chest strap. When I was shopping for it today, I asked a lot of questions and learned the following:
1. If you get one without the chest strap it will be 90-97% correct.
2. If you get one with the chest strap it will be 98%+ correct
3. The chest strap is not uncomforable.

I wear a bra with underwire everyday. I find that the HRM feels the same as the bra with underwire. I couldn't even tell I had it on when I was running and working out today.

I had a bit of an issue understanding how it worked, but now that I understand mine... I'm really digging it.

wftiger · April 2012

I know there must be tons of threads on here about FIT BIT but I can't figure out an easy way to filter through them to get to what I need to know. Initially, I thought about getting an HRM but I think after my research on it, I may have decided against it. Bottom line, the idea of wearing a chest strap just seems daunting to me.

So, I'm thinking serious about a FitBit, but know little about them. Can anyone help?

1) heard they sync up to MFP. how does that work? If I walk 3 miles, will those 3 miles just show up automatically on MFP? How often does it sync up to MFP throughout the day?

2) does it monitor speed or just distance? (my pedometer now just calculates steps/distance, so I'm missing true calories burned)

3) sleep monitoring... this one really confuses me. Sometimes I wake up at night and just lie motionless. How does the fitbit know if I'm really asleep or just being really still?

4) any advice or recommendations on brands/models?

1 - You link the fitbit to you MFP account and it will sync when you are near your "base station". It will not record 3 miles but the calories that you burned will be recorded. It will just show as Fitbit Calorie Adjustment.

2 - It monitors: steps, stairs, miles, calories burned and activity level.

3 - You put it into sleep monitoring mode. So if you are sitting on the sofa and have not put it into that mode it just sees you as being inactive which then lowers your activity level. If you wake up and are very motionless it will see that as a wake up but then will record you as back to sleep.

4 - Mine is a good motivator. That is what I use it for. It does not give an accurate picture of calories used as it does not monitor intensity. A HRM would be better for that but that is only so accurate as well because your weight and age are a big factor in number of calories burned.

It is what it is. A pedometer that syncs automagically with MFP.

theNurseNancy · April 2012

Fitbit's are useless fancy pedometers.

I have a Polar ft4 HRM with chest strap. It's as easy as wearing a bra and is comfortable. I LOVE it.

simplysassi · April 2012

I do have a pedometer now, and it's pretty accurate at counting steps. It's perfect at telling me the time of day too LOL. but if I do say, an hour of zumba, it counts my steps but does not give me an accurate calorie burn. It assumes that I'm taking steps at a regular walking pace, so it calculates a few measley miles walked, when in fact I've just worked my tail off and know that I've burned a ton of calories.

I guess that's why I thought the FitBit must have to calculate speed.. how can it tell if I'm walking at a snale's pace or if I'm tearing up the zumba floor? It has to make a difference.

crimsontech · April 2012

I can't say enough good things about the FitBit. I got one back in August, and since then my mom, fiance, aunt, and a friend all got one, and my sister wants one that my aunt and I are going to buy for her this week. I have a chest strap HRM that I use to track when i specifically go out and exercise but the FitBit is usually very close to its numbers.

We love competing for steps with it on the Leaderboard. Every once in a while, it will register that you climbed a level but some activities will just look similar to that for this device. Like standing up several times... or for me, when I'm riding my bike and get up off the seat a few times.

I've lost 46 pounds with mine, my mom has lost around 20 pounds, my fiance has lost 22. My aunt hasn't had hers long enough to know yet, but she's vastly improved her activity level to compete with us. It's a great little device and super convenient to wear. An HRM is also generally comfortable (it feels like a bra strap) but I wouldn't wear it all day.

For MFP, you just set your level of activity to "sedentary" and then the FitBit integration will sync up a calorie adjustment. For example, if you go shopping all day and you get in 7000 steps, you did burn extra calories that you wouldn't have if you sat all day, so FitBit will send them over to MFP so you can eat a little more, but you wouldn't think to bring an HRM shopping with you.

Yes, a FitBit is a fancy pedometer, but it does so much more. It doesn't just measure the number of steps, but the intensity as well. It has the same sensor that's inside a Wii remote so it knows how fast you are moving as well, to give a more accurate representation of how many calories you burned. It also has an altimeter which is, for the most part, very accurate. I have a mountain near my house and it consistently says that I climbed 73-76 floors to get to the top.

Probably the best $100 I ever spent!

simplysassi · April 2012

aaaaah, a sensor similar to the wii... now that's making sense. I'm not expecting the thing to be accurate to a fault, but I can see what makes it better than my $20 pedometer.

I notice a few people say that it counts standing up/sitting up etc as a step as if that's an inaccurate calculation. I would say that should count as a step and wouldn't see that as a fault at all. For me to pick myself up from a sitting position probably takes at least as much or more effort as it does for me to take a simple step. Probably more. (I"m no expert though, I'm just sayin')

Thanks everyone for your advice and tips. I'll take it all into consideration.

Jacwhite22 · April 2012

The sleep doesn't cost any extra.....There are additional reports if you pay extra but the sleep tracking is free.

I love my fitbit. I was at a standstill with my weightless and bought mine about a month ago. I love it. It fits on your pocket and tracks your steps and is also an altimeter. I have lost 10 pounds since getting mine and find myself competing with everyone I can find. I don't recommend the additonal $50 premium service for the sleep portion. I read where a lot of people have lost theirs, and it can't be gotten wet or else it is destroyed. In summary, I love it, but I don't see accuracy in heavy exercise. I recommend the fitbit over say bodybugg or bodymedia.

FIT BIT ... need advice

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