Fitbit, Fuelband, etc..
eso2012
Posts: 337 Member
Has anyone tried Fitbit, Nike Fuelband or similar products? Curious about your experience and recommendations. Thanks!
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Bump!0
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I've been wondering the same thing. From what I've been able to discover in research Nike fuelband is little more locked down in that you can't manually add exercises it can't track (swimming, biking, etc) or track caloric intake. Fitbit seems to be a little more open since you manually add those activities. It seems that using fitbit and MyFitnessPal (MFP) is one of the better options.0
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I'm torn between those or upgrading my polar hrm. the fuelband looks awesome but then again i want to make sure it works properly. The fitbit looks promising but I'm worried I'll lose it in a week.
decisions decisions0 -
I have the Fitbit, been using it about a month, love it! But if you are used to using an HRM while you work out, you will be disappointed in the Fitbit. It really is more of a regular daily activity tracker, tracking steps, floors climbed, and you can also wear it while you sleep and it will track basic sleep efficiency too.
It also will track your calories burned based on your basic BMR - and will track distance accurately if you enter your walking and running stride lengths into the website. But it really won't replace your HRM. I know there are peeps on here who have both - wear the HRM while doing heavy workouts and the Fitbit the rest of the time....
I personally love it because it gives me feedback throughout the day which gives me goals to shoot for. LIke right now, I know I've already climbed 7 floors today - so I better take a few "stair breaks" at work because my personal goal is to get over 25 floors today...0 -
I have been using the fitbit for about 5 months now and I love it.
It tracks my movements through out the day, but most of all it is a motivator.
I choose the stairs more often, I will walk more rather than drive.
Just remember it is a tool, and IMO a good one, but it is not accurate when compared to my HRM.0 -
My wife bought me a Fuelband, and I am disappointed with it. It's a stylish looking watch, and does a great job of tracking steps and calories whilst running. It doesn't capture *anything* with other workouts (spin classes, strength training, etc.). It doesn't connect to a HRM at all, and as another user said it does not allow you to manually update anything either.0
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My wife bought me a Fuelband, and I am disappointed with it. It's a stylish looking watch, and does a great job of tracking steps and calories whilst running. It doesn't capture *anything* with other workouts (spin classes, strength training, etc.). It doesn't connect to a HRM at all, and as another user said it does not allow you to manually update anything either.
Good to know! My husband was about to get me one - I think we need to rethink the usability of Fuelband. Thanks.0 -
I have the Fitbit, been using it about a month, love it! But if you are used to using an HRM while you work out, you will be disappointed in the Fitbit. It really is more of a regular daily activity tracker, tracking steps, floors climbed, and you can also wear it while you sleep and it will track basic sleep efficiency too.
It also will track your calories burned based on your basic BMR - and will track distance accurately if you enter your walking and running stride lengths into the website. But it really won't replace your HRM. I know there are peeps on here who have both - wear the HRM while doing heavy workouts and the Fitbit the rest of the time....
I personally love it because it gives me feedback throughout the day which gives me goals to shoot for. LIke right now, I know I've already climbed 7 floors today - so I better take a few "stair breaks" at work because my personal goal is to get over 25 floors today...
Thanks for the insights! What HRM do you use?0 -
I know you didn't ask about it, but I love the body media fit type devices. I use a bodybugg, but the interface and stuff is better for body media fit. Some people think it doesn't do well with biking and you can't wear it while swimming, but I pretty much just wear it all the time and eat 500 less than whatever it tells me and voila! instant deficit.0
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I have the Fitbit, been using it about a month, love it! But if you are used to using an HRM while you work out, you will be disappointed in the Fitbit. It really is more of a regular daily activity tracker, tracking steps, floors climbed, and you can also wear it while you sleep and it will track basic sleep efficiency too.
It also will track your calories burned based on your basic BMR - and will track distance accurately if you enter your walking and running stride lengths into the website. But it really won't replace your HRM. I know there are peeps on here who have both - wear the HRM while doing heavy workouts and the Fitbit the rest of the time....
I personally love it because it gives me feedback throughout the day which gives me goals to shoot for. LIke right now, I know I've already climbed 7 floors today - so I better take a few "stair breaks" at work because my personal goal is to get over 25 floors today...
Thanks for the insights! What HRM do you use?
I don't use an HRM, haven't spent the money on one yet - but I've heard good things about the Polar FT6 and Polar FT7....0 -
I have a fuelband and a bodybugg. I am a little dissapointed in the fuelband. It really tracks arm movements, so if you are on a bike with your hands on the bars it won't pick up anything. It also doesn't pick up much during strength training. If you are primarily a jogger or walker it might be fine. On the up side, it is encouraging me to try to get more steps in throughout my normal day!
The Bodybugg is cool because it uses other things (heart rate, etc) to estimate calories burned. However, you have to pay for a subscription to upload the data. So, it has drawbacks too. It is also clunky and not as easy to wear as the fuelband. For the bodybugg, however, you can use it temporarily until you get a good idea of how many calories you burn under various scenarios.
Like with most things, it depends on your specific situation. Pros and cons to all of them!0 -
I know you didn't ask about it, but I love the body media fit type devices. I use a bodybugg, but the interface and stuff is better for body media fit. Some people think it doesn't do well with biking and you can't wear it while swimming, but I pretty much just wear it all the time and eat 500 less than whatever it tells me and voila! instant deficit.
Same here. It really takes the guesswork out of the process and eliminates the need to add up a bunch of activities / exercises. I have the bodybugg as well, and have also heard the bodymedia site is better. It's only about $5-10 per month for the subscription so don't let that scare you off!0 -
bump0
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I just recently got a Fitbit and love it! I still use my heart rate monitor for my main workout of the day, but the Fitbit is great for knowing my overall daily calorie burn. I do wear it for the daily workout as well, but I am sure to log my time in MFP when logging the exercise so the Fitbit can adjust itself accordingly when it syncs.0
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I have the Fitbit and I love it. I got it about 6 weeks ago and I use it with MFP. I love all the information it collects throughout the day and use it to motivate me to move more and more each day. The one caveat is that I have actually had it fall off of my waistband at least twice. I was lucky that once I was with someone saw it fall off my waist and the second time it actually slipped off while I was driving. I would have been absolutely devestated if I lost it. So the lesson is make sure you clip it on securely. Great product for me.0
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Has anyone tried Fitbit, Nike Fuelband or similar products? Curious about your experience and recommendations. Thanks!
I have both. If I had to pick one I would go with the fitbit. It is more accurate and easier to use. I do like the social aspect of the fuelband and several times it has caused me to push longer at the end of the day because I have hit cal goal on fitbit but hadn't hit nike fuel goal yet. I dont allow myself to miss either goal....0 -
I just recently got a Fitbit and love it! I still use my heart rate monitor for my main workout of the day, but the Fitbit is great for knowing my overall daily calorie burn. I do wear it for the daily workout as well, but I am sure to log my time in MFP when logging the exercise so the Fitbit can adjust itself accordingly when it syncs.
Can you explain what you mean by logigng your exercise time at MFP so Fitbit can adjust itself when it syncs? Does Fitbit actually sync with MFP? I thought it synced with the Fitbit site, using the provided software? What adjustment does it make with exercise recorded at MFP?
I have been thinking about getting a Fitbit myself, so I'm really interested in knowing more about how you use it and the practical applications it would provide. I also have a Polar HRM and just recenty started recording the calories it gives for exercise sessions on MFP.0 -
bump to see if we can get more comments.0
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I'm another bodymedia fit lover.........I have actually had mine for 3 years now, and couldn't imagine not having it. It keeps me honest! I also have a fitbit ultra but I don't like it as much, especially since I noticed it counting steps while I was driving on some back country roads (which I'm on several times a day)0
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There is a fitbit user group on this site.
To answer the original question, I have a fitbit and a Garmin Forerunner 610 HRM. I wear the fitbit all day and wear the HRM just for running, high intensity hiking, or indoor cardio. The fitbit runs a calculation to estimate calorie burn, which is a useful guide but not 100% accurate. More useful to monitor relative activity levels. The HRM provides more accurate calorie burns which you can use to override with manual activities on fitbit website.
All fitbit activities can be set to sync with MFP. So you log activities on fitbit and log food on MFP and the sites talk to each other. Very handy and has been successful for me for the last 4 months.0 -
KH, Thanks for the explanation---especially about how the Fitbite website and MFP communicate with each other. So, let's say that from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. you are exercising and using the HRM to figure how many calories you burned. How do the logistics work? Do you leave both the Fitbit and the HRM on while exercising? Then do you manually enter the exercise and calories burned in your exercise diary on MFP? How does Fitbit know to adjust calories or what period of time should be discounted from the Fitbit? Do you do something to let the Fitbit know that exercies activity occurred at a certain point in the recording?
One other question---does Fitbit figure your activity and estimated calories burned on a 24-hour basis, from 12:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.? If so, then if you're using the Fitbit information to determine how you should be eating and your readings vary significantly from day to day, do you just use the readings from the previous 24 hours for the current day?
From what I've read so far (and I have started reading some of the Fitbit forums, as well), I think I would really like to get one, but I'm trying to understand just how it can or cannot be used before I purchase it.0 -
bump0
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stick with a good HRM. if you want to count steps, you can get a pedometer for $4 from amazon.0
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Bumpity-bump-ump-ump...0
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stick with a good HRM. if you want to count steps, you can get a pedometer for $4 from amazon.
Decided on a Polar. Fitbit is more than a pedometer...but also kind of a pedometer
Neat but not exactly what I need right now, which are numbers to help me understand my work out, cal burnt, fitness level, etc. 0 -
Has anyone tried Fitbit, Nike Fuelband or similar products? Curious about your experience and recommendations. Thanks!
I have a Nike + that i use with my itouch..I have a sensor that clips on my shoe and away I go I have no complaints ..If you have a newer iphone/itouch it should the app and all you need is the sensor and something to secure it to your shoe.
I also have a Polar HRM but then I realized i already answered this post too lol
/facepalm 0 -
I know you didn't ask about it, but I love the body media fit type devices. I use a bodybugg, but the interface and stuff is better for body media fit. Some people think it doesn't do well with biking and you can't wear it while swimming, but I pretty much just wear it all the time and eat 500 less than whatever it tells me and voila! instant deficit.
I'm seconding the BMF. These devices are really fabulous motivators, and they do more than track steps and motion. The sensors that touch your skin on the band are collecting data that they then transform into calories burned. From my experience, it's been pretty accurate, and a great reminder for those days I need to be more active.
Check it out: http://www.bodymedia.com/Shop/CORE-Armband0 -
love the fit bit- long story short had both body media fit & fitbit they told me the same calorie burn give or take 50 calories for a week. Teh fitbit is accurate enough to tell you your tdee so you can creae your desired deficit & I LOVE IT> As everyone else has said its a hige motivator & connects with mfp 0
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I have had my Fitbit for about a month now and LOVE it. I haven't had it fall off at all, and I find that if you clip it on the inside of your bra (for the ladies out there) it stays perfectly. I forget it's even on there. Granted, if you want to check your stats and you're not on the computer you do have to reach into your shirt. lol
I love that it syncs with MFP... what I have found is that Fitbit is much more accurate with my workouts. I used to log my exercise into MFP. Now that I have my fitbit I let it sync up itself. MFP was OVERestimating my calorie burn during my workouts by a couple hundred calories every time! I also like that it gives me an accurate count for things like running errands, or cleaning the house. Those are things I'd never add as exercise, but the Fitbit does it automatically. I feel like I really know now what my true burn is every day and what deficit I need. I would highly recommend it to anyone! It keeps me striving to get more activity each day.0
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