People with Fitbits.....thoughts please : )

stuffinmuffin
stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
edited December 18 in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, I'm seriously considering buying a Fitbit (possibly in the next couple of days) but have completed some research on the interweb and mainly people say they are good. However a couple of concerns were..... the recording when travelling, apparently they can become inaccurate if you travel by car or train during a day and also some of the sleep records weren't right?

I know also they are no good for intense cardio workouts and I already have an HRM for this so people with Fitbits, do you take the fitbit off during a workout and go by the HRM or both?

Generally any reviews are welcome. I'm not one for spending money on loads of gadgets so I want to get it right!

Thanks in advance lovely MFP people! : )
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Replies

  • skinnygurl83
    skinnygurl83 Posts: 10
    Hi there.. I was also looking into getting one of these but I do want it for the intense work outs.. so why do they not work for them.. that to me is the whole point in getting one.. Any advice about a good Heart Rate Monitor would be greatly appreciated.. :bigsmile:
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    I wear mine all the time, aside from the bath and in bed on the nights the bf stays over. My exercise is mainly running and weights so I have found it pretty accurate to my HRM (P9olar FT4) and now only wear the HRM if i am doing something non "bouncy" that the Fitbit cannot read - i.e. cycling.

    I have found mine most useful in terns of getting me an accurate idea of my TDEE. I had no idea my average burn is 2050 a day. I'd been eating 1400 - nowhere near anough, and have upped to 1800 which suits me much better and seems (fingers crossed) to be allowing me to lose slowly - AT LAST!

    It really depends what you want to use it for - are you looking for something to encourage you to move more, do you want to know your TDEE? If MFP, as it is, is working for you, then I'd say it isn't an essential purchase. If it isn't - well, I'm starting to think that this gadget has really helped me.
  • kcoftx
    kcoftx Posts: 765 Member
    I have both. I use fitbit to give me an overall idea of how active I am (daily stuff) and as a motivational tool to increase my activities in my daily lifestyle. It's pretty effective for that purpose. I use my HRM for certain types of workouts that have varying stride lengths (ie, Zumba, Yoga, Circuit Training). I keep my fitbit on while I'm doing these activities. It registers some steps. I use the stopwatch feature on the fitbit during this time. It creates an activity record on the fitbit website. Then I know when to tell mFP I worked out and for how long. This is required when you sync the websites. This is so that even when steps are registered, you aren't getting counted twice for calories. I override it for that period and enter my HRM data. I wear mine all the time except when I'm in water.

    P.S. The whole family gets involved in my fitbit. They ask me what number I'm at. If I'm close to a badge, they will cheer me on or go along with me. One night my husband was out walking with me trying to help me get 20,000 steps (haven't gotten that badge yet. I had an active day and was already almost at 15,000. I got the 15,000 step badge but he didn't realize the time starts over at midnight so I only got up to 18,855 before it rolled to zero steps. So I didn't make it. I had a very late evening date with my husband and it got him out walking too.

    As for steps during driving. It doesn't do it for me but I've heard putting it in your bra/chest area seems to stabilize it better of it is a problem for you.
  • _kimberly
    _kimberly Posts: 57 Member
    I use the Fitbit and my Garmin for running. I wear my Fitbit while I run, but use my Garmin numbers. The difference between the Fitbit and Garmin on my last run... a 4 calorie difference!!! I know, great, right?!

    I haven't had any problems while on trains, buses, etc. I absolutely LOVE the Fitbit. You won't be disappointed.
  • bzmommy34
    bzmommy34 Posts: 229 Member
    Hey deary... I LOVE mine. Definitely some trial and error but if you stick with it and research any questions you may have, you'll love it too. Their customer service has responded to all of my questions within 24 hours of sending emails which I think is fab!

    As for usage.... I wear my Garmin HRM and the fitbit when I run and activate the timer on the fitbit so the activity coincides with my run entered into MFP. I do use my HRM numbers but like another poster said, they are always extremely close. I do not, however, activiate the timer when I do any strength because like my HRM, it just doesn't accurately give me the burn I create as my main body is planted. I use freedieting.com to determine strength cals.

    Driving.... yes it does register slight burn while driving but you can actually input this as an activity through fitbit and it will adjust the cals. I've found where the driving tracking gets off is mainly the stairs climbed as I'm sure the bumps, etc register as elevation. The stairs climbed adjust as well once I log the drive.

    The few things I have found annoying are put to rest by the motivation it gives me to keep myself up and moving. As you've notice, since you're a MFP friend of mine (and a wonderful one at that ;) I no longer hang around on MFP, facebook, etc nearly as much as I've used to. When I sync and the numbers aren't what I want I get up and keep moving.

    Oh - and I wear mine all of the time, with the exception of showers and swimming.
  • bexblonde
    bexblonde Posts: 80
    I love my fitbit. I manually add exercise when I am doing weights or core exercises, but other than that I let it log everything. I find it can register steps/hills when I am in the car as there are a lot of hills, bumpy roads and speed humps where I live! The site has a manual override though - you just make a note of the time you got in the car and how long your journey was, and add it to the site. It then removes any steps it added for you during that time.

    I've definitely become way more active since I got it, and my weight loss has really sped up, even though I'm now eating more than I was previously.
  • noogie98
    noogie98 Posts: 451 Member
    I love my fitbit ~ I feel naked without it. I primarily use mine to make sure I hit my 10,000 steps per day minimum & so far so good. I have had it for about a year & haven't had any problems with it.
  • TigressStripes
    TigressStripes Posts: 33 Member
    If you're considering buying one, now is the time to jump on it - check out this thread on SlickDeals - http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/73066/24-hour-fitness-fitbit-ultra-wireless-activity-tracker-blue-or-plum
  • Cocochickdeleted
    Cocochickdeleted Posts: 342 Member
    If you're considering buying one, now is the time to jump on it - check out this thread on SlickDeals - http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/73066/24-hour-fitness-fitbit-ultra-wireless-activity-tracker-blue-or-plum

    Thanks for this link! I was planning to buy my mom one for Mother's Day, so this is perfect timing. BTW, to the OP, I absolutely LOVE my Fitbit! I wear it constantly and it keeps me motivated to get up and move, whereas before I had it, I'd have whoever was up do my bidding :-p If you are looking for a motivational tool, this one is awesome, and I highly recommend it.

    Oh, and the only time I have trouble with extra steps is when I forget to take it off before we go on a motorcycle ride. Regular car rides don't seem to affect it much, if at all.
  • hillm12345
    hillm12345 Posts: 313 Member

    I have found mine most useful in terns of getting me an accurate idea of my TDEE. I had no idea my average burn is 2050 a day. I'd been eating 1400 - nowhere near anough, and have upped to 1800 which suits me much better and seems (fingers crossed) to be allowing me to lose slowly - AT LAST!


    I completely agree with this. I had been eating around 1300 Cals a day not knowing what my TDEE actually was. All I could do is guess at numbers and research equation after equation. After only two days with my fitbit I found that my average burn was 2500 a day. My 1300 goal was WAY too low. Now that I've been eating just for the 750 cal deficit I feel my body reacting.
  • AlissaPT
    AlissaPT Posts: 65 Member
    LOVE mine! My favorite part, honestly is all the cool graphs and stuff on their website. I'm very visual and I love that feedback! I find it pretty accurate compared to my Polar HRM for running, etc, but it's supposed to not be good for weights, yoga, cycling, etc.
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    I love my fitbit. It's a motivational tool for me. Yeah, so it doesn't always get everything right, but it's better than not knowing at all! It encourages me to take the stairs, walk more, be more active in general. (I love watching my flower grow).

    I wear it during my workouts, even though I use a HRM. I just record my calories from the HRM with the time started and time exercised and it overrides the calorie burn data from the fitbit.

    I've gotten so I don't record any extra walking I do now, because I just let the fitbit tell MFP that I did something during that time. But I'm trying for those 10000 steps a day most days now!

    All in all, it was a sound investment for me. I did all the research too, and eventually decided I would like a pedometer on steroids! LOL!
  • jencopes
    jencopes Posts: 34 Member
    I just jumped on here to ask the same thing!! :-)
  • JanuaryJan
    JanuaryJan Posts: 39
    Love my fitbit. I wear it all the time except for showering. I use it more as a motivation tool for me to up my activity. It does register stairs when you climb hills - which is ok with me because I'm still getting that uphill burn. I haven't noticed any difference with regular car rides to and from work. It is not 100% accurate on all things but very close. Just the fact that I know I have it on pushes me to do more than I normally would. I love that it syncs with MFP.
  • eliz_in_pink
    eliz_in_pink Posts: 278 Member
    bump, i'm interested in the responses! :)
  • AlmstHvn
    AlmstHvn Posts: 376 Member
    Some one gave me this tip: The fitbit has a "stopwatch" feature (hold the button down for 3 secs to turn on/off)... If you turn it on when you start the trip and turn it off when you end the trip, that will show up as an "activity" that you can delete.
  • PandoraMoon
    PandoraMoon Posts: 24
    I love my fitbit. I use it mainly to motivate me to move. The calorie burn automatically loads onto MFP. Although, the sleep mode does seem to be a bit off...for the most part it is accurate. You can set up your account with daily/weekly goals for motivation.

    You can find the fitbit at a cheaper price thru Amazon or even eBay.

    Good luck no matter what you decide. :smile:
  • n25philly
    n25philly Posts: 75 Member
    24 Hour Fitness has Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity Tracker in Blue or Plum on sale for $84.95 - 10% Off Coupon AFP8128 = $76.46.

    Taken from slickdeals
  • Katie1951
    Katie1951 Posts: 312 Member
    I use mine mostly as a motivational tool. I have a goal of 15K daily and if I'm not close to my goal by 5 pm I'm looking for ways to increase my steps.

    I am also looking for challenges on the Fitbit site to motivate me. I love that it sync's with MFP and getting up to see that I already have a calorie deficit. I don't use it so much for sleep monitoring since I don't find any real value in it. I sleep pretty well.

    I record my food on MFP and it will sync with my Fitbit.

    I just purchased one for my DIL who wanted one for her birthday. It will be interesting to see if she throws down any challenges. It has really been the best thing I could purchase to get me to move more. I love the fact that it will talk to you too.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,241 Member
    I have found mine most useful in terns of getting me an accurate idea of my TDEE. I had no idea my average burn is 2050 a day. I'd been eating 1400 - nowhere near anough, and have upped to 1800 which suits me much better and seems (fingers crossed) to be allowing me to lose slowly - AT LAST!

    How did it help you accurately determine your TDEE? I've lost the links to the sites that help calculate this, but I wouldn't know how to use my FitBit to help with it anyway... lol I have myself as "lightly active" here on MFP, mostly due to what my FitBit has shown me, but beyond that, I don't know for sure...
  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
    I wear my fitbit all day everyday. I love it! It does count some steps when I am driving not too bad and you can separate those steps from other activity by pressing the button for two seconds when you get into the car to go somewhere and then press it again when you are done. No big deal. I find it is very accurate on distances and miles at least for me, I have tested it out on a mile track and it showed .99 mile at the end once and exactly one mile the other two times. I love how it motivates me!
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    If you're considering buying one, now is the time to jump on it - check out this thread on SlickDeals - http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/73066/24-hour-fitness-fitbit-ultra-wireless-activity-tracker-blue-or-plum

    Thanks for the link.....Just bought one for my wife. I love mine.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    When you set up your fitbit you enter your information.....It tracks your activity through the day to determine calorie burn. I find it great for most things except weight lifting, etc.

    I have found mine most useful in terns of getting me an accurate idea of my TDEE. I had no idea my average burn is 2050 a day. I'd been eating 1400 - nowhere near anough, and have upped to 1800 which suits me much better and seems (fingers crossed) to be allowing me to lose slowly - AT LAST!

    How did it help you accurately determine your TDEE? I've lost the links to the sites that help calculate this, but I wouldn't know how to use my FitBit to help with it anyway... lol I have myself as "lightly active" here on MFP, mostly due to what my FitBit has shown me, but beyond that, I don't know for sure...
  • Klein1475
    Klein1475 Posts: 248 Member
    I have both.... I use fitbit to give me an overall idea of how active I am... Also, as a motivational tool to increase my activities.... It's pretty effective for that purpose. I use my HRM for workouts... I have on my fitbit and HRM during work outs other but only use the HRM reading for calories burned... If you take the fitbit off during work outs then you are not getting reading of your activity level for that day... I wear it all the time except in the water...

    I hope that helps...

    Tammy
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,241 Member
    And, to answer the original question...

    I wear mine all the time. I've had a couple of times, since the beginning of February when I got mine, where it gave me some really wacky numbers, but by far, most of the time it is very accurate. I wear it to monitor sleep, all day while I'm working, and even when I work out. I use a Polar FT4 for my work outs as well, but I leave my FitBit on. I've found that, as long as I accurately record my work outs, the FitBit doesn't give me extra anyway. For example, today when I did my 30DS, when I entered it into exercise, my HRM told me 239. My FitBit had synced with MFP and initially given me 29 extra calories for FitBit exercise (yes, a whopping 29). I always put in my start time accurately when I record exercise, as this seems to be the key between the two sites and syncing exercise. Once the sites synced again, the extra calories that my FitBit had initially given me were taken away and now the only thing showing in my exercise record for today is my 30DS. Before I had my HRM, I used recorded my work outs on my FitBit and used whatever calories it gave me as my calories burned. With doing 30DS, the FitBit gave me about half, maybe slightly more, of what my HRM is telling me I burn. I especially like having the FitBit, though on my 'rest" days, as I usually still get out and do things, so the amount of activity might give me a small burn that I wouldn't have had recorded otherwise. HTH :smile:
  • hillm12345
    hillm12345 Posts: 313 Member
    I have found mine most useful in terns of getting me an accurate idea of my TDEE. I had no idea my average burn is 2050 a day. I'd been eating 1400 - nowhere near anough, and have upped to 1800 which suits me much better and seems (fingers crossed) to be allowing me to lose slowly - AT LAST!

    How did it help you accurately determine your TDEE? I've lost the links to the sites that help calculate this, but I wouldn't know how to use my FitBit to help with it anyway... lol I have myself as "lightly active" here on MFP, mostly due to what my FitBit has shown me, but beyond that, I don't know for sure...

    I know I wasn't the OP of this quote, but I found that after looking at my fitbit records of movement, I had grossly underestimated my level of activity.

    Also, I feel that the fitbit allows me to monitor better cals in vs. cals out. One day I may only burn 1800, so I would adjust my eating to reflect that 750 deficit. However, another day I may burn 2500. I feel fitbit allows me to DAILY monitor my cals expended better. Does that make sense?
  • mummytobeslim
    mummytobeslim Posts: 367 Member
    does the fit bit synch with mfp to say how many clas you should have based on height etc and exercise does it add automatically
    or would I still use mfp goals
  • Lora0626
    Lora0626 Posts: 54 Member
    Thanks! I just bought one. :happy:
    If you're considering buying one, now is the time to jump on it - check out this thread on SlickDeals - http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/73066/24-hour-fitness-fitbit-ultra-wireless-activity-tracker-blue-or-plum
  • fajitatx
    fajitatx Posts: 36
    I love my fitbit, I find it helps give me a better means to track daily activity and I also really like earning the badges, I need 150 flights and 25k steps in a day and I will have a complete set.

    I think you will like it, plus since there is no required subscription fee like many of the other devices, it will be easier to absorb the cost.
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,241 Member
    I have found mine most useful in terns of getting me an accurate idea of my TDEE. I had no idea my average burn is 2050 a day. I'd been eating 1400 - nowhere near anough, and have upped to 1800 which suits me much better and seems (fingers crossed) to be allowing me to lose slowly - AT LAST!

    How did it help you accurately determine your TDEE? I've lost the links to the sites that help calculate this, but I wouldn't know how to use my FitBit to help with it anyway... lol I have myself as "lightly active" here on MFP, mostly due to what my FitBit has shown me, but beyond that, I don't know for sure...

    I know I wasn't the OP of this quote, but I found that after looking at my fitbit records of movement, I had grossly underestimated my level of activity.

    Also, I feel that the fitbit allows me to monitor better cals in vs. cals out. One day I may only burn 1800, so I would adjust my eating to reflect that 750 deficit. However, another day I may burn 2500. I feel fitbit allows me to DAILY monitor my cals expended better. Does that make sense?

    I'm still lost, but I don't think it's you. I think it's me and that I don't know my TDEE, so I don't really know how the info from my FitBit can help me better determine what it is/should be. I did an average a week or so ago of a couple weeks' worth of data from FitBit. Most days I climb about 15 flights of stairs (from 8 or so to over 20 per day), my average steps were in the 8000s, but range from under 5000 (not often) to well over 10000 some days. But... I don't know if that means I'm fairly active, lightly active, sedentary, or what... So, yeah, I think I'm just clueless. lol
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