Trying to narrow down HRM's... Fitbit?

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natalienicole502
natalienicole502 Posts: 268 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Trying to find a device that measures: HR, Distance and Time. (Calories burned would be a plus) Any recommendations???

When I google and go on Amazon there are just SO, SO MANY! It is overwhelming!

I am like the Fit Bit, but it doesn't actually monitor your heart rate, so I am a little skeptical on how it would know how many calories you are burning.... ???

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  • happyapplegirl
    happyapplegirl Posts: 9
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    I have no information for you, but would love to know the answer. I am new here and was considering a Fitbit because it is so highly recommended. I have yet to do research though.

    Good luck!
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
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    FitBit doesn't do anything at all with heart rate, so it won't help you there. I have one, I like it, I still think it's mostly a gimmick. :)

    Basically it'll give you an idea of how generally active you are over the days that you use it. So, I figure if it helps push me to be more active, to pay more attention to what I'm doing, and to push that extra bit to get some exercise each day, that's good enough.

    I personally use a Polar H7 HRM tied to Endomondo on my iPhone. That gives me heart rate, time, and -- for walking / jogging -- both distance & a GPS map of where I've gone. All of that combined with MFP & FitBit works well for me.

    There are a number of HRMs by Polar, Garmin, and others that will work.

    One thing to note about HRMs & calories: Any estimate of calorie burned based on HRM is just that... an estimate. There's a lot of debate about how accurate those estimates are. I don't personally factor my exercise calories into my daily targets, so I figure an estimate's good enough for me.

    Edit: Something like this should work well... http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Ft40F-Womens-Heart-Monitor/dp/B004AH299O
  • mickatoad
    mickatoad Posts: 8
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    I have both a fitbit and a HRM (Polar FT7). There are times when the Fitbit and the HRM are almost identical, and times when they vary fairly significantly. If it's running or walking, they're almost identical. If riding a bike, they're nowhere close--the Fitbit doesn't do well with things like that, or lifting. But for most things the Fitbit is awesome. Anyway, if you get the Fitbit and rely on it for most things, you'll be doing well, and you'll only need to wear a HRM occasionally for certain exercises. Maybe someone will give you some feedback on a Bodybugg. It sounds like it might fill the bill.
  • Debstarr13
    Debstarr13 Posts: 10
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    Polar FT 4 is a good one too. :)
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    I have a Fitbit and a Polar HRM, and have had a Bugg. I vote for Fitbit, unless you're wanting to know your HR for interval training type reasons. Or to learn your HR zones. Wearing a HRM strap around your chest is a drag, so once you get a feel for what your workouts burn you probably will choose not to. An activity database can give you an idea of what workouts burn. It's all just estimates anyway.

    The Fitbit is so small and unobtrusive and the calorie est. is close enough for me. If I do a lot of cycling or lifting or other exercise the Fitbit doesn't track, I'll just consider those bonus cals expended or track them manually.

    The Bugg was annoying, expensive and does almost nothing the Fitbit doesn't.

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