Fitbit Ultra Tracker

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imissbagels
imissbagels Posts: 166 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone use the FitBit tracker in the tools tab?? Are there any benefits to it?

I am constantly on the go at my full time job. I was wondering if I should track that or if it doesn't matter since its my usual activity.

Replies

  • crudd123
    crudd123 Posts: 244 Member
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    I have one and love it! It helps me to move more and get more steps in every day! It was about 99 dollars on amazon.com!
  • dr_firefly
    dr_firefly Posts: 17 Member
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    I got one too a couple of weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. I think it is motivating and helps a lot to keep track of your daily activity.
    I can only recommend it.
  • FitForLife81
    FitForLife81 Posts: 372 Member
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    Love love mine. I have been so much more active since getting one and realized my maintance calories are a lot higher than I thought =)
  • 75Juniper
    75Juniper Posts: 376
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    I love mine! Even though you are active at your job, it's still okay to track it. That's what's nice about the Fitbit - it measures how intensely you are moving and estimates your calorie burn throughout the day, whether you are exercising or just going about your day. If you burn any calories above what your MFP levels are set at (not sure if it uses BMR - maybe someone can clarify) you will earn calories (you'll see the adjustment on your food diary). The Fitbit is worth every penny.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
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    I've had mine for a while. It will adjust your calories further if you are more active than what you think. It has tech glitches every once in a while. I agree though with one poster that it does help me to work toward weekly and daily goals. I do not enter fod or most activity on FB but I do enter things where I have to take the FB off, like swimming and the grueling task of doggie baths (this is exercise with my little beast!!) Otherwise everything is entered on the MFP site.
  • Chipmaniac
    Chipmaniac Posts: 642 Member
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    I have one and used it religiously until it failed on me about a month ago. Fortunately, FitBit is shipping me a replacement without much fuss. It should be here tomorrow. I'm excited to get back to tracking.

    The main advantages I see with FitBit are two-fold:

    1. You get extra credit for out of the norm calorie expenditure. For instance, if you go to the mall and walk around shopping that adds up. The extra calories are automatically imported to MFP so you get credit for it. This also encourages you to be more active. For instance, I'll take a half-hour walk while I wait for my son's baseball game to start since he has to be there early.

    2. Maintenance. I'm very close to my ultimate goal and I see the FitBit as crucial in my maintaining my loss. A great manager I had used to say "You can't manage what you don't see". This stuck with me. FitBit gives you insight into your activity and helps you to head off those inactive periods that can quickly pile up and turn into years of sedentary lifestyle.
  • ladyluch99
    ladyluch99 Posts: 264 Member
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    I've had mine for about 3 months now and I'll tell you, it was worth every penny to me if not for anything else than motivating me to get myself moving every day to reach 10+ steps. It's a great little tool and I love it! It does a lot of things besides being a motivator, too. :wink:
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
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    Two benefits that I can see...

    (1) If you link the FitBit to MFP, it'll send activity level data over to MFP, which will give you a calorie adjustment so that you're not eating too few calories to maintain healthy weight loss relative to your activity levels.

    You can also link the FitBit to other sites like Endomondo and MapMyFitness (for example, I link mine to Endomondo, which collects HRM data while I exercise & then sends that to FitBit where my exercise is added to my FitBit activity for the day).

    I'm not sure how accurate this piece is, personally. I'm set to "Sedentary" in MFP (although I may bump that up one), I've got around 7,500 steps in today, including a 30m walk/jog, and my calorie adjustment is currently 725.

    (2) It should provide some motivation to get a little more active in your daily routines.

    There's also a sleep monitor function that gives you some idea of how peacefully you're sleeping. Not sure there's any huge benefit there (at least for me), but it's interesting to see how much I toss & turn I guess. :)
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I have had one for about 3.5 weeks and I love it. I knew I was sedentary...but I didn't realize how much activity I *really* do when I am not sitting on my butt. Today I went to the gym and worked out, and I knew I burned 500 calories there...but in the 8 hours since I came home, I have burned another 400+ calories over and above what would be expected for my lifestyle. That means that I have eaten 1800 calories today, and have another 600+ that I can eat before I go to bed!

    You say that you are constantly on the go with your full time job...I assume that means that you have yourself set at "very active" here on MFP? What if you are actually "very very active" and you could eat another 500+ calories a day and still lose weight? Before I had my fitbit, I would have maybe eaten my 1900 calories ( 1500 as my MFP base + my exercise calories) and quit. Now I know that I am burning enough so I can have a treat every once in a while without guilt. I am eating as much as I possibly can and the weight is still coming off!!
  • staps065
    staps065 Posts: 837 Member
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    I sure think it is a motivator and love seeing all my activity automatically uploaded to MFP...
  • Alex729
    Alex729 Posts: 103 Member
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    It's definitely worth it! Best Buy even has it on sale this week for $89 too! I agree with all the positive feedback everyone else has already given.

    Since I've had mine, I find that I do make better choices about moving more so that I can reach 10,000 steps (at least) everyday. I've been averaging about a 5 mile walk per day since buying my fitbit.

    Also, it's kinda cool to watch that little flower grow! LOL
  • imissbagels
    imissbagels Posts: 166 Member
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    Wow! This is all really helpful!! I'll definitely check out Best Buy and look into getting one once I get more comfortable with this site (one thing at a time).

    About the "Sedentary" stuff.. where can I see/change that information? I'm pretty positive I need to change my calorie intake. Might as well trust MFP's suggestion.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
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    About the "Sedentary" stuff.. where can I see/change that information? I'm pretty positive I need to change my calorie intake. Might as well trust MFP's suggestion.

    Settings -> Update diet/fitness profile
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    Love my Fitbit. I lost 35 lbs. with it in 2010. Took it off in 2011 and gained most of it back. Now it's back on.

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