FitBit Users

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Stringy1121
Stringy1121 Posts: 22 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For all the FitBit users out there.

I was wanting a little feed back on how well you like the FitBit. Was it worth the $ and how accurate does it read and sync to MFP? I was looking into getting a pedometer but then I seen on the TOOLS tab the FitBit actually syncs with MFP and it is said to be one of the most accurate tools. Any feedback on this would be great, Thanks!
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  • ImNotThatBob
    ImNotThatBob Posts: 371 Member
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    I think you and I are the last two hold outs! It seems like all my friends have one all ready.

    I'd be interested in seeing how fitbit calories burned compares to a HRM and a gps app like endomondo. Are they in the same range? or wildly different.

    The only shortcoming I've noticed is that some of my fitbit friends have gotten lazy reporting their exercise. Since fitbit automatically syncs with mfp, they don't go in and finalize their diary entries so it doesn't post their burn for the day. =(

    Should be an easy mfp programming fix to automate that, right?
  • Jon_Rod
    Jon_Rod Posts: 158
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    I just ordered one....
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I have a fitbit, and I do love it! I guess I am one of the "good girls"...I go onto MFP and log my workouts right after I do them--including time started and duration. I log the lower calorie burn between the machine and MFP because I keep forgetting to use the *log* feature of the fitbit for workouts ( I do remember it for sleep).

    this was really cool...Memorial day weekend I was away from my computer for 3 days. I wore my fitbit the whole time--72 hours straight. When I came home I synced my fitbit and found that I burned an EXTRA 700-1,000 calories above my BMR every day I was gone :D

    as I have told several people...The sleep feature is awesome. It tends to validate what I feel about my night of sleep. This morning I felt pretty good, and the fitbit says that I slept like a log for 5 hours before I started tossing and turning. There have been mornings when I wake up feeling like junk and find that the fitbit recorded me *waking up* 15 times in under 8 hours.
  • Hunbun72
    Hunbun72 Posts: 14 Member
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    I've been wanting one for awhile. But wanted to see if anyone was using and how'd they liked it. I'm sold. My 19th year anniversary is tomorrow so it's time to start making my hints. lol:love:
  • woodsk67
    woodsk67 Posts: 88
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    Got mine today!
  • Dawns2early
    Dawns2early Posts: 28
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    I wonder if there is something cheaper that will upload on here? I'd hate to spend that much $ for something and then it breaks...
  • TOPSrainee
    TOPSrainee Posts: 47
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    I just got mine today (got a great deal on eBay) and am excited to get started!
  • NewChristina
    NewChristina Posts: 250 Member
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    I wonder if there is something cheaper that will upload on here? I'd hate to spend that much $ for something and then it breaks...

    If you look thru previous posts on MFP, you'll see that they're quick to replace a broken FB, no questions asked.
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member
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    I wonder if there is something cheaper that will upload on here? I'd hate to spend that much $ for something and then it breaks...
    I've been considering one. Have a couple of friends on my friend's list with them. They have amazing customer service. Two friends lost theirs, got ahold of customer service, and it was replaced for free. I'm sure they'd do the same if it happens to break for any reason. Definitely want one of these.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    It is fun, that is for sure, and interesting if you like looking at numbers. I find it motivating as I hate to see my activity level being low and my allowed calories dropping according to how much I move each day. How accurate it is I do not know really. I have a hrm as well and sometimes it does underestimate things like cycling so I have to manually input my exercise. It is interesting for monitoring sleep, but other than being informative in that sense, I wouldn't say it has much use there. You tend to know by tiredness if you haven't slept well.

    It is need and can clip just about anywhere and seems to stay secure. It is discrete, you can wear it under your clothing. But longterm, I am not sure it is a good investment as after a month or two, you will know the average calorie burn you get under different conditions.
  • 1LRoy
    1LRoy Posts: 95 Member
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    I LOVE my fitbit! Totall worth the money. The steps are very accurate, best as I can tell the calories are accurate... I love that you can track your sleep. And it syncs with MFP with no problems at all. Syncing was so easy and now my Fitbit and my MFP talk to each other all day (MFP tell the Fitbit calories in and Fitbit tells MFP calories out).

    DEFINITELY worth the money! I didn't really start seeing serious results until I got my fitbit.
  • alexandrite13
    alexandrite13 Posts: 5 Member
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    My mother ordered one off ebay for me for my 30th birthday. I've only been wearing it a week, but i love it. i love tracking my sleep and meeting my steps goal each day. you do have to be patient while the info on fitbit uploads to mfp. i do question the amount of calories it says im burning just while at work or doing grocery shopping. I work retail so I understand Im on my feet alot. Today it said I burned 450 calories or so just at work! Guess I'll see if I keep losing or if its having me eat extra calories soon enough. =)
  • Masq
    Masq Posts: 191 Member
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    My mom is on her third fitbit... but I think she clips the fitbit directly on her clothes rather than using the holder.

    I have had my fitbit for almost two months now..... I was questioning it's accuracy because of the numbers it was pulling into MFP and how they would change. So, I bought a Bodybugg because it measures a few more things.

    I found that the fitbit and bodybugg are very close in the amount of calories burned per day. This is the main number I am concerned with, so I am going to send the bodybugg back and keep the fitbit.

    I plan to do a review of both early next week...
  • kodom_123
    kodom_123 Posts: 117 Member
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    I wonder if there is something cheaper that will upload on here? I'd hate to spend that much $ for something and then it breaks...

    That's another GREAT selling point!! Fitbit's customer service is the bomb!!! There have been many many people who have *lost, *swam with theirs on, and even dropped it in the road it got ran over....fitbit replaced them for FREE!!!
    They also replace the ones that have defects and flaws and wuit working but they even replace ones that were messed up and was of no fault of theirs. (one lady washed and dried hers! they replaced it!!)

    I broke mine while it was on my hip...I ran into the counter in my kitchen and it broke into pieces...I was able to fix it and it still worked but I dropped the button pieces down the air vent and had to use something to stick in the hole to use the button...I emailed them and got a new one in 3 days!! They are amazing!

    I love my fitbit. There are a couple other high tech gadgets that do similar things (boddy fit media, bodybugg) but they are over $100 (130-170) and you have to pay a monthly fee to use their website and have them sync etc...they do not auto sync you have to plug them in and one of them ,I don't remember which, doesn't sync to MFP.

    For me, fitbit was the best deal :)
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,821 Member
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    I am using CardioTrainer with the Bluetooth HRM and scale. I like it because it tracks all my cardio very well. Most of my friends with the FitBit have a pretty regular day-today. I like the GPS because it saves maps of all the places I run, and works with many different exercises. Not that FitBit is bad, I just like the data I get from this app. It is similar to Endomondo already mentioned.
  • Katanthus
    Katanthus Posts: 348 Member
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    I LOVE my Fitbit. Well worth the money. I have had mine since April, and never take it off, except to bathe, shower or swim.

    I damaged my cartilage in my knee back in September, and was unable to walk without crutches and agony. The Fitbit has helped me work on the physio I was given. I now walk between 7k and 15k steps a day.

    I log my exercise on Fitbit site, and log food on MFP. That works for me.
  • Rockerpoet91
    Rockerpoet91 Posts: 2
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    I've been wondering the same thing. I think I'm sold. I work at a fast food restaurant and it would be nice to know how much steps I take and how many calories I burn.
  • LeslieMDoyle
    LeslieMDoyle Posts: 162 Member
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    I have been using a Fitbit for a few months now and hate it when I forget it. But know this...it's based on GPS location, not heart rate. Soooo, if you walk a 12-min mile...then you walk that very same 12-min mile with 2 1/2 lb ankle weights, Fitbit will not recognize that you actually worked harder during your second workout...unless maybe you go into the Fitbit dashboard and change your weight to reflect the additional 5 lbs.

    A Fitbit is GREAT for walking, running, jogging. And it tracks your daily steps and stairwell climbs...even when you're not working out. But it won't do much for a workout that's primarily standing in one place lifting a bunch of weight. You'd want to wear your HRM for that.

    All that being said, my cardio workouts are mostly walking/running and dance aerobics and I rely on my Fitbit to count my steps and calories...then it's on me to track any calories eaten...and I'm down 20 lbs since the beginning of March. : )
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
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    I have had my fitbit for a month now, and there was some adjusting. What I love is that it records hills as well as steps. And I love the size, I clip it on my bra between the girls. It doest fall off or get caught on anything (safe place) However if you are compulsive about checking it all the time then I would find a less awkward spot.

    There were a few things I had to adapt to. How it adds exercise calories burned to you estimated BMR for a total that makes it hard to tell what calories you just burned during a certain activity. However there is a way to set the timer so that you can run it for a certain activity (going for a walk). However when you stop the timer the only way to retrieve it is from the web site.

    There is a learning curve when it comes to understanding how the two sites sync. I would have rather just added the new information in manually. Now I just log activity that my fitbit doesnt pick up. (like swimming/pilates/or my work out today on the wii) And I let the fitbit add all its information on steps.

    If you go for it then you will need to read all the fitbit forum topics. I do enjoy it, and have no regrets. I wonder about the accuracy of it versus a HRM but I like the ease and size of this gadget/tool/toy
  • Gestahl
    Gestahl Posts: 110 Member
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    I've had mine for almost a week and I'm enjoying it. I need to calculate my stride length to get it accurate, though... if I walk too fast at this point, it seems to think that I'm running and messes some stuff up.

    One thing to realize, though... it's not an HRM. If you're going to the gym or focusing on a specific workout, an HRM will probably be more accurate and to your liking. The purpose of a Fitbit is to track your overall daily activity and encourage you to walk more, take the stairs more often, etc. So it depends on where you want to focus.

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