Is Fitbit worth it?

rowdylibrarian
rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
edited 3:08PM in Fitness and Exercise
I've been thinking about investing in a Fitbit or something like it. I'm a newer exerciser, so I really don't have a good sense of what I'm doing, or how effective I'm being. I'd mainly be doing walking and elliptical land exercise, with some water aerobics probably thrown in, as well. (I'm guessing that Fitbit wouldn't like going in the water!) I'm also hoping that seeing my progress will help to encourage me to do just a little more. Have you found it to be worth the money? Advice? Thanks! :)

Elizabeth

Replies

  • cynthials
    cynthials Posts: 213 Member
    I've had mine almost a year and a half and still wear it every day. I love it and would definitely recommend it. You can set goals to hit step counts, calorie burns, or overall activity level for each day. And it is definitely NOT water friendly!
  • Kristinemomof3
    Kristinemomof3 Posts: 636 Member
    We were at a class reunion this weekend and I met three fitbit users and hopefully my dh will get me one now.
  • jasonheyd
    jasonheyd Posts: 524 Member
    Fitbit's nice for general activity tracking, but not great for figuring out how effective your exercise routines are. For that, I think you'd want a HRM.

    I set my profile to "sedentary" on MFP, and then let Fitbit adjust up from there based on how active it thinks I am on a given day. If I'm more than sedentary, Fitbit sends a calorie adjustment to MFP.

    I also use a HRM, which I link to Fitbit (via the Digifit on my iPhone). That way my exercise, tracked through the HRM, is factored into Fitbit's calorie adjustment as well.

    It seems to work pretty well. I get anywhere from a couple hundred to a thousand calorie adjustment normally. Over the past few days I've been laid up from some minor surgery, and the Fitbit calorie adjustment's been a big fat zero... About what I'd expect since I've been about as sedentary as I've ever been. :)

    SO, yes I have a Fitbit, yes I like it, yes I think it's worth it. :)
  • coullmom
    coullmom Posts: 133 Member
    YES, YES, YES
  • TurtleRunnerNC
    TurtleRunnerNC Posts: 751 Member
    Yes. Love my Fitbit. I log all of my food on MFP & let Fitbit adjust my #'s based on my activity level.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    I never did, because it just seems so simple to me.
    I just use MFP to log food and count calorie burn; it works.
    Simple.
    And here is another reason I do not use it.
    Every fat person I know in real life who fails to lose weight has a Fitbit. And they go on and on about how far they walk and how much activity they engage....yet they remain fat. And they never seem to have time to go to the gym for a real workout or hit the road for an actual walk, jog or bike ride.
    That taints my view.
    But people here on MFP love them and have been very successful, and MORE POWER TO THEM!
    My friends here love their Fitbit, and that's great.
    Decide for yourself.
    I see it as worthless, but that's just my take. Good Luck whatever you decide:flowerforyou:
  • Faeriegirl74
    Faeriegirl74 Posts: 187 Member
    Love mine!
  • meowstrom
    meowstrom Posts: 37
    I've had mine for about a month, and had my heart rate monitor for about a week, I value my heart rate monitor more.
  • doonesbury
    doonesbury Posts: 281 Member
    T O T A L L Y ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
    Once you have a fitbit, it own you, you don't own it, lol. I've had mine since May and I can't imagine being without it. The calories you burn every day just doing your business is an eye opener. I'd recommend it for anyone.
    There is also a fitbit club on facebook, and they take it seriously, and have dropped a lot of weight because the fitbit challenges you to do better.
  • laurels12
    laurels12 Posts: 54 Member
    Hell yes!!
  • bSTARl
    bSTARl Posts: 13
    bump
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I never did, because it just seems so simple to me.
    I just use MFP to log food and count calorie burn; it works.
    Simple.
    And here is another reason I do not use it.
    Every fat person I know in real life who fails to lose weight has a Fitbit. And they go on and on about how far they walk and how much activity they engage....yet they remain fat. And they never seem to have time to go to the gym for a real workout or hit the road for an actual walk, jog or bike ride.
    That taints my view.
    But people here on MFP love them and have been very successful, and MORE POWER TO THEM!
    My friends here love their Fitbit, and that's great.
    Decide for yourself.
    I see it as worthless, but that's just my take. Good Luck whatever you decide:flowerforyou:

    I am still obese....I have a fitbit. I have been going to the gym 3-4x per week since February with only 1 or 2 exceptions. In the last 5 weeks since I got my fitbit, I have lost 5.6lbs by eating a TON. The fitbit is merely a tool to make you aware of how much you are moving, and how you can eat more if you move more and STILL lose weight.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    Once you have a fitbit, it own you, you don't own it, lol. I've had mine since May and I can't imagine being without it. The calories you burn every day just doing your business is an eye opener. I'd recommend it for anyone.

    THIS
  • MsBaby117
    MsBaby117 Posts: 201 Member
    Once you have a fitbit, it own you, you don't own it, lol. I've had mine since May and I can't imagine being without it. The calories you burn every day just doing your business is an eye opener. I'd recommend it for anyone.
    There is also a fitbit club on facebook, and they take it seriously, and have dropped a lot of weight because the fitbit challenges you to do better.

    Yep!! What she said!! :flowerforyou:
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    I love my fitbit, go a bit batty when I forget it, went back home one morning to get and have been known to go to the gym after work on a desk day to get my 10k steps in. So yeah, way worth it. I had been plateau'd for a month, got my fitbit and started climbing stairs and getting my 10k and have dropped 6 lbs in the month I've had it. Love it.

    Oh, but one caveat, for gym workouts (3 times a week for me) I so would not go without my HRM as fitbit cannot measure most of what you do in the gym except for the treadmill or ergometer, so they are both efficient tools for what they do.
  • Bobby_Clerici
    Bobby_Clerici Posts: 1,828 Member
    I never did, because it just seems so simple to me.
    I just use MFP to log food and count calorie burn; it works.
    Simple.
    And here is another reason I do not use it.
    Every fat person I know in real life who fails to lose weight has a Fitbit. And they go on and on about how far they walk and how much activity they engage....yet they remain fat. And they never seem to have time to go to the gym for a real workout or hit the road for an actual walk, jog or bike ride.
    That taints my view.
    But people here on MFP love them and have been very successful, and MORE POWER TO THEM!
    My friends here love their Fitbit, and that's great.
    Decide for yourself.
    I see it as worthless, but that's just my take. Good Luck whatever you decide:flowerforyou:

    I am still obese....I have a fitbit. I have been going to the gym 3-4x per week since February with only 1 or 2 exceptions. In the last 5 weeks since I got my fitbit, I have lost 5.6lbs by eating a TON. The fitbit is merely a tool to make you aware of how much you are moving, and how you can eat more if you move more and STILL lose weight.
    eat more?
    OK, I'll take 2....:bigsmile:
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I never did, because it just seems so simple to me.
    I just use MFP to log food and count calorie burn; it works.
    Simple.
    And here is another reason I do not use it.
    Every fat person I know in real life who fails to lose weight has a Fitbit. And they go on and on about how far they walk and how much activity they engage....yet they remain fat. And they never seem to have time to go to the gym for a real workout or hit the road for an actual walk, jog or bike ride.
    That taints my view.
    But people here on MFP love them and have been very successful, and MORE POWER TO THEM!
    My friends here love their Fitbit, and that's great.
    Decide for yourself.
    I see it as worthless, but that's just my take. Good Luck whatever you decide:flowerforyou:

    I am still obese....I have a fitbit. I have been going to the gym 3-4x per week since February with only 1 or 2 exceptions. In the last 5 weeks since I got my fitbit, I have lost 5.6lbs by eating a TON. The fitbit is merely a tool to make you aware of how much you are moving, and how you can eat more if you move more and STILL lose weight.
    eat more?
    OK, I'll take 2....:bigsmile:

    Yep. There are days that I eat 1000 calories over what MFP has given me in the morning--2400-2600 calories in total, yet still barely hit my 1200 calorie net. Why? because I have walked 5+ miles just doing my daily tasks. I can hardly wait to take the kids to the zoo and see how far I walk just wandering around the zoo for a few hours!
  • Granny07
    Granny07 Posts: 31 Member
    Yes! I love mine. I haven't had it long, have used it for a total of 6 days, but it is getting me motivated.
    Be careful if you are sweating a lot, don't ware it on your bra, or anywhere against your skin, where it can get wet. Put it on the belt clip and attach to waistband or pocket, or put the belt clip on the wristband and ware on wrist while doing vigorous exercise. You do not want to get it wet.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    It depends on how you choose to work out. The fitbit is not a replacement for an HRM. It is basically a pedometer that uses a computer to translate steps taken into calories burned, and is pretty accurate. If your chosen form of exercise revolves something other than running, walking, or jogging, though, then it is NOT worth it.
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
    I've been using this about three weeks now.

    This is a pedometer. Not extremely accurate at that. I keep it in my pants pocket. By the time I put my pants on I have 27 to 37 steps logged. It also does not always count stairs (floors) and has at least one time given me two floors I did not climb at all.

    The sleep feature? It really doesn't work all that well. It showed me asleep when I know for a fact I was not -- I was reading and petting the cat. It did tell me how many times I got up during the night but I don't need a gadget to tell me that.

    Customer service is horrible. No phone. You have to email them and their emails are not always helpful and they may not even respond.

    This product enjoys it's popularity because of people raving about it to each other -- selling each other on buying this expensive gadget. Also the Fitbit website with it's individual "dashboards" makes the data somewhat useful and people enjoy competing with one another.

    If you're a runner or walk a lot, you'll likely enjoy this unit. Of course, there are more accurate pedometers for about half the price.

    But it's NOT an activity monitor. It won't track any activity but steps. Oh, you'll get some numbers but they won't be right. Close at times but not really right and lots of variables come into play.

    If you buy into the hype, get the unit. It's a fun little play thing. But if you're just wanting to gauge your steps, get a decent pedometer that doesn't cost so much.
  • rachmass1
    rachmass1 Posts: 470 Member
    I like mine a lot. I have had it about 2 months and I am still losing at about the same rate I was before I purchased it (3-4 lbs per month). What I like about it has to do with motivating me to do a few more steps (okay, miles usually) of walking each day plus climbing steps which I don't normally do otherwise.

    Failings: the FB does not accurately measure steps on the elliptical and doesn't measure exertion from lifting weights.
    Positives: motivation factor, great website with good information and really encouraging people, cost, doesn't scream out that you are wearing it.

    Depending on your goals it could be extremely helpful. For me I want to lose 50-lbs total, of which I have lost 20 already. I am trying to lose it at a rate that it won't come back on and it will be sustainable for life, and what the FB does help me with is realizing how much I am burning so I know how much I can eat (aim for 250 calories to 500 less than burn right now) during the course of the day. Since it is inexpensive compared to many other trackers, to me it was well worth the $$.

    Good luck on whatever you decide to do. I do have to agree with the folks who say the darn thing owns you though; it is addictive.
  • ginaquinn2
    ginaquinn2 Posts: 136 Member
    Once you have a fitbit, it own you, you don't own it, lol. I've had mine since May and I can't imagine being without it. The calories you burn every day just doing your business is an eye opener. I'd recommend it for anyone.

    Yes to the above. I cannot imagine being without it. It has encouraged me to increase my exercise as it acts like your little personal trainer. I just got my first 12 week fitbit report: The Fitness Plan has helped you to move from Lightly active up to Active activity level. "You increased your overall activity level by 71%.
    Your average activity level during the length of the Fitness Plan was Fairly active"
    I just love the encouragement you get from it! I don't think the fitbit alone will do it. I have really improved my over-all fitness but now I know that I need to increase the INTENSITY of my activities. I can stand and walk in place all day long and get a thousands of steps each day......walk slowly for hours and not see much change in my weight. I believe Fitbit is a wonderful tool. I have come to believe not just getting the steps and stairs but that I need REAL cardio where I really get my heart rate up. My next step is a Heart Rate Monitor. I really believe I need to kick it up a notch--work harder--sweat and keep my heart rate up for sustained periods of time for me to move to the next level of fitness. You can't go wrong with the Fitbit it is a great tool to help move you forward--but more is needed if you really want to get fit.
  • vjrose
    vjrose Posts: 809 Member
    I've been using this about three weeks now.

    This is a pedometer. Not extremely accurate at that. I keep it in my pants pocket. By the time I put my pants on I have 27 to 37 steps logged. It also does not always count stairs (floors) and has at least one time given me two floors I did not climb at all.

    The sleep feature? It really doesn't work all that well. It showed me asleep when I know for a fact I was not -- I was reading and petting the cat. It did tell me how many times I got up during the night but I don't need a gadget to tell me that.

    Customer service is horrible. No phone. You have to email them and their emails are not always helpful and they may not even respond.

    This product enjoys it's popularity because of people raving about it to each other -- selling each other on buying this expensive gadget. Also the Fitbit website with it's individual "dashboards" makes the data somewhat useful and people enjoy competing with one another.

    If you're a runner or walk a lot, you'll likely enjoy this unit. Of course, there are more accurate pedometers for about half the price.

    But it's NOT an activity monitor. It won't track any activity but steps. Oh, you'll get some numbers but they won't be right. Close at times but not really right and lots of variables come into play.

    If you buy into the hype, get the unit. It's a fun little play thing. But if you're just wanting to gauge your steps, get a decent pedometer that doesn't cost so much.

    Well there are a few twists to the fitbit, pocket not sure, I wear mine clipped to my bra, calibrated my steps to see how it did was pretty pleased after I measured my stride and realized my stride length was under the default 24 inches. Driving can trigger it recording stairs when you didn't climb them since it based on an accelerometer, really overdone on my motorcycle but I just check before i leave, and record ride time when I return, not a big deal and it eliminates incorrectly recorded stairs.. So yes, like any fairly new tech it isn't perfect but if you detect the issues then you can easily eliminate most inaccuracies. Also, stairs only count if they rise 10 ft or more, lots of stairs are more like 8 feet or so and won't count. So read the help forums a bit and it can help increase it's accuracy. IT IS A TOOL not a do all end all.
  • brendasnz1
    brendasnz1 Posts: 11 Member
    The fitbit won't make you lose weight, but maybe, like me, after having mine for 2 months it encourages me to walk up those stairs or to walk on the spot for 10 mins before bed. (& to try & make sure I get 8hrs sleep each night!) For me it's like a game to get to that 10,000 steps each day (& not always an easy one!).
    No. It's not the answer for a hard out *kitten* kicking workout. Get a personal trainer or a heart rate monitor to get really serious.

    But for motivation? For me it works & keeps me making active choices - so for me that's good enough. Whether running or walking I care about my steps at the end. I have trouble sticking to things long term - I go all hard out boot camp, gym etc then fizzle - but this is obtainable every day & motivates me to want to do more. And isn't that the point of MFP? For motivation & encouragement? So whether a fitbit or something else I hope that you find you motivation tool too!
  • rowdylibrarian
    rowdylibrarian Posts: 251 Member
    You all convinced me! I ordered it this morning! Thank you all for your help!
This discussion has been closed.