FitBit vs. HRM

BUMP

I don't have either, but have looked into them both.

The fitbit is basically a pedometer, so it measures motion, great for walking, or running (but not both, because strides change..) and great for sleep monitoring.


HRM sounds like it would be better for you.

I think the heart rate monitor would be better for what you're wanting to judge calories for. I have a fitbit & a HRM watch, I normally only use the fitbit to track steps taken/miles walked. for actual burns during workouts at the gym a HRM is better

I have both. My Fitbit is great for motivating me to move more, but my HRM is more accurate for calorie burn. For example, I went on an hour long (mostly uphill) hike this morning and my Fitbit calories were out by around 90 calories (lower) in comparison to my HRM, and the MFP calculation was WAY over (like over 100 calories over!).

I love them both for very different reasons, but if you care doing lots of cycling, elliptical, circuit training, weight lifting etc then I would say an HRM will give you more accurate information about your calorie burn. IMO nothing is dead on for calorie burn, but out of the three I would say HRM is probably the closest - just remember to set it up right otherwise you can get skewed results.

I have a HRM I like it very much, it's seems to be fairly accurate to my workouts. I can run for 30min on the elliptical at a leisurely pace and then when I do the same amount of time and I run as hard as I can my calories burned are mush higher. So HRM do work and can be quite accurate, from people I have spoke with that have them they told me not to buy one that is really cheap because it will suck. I spent $60 on mine at Canadian Tire. Now I am looking into buying a FitBit because it counts way more than calories burned and seems to be much better than a HRM, from the people I have talked to that have a FitBit say they all had HRM's first and then got a FitBit and they all say they like the FitBit more. But I guess that's all just personal preference, I will be getting a FitBit soon and be wearing both to compare. I like that you don't have to wear the FitBit on the wrist, and apparently it's use's the same technology as a Wii to tally your movements. Hope this helps Cheers

i love my fitbit. i know it's lower in calculating my burned calories, but i don't mind that. it's never off by a ton, maybe 50-80cals. but despite how careful i am, i figure i probably have inaccuracies in my food too.

my fitbit hasn't left my side since i got it.
sometimes i leave my desk and go up and down stairs in the middle of the work day so i can get some extra flights counted in my log

i have a heartrate monitor that came with my GPS running watch. i worked great for the first year but now it always seems off. and i can never trust it's numbers. but that just means i probably need a better HRM.

it does sound like a HRM would be best for what you do. but if you are a gadget person like i am, and are considering a fitbit, i definitely think you should get one.

My Birthday is coming up and I am trying to decide which to ask my hubby for. Lol, maybe it will be both? What HRM's do you recommend and what is a reasonable price point?

I have a Polar FT7 and it cost $75.50 through Amazon but was shipped from Heartratemonitors.com. The Fitbit is always $99.

Actually it's an accelerometer, measuring acceleration in any direction. A pedometer measures steps in terms of up and down movement.

Actually it's a pedometer that uses an Accelerometer.

Actually it's an accelerometer, measuring acceleration in any direction. A pedometer measures steps in terms of up and down movement.

Actually it's a pedometer that uses an Accelerometer.

"The Fitbit Tracker uses a three-dimensional accelerometer, similar to that in the Wii Remote, to sense user movement. The Tracker measures steps taken, distance walked, calories burned, floors climbed, and activity duration and intensity. It uses an OLED display to display this and other information such as the battery level. It also measures sleep quality: how long it takes the wearer to fall asleep, how often they wake up over the course of the night, and how long they are actually asleep."

"A pedometer is a device, usually portable and electronic or electromechanical, that counts each step a person takes by detecting the motion of the person's hips. Because the distance of each person's step varies, an informal calibration, performed by the user, is required if presentation of the distance covered in a unit of length (such as in kilometres or miles) is desired."


Edit: Your wording that the device *uses* an accelerometer is correct. However, the fitbit is not a pedometer.

If you had a really active job where you walked a lot and wanted an idea of calories you're burning including total calories for just existing plus all the daily grind activity then I would suggest getting the fitbit.

From what you've said though you just want something that'll help calculate your gym session caloric output so I would go with HRM.

I have the fitbit, I don't use it to log exercise, only additional walking and as a tool to motivate me to add more steps in a day. I'm looking into an HRM myself for the same reasons as you (mfp calculations seem way high).

I have both. I use the fitbit for everyday type of activity and my HRM for running and other types of cardio. Surprisingly, the fitbit is pretty darn close to my GPS/HRM when I run, but it can't calculate calorie burn for things like bike riding or gym-type cardio, etc. I just bought a BodyMedia Fit Core off eBay today actually. I had considered buying that instead of the fitbit, but I didn't want to wear the armband all of the time. I won it (today actually) for a really good price, so I figure I can wear it to get an idea of my real TDEE and if I hate it, no big loss