I've been really thinking about getting a Fitbit One or Flex to help me track activity and stay motivated for working out. Just wondering if anyone here has one and what you think of it. Does it really help, or does the novelty of it wear off quickly? Do you think it's accurate? Is it comfortable to wear?
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I've had both the Flex and One.
The One had more features and is a bit more accurate I think. The downside is it's easy to lose or send through the wash. Both DH and I lost ours
That's why I recently got the Flex. Harder to lose, but no meaningful display. It also doesn't give you proper credit for moving if you aren't swinging your arm, so that can be annoying if I'm pushing a stroller.
Overall, they're both a fun way to stay more active than usual. I feel guilty on days when I have a low step count and am much more likely to go for a walk or something to boost it. It also integrates nicely with other apps including MyFitnessPal if you like meal tracking.
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I'm interested in reading the responses. I love data and tracking my fitness is really appealing, but from what I've researched, none tracking swimming that well and there is a big range on accuracy. I have a pedometer on my phone that I use, but I don't always have it with me.
I thought this was a good comparison:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2014/02/fitbit_force_recall_now_that_it_s_off_the_market_which_fitness_tracker_is.html -
I like it. I was using the Fitbit website to track my calories (the food database really sucks, though) which let me know in real time how many calories I could eat for a set deficit. That way, if I was especially active, I have, say, 1400 calories an still have the deficit that I set. I lost 20 pounds from Thanksgiving to the end of January that way. (I set a 750 calorie deficit so I was working hard.) I have slacked off because I'm TTC (and insanely hungry lately). But I had steps goals (50 flights a day...we have stairs in our house) and 10,000 steps a day a least. It was hard, but if you take daily walks, totally doable.
But, in the end, I thought it was most useful when regularly logging food and using your personal dashboard on the website.
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@TEMPERANCEBRENNAN - Yeah, swimming is a downside for me too. I recently started swimming again for exercise and theres no real way to track it. But I do like the idea of tracking daily activity and I think it will motivate me to take walks after work, especially now that it's lighter later. I really just need to find a way to motivate myself to lose these 15 lbs. Nothing else so far has worked!
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I have one and really like it. I feel off the band wagon over the winter but now that the weather is nice and I got my second trimester I love it again. It sets a baseline goal for you of 10,000 steps, 10 flights of stairs and 5 miles. I can't slack and got my goal but it is doable if I pay attention. My husband has one too and we make sure we both get our steps so we motivate each other. He was great about using it over the winter too. Let me know if you have any specific questions but overall I am a big fan. Keep in mind though people have issues with the bracelet style ones because pushing a stroller means your arms aren't moving.
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I am so glad to see this thread. I have been reseraching different fitness bands and was curious to see if any hellobee followers recommended a specific one.
I wanted one that I can wear all time, including showers and swimming. I found that the Garmin vivofit was water resistant and could be used for swimming. Anyone familiar with the vivofit and recommend it?
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I have a fit bit zip and LOVE it. The only downside is that it doesn't work in water. I leave mine clipped to my underwear but wear it 24/7- only have forgotten to take it off the undies a few times (yesterday... ugh) but have never ran it through the wash. I've had it since December 2012. My mom has the wrist one and I don't like the lack of screen and feel like it's less accurate.
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I have one that I wear on my wrist (can't remember which one...the $99 one). I really really love it. I bought it the end of February and only take it off to charge the battery (about every 6 days or so...I charge it overnight). I like that I don't have to worry about losing it or washing it. I don't wear a watch or jewelry other than my wedding ring, so it took some getting used to, but I really love having it. It is super motivating to me. I set a really big step goal, and it definitely helps me move more during the day. I definitely thought I was doing more than I was. It also gives me a much more reliable number for calories burned. With just tracking on spark people I was always trying to estimate how many calories I burned when I went on walks and while I was shopping etc. I like that this accounts for all of my activity throughout the day. I just add in anything that wouldn't be tracked (like swimming or biking) as activity, and the calories adjust even though the steps don't.
ETA - I do not use the food tracker because I didn't like it and all my meals/groups were already in spark people. I don't mind using two different apps...one for calories in, one for calories out. I know a lot of people use my fitness pal, but I don't like the way it tracks the calories...the "net" is confusing, because it doesn't account for daily activity other than specific times I set as "exercise" so I feel like it doesn't give me a good picture of my entire day.
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@cole - which one do you have? I like the screen on the One but worry about forgetting it clipped on my pants. But I've read the Flex can be inaccurate depending on your arm movements. As a physical therapist, I work with my arms a lot so I think it might over estimate my activity.
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@Mrs. Lion: I use MFP for calories in, FitBit for calories out. They sync so that I really only look at MFP when I track food, but then FitBit knows what I ate AND how active I've been and gives me its own calorie recommendation.
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@Mrs. Yoyo: Interesting! Maybe I should try it
I hate hate hate the sparkpeople website. It is full of ads and never runs properly. The app is okay, but I mostly have used it because I haven't found anything I like better. Switching seems like such a big commitment haha
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@Mrs. Lion: Yup, just make sure your weight and goals are current on Fitbit so its calorie recommendations are good. MFP has such a huge database for tracking food (and I love that I can scan barcodes) that it's nice to have that convenience.
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I use the same @MrsLion I like the fitbit. All of the different activity trackers have some accuracy issues, but i figure it's better than nothing. It definitely gives me a better sense of where I am for the day and I can tell when I don't move as much. I find myself at the end of the day pacing back and forth around the house if I haven't hit my goal.
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@BeachMama: I have the One and I clip it to my bra. Tmi but I usually wear them a few times before washing so I leave it there overnight (I don't sleep with it) and just switch it every few days. My husband keeps his in his pants pocket and that one has had several close calls
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I have a Fitbit One. I... don't know where it is actually. But that's because I stopped wearing it because I'm a bum. When I did wear it, I liked it! And you can go onto the program and manually track swimming or any other exercise you do. I need to find mine.
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My employer subsidized the cost so a lot of my coworkers got them. No one used it more than a few days and most people had several issues with accuracy and durability.
I hate hate hate the sparkpeople website. It is full of ads and never runs properly. The app is okay, but I mostly have used it because I haven't found anything I like better. Switching seems like such a big commitment haha
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