FitBit... anyone using one?

EndersShadow

So I am looking for a more accurate way than Runtastic to truly track how many calories I burn a day and that type of thing. A friend at work told me to check out "FitBit". They are basically devices you wear on your wrist that use (I am guessing) your pulse + gps data to determine calories burned, steps walked, etc.

I was wondering if anyone here was using one. It appears the device will sync with my HTC One (and any iPhone for you other guys) and the MyFitnessPal app.

In addition to calories burned, the newer model (Force) tracks your sleep cycles, can be used as a vibrating alarm and it appears some other cool stuff. The force also has a OLED display that can function as a watch in addition to showing you your daily stats (which also can be sync'd to your phone to give you notifications when you are about to met your goals for the day).

So curious if anyone here is using one or knows someone using one. For 129 bucks it looks like it could be a decent item.

PSOVLSK

I got a Fitbit One for Christmas.

I wanted the One because reviews made it seem as though it is more accurate at logging steps. Many people reported many steps being added while driving. That hasn't happened to me with the One.

It motivates you for sure. I've made several healthier eating choices because of this thing. If you're able to log your calories pretty soon after a meal you can see how many calories you have left for the remainder of the day.

I'm using the Fitbit app rather than MyFitnessPal or one of the others. I'm happy enough with it so I haven't bothered to check anything else out. The biggest difficulty is being able to accurately log your calories eaten. Many items either take some research to find or they are just impossible to find. In those cases I just enter a similar item and hope it's close.

The sleep tracker is okay at best. There have been a couple of nights where I know I've been in bed awake for 15-20 minutes and it reports that I fell asleep in 2 minutes. Maybe this is more accurate on one of the "watch" type models. It is interesting to see how often you are awakened during the night though. I'm finding that I am awakened at least 8-10 times per night which I feel is pretty accurate.

After less than two weeks I would recommend it. It's not perfect, but its not bad and as I said, it provides motivation.

EndersShadow

PSOVLSK wrote: »

I wanted the One because reviews made it seem as though it is more accurate at logging steps. Many people reported many steps being added while driving. That hasn't happened to me with the One.

Thats something to checkout for sure.

PSOVLSK wrote: »

It motivates you for sure. I've made several healthier eating choices because of this thing. If you're able to log your calories pretty soon after a meal you can see how many calories you have left for the remainder of the day.

I'm using the Fitbit app rather than MyFitnessPal or one of the others. I'm happy enough with it so I haven't bothered to check anything else out. The biggest difficulty is being able to accurately log your calories eaten. Many items either take some research to find or they are just impossible to find. In those cases I just enter a similar item and hope it's close.

Yeah, it is a bit of a PITA even w/ MyFitnessPal... however I have found things in their database that are VERY close to what I eat. You can also scan barcodes of foods that you are using (bread + peanut butter + jelly) to help. So for me I tend to use it more. It might also help that MyFitnessPal IIRC is endorsed by weighwatchers so more folks are adding custom entries you can then use for your meals as well.

So you might want to try using that to track calories to see if its any better.

PSOVLSK wrote: »

The sleep tracker is okay at best. There have been a couple of nights where I know I've been in bed awake for 15-20 minutes and it reports that I fell asleep in 2 minutes. Maybe this is more accurate on one of the "watch" type models. It is interesting to see how often you are awakened during the night though. I'm finding that I am awakened at least 8-10 times per night which I feel is pretty accurate.

After less than two weeks I would recommend it. It's not perfect, but its not bad and as I said, it provides motivation.

Yeah, it seemed like a interesting feature, not necessarily one that I would HAVE to have. I think the newest one the Force might be what I go with simply because then I can partially justify it as a watch as well.

Anyone else have any experience with them?

PSOVLSK

EndersShadow wrote: »

Thats something to checkout for sure.



Yeah, it is a bit of a PITA even w/ MyFitnessPal... however I have found things in their database that are VERY close to what I eat. You can also scan barcodes of foods that you are using (bread + peanut butter + jelly) to help. So for me I tend to use it more. It might also help that MyFitnessPal IIRC is endorsed by weighwatchers so more folks are adding custom entries you can then use for your meals as well.

So you might want to try using that to track calories to see if its any better.



Yeah, it seemed like a interesting feature, not necessarily one that I would HAVE to have. I think the newest one the Force might be what I go with simply because then I can partially justify it as a watch as well.

Anyone else have any experience with them?

Scanning the barcode would be nice. I might have to check into that.

I believe the Force is waterproof so you can leave it on at all times, which is another benefit.

EndersShadow

PSOVLSK wrote: »

Scanning the barcode would be nice. I might have to check into that.

I believe the Force is waterproof so you can leave it on at all times, which is another benefit.

Both myself and Paul (hochpt21) have been using it for a bit and have found it VERY helpful for tracking calories. Since IIRC it will subtract calories burned (info taken from your FitBit) you can use it pretty decently. We used it with Runtastic to track burned calories due to working out, etc, but this seems to track things better and doesnt run down your phone doing it.

jwhitakr

Been using the Fitbit One for over a year now. Great little device that keeps me motivated to exercise every single day. Well worth the money.

I don't use it to track calories or to track sleep. The main selling point for me is that it is so easy to use. Just keep it with you all the time and sync it wirelessly once a day. That's all there is to it.

PSOVLSK

I've been using this for less than a month, but I'm learning what I can eat and what I can't in order to reach my goals. I've lost 5lbs in 3 weeks and I'm very motivated to continue with my new normal.

I'm still tracking my sleep, but I don't really know why. I find that it's not very accurate.

EndersShadow

PSOVLSK wrote: »

I've been using this for less than a month, but I'm learning what I can eat and what I can't in order to reach my goals. I've lost 5lbs in 3 weeks and I'm very motivated to continue with my new normal.

I'm still tracking my sleep, but I don't really know why. I find that it's not very accurate.

Checked out myfitnesspal yet?

PSOVLSK

Very, very briefly. I signed up for an account, but haven't even used it. Guess I'm happy enough with the Fitbit app for now.