Wellness

[willdob3]

On 5/18/2014 VaBelle35 said:

I wear a Polar Heart Rate Monitor for water aerobics. A woman in my class said she burned 630 calories in class according to her fit bit that she put in her bra.

I burned 230. We are probably close in weight and age. Even if she was working harder than I was, I would buy 460 as accurate. 630 is just plain wrong and I hope that she does some research before she eats all those calories every week.

None of them are really perfectly accurate, despite all the marketing. Our bodies are way more complicated than that.

Is she one of those who is just exercising to be able to eat whatever she wants? That never, ever works.

[Mom2Dogs]

I understand what the FitBit is but if it is on your wrist and you move your hands a lot would't that skew the numbers?

[sueinsf]

On 5/18/2014 willdob3 said:

On 5/18/2014 sueinsf said:

Does this just work for counting steps? I am wondering if this monitors other things like biking, weight training, etc?

No. I did weight training this afternoon & Fitbit could not tell I was making any effort at all.

It thinks I am walking when I am on my stationary bike. How many steps it thinks I am taking varies a lot depending on where I wear Fitbit.

It counts steps, miles, floors, & "active" minutes. If I walk up a steep hill it might count as a floor. It I'm walking fast it counts as an active minute. I have the One; it also tracks sleep and calories consumed and burned. It syncs with MyFitnessPal and several other apps/sites.

Thank you!

[curlywhitedog]

I have the Fitbit Zip. I bought mine from Amazon, saved $10 on the QVC cost of the item and got free shipping through Prime.

If the pants I'm wearing have a pocket then I just put it in there, no pockets, I hook it onto the center of my bra with the face up against my body. It's fairly accurate, not always exact but close enough.

Maria

[TeachRsPet]

I have the zip and love it!! It's so easy to check on my phone and I sooooo want to make that darn thing smile at me every day!

[willdob3]

On 5/18/2014 momtodogs said:

I understand what the FitBit is but if it is on your wrist and you move your hands a lot would't that skew the numbers?

I've read that it can & that things like pushing a grocery cart or stroller can skew it, too.

I never really considered the bracelet type or arm band ones because I don't want anything that shows and I want to be able to wear it all the time.

But I really think we should just use the numbers as motivation rather than absolute fact. The bracelet style is perfect for many people & the numbers being a little off should not make it worthless.

I am surprised & delighted at how much of a difference my Fitbit has made for me. It is like having my own little cheerleader 24/7. My Fitbit motivates me to move more & that is the important thing. I really don't think it matters much about the numbers being 100% accurate. I figure they are close enough & we can see if we are doing well.

[PalmTree11]

On 5/18/2014 sidsmom said:

On 5/18/2014 PalmTree11 said:

On 5/18/2014 annabellethecat said:

I wanted to buy one for my daughter and she said they were junk. I guess she probably has another one she wants me to buy her (whatever it is, it's usually more elaborate and expensive).

The reviews on Q are pretty awful. Your daughter may be right...

What product? I searched 'Fitbit' & all reviews for the actual units were 4 out of 5 stars....

The FitBit that was being sold only had 3 out of 5 stars and only about half of buyers would recommend. Actual reviews said a lot of them stopped working after a little over a month. I personally wouldn't buy a product like this with those reviews.

[KJPA]

I love my Fitbit Flex. I work at a computer all day and I don't even notice it's on. Yes, it records some arm movements as steps but I'm not interested in exact steps. I'm interested in increasing my number of steps and competing with friends to encourage me to walk a lot. If you're an Olympic athlete you probably need something better.

I've been wearing mine for over a year, swimming, showering, etc. I'm on my second band but still the same little device. (2 bands come with it.)

If you have an iPhone you will really like that the device syncs with it in real time. You can watch your step count increment as you walk!

ETA type of Fitbit.

[rsquared]

I've been wearing my flex since October. I really like it because it links to myfitnesspal, so I can track calories, too.

[shihtzulover]

I have had the bracelet one for 2 months and love it!! I felt like it took a week for mine to learn but feel my steps are pretty accurate. I never take it off. I even have friends that we can track each other's steps and it motivates me to have more than them. We have friendly challenges . It really is a great motivational tool!!! I think people just don't take the time to learn how to use it and give up.