Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer software)

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WendyW
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Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer software)

Post by WendyW »

I've been thinking about getting a Fitbit to try to keep an eye on my calories in and out (walks/runs).

Anybody have one of these? Preference for one model over the other?

I have a Kindle Fire, not an iPad, so I think I'll have to sync via my computer, which doesn't seem like a problem.

$99.95 Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker
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$97.89 Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband
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$59.95 Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker
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runner9
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by runner9 »

The November Consumer Reports, in my mailbox today, has reviews on pages 8-9. They list pro-con for each and like the Fitbit One the best.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Sheepdog »

I have used the Fitbit One for about 2 years. It has really helped me keep on track with exercising. In my 70s and now 80s, that is most important..I wear it on my belt full time. In about a year and a half I am approaching 2000 miles. Everything is automatic. Whenever I walk by my computer, it takes a reading. Every so often, I receive an email message saying that I have reached a certain milestone, like 1000 miles, or 1000 flights of stairs climbed and so on. My goal every day is to walk over 5 miles. Some days it is over 10. Whenever I am at a place at which I can climb stairs, my goal is to climb at least 20 flights, but have climbed 50. I look at the reading on the belt unit every night to see what I did today.
Needless to say, I love it.
Jim
Last edited by Sheepdog on Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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FNK
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by FNK »

Cue the NSA crowd...
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WendyW
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by WendyW »

runner9 wrote:The November Consumer Reports, in my mailbox today, has reviews on pages 8-9. They list pro-con for each and like the Fitbit One the best.
Perfect! Thanks runner9; I will check that issue out.

$99.95 Fitbit One Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker
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WendyW
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by WendyW »

I'm not certain that I need one that I can wear while I'm sleeping. That seems like a silly feature.
MickeyCharles
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by MickeyCharles »

I've had the Fitbit One for two to three months now and am really enjoying it. It definitely motivates you to keep moving especially when you're closing in on 10,000 steps for the day. That seems like a lot, but it really isn't. It's gotten me to develop new habits, such as parking in the back of the parking lot at work or climbing up a floor to go to the bathroom during the day.

Of the three, I chose the One because it was the smallest and I didn't want to have to wear one on my wrist all the time.

I wear it most nights while sleeping, but I haven't seen much of a benefit yet.

Also, my favorite part is that it syncs with MyFitnessPal since I am a calorie tracker as well.

For $100, I have been very satisfied with it and feel that's a fair price point.

Dan
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Super Hans »

I've been using the Flex for a couple weeks and find it useful as a motivational tool. The sleep feature is interesting, too, plotting out when and how often my sleep is interrupted. Needless to say, the whole thing is a gimmick and you may be better served putting that money in VTI, but if it helps push me to move a bit more, I figure it's worth it. It syncs with my phone, and my brother and I share stats to taunt each other. I used a LivingSocial coupon to get $25 off on this through Brookstone. Together with other kickbacks and coupons, I think this worked out to just over $60 for me.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Steigede »

I've had the fitbit one since March and I love it. I'm an engineer so when I plan my diet/calories out I really want an accurate calories burned/calories consumed. I use it with loseit.com. I put my food in there and the fitbit automatically syncs and adds an adjustment if I burn more than my BMR. The battery life is great. I charge it about every 8-9 days. Really quick charge too, around 30 minutes. Really awesome product. If I ever lost it or it broke, I'd buy another without thinking twice.
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WendyW
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by WendyW »

I've been thinking about getting one to wear on my keychain; maybe the Fitbit One.
I think I wouldn't bother wearing it at night.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by bungalow10 »

My employer has started giving out the SonicPed, which has me interested in using something like a FitBit all the time. I might buy my dad the $60 one for Christmas. He's not a smart-phone user, so I'm not sure what value he would get out of the more expensive ones.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Steigede »

WendyW wrote:I've been thinking about getting one to wear on my keychain; maybe the Fitbit One.
I think I wouldn't bother wearing it at night.
I just clip mine to the inside of the pocket of any pants/shorts I wear. I started wearing it at night. It was cool to see how efficient you were sleeping. It also has a vibration alarm that wakes you up a bit easier than a loud alarm. I stopped wearing it at night because my sleep efficiency wasn't really a concern and I started using a "fade on audio" alarm that was even better than the vibration alarm.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Steigede »

bungalow10 wrote:My employer has started giving out the SonicPed, which has me interested in using something like a FitBit all the time. I might buy my dad the $60 one for Christmas. He's not a smart-phone user, so I'm not sure what value he would get out of the more expensive ones.
You don't need a smart phone to benefit from the more expensive ones. I rarely used my phone to check my stats out. I use the website for all that.
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WendyW
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by WendyW »

'
Have any of you owned both the $100 Fitbit One and the $60 Fitbit Zip ? If so, could you comment on the main difference between the two?

$99.95 Fitbit One ---------------------- $59.95 Fitbit Zip
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Steigede »

WendyW wrote:'
Have any of you owned both the $100 Fitbit One and the $60 Fitbit Zip ? If so, could you comment on the main difference between the two?

$99.95 Fitbit One ---------------------- $59.95 Fitbit Zip
Image Image
I've just had the $100 one. My understanding is that the $100 just has more features? I think?
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by slug »

I have the flex. I love it, especially the ability use it in sleep (for the alarm). My wife has currently hijacked it as a way of night training our son away from Pull-Ups. Looking forward to getting it back. I reviewed it in more detail in Sept. http://sunkcostsareirrelevant.com/2013/ ... ex-review/
Personal Finance Blogger at [b]Sunk Costs are Irrelevant[/b] --> currently on hiatus
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by deanbrew »

My wife has the Fitbit One and loves it. It keeps her motivated, and she likes to see how many steps she walks per day. It's worked very well with no problems, as far as I know. She doesn't wear it when she goes to bed.
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tedgeorge
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by tedgeorge »

The One offers number of floors climbed, goal setting and sleep monitoring over the Zip. I just had the opportunity to buy the Fitbit Zip for a work challenge. It's novel and will be fun during the challenge. I like that they all sync with your smartphone or computer so you don't have to do much but wear it. It's great that it shows number of steps, distance and calories. The Zip is tiny and is really easy to carry.

You mentioned calorie tracking. If you have a smartphone, you can download the Fitbit app and enter food eaten for the day and even setup a food plan. There is a web dashboard as well that lets you review a lot of data. The default goal is 70,000 steps per week and the website is showing me I need to have an epic walking weekend to catch up. :)

If you are a runner, you may be disappointed that you don't get pace or run time on the Fitbit.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by GrandTomato »

I really like the Fitbit One. I was required to purchase one for a college exercise class. I carried an Omron pocket pedometer and the Fitibit One is technologically a giant leap forward. It seems to be a very accurate tracker.

The only criticism I have is that you have to subscribe to their premium service in order to extract your data in a spreadsheet. There is an API available for developers but I have not worked with it yet.

I lost my Fitbit One this past weekend (it is almost too small) and Fitbit support replaced it for free. I cannot remember ever receiving better customer service.

Two thumbs up!
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by bungalow10 »

I wish this chart had the Flex on it.

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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by shipwreck »

I have used the Flex for since the beginning of August 2013. It is great for me. Its the motivation that I needed to
get healthy. I have lost some weight. It says you can wear it in the shower, I still take it off anyways.
I track my food intake as well with it.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Mudpuppy »

bungalow10 wrote:I wish this chart had the Flex on it.
[snip chart image]
There is a newer chart on their webpage which does have the Flex on it: http://www.fitbit.com/comparison/trackers

It looks like the Flex does not track stair climbing and "time" (I am not sure if "time" means displaying time on the screen, which the Flex wouldn't do since it doesn't have a screen, or measuring time of activities; I suspect they just mean displaying the time on the screen though). The Flex has "goal setting", which is not indicated for the One. Again, there is no description of what this actually means, since all models have goal setting and tracking through the website.

Edit: And there are rumors that Fitbit will be coming out with a new model similar to the Flex soon, but with more features, such as stair climbing. If one is considering the Flex, one might want to wait to see if this rumor pans out.
CherylHall
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by CherylHall »

I have a Fitbit fex on now. LOVE IT LOVE I LOVE IT. They have an app, I have linked it to My Fitness Pal and tracking calories and exercise has become fun. Several of my friends got them too. Never wear it to bed I think that a b bit much. Works great, highly recommended.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by LifeIsGood »

I've had a Fitbit One for about a week now and really have only 1 complaint. The calorie burn calculation is way too low when exercise is involved. I wear a heart rate monitor when I ride my bike and find that my calorie burn as reported by the HR monitor is nearly double what the Fitbit say.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Steigede »

LifeIsGood wrote:I've had a Fitbit One for about a week now and really have only 1 complaint. The calorie burn calculation is way too low when exercise is involved. I wear a heart rate monitor when I ride my bike and find that my calorie burn as reported by the HR monitor is nearly double what the Fitbit say.
I don't think the FitBit is designed to accurately record calories from biking. I think it's only accurate for walking/running.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by FedGuy »

LifeIsGood wrote:I wear a heart rate monitor when I ride my bike and find that my calorie burn as reported by the HR monitor is nearly double what the Fitbit say.
How do you know which is right and which is wrong?

It's like that old saying, "A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure."
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bltkmt
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by bltkmt »

Can the One be slipped in a pocket and still track steps and stairs climbed? How does it know your stride, etc?
Saving$
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Saving$ »

Like bltkmt, I'm also wondering how it knows your stride, etc. Do you need to set your stride or does it do gps?
As far as pedometers go, I have found the Omron pedometers to be the most accurate as it has some sort of three way sensor. Does the fitbit have a built in pedometer and if so does anyone know how accurate it is?

MOST IMPORTANT for a Boglehead - I saw someone above mention there is month fee. I've determined no more monthly subscription costs. Does this thing work without a monthly subscription? Can you still sync it to programs like "MyFitnessPal" without a subscription?
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by pusher62 »

Slightly off topic, but I got a Withings Pulse. For me, the advantages were as follows:

1) Because it has the ability to measure heart rate, I was able to buy it using money from my flexible spending account

2) When running, it automatically measures your distance (and I believe pace as well). In comparison with my GPS watch, it is usually within 0.1 miles over a 4-5 mile run.

3) Part of the Withings Healthmate app. I already had a Withings wi-fi scale. Syncs with Myfitnesspal and Runkeeper.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Mudpuppy »

Saving$ wrote:Like bltkmt, I'm also wondering how it knows your stride, etc. Do you need to set your stride or does it do gps?
As far as pedometers go, I have found the Omron pedometers to be the most accurate as it has some sort of three way sensor. Does the fitbit have a built in pedometer and if so does anyone know how accurate it is?
The "three way sensor" is likely a three dimensional accelerometer, which the Fitbit models also use to track steps. The Fitbit tracks stair climbing through an altimeter. Many other products also use these sorts of sensors, so there's nothing too magical about the sensors themselves. How the device interprets the input into strides taken or number of stories climbed is a matter of software, so this is where different brands may have the most divergence (and different people would have different experiences based on how well they match the software defaults).
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Steigede »

Saving$ wrote:Like bltkmt, I'm also wondering how it knows your stride, etc. Do you need to set your stride or does it do gps?
As far as pedometers go, I have found the Omron pedometers to be the most accurate as it has some sort of three way sensor. Does the fitbit have a built in pedometer and if so does anyone know how accurate it is?

MOST IMPORTANT for a Boglehead - I saw someone above mention there is month fee. I've determined no more monthly subscription costs. Does this thing work without a monthly subscription? Can you still sync it to programs like "MyFitnessPal" without a subscription?
It has a similar calorie tracking program to my fitness pal. Not sure if it works with it or not. I know it works with loseit.com for free. I have no monthly fee.
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bltkmt
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by bltkmt »

Just saw the Fitbit Force announced...like the Flex but with more functionality including ability to track stairs. Also has a watch built in. WANT.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Mudpuppy »

bltkmt wrote:Just saw the Fitbit Force announced...like the Flex but with more functionality including ability to track stairs. Also has a watch built in. WANT.
I was excited about the Fitbit Force, but then noticed that the fasteners are made of metal with a trace of nickel according to the manufacturer webpage. Since I have had contact allergy to some metals and the prevailing theory is it's nickel-related, that nixes that idea. It looks like the Withings Pulse is the only activity tracker that also tracks stair climbing and has an informal sleep quality mode (two things I'm looking for in an activity tracker) which doesn't have metal on it. The local box store was out of that model when I checked this weekend though.
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by Mudpuppy »

Mudpuppy wrote:
bltkmt wrote:Just saw the Fitbit Force announced...like the Flex but with more functionality including ability to track stairs. Also has a watch built in. WANT.
I was excited about the Fitbit Force, but then noticed that the fasteners are made of metal with a trace of nickel according to the manufacturer webpage. Since I have had contact allergy to some metals and the prevailing theory is it's nickel-related, that nixes that idea. It looks like the Withings Pulse is the only activity tracker that also tracks stair climbing and has an informal sleep quality mode (two things I'm looking for in an activity tracker) which doesn't have metal on it. The local box store was out of that model when I checked this weekend though.
So I went back to the local box store shortly after this post and got the Pulse. So far I haven't forgotten it in a pocket when washing clothes, which is a plus. Like any pedometer without an ability to set stride length, it's not 100% accurate, but it seems to be approximately accurate. The altimeter is more meant for tracking altitude changes than actual stair-climbing. It does detect the 10 ft altitude change per flight of stairs at work, but it records walking up the gently sloping sidewalk as well. The Pulse also once confused my mowing the front lawn with running, which was odd because it was a push mower and I wasn't moving nearly as fast as I normally walk.

I have frequently forgotten to start sleep mode before going to sleep (you have to manually start and stop sleep mode on this device). However, I don't always sleep laying flat, so the automatic sleep detection in the Fitbit Force wouldn't always work for me either. I guess sleep just isn't going to be reliably tracked until I get into the routine of turning on sleep mode on the Pulse. The velcro wristband for the Pulse is pretty comfortable to wear while sleeping, although I have to remember to leave a little slack to avoid getting a Pulse-sized imprint in my wrist by morning. There's an opening in the wristband for the heart rate monitor, but if it does check heart rate while in sleep mode, it doesn't record it in a way that's accessible by the app or website.

Most annoyingly, the latest Android app does not properly display sleep or activity data in the app anymore. I have to force sync the app with the website, then log into the website to see the sleep and activity data. That is a less than ideal process and I still need to confirm it's reliably time-stamping data by observing it for a few more days. Hopefully this is just a blip that will be resolved by the next app update.
mhalley
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by mhalley »

I liked the fitbit, but they are pretty easy to lose. I would recommend you get a lanyard to attach it to your belt or belt loop or whatever. I used something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Safety-Leash-Pedo ... eter+leash

Mike
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Re: Fitbit Wireless Activity Tracker (pocket pedometer softw

Post by gito3115 »

For anyone who has successfully used Flexible Spending Account money to buy an Activity Tracker such as FitBit, what did the letter of medical necessity have on it as the reason it was needed? I bought a FitBit Charge HR and submitted the letter of medical necessity that my doctor filled out and my flex plan rejected it.
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