Would anyone recommend a FitBit?

[wrenster]

Just that really......have seen them but wonder if they actually help you get fit/lose weight or just a bit gimmicky?

Thanks

[BettySuarez]

My DD has one, she is very geeky and loves it.

It's very accurate by all accounts.

[Makingchanges]

I bought one and have been trying it out over the last few days. Got the ultra one. I love it but its an extra £39.99 for the detailed reports if you want those. It was interesting that I wake up 25 times in the night. I knew I was a poor sleeper but didn't realise I was that bad

[Babieseverywhere]

I would love one I watch auctions for the Zip, One and Ultra models on eBay but they are not cheap, even second hand.

I think they would encourage you to move more, walk instead of driving short distances. Let us know how you get on,if you buy one.

[Makingchanges]

I bought mine in a lightning deal on amazon at about half prize (ish I can't remember) apparently it is compatible with my fitness pal I was told but not looked into this yet so not sure. You have to manually enter the food but haven't done this yet. It is very discreet and I've forgot I've been wearing it a few times. So far I like it but I'm not sure I'd have paid full price.

[wohmum]

I've just recieved mine today and trying it out for sleeping tonight for the first time!

Am hoping it will motivate me to get moving more... Will see how I get on

[wrenster]

Thanks for your replies everyone. The sleep tracker really appeals to me too, so let us know how you get on wohmum.

Still so undecided! It's my birthday next month, so have a little time to decide whether it's for me and whether my January motivation continues!

[ihatethecold]

I got my fitbit ultra on amazon black Friday deals. was about half price.
I use it everyday and it definitely makes me move more
have synched it with my fitness pal app.
I haven't used it to record my sleep yet.

would recommend but not at full price!

[WeightyKaty]

I got mine yesterday and I love it so far! Told me I woke up 9 times in the night which seems a lot. I link it up w mfp and seems to work well. Recommended!

[TwoJackRussellsandababy]

Mine arrived yesterday too, I think if you are a gadget type then it would appeal, and it does help to make you move a bit more to get to your 10,000 steps per day, I ran up and down the stairs several times last night to get my 10 floors badge - what a twit, but funny too!

Sleep tracker is interesting too, can see exactly when the baby woke me up last night :(

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

I've had one for a while now. I really like it. I don't usually bother to track my sleep as getting up in the night tends to mess it up a bit for me. The steps, distance, floors etc are usually very accurate, but stormy weather can mess up the floors, and it's worth remembering that you have to do a whole floor (10' I think) for it to count, just running up and down 5 steps won't count.

It can be linked with MFP, so you can track your food on MFP, and the fitbit will automatically increase your calorie allowance if you've been more active than usual. Or indeed the other way, if you've sat on your arse all day it will deduct calories! You can add work outs manually, such as doing the 30 day shred for 20 odd minutes, as the fitbit won't record the full calorie burn by itself.

I was doing the "eat more to weigh less" thing for a while (which is great!) and I found the fitbit invaluable for that. My work can either be very stationary, or I can spend most of the day on my feet, so it's great to see how active I've been, then if need be I can hop off the bus a few stops early to bump up my steps. Or I can smuggly ride all the way home!

The forums are really good if you have any problems with it too.

[wrenster]

Mmmmmmm I am liking the sound of all of this! Does yours download to your PC directly or do you have to do it manually?

[ihatethecold]

it will synch if you are within 15ft of your computer (computer needs to be on though!)

[wohmum]

I've got mine to synch with my pc and my iPhone , with MFP as well and it all seems to synch perfectly.
Does anyone want to be a 'friend' on fitbit and we can keep each other motivated?

[wohmum]

I'mnot convinced about the sleep tracker though.
i guess it works just off movement and logs each movement as a wakening , but I'm sure that I move in my sleep too.

[MrsMangoBiscuit]

You have to have your base unit plugged into the computer too, for it to sync. wohmum, you can change the sensitivity of the sleep settings. If I had it on high it would record a waking if I moved. Normal is apparently the right setting for most people.

[wohmum]

I've had mine a week now and finding it very motivating , I'm making sure i do at least 10,000 steps a day which has meant that I've ben out for a 30 minute walk at 9.30 twice this week!

my typical work day seems to get about 7000 steps, and an extra 30 min walk tops up to 10,000 or over.

I'm also being more careful with what I eat - fairly low carb and no lattes from the work's starbucks. This has resulted in 4lb loss so far , so I'm very pleased.
i know the rate won't keep up but it feels great as I;'ve set myself 10 lb to lose in 6 weeks..

On the sleep front, it seems to work ok but i think the novelty of this will wear off after a while.

wrenster Have you decided to go for one yet?

They are currently on a groupon deal with 20% off, here :


www.groupon.co.uk/deals/national-deal/Chemist-4-U/15832152/.T9F6Qj

[HexBramble]

Are they waterproof.
I swim quite a lot..

[perplexedpirate]

Fwiw, there are sleep tracker apps available for smartphones for free. I used one and it was pretty accurate.

[HexBramble]

Whoops!
Didn't realise this was an old thread.