--I am far too fat-- and convinced a fit bit will get me on the right track. AIBU to ask you to help me find one that will suit my lifestyle?

[spad]

I want one that is a pedometer, calorie counter and preferably something that works underwater.

Does the calorie counter monitor what you eat and what you burn off?

I have small babies so don't need one with the sleep monitor. I know I am knackered. Can you buy one without the sleep monitor or can you switch it off?

I like swimming. Can you get one that monitors the energy you are using in the water?

Anything else helpful you can tell me?

tia

You may need a waterproof sports watch rather than just a step counter, but that will cost you a fair bit more.

My oldest has a Mi-band - a Chinese-brand step tracker that works perfectly well and which costs a fraction of what you pay for most other devices - you can pick them up for under £15. Recommended if you want to try out an activity tracker without spending a lot of money on something that may not work for you.

Mi band, great thanks. I'll go and have a look and see what they are like.

Anyone out there use theirs for swimming?

I've just got the gamin vivio it is fantastic. It is waterproof and also records sleep as well as being a pedometer. You can link it with my fitness to count calories etc.
I ordered it from amazon on Saturday £44 on sale and it arrived Sunday afternoon (free delivery).

The mi-band won't work for anything but walking/running, it's not suitable for the pool. But it is an absolute bargain if you want a basic step tracker (I paid 15€ for DD's on Amazon, that's only just over £10 ...).

My husband has a Garmin sports watch for running and cycling, but he doesn't use it as an activity tracker, just to monitor performance. It is bulky and he only wears it when he is actually out running or cycling.

I use sports watches which can record for swimming. My current watch is a Polar M400. It has lifestyle tracking such as steps and calories. Sleep can be viewed (or ignored) on the app rather than on the display. Being a sports watch, it uses a separate chest strap for HR so although it is more accurate, its not a feature for continual use. It has its own GPS which is more accurate than using a phone signal.

It's not cheap, and may not be right for your requirements, although I believe it's not far off the league of the better fitbits.

I've got the garmin vivofit which I chose over replacing my Fitbit (which broke) because the battery lasts a year - was fed up with charging my Fitbit or worse, going for a long walk, getting back and finding the battery had conked out two steps in!

I am looking at the Misfit Shine - it tracks swimming too.

OP, I'm glad you started this thread. I had a fitbug that conked out and now I'm looking for an upgrade. Now I'm off to google all these.

Thanks everyone. Anymore ideas...??? This is really helpful.

Happy with my Garmin Vivosmart HR. It links to MyFitnessPal app so you can log your calories in/out quite easily. Also has an activity feature if you run, swim, cycle, go to the gym and all that. Waterproof. Measures steps and estimates distance, it's been pretty accurate considering it doesn't have a GPS measurement. A bit expensive compared to Fitbits but have a look at the Garmin range, they are generally pretty tough. It's larger on my wrist than the Fitbit but the display is more useful too. It does do sleep but so far is fairly useless so I think you can just ignore it.

Bought the misfit shine as a gift for a swimmer, she seems really pleased with it.

If you want something just for swimming I have a Poolmate which counts lengths and provides a calorie count. It does only work in the water though so possibly not what you're looking for. It's ruddy marvellous though.