anyone bought fitbit or similar??

mrs_baggins

I admit to being a bit of a gadget freak.!

I have some christmas money that I am debating what to do with.One of the options is to buy one of those fotness monitor type wrist bands- the ones that look more like a bracelet than a watch! If you have one does it monitor sleep? is it any use?

As I said I am just debating. I cycle a lot and have a garmin edge which also has a heart monitor if I dare look at it when going up hills so not sure if I get one I just wouldnt really get that much from it.

would love to hear other peoples views

fairy_lights

I bought a fitbit flex in the January sales, I've only been using it a few weeks and haven't fully got to grips with everything it can do but so far have found it very interesting.
It does monitor sleep and tells me how many times during the night I have been restless, and if I've woken up at all. That's been quite a revelation as I thought I was getting a full 8 hours every night but in reality it's less than 7.
It also tracks the number of steps I take everyday and I can set targets, which has definitely motivated me to be more active as the number of steps I take on a working day is shockingly low.
I haven't used it to record any exercise other than walking yet so I've got a few other functions to play with, it's fun at the moment but to be honest I don't know how long it will be until the novelty wears off!

ALI1973

I had the Jawbone UP24 for christmas. I like that it connects to the other apps I use (MFP & Mapmywalk etc). It records sleep, steps and calories, you can set goals and also give prompts and tips to keep you motivated.

I love that it "wakes" me up in the right point of my sleep cycle. I also have mine set to prompt me to move every 15 minutes (I am pretty sedentary).

Unfortunately, I have broken my elbow, so all my efforts so far have been for zilch, but I will soon recover and get back on it.

Good luck with your choice.

mrs_baggins

thanks for the info both

adonis

I won a Fitflex through a competition with my insurance company, it is not something I would buy and would probably have sold if it wasn't in the terms and conditions that I had to use it.

Having said that, I found the sleep tracker interesting in that I wake more in the night if I have had a stressful day and I like to see the amount of miles I walk during the day.

[Deleted User]

Which have just tested these last month, with mixed results. Accuracy depends on what it is you want to measure, as well as which one you buy. They were best at counting steps whilst walking and running, with an average accuracy of within 3%, but the accuracy measuring calories burnt was out by 65% walking, and 19% running, on average. Accuracy of the step counter was much poorer during daily routines, at 12%. Note that they are averages, some brands will be worse.

The Fitbit Zip was the best, and the cheapest at £35, but it's not a wristband. Runner up was the Sony Smartband SWR10 for twice the price. The Epson Pulsense PS-100 was the worst, and second most expensive.

I had a pedometer donkeys years ago, and it's worth bearing in mind that even if the step count is accurate, the distance measurement will only be as good as your ability to maintain the accuracy of your stride length.

deedee71

My son is nagging for a new phone and showed me this offer - http://www.talkmobile.co.uk/mobile-phone/pay-monthly/talkmobilew/Nokia/Nokia-Lumia-735-Green.html?network=talkmobilew&tariffcode=TMBKM114#

quite tempted so I can have the fitbit

ali-t

I had the fitbit flex and ended up taking it back after 3 weeks as the battery drained very quickly, often less than 24 hours, sleep didn't always record despite setting it to do so and the steps weren't very accurate.


I wear a watch on one wrist and had the fitbit on the other so wasn't able to wear jewellery as it looked ridiculous. Minor gripe though.


My partner has the jawbone up and it is now on gumtree. Similar reasons as to mine and that he would forget to put it back on so it didn't track when it was lying beside the shower!


If you do decide to get one check online that your phone is compatible. Mine said it was compatible but forum checks showed there are lots of glitches and issues with it. I would advise that you do your research about compatibility.

purplevamp

I bought one just over 4 weeks ago. 3 days ago it decided not to connect to the dashboard, couldn't charge it up. I sent it back and got the replacement today. I find it ok, doesn't track that well for me as it registers that I'm walking if I'm on a bus going up a hill!! Also as I wear it on my bra it thought I was walking but I was making a white sauce :rotfl: I'll see how well it works in the next few weeks but if the same thing happens re: not connecting I will send it back.

[Deleted User]

I wouldn't waste your money. If you have a half decent smart phone with a fitness app such as runkeeper... I found this to work much better.

I use runkeeper on iphone 4s and it is brilliant.

Cuilean

I bought the FitBit Charge from Amazon over xmas when they had it for 25% off. Still expensive, but the discount made it achievable, and I'd been eyeing them up for a while.

Fairy Lights has summed up the things it can do by itself well, but I link mine to My Fitness Pal so that I can be accurate with the amount of calories I take in vs calories burned. I also link it to other apps - at the moment, we're planning a baby, so I have linked it to Glow and it tells me if I'm doing enough exercise for that time of the month.

If you're part of a gang of gadget freaks, you can also make "friends" and challenge other mates with a FitBit. I'm currently trouncing a colleague from work, but she's twice my age having not long had her 60th birthday, so it's a bit of an unfair race :rotfl:

Is it accurate? For distance, not especially. When I go out walking, I use the Nike+ app which is far more accurate as it has GPS and edit my distance on the FitBit website.

Prior to this, I also had the FitBit Zip, which was fine, but really nothing more than a pedometer. It's far more interesting to see my sleep cycle, steps climbed, and all the extras you get on the Charge.

I've been trying to get a better grip of my health for some time, and this has definitely been the motivator. My weight is coming down, and my fitness is right up. Maybe it is a gimmick, but it's increased my awareness of what I'm doing, and I'll stick with it until the Apple Watch is released. That's my next big item on the gadget wishlist!