Does anyone have a FitBit?

[ilovedolphins]

I heard about this today and it looks kind of interesting.

[Malarky]

I am a fitbit addict.

I am the poster child for fit bit.

I've been joined  at the hip to my fitbit (actually, I'm on my 3rd device) for well over a year. 

Any specific questions?

[ilovedolphins]

I thought that it was interesting that it keeps track of so much stuff.  I love the idea of tracking your sleep since I feel as if I don't sleep all that well.  So if I already use Myfitnesspal what will it input into my already diary online?  Has it helped you to keep fit?

I just started tracking my food the past two days.  I eat a lot of stuff and a lot of junk food.  I went over my calorie limit yesterday by 700 calories.

[Malarky]

I first started with a body monitor because of my sleep habits.  I wanted to know if I really don't sleep a whole lot or if it was just my perception.  Turns out, I was right, I don't sleep a whole lot. 

When I'm 60, I'll be lucky if I sleep 20 minutes a night. 

[Deleted]

Dolphins, do you use the same name on MFP? I do - feel free to add me to your Friends.

I have a FitBit Zip and so does DH as part of my employer's wellness program. I love the Zip because it's simple and foolproof (counts steps) but it does have its limitations. Calorie count isn't that accurate, can't be used in water. (I swim a lot.). I prefer my Polar FT7 monitor for measuring calorie burn when I work out.

[ilovedolphins]

I have just signed up for MFP.  I think I used my email address but I can't remember.  I will check.  I just ordered the FitBit from Amazon so I will give it a try.  I have used a pedometer before but it is just a cheap one (free) and it adds quite a few steps that I don't take but I am sure they all do.

[Jaguar]

Malarky , I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your signature.

[wvugurl26]

I am pretty sure I don't need a tech gizmo to tell me how badly I sleep. Of course all that sleeping like crap all week leads to crashing for 3 hours on Friday night with every light in my bedroom on.

[sarcasticgirl]

I have a Fitbit... The competition gets me off my a$$!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using proboards

[Deleted]

Aug 9, 2013 21:24:29 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I have just signed up for MFP.  I think I used my email address but I can't remember.  I will check.  I just ordered the FitBit from Amazon so I will give it a try.  I have used a pedometer before but it is just a cheap one (free) and it adds quite a few steps that I don't take but I am sure they all do.

There are very good Discussion Boards in the Community section of their Web site.  That may be where you need to set up a username.

What really helped me was the Heart Rate Monitor because I could see how hard I was working my heart during exercise and learned to kick it up a notch.  That's helped with weight loss as well as general fitness.  This year I did the 9-mile bike ride of a sprint triathlon 6.5 minutes faster than 2 years ago..  Same bike, same course.  And I'm 60.

A FitBit is a good start, though- it's a great motivator.

[startsmart]

yep - bought one a year ago so I could have daily competitions with BFF on steps and workouts and it's a great motivator.

Note: does not respond well to washing machines. Or swimming pools.

I haven't used the sleep tracker very often but the step counter and wireless upload is awesome.  I like the original one so had to get my replacement on eBay.

[ilovedolphins]

I honestly didn't have a clue how many calories I eat a day just snacking.  This has been a real eye opener and I can't wait until Tuesday for my Fitbit to arrive.

[Deleted]

Aug 11, 2013 8:59:47 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I honestly didn't have a clue how many calories I eat a day just snacking.

Logging calories is an important first step. A doctor I know said his wife swore she was eating a low-calorie diet but couldn't lose weight. When she started logging what she ate on MyFitnessPal she started losing weight.

[ilovedolphins]

I usually eat a lot of sugary snacks.  Today I think I am only at 1200 calories.  I haven't been home all day.  But it does make me rethink everything I eat.

[Deleted]

Very interesting .. I am looking for something, other than will power to help kick start me into getting serious about eating healthier and losing the weight.. I may look into FitBit. 

[Deleted]

So, you enter in everything you eat? 

[justme]

Hmmm... I've been wanting an Up Band but maybe I'll look at FitBit too. Though with a quick look I think I may like Up Band better - I like that the alarm watches your REM cycle - so it will wake you a little before or a little after your desired wake time based on where you are in your sleep cycle. Also, it has a nap setting that will wake you once you're through a full sleep cycle instead of setting it for a specific time. I don't think Up syncs with MFP but it has it's own food tracker similar to MFP it seems.

[Deleted]

FITbit (and other similar products) are helpful because they bring an awareness to your physical activity level during the day.  But obviously, the important thing is that you do something about it.  Because if you don't, you'll basically just have 2 activity levels (days that you workout and days that you don't workout).  

The sleep functions on these things is rudimentary so I wouldn't bother getting it for that.  If you're really concerned, then go get an actual sleep study.  This just measures movement so it can just tell you if you toss/turn.

I think pedometers probably fit the bill for most people to be honest.  

[Sam_2.0]

I used MFP after I had DD and lost all the pregnancy weight + 10 lbs. I like the app on my phone for logging. Just scan the barcode and it records all the details. I plan to use it again here in a few weeks.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using proboards

[ilovedolphins]

I got my Fitbit today.  I am excited to try it out tomorrow.

[sarcasticgirl]

Aug 13, 2013 23:56:52 GMT -5 ilovedolphins said:

I got my Fitbit today.  I am excited to try it out tomorrow.

how do you like it thus far?

[ilovedolphins]

I like it a lot.  Yesterday I had only walked 8000 steps so I forced myself to walk around until I made it to 10,000.