Night Elf Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I like the look of the Fitbits. What started me looking was I want to track my daily steps. I already track calories each day in a written log, mostly to keep me under 150 grams of carbs. First, I was looking at the Fitbit Zip. It seems to do what I want it to do. But as I looked at some of the other products, I must admit I'm intrigued at the idea of tracking my sleep. Does it really count how many times one wakes up during the night? Is sleep tracked on your dashboard? What Fitbit do you have and why did you choose it? I have no idea which one I want. I'm not a hardcore exerciser. I walk on the treadmill 3 times a week. Is 10,000 steps really the ultimate daily goal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I have a Fitbit Charge HR. Things I like: - I can see if my walking put me into the cardio zone. I'm in reasonable shape and it's not that easy to do by walking. - silent alarm for waking - it buzzes on my wrist and doesn't wake my husband. - sleep tracking - yes, it does tell me when I am awake or restless. It's not perfect though - it often can't tell if I am reading, rather than asleep, at the beginning or end of the night. I can see the whole thing on my dashboard. I aim for 10,00 steps - essentially I have to walk four intentional miles to do it (I have a sedentary office job) - a bit less on days when I go to the supermarket. That seems attainable to me. I've seen definite benefits in mood and stamina in the last couple of months since I made that my aim. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I have the new Charge HR. I chose it because I wanted to easily track (through heart rate increases; not needing to input the exercise into MyFitnessPal or similar log) non-walking exercise, like biking, the elliptical, and body weight/weight training activitities. The Charge HR tracks the minutes I am awake during the night and the minutes I am restless. I can view the charts and data on the dashboard. I no longer rely on steps taken as a measure of daily fitness. I count my active and very active minutes. The Charge HR tells how many minutes are spent in the "cardio" and "fat burning" heart rate zones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kidlets4me Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I started with the Zip because I really only wanted to track steps. I've had the Zip about 6 months and recently upgraded to the One. I made the switch because I was interested in seeing how many floors I climb and tracking my sleep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I have the Charge HR (as does my husband and daughter). It does track sleep very well for me. I've always needed to sleep longer than most and I still am tired a lot. The FitBit has revealed this is because I am restless a LOT at night (guess I've been that way since I was a baby... my parents say I slept like an eggbeater as a baby). I am in bed 8+ hour, but I regularly only get actually good sleep totally 4-6 hours. I can't figure out how to fix that, but at least I feel vindicated that there's a reason I am so tired all the time. I've also found that as long as the good sleep count is 5 1/2 hours I feel great! Yes, sleep is tracked on the dashboard and then you can go and look at more details. It tells you the exact times you were awake or restless. I have mine set to sensitive. I picked the Charge HR because my husband wanted to track his heart rate and that's the one that looked the best. I lowered my step goal for a while, but I upped it back to 10,000. Most days I well exceed that. I walk around the house reading. I haven't lost weight, but I've had a couple people ask me if I have. I'm losing inches so I'm okay with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have a zip and it isn't giving me enough info. I just ordered a Charge HR and it should arrive Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have the Charge HR I could only choose from the newer options (Charge, Charge HR, and Surge) due to nickel allergies. Fitbit changed to nickel free after issues with the Force being recalled. I chose Charge HR over Charge and Surge for a few reasons: Charge didnt have the heart rate feature so it couldnt do aerobic activity. It also has the snap on band which some reviews said was either hard to get to snap or they had lost previous fitbits from it snapping off. Charge HR has a watch style band. And the Charge cost only slightly less than the HR, so it didnt seem as good a deal. I also decided against the surge because it was way more expensive, had features I didnt really need, and was bigger. I felt it would look huge! on my wrist. I find that some days the 10,000 steps is easy and other days it is hard. Especially if I skipped my workout. I do like the stairs climbed feature and that it tracks activities like dancing. I agree with previous poster about the sleeping. It is pretty accurate with sleep monitoring except it counts reading in bed as sleeping. I read every night before I fall asleep. I usually have to subtract half and hour to an hour that it counted my reading as sleeping. I LOVE the silent alarm. I really wish my DH would wear a fitbit so his stupid alarm (beep beep beep!!!!) would stop waking me before my fitbit does. Fortunately, he doesnt set it every morning! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have the Zip. I really just wanted to track steps and work on increasing activity. It has been a great motivator for doing that. I think 10,000 steps is a good goal but there isn't anything magical about that number. Having a concrete goal works better for me than just saying "I will walk more." And it's ridiculous how motivating seeing all the numbers on the dashboard is. I left my Zip at our co-op three weeks ago and we haven't been back due to snow cancellations. I get to get it tomorrow and I'm very excited. I was saying recently how I was sad that my dashboard currently looks like I'm a big slug with no steps at all for three weeks. My son suggested that I call the Pastor at the co-op and ask him to wear it for me to "help me out". I have to admit I was a bit tempted. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghansMom Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have a zip and it isn't giving me enough info. I just ordered a Charge HR and it should arrive Saturday. Just ordered it? It will be a month on March 20th since I ordered mine! I am glad to hear all the good reports though about Charge HR. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have the Jawbone Up. It's not blutooth or a heart rate monitor, but the newer models are. I chose it over the FitBit because it will wake me up when I'm in the right phase of my sleep cycle so I wake up feeling more refreshed. It's AWESOME! Not only does it track how often you get up, but it also tracks how long until you fall asleep. Mine showed me that I still sleepwalk regularly. I thought I'd stopped that years ago. My goal is 7,000 steps, but our apartment is very small and I don't get out much. If we go on a hike in the evenings I get over 10,000 steps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I like the look of the Fitbits. What started me looking was I want to track my daily steps. I already track calories each day in a written log, mostly to keep me under 150 grams of carbs. First, I was looking at the Fitbit Zip. It seems to do what I want it to do. But as I looked at some of the other products, I must admit I'm intrigued at the idea of tracking my sleep. Does it really count how many times one wakes up during the night? Is sleep tracked on your dashboard? What Fitbit do you have and why did you choose it? I have no idea which one I want. I'm not a hardcore exerciser. I walk on the treadmill 3 times a week. Is 10,000 steps really the ultimate daily goal? I have the Fitbit Flex. I got it because dh's employer offered them to employees and spouses for 50% of the regular price. It tracks steps and sleep, which is fine with me. I use it to track "background steps" ie those steps that are incidental to daily life. With the new "Sitting is the new smoking" research, I can look on the computer to see if I am moving most hours of the day. Though the Fitbit tracks running/walking workouts and not swimming, strength-training, etc. that is ok with me. Those other activities have a beginning and ending and I know if I've done them or not. I also don't need something to track heartrate: I use the Borg rating of Perceived Exertion scale. That is very highly correlated with anything gadgets will give you and it's just your own perception of how hard you're working. It does tell you how often you were restless at night, and how often you got up. Yes, sleep is tracked on your dashboard. I have found it useful in letting me know how much I'm actually sleeping at night. Good sleep is correlated with weight loss, so it's important to me for that reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 This thread is tempting me. The sleep thing and the alarm intrigues me. What makes me pause is my, perhaps silly, concern about WiFi signals and such. I'm sure I'm surrounded by WiFi all day and this is no different but...I still feel weird about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Charge HR largely because I have personal reasons for wanting to track my heart rate. I like that it detects sleep automatically (though imperfectly) because I always forgot to turn sleep mode on with my old fitbit. I also like that it doubles as a watch because kept trying to look at the time when I had a Flex, and I like the watch-style clasp better. You can change the step goal to whatever is most motivating for you. Some study found that a minimum of 10,000 was ideal for health, so that's where that number came from, but if it's so high (or low) that it's a meaningless goal for you, it's fine to reset it to something that is more obtainable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 This thread is tempting me. The sleep thing and the alarm intrigues me. What makes me pause is my, perhaps silly, concern about WiFi signals and such. I'm sure I'm surrounded by WiFi all day and this is no different but...I still feel weird about it. I'm the same way. I have to manually plug mine in. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A17IA1S/ref=twister_B00AE1TWE0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Just do it... Seriously though. I have been making positive lifestyle changes for years and this has helped me improve upon them. If you're serious about your health then it will be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Too.many.choices. *faints from info overload* :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Oh - about the vibrating alarm on the Fitbit Charge HR. It wakes me without waking my husband unless I incautiously put my arms around him to give him a hug in the early morning. In that case, he wakes up with the Fitbit vibrating against his chest and the time flashing in his eyes.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Oh - about the vibrating alarm on the Fitbit Charge HR. It wakes me without waking my husband unless I incautiously put my arms around him to give him a hug in the early morning. In that case, he wakes up with the Fitbit vibrating against his chest and the time flashing in his eyes.... :lol: Dh and I sleep as nature intended ;) At least once a week he complains about the green light emanating from my wrist at nighttime...but he doesn't want me to cover it up with a shirt :lol: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I know, old thread. Just wanted to say thanks to the people who posted and see if people are still liking the Charge HR models. I am needing to focus more on walking and hiking for exercise rather than too much high impact stuff and I am *this* close to using an REI credit balance I have towards the HR model. I figure $149 less my $30 something credit plus the $20 REI credit to use in August by spending $100 now and the $$ it will add to next year's rebate makes REI the most economical way to buy it for me right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I still love mine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkTulip Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I'm still wearing mine all the time. I'm really happy with it, and especially love the vibrating alarm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Still love mine, but you know that.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I have the Zip (got it for my birthday earlier this year because I asked for it). I don't want to feel locked into another thing to track/check/monitor/enter everything (like with the models that have more bells & whistles). I just wanted a simple tracking of steps. It also tracks 'increased, sustained' activity. (I think it logs it as that if you've been moving at a certain speed for at least 10 minutes.) I didn't want an armband (plastic-y stuff around my arm makes my wrist feel sweaty); I did want something that would easily & securely attach to a waistband (in case I don't have pockets). I like having the Zip. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 I know, old thread. Just wanted to say thanks to the people who posted and see if people are still liking the Charge HR models. I am needing to focus more on walking and hiking for exercise rather than too much high impact stuff and I am *this* close to using an REI credit balance I have towards the HR model. I figure $149 less my $30 something credit plus the $20 REI credit to use in August by spending $100 now and the $$ it will add to next year's rebate makes REI the most economical way to buy it for me right now. I got my Charge HR after the first go 'round of this thread. :) I love it! When I first got it, I decided to just go about my normal daily routine for a week or so to see what my average step count was and I was horrified at how little I was moving. I made a goal for myself to not walk under 7500 steps per day without a really good exception like being sick. ;) Over the past 4 weeks, I've only had 3 days where I recorded less than 10,000 steps! I'm very proud of myself. :D I've also been spending about an hour per day in the "very active" zone. I like the sleep tracker and find that it is pretty accurate for me. When I lay in bed to read, I just move around a little bit every now and then so it doesn't think I'm asleep. I wanted to track heart rate since I have issues with high blood pressure and just wanted the record so I could provide more info to my dr. Now, what's making me mad is that I haven't changed my eating except for reducing what little soda I already drank and I have not lost a single ounce in spite of all of my active time. So much for calories in/calories out. :glare: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Now, what's making me mad is that I haven't changed my eating except for reducing what little soda I already drank and I have not lost a single ounce in spite of all of my active time. So much for calories in/calories out. :glare: You might be exchanging fat for muscle, which weighs more. I discovered that I had lost over an inch from my hips, despite not having changed in weight. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparrowsNest Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 Too.many.choices. *faints from info overload* :) No kidding! I looked online and I really like the Tory Burch bracelet things, but then on the other hand I really want the heart rate monitor with the Charge HR... So I'll probably end up just not getting anything. :lol: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 DH and I have both had the Charge HR since January and we still really like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemiSweet Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I started with the zip and upgraded to the Charge HR in March, I still love it. I work out 6 days a week and I love being able to track all of it. My goal most days is 15k steps. Don't forget to join the well-trained fitbits group! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I started with the zip and upgraded to the Charge HR in March, I still love it. I work out 6 days a week and I love being able to track all of it. My goal most days is 15k steps. Don't forget to join the well-trained fitbits group! I decided to get the Charge HR so I wouldn't want to upgrade and because the hr and alarm features are things I want. I'm going to go to REI tomorrow. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 For those of you who have the Charge HR -- did you find the wristband sizing tool to be accurate? On some reviews I'm reading to size up, and some say the band stretches a little over time so don't size up. When I measure with their tool I'm about 1/4 to 1/3 into the small size area, but wondering if that might be too small. And do you have to wear it so that it's very tight? I can't stand anything too tight on my wrist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemiSweet Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 For those of you who have the Charge HR -- did you find the wristband sizing tool to be accurate? On some reviews I'm reading to size up, and some say the band stretches a little over time so don't size up. When I measure with their tool I'm about 1/4 to 1/3 into the small size area, but wondering if that might be too small. And do you have to wear it so that it's very tight? I can't stand anything too tight on my wrist. I was right on the cusp of needing the large but I got the small, and my band has stretched considerably. I started out wearing it on the first or second hole and now I wear it in the 4th or 5th. I wear it fairly tight because I don't like things that spin around but they actually recommend wearing it a bit looser. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I was right on the cusp of needing the large but I got the small, and my band has stretched considerably. I started out wearing it on the first or second hole and now I wear it in the 4th or 5th. I wear it fairly tight because I don't like things that spin around but they actually recommend wearing it a bit looser. Thank you! That's a big help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 I think I'll wear something with a continuous heart rate monitor for the rest of my life. It may end up being life-saving. About two weeks into getting the Charge HR, I noticed that my heart rate was dropping into mid-40s pretty much any time I wasn't actively moving around, and occasionally into the 30s while asleep. My heart rate has always been on the low side, but not quite that low. I figured out I was having symptoms associated with this - stuff I wouldn't have given a second thought to without a heart rate monitor (fatigue, brain fog, mild dizzy episodes, that sort of thing). I had some bloodwork done that showed impaired kidney function at the same time. It resolved on its own, and I didn't get into a doctor soon enough to actually figure out what was going on, but I'm now alert for a recurrence. In general, I'm not quite as OCD about it as when I first started using it (especially since I've had no further health drama to keep it exciting), but I haven't yet dumped it in favor of a standard watch (which would honestly be more useful for work), either. Some of the recent updates make it slightly more useful - now the watch function turns on when you turn your wrist a certain way. Kind of hit-or-miss, but nice when you don't have two free hands. I need to get back into actually using it for step counting, especially while the weather is reasonable. My problem is that I have a very biphasic week. On workdays I generally exceed my goal without difficulty. On non-workdays I rarely hit it. I suppose I just need to set it low enough that I'm willing to stretch a little to hit it on the non-workdays, and let the workdays handle themselves. I don't find the sleep tracking all that accurate - it generally overestimates my sleep, registering me as asleep pretty much any time I'm in bed. I'll have segments of the night where I know I was awake, and not even lying particularly still, register as sleep. I might try the more sensitive sleep setting and see if that seems more accurate. (But I still like the automatic sleep detection better than having to turn it on manually) I was on the edge between the small and large band. I decided to get the large, and think that was the right choice - I probably could have worn the small, but wouldn't have left much of a tail to hold it in place. I wear it on the third from smallest hole, tight enough that it doesn't move around, but loose enough that I can fit two fingers under the band without difficulty. This seems fine for me, but sometimes I'll pull it a notch tighter if I'm moving around a lot, because that is supposed to improve the accuracy. I'm 5'11", so not a tiny person - I suspect most women could probably use the small without difficulty. I've not noticed any stretch in the band, but I'm not wearing it tightly. I'd imagine putting constant tension on it would cause it to stretch more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 My husband cracks me up. He went to REI for me because I was pretty tired and not feeling like going to the mall. I wanted the purple one and, having man sized hands and wrists, I needed the large. When he asked for the plum one in size large at the counter the man asked disbelieving if he really wanted the purple one for himself. My husband just repeats, Large and plum, thank you. I didn't really want the plum so much as I didn't want the black one, lol. He didn't clarify it was for his wife, just let the guy be shocked that a guy was buying the purple one. Today's my first day wearing it so we will see. I do like the color more than I thought I would. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 I decided to try the alarm again based on this thread. First night, it worked well. Second, the baby woke me up a minute after the alarm was set to go off. I think it must have woken her up. Me? I was having a dream where I was demonstrating to someone how wonderful the alarm on the FitBit is. Yeah, don't think it'll work reliably for me. I wish I had a purple one. I got mine before the colors came out - my old watch broke and kind of forced the decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 FYI, for those that have the Flex or Charge, Road ID now makes an ID piece that will fit onto your Flex or Charge & has your personalized emergency info. I really like Road ID & have ordered from them previously to get stuff for my very active dad to have when he's out on many-mile bike rides. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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