I need a way to keep track of the calories I am burning doing my Couch to 5k and just being active. Is the Fitbit worth buying for this purpose? For those who have Fitbit's do you like them? How do they work?

I've been looking at the fitbits but haven't bought one yet. I picked up a fitness watch at my local TJMaxx that will calculate how many calories burned when doing exercise. I think since it is a pedometer it will only work for walking or running. It was a little complicated to figure out but it does ask for your height, weight, age, male/female. You have to put your baseline heart rate when resting (they say to do that when you first wake up) and to do that you just put two fingers on the watch and it measures your heart rate. For $20 I think it will work for me. I tried using it yesterday when I walked alittle to my walking dvd and I did about 10 minutes of walking and it said I only burned 34 cal but that could be about right since I read it takes 15 minutes of walking to burn 100 cal. I hurt my left knee so I haven't been able to do my exercising like I usually do the last week or so but tried to do some walking after work yesterday. Going to try to work back up to my one mile in 15 minutes or 2 miles in 30 minutes to my at home walking dvd and hope my knee can handle it.

I just joined the Fitbit craze and I must say that I like it very much. I am still getting used to it, but I like the fact that it can be tied to myfitnesspal account. I had/have the body media unit as well, but as others have stated, the monthly fee is a deterrent to continued use of the device. When I initially purhcased the monthly fee was included in the price for the first year. But where's the motivation after that, so I discontinued using it. Also, with that device you actually had to sync to the web via your computer to see your stats, at least with the Fitbit, you can check your stats whenever you like.

Virtygirl, How do you link it to myfitnesspal????? I would love to know.

I have used my fitbit for over a year now... Love it!!

Thanks, Julie

Lessofme2010 ~ once your in myfitnesspal, go to the Tools tab and you will see a window for Fitbit Ultra, click on learn more, once you get to the next screen you will be given the option of purchasing a fitbit or linking one that already own to your account. After that just follow the online prompts and instructions.

Good luck!

Thank you so much!!! That is so cool.

Julie

Your quite welcome!

I want one of these fit bits lol

I just linked my Fitbit to the MFP website and started using MFP to log my food. They recommend logging your food on the MFP site, using the Fitbit site to track your activity, and then the two will sync.

If you find that your step counts are way off with the fitbit, there is a way to change your stride length. I never figured it out and I know mine is a little more generous than it should be with my steps, but it's still helpful to know what days I've done better than others.

I am considering giving my husband my fitbit and buying the fitbit ultra for the stairs counts too . . . not sure if I want to do that or not.

I have the ultra and absolutely love it, especially with the stair counter. That little device has definitely encouraged me to get moving. And, I have mine linked with MyFitnessPal as well. The two linked together are an awesome tool, along with our sleeves!

Okay, now I WANT one. What are the monthly fees? I looked at the website, but I can't find anything listing monthly fees.

There is no monthly fee for the Fit Bit unless you want the premium membership. I just started using one this last week and I'm loving it so far... except for how it tracks stairs. I did 8 flights up and 8 flights down today and it only gave me credit for 5. Oh well, at least it's encouraging me to do the stairs! LOL

Lissa, if you go back a couple of posts they explain how to adjust your steps to be more accurate.

Julie

Yes, you definitely need to adjust your stride, it will make all the difference!

I have had my fitbit for four months, since I decided to have this surgery and I love it. I am a ringing endorsement for the fitbit. I broke my cradle sitting in a chair with handles (I know I am fat). I emailed the company and they send me one out FREE of charge. I heard they will do that with any part you break except the actual Fitbit. Here is the reason I like the Fitbit:

Pros:

-Logs steps, stairs and ellipitical steps

-Integrated with Myfitnesspal

-Works on PC and MAC

-Sweat resistance

-Logs my blood pressure and blood sugar

-Holds a charge for at least seven days

-Emails you a weekly report

-Free reports and software

Cons:

-Communities are hard to use

-Buying replacement parts are unavailable

-For logging sleep, it comes off too much. I have sleep apnea, so my Bipap logs my hours.

Hey does anyone want to be my friend on Fitbit. My profile can be found at: http://www.fitbit.com/user/22FL84

Got my fitbit ultra today and I love it so far. It motivated me to get up and move all day today. I love that it can be worn on my bra and I don't even feel it there. The fact that it syncs with myfitnesspal was a deciding factor for me since they have a much more extensive food database than most others.