Fitness Trackers?

[aroundhky 1,174]

Been saying it for years. Exercise has many benefits and I'll keep doing it as long as I am allowed and able, but the calorie burn, at least to me, isn't what it's about. When I hear things like...."I burned 650 calories in 30 minutes".......my BS detector goes off. Not that the person stating that is lying or knows it's not true, it's just the equipment tells them that, and of course we want to believe it. Heck, I used to believe it.

http://www.salon.com/2015/01/27/your_exercise_equipment_is_lying_to_you_partner/

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I wore a BodyBugg for over a year and then I wore a BodyMedia Core for something like 7 months... I was OBSESSED with the math of calories in vs. calories out back when I was trying to lose weight "on my own". Now, post-sleeve, calories are completely meaningless to me. I exercise to be fit and healthy and I just make sure I eat enough Protein to sustain me. It's very liberating to not care about the numbers anymore!

[aroundhky 1,174]

I think where some people get in trouble with these things would be when they are counting "cals in" and "cals out/burned". This type of equipment tells them cals out/burned is so high, maybe 600 more than they really burned. So they'll maybe eat 300 more and think the 300 deficit will help them lose. Multiply this by say 5 times a week, and they are taking in way more cals than they burned and they're gaining weight. It's really hard counting cals......true cals.....almost impossible to get it accurate. So instead of this type equipment helping people lose weight, it most often sabotages them and makes them gain....if they put stock in to what the "cals burned" is telling them.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I think where some people get in trouble with these things would be when they are counting "cals in" and "cals out/burned". This type of equipment tells them cals out/burned is so high, maybe 600 more than they really burned. So they'll maybe eat 300 more and think the 300 deficit will help them lose. Multiply this by say 5 times a week, and they are taking in way more cals than they burned and they're gaining weight. It's really hard counting cals......true cals.....almost impossible to get it accurate. So instead of this type equipment helping people lose weight, it most often sabotages them and makes them gain....if they put stock in to what the "cals burned" is telling them.

Oh yeah. I agree with what you are saying with regards to just the calorie burn readout on equipment at the gym or whatever. If anyone thinks those are anywhere near accurate, they are foolish or stupid or both! Devices like the BodyBugg, BodyMedia Fit are more accurate with overall calorie burn throughout the day. A heart rate monitor can be pretty accurate as long as it can also be coded with stats like gender, height, weight, age, etc. Some of the devices that only count steps or whatnot a probably very inaccurate as well.

[Georgia 2,908]

I love my Fitbits. Just to keep me moving (61 years old, not too active so everything helps! lol)

I wore a Fitbit One for a year then I got a new Fitbit Charge. Boy, did I really like and thought, "Man, I am really stepping!!!" Then one day it was so inflated I knew something was WAAAAAYYY off!

I wear on what I THOUGHT was my non-dominant wrist. I'm a leftie, but do everything else right handed so I switched the setting and amazingly enough, I was not "stepping" nearly as much as I thought! Ha!

Now, with adjustments I really like the Charge because it tracks sleep, etc and has Caller ID.

[Stevehud 1,790]

I just got a misfit shine its not just a tracker it does sleep tracking and pedometer, but I do it as a positive reminder to myself to go to the gym , and heck its a cool looking watch or pendant if you want, as well. so why not? I don't believe in calories in out or any other just in weight loss. I simplfy things don't eatthe bad stuff measure the food I do take in and exercise and you increase or decrease as needed to achieve the goal you want. Simple right? lol simple yes,...easy? No lol.

But I do love this thing. And anything that helps you lose or helps you get to the gym ( I wear it on my sneaker laces when I use the stationary bike. Is excellent.

[aroundhky 1,174]

I agree on whatever one needs to do to get themselves motivated to exercise. Just know that some of the calories burned counters often are not just inaccurate, but way off.

[Zoey716 98]

@@aroundhky - I use myfitnesspal & mapmyrun apps. They are helpful to track activity and calories in, but I doubt I burn as many calories as it shows. I use mapmyrun more as a journal with my PR's, ME's and time for Crossfit. It's helpful to look back on it. I also like it for the GPS when I do go running (When it's not 7 degrees outside), I find its very accurate which is great. Im on the fence about buying into a FitBit type of device though. Would love to see more feedback and experience on these items.

[aroundhky 1,174]

@@aroundhky - I use myfitnesspal & mapmyrun apps. They are helpful to track activity and calories in, but I doubt I burn as many calories as it shows. I use mapmyrun more as a journal with my PR's, ME's and time for Crossfit. It's helpful to look back on it. I also like it for the GPS when I do go running (When it's not 7 degrees outside), I find its very accurate which is great. Im on the fence about buying into a FitBit type of device though. Would love to see more feedback and experience on these items.

Oh yes...the GPS! I have an app with that on my phone and I do like it tracking my walks, jogs! I do like knowing how far I'v traveled, which since it's based on GPS, is probably fairly accurate.

[roundisashape 712]

I just got my fitbit zip yesterday! Not paying attention to the calories (besides, I'm nowhere near the point where I could hold more food so "earning" more calories isn't an issue). It's been fun to watch the tracker go up when I walk, though, and I'm finding myself getting up more often at work just to bring the number up. I only got it to remain motivated to move and hopefully it'll work!

[Georgia 2,908]

I have a good one for you all. I have a Fitbit Charge. After getting it adjusted to non dominant settings it became much more reliable as far as steps THEN when I was playing the keyboard during worship at church Sunday my charge started vibrating. And guess what??!! I hit my 5000 step goal. ????????????. Um, not walking or moving except my arms going up and down quite forcefully. Hum. Now what? By the end of the day I had about 11,000 steps of which about 5-6000 were actual. ????

[Kindle 8,667]

I have a good one for you all. I have a Fitbit Charge. After getting it adjusted to non dominant settings it became much more reliable as far as steps THEN when I was playing the keyboard during worship at church Sunday my charge started vibrating. And guess what??!! I hit my 5000 step goal. ????????????. Um, not walking or moving except my arms going up and down quite forcefully. Hum. Now what? By the end of the day I had about 11,000 steps of which about 5-6000 were actual. ????

This is the main reason I got a Fitbit One. I use my arms a lot at work and didn't want those counted as steps. You wear the One clipped to your waist or pocket or even your bra. (It does have a wristband to wear to bed.) The only time I can tell it really miscalculates is if I'm driving on a bumpy road. I also can't wear it horseback riding because that movement "looks" like a step to the One. The problem is I combine riding and hiking a lot and I can't turn it on and off on the fly....so I either have too many steps if I wear it, or too few if I leave it in the truck.

And as for the calorie thing, I don't track or count any of my calories in, so obviously don't pay any attention to what the reported calories burned number is, either.

Edited February 4, 2015 by Kindle

[erp 2,016]

Hmmm... Had a Fitbit and didn't like the false step count but I have been seriously been thinking about getting a heart rate monitor. Are they any better?

[JamieLogical 8,684]

Hmmm... Had a Fitbit and didn't like the false step count but I have been seriously been thinking about getting a heart rate monitor. Are they any better?

Heart rate monitors are only accurate when you are actually working out. The algorithms they use to calculate calories burned factor in "vigorous activity", so if you wore one all day, it would be woefully inaccurate.

[erp 2,016]

@jamie. That maybe the right direction for me then. I workout 4-6 days a week so I'm not trying to get motivated or become active but if I understand correctly, I'll know how effective or not my workout was by using a HRM.