In essence it logs steps, and calculates calories burnt from that, you add water drunk, specific workouts, food, and it works out whether you're gonna gain or lose weight and how fast. It also tracks sleep but I don't really see the point of that.
Got a FitBit - It's working for me, here's my feedback (now with pictures).
- Thread starter Feek
- Start date
In essence it logs steps, and calculates calories burnt from that, you add water drunk, specific workouts, food, and it works out whether you're gonna gain or lose weight and how fast. It also tracks sleep but I don't really see the point of that.
A month further on and you can see what's left of my belly is well on the way. This was taken about half an hour ago just after I'd had steak and kidney pudding, chips and gravy for my tea 
Associate
Outstanding Feek well done 
Inspired by this thread I've just updated my profile on MFP and put the app on my new phone. I can use the app for months and make solid steps towards a healthier lifestyle (combined with the likes of Endomondo for activity tracking) and as soon as I think I can do it on my own and stop I drop back into old habits. TBH it is so quick and easy to use I should just keep using it.
Well done Feek, that is a massive transformation you've managed to achieve.
Well done Feek, that is a massive transformation you've managed to achieve.
Outstanding Feek well done
Thanks
Yup, that's it. Nothing else whatsoever.
Soldato
Just out of interest are you eating back all the calories that FitBit is allowing you assuming you have your MFP linked?
It's just yesterday due to my activity it wanted me to eat a total of 3000+ calories, I ate around 2300 which is a fair bit lower.
This is my dashboard from yesterday to show my activity levels etc.
It's just yesterday due to my activity it wanted me to eat a total of 3000+ calories, I ate around 2300 which is a fair bit lower.
This is my dashboard from yesterday to show my activity levels etc.
Soldato
I realise that, I've lost 11st in weight total, I'm only set for a 500 calorie a day deficit since I'm only trying to lose a little more weight, just surprised that it wanted me to eat 3000 calories to get that deficit, I suppose I underestimated how many calories walking 12+ miles burns.
Soldato
According to the data it sent MyFitnessPal around 1100.
I've always read that walking is around 100 calories a mile so it doesn't seem miles off.
According to the data it sent MyFitnessPal around 1100.
I've always read that walking is around 100 calories a mile so it doesn't seem miles off.
seems a lot to me.
Garmin probably use a better algorithm for calculating calories burned as it takes the heart rate and stuff into the forumla they use if you have a HRM attached and I'd say these are still wildly exaggerated even though the device is supposed to learn the rider and get more accurate over time.
Your walking 12 miles probably at low heart rate can't be anywhere near cycling for 2-3 hours in calories burned?
Soldato
MET compendium of physical activities has it as follows. The reason it looks odd, is at slow speeds your effectively stopping all the time, where a little faster your momentum is carrying you forward.
What are the numbers, calories? What time frame?
Soldato
I weigh around 162 and walk around 4 MPH so according to that chart that's around the same as what my FitBit says I burned.
You should remember that the FitBit dashboard also shows the calories burned just by being alive. At the end of each day, my FitBit dashboard always shows a significant "under" reading.
I let the FitBit feed the figures back to MFP and I always eat some of the calories back. I don't pay specific attention to exactly how many but I just aim to keep that MFP figure in the green at the end of each day. I also use various apps to monitor my walks which feed back into MFP but generally I delete that activity from the cardio feed and rely on the FitBit. It's worked for me so far!
Anyway.
Today is day 300 of my FitBit ownership and although things have again slowed a little, I've dropped fractionally over another stone in the last fifty days since I posted a weight update. I'm now down by 9st 5lb which is 131lb or just under 60kg lost.
Last weekend I ordered a t-shirt from eBay which turned up very quickly but I had to send it back because it was too big. It was a large size and I've exchanged it for a medium and I'm wearing it now. It's a bit tight but not uncomfortable and as I still have a little way to go, I'm happy with it. When I put the large on and it was too big, I had a huge smile on my face as I used to fill XXXL t-shirts!
So I'm very confident that when the next fifty day update rolls around that I'll have reached my size goal and be comfortably in my wedding suit from over twenty years ago. Expect pictures when that happens
I let the FitBit feed the figures back to MFP and I always eat some of the calories back. I don't pay specific attention to exactly how many but I just aim to keep that MFP figure in the green at the end of each day. I also use various apps to monitor my walks which feed back into MFP but generally I delete that activity from the cardio feed and rely on the FitBit. It's worked for me so far!
Anyway.
Today is day 300 of my FitBit ownership and although things have again slowed a little, I've dropped fractionally over another stone in the last fifty days since I posted a weight update. I'm now down by 9st 5lb which is 131lb or just under 60kg lost.
Last weekend I ordered a t-shirt from eBay which turned up very quickly but I had to send it back because it was too big. It was a large size and I've exchanged it for a medium and I'm wearing it now. It's a bit tight but not uncomfortable and as I still have a little way to go, I'm happy with it. When I put the large on and it was too big, I had a huge smile on my face as I used to fill XXXL t-shirts!
So I'm very confident that when the next fifty day update rolls around that I'll have reached my size goal and be comfortably in my wedding suit from over twenty years ago. Expect pictures when that happens
Associate
Very well done Feek, congrats. Before and after pics show an outstanding achievement.
Soldato
Well done Feel, your efforts are a real inspiration. I've got a Fitbit Flex after reading this, I have a couple of stones to shift so I'm hoping to give this a go.
A question about the 5 miles you walk, is that the 10'000 steps the fitbit targets for you or are you doing a separate walk for exercise on top?
A question about the 5 miles you walk, is that the 10'000 steps the fitbit targets for you or are you doing a separate walk for exercise on top?
Good for you Clark, I hope you get on well with it. If you're also using MyFitnessPal, do a search for the thread on here which I started.
I've set my FitBit goal for 10,800 steps (five miles) and I am to exceed that every day. Whether it's just by mooching around the office, or going for a walk, I don't care.
Having said that, I do go for a walk every day. Take today for example, I arrived at work at 07:40 and went out for a walk around town - I did 5.4 miles in a fraction over 74 minutes so I'm already over my target for the day. I'll go out again at lunchtime and probably add another three miles or so and that's what I typically do most work days. It's a habit I've got into over the last ten months and if I don't get out for my walks, I feel restless.
I've set my FitBit goal for 10,800 steps (five miles) and I am to exceed that every day. Whether it's just by mooching around the office, or going for a walk, I don't care.
Having said that, I do go for a walk every day. Take today for example, I arrived at work at 07:40 and went out for a walk around town - I did 5.4 miles in a fraction over 74 minutes so I'm already over my target for the day. I'll go out again at lunchtime and probably add another three miles or so and that's what I typically do most work days. It's a habit I've got into over the last ten months and if I don't get out for my walks, I feel restless.