I got my Fitbit One on May 29, 2013, so I've had it for 2 and a half months. I wear it all the time except when I'm showering.
Quick Spoiler Alert: I Love My FitBit! It's my little Jiminy Cricket Conscience, reminding me to be more active.
Fitbit is really tiny! The pictures don't show how small it is. It's smaller than my thumb. The clip that is built into the holder feels like strong sprung steel, so it's pretty secure. I wear mine on my bra, but you can also wear it on your pants. I used to have old fashioned pedometers that would come off at times, especially in the restroom when it would get jostled around a bit. If you decide to wear it on your pants, you can always get a little tether, which would be nice insurance.
When I put it back on after a shower, it says Hi! I know that's sort of silly but it still makes me smile. It's a nice, friendly touch.
I use the included wristband to wear it at night to track sleeping. The wristband is pretty comfortable, but I've had a problem with the velcro. It's not like regular velcro, and doesn't hold as well after a couple weeks. I've just sewn on stronger velcro on top of the strip and it's totally fine. Also the Fitbit has slipped out of the little pouch (which is made of thin fabric so you can read it while on your wrist if you want). I realized recently that instead of sliding it into the pouch and having the end near the opening, I turn it 90 degrees so it is parallel to my wrist and doesn't come out while I sleep.
I use a separate phone app to track my sleeping as well. The phone app is pretty amazing, but honestly, the Fitbit is rather accurate too, just in a different way. I've had a couple issues with it. If I reach over to pet my dog while I'm falling asleep, using my left hand (you wear it on your nondominant wrist), it counts the movement as actual steps. And when I am trying to fall asleep, I usually force myself to lie very still to help me relax. But I'm afraid Fitbit will think I'm actually asleep. So every few minutes I'll slightly move my arm to tell it I'm still awake. This seems to work.
One thing I've learned is I actually usually fall asleep much faster than I had realized! This was really helpful, since I have insomnia. Basically for sleep, it decides if you're asleep, restless or awake. It tallies all of this for you, which can really give you a lot of information. My app is way more complicated, but I still use it for a few of the charts. But if you need basic information, this is perfect. I'd be okay with just having the Fitbit, if I weren't such a numbers geek and into quantifying myself. :P
One more thing about sleeping, you have to tell Fitbit when you are in bed and ready to go to sleep. To do this, you just push the button for a couple seconds, until the timer starts counting. Then when you wake up, you push the button for 2 seconds again to tell it to stop. For the first little while, leave yourself a note so you get in the habit of doing it. After awhile it's no big deal at all. And if you forget, you can tell Fitbit when you were asleep, so it's pretty forgiving.
For counting steps, it's as accurate or more so than old fashioned boring old pedometers. I am quite pleased with it. Make sure to set your step length and fill out your information! My mom got one the same time I did and she didn't bother, and it was way off. It only takes a few minutes to set it up properly and the directions are pretty easy.
There are issues with stairs, though. I have a single flight of stairs down to my garden. I like to walk up and down and up again to do several flights of stairs in a row. Fitbit uses an altimeter to figure out you're going up stairs, so I guess it gets a bit confused if you go up, then down, then up, etc. The way I found around this is to add about 40 steps out into my garden at the bottom of the stairs before going back up. This works most of the time, but sometimes, alas, it doesn't count all the flights I take. It's better than a regular old pedometer though, by far! One other time it was inaccurate was when we drove up a mountain and then hiked up and down really steep trails. It thought I was going up lots of flights of stairs, which was fine. It counted my steps, but the estimation of the flights of stairs seemed way off (overestimated). You can go in and manually correct it on your log though. It's not perfect, but it's the best I've found so far. Also, driving up the mountain threw it off too. You can get an app for Android that you tell it when you're driving, and it tells Fitbit, which is handy. Get it if when you drive it thinks you're taking steps. I don't have this problem normally, but driving up steep hills seems to be an issue, easily solved with the app.
When you want to exercise during the day, you can tell Fitbit. This is helpful and makes it more accurate, so right before you start, push the button for 2 seconds to start the timer. Then push the button again for 2 seconds to stop it when you're done. Then go tell Fitbit what exercise you were doing.
There are several screens you can scroll through on the Fitbit. The last one is a flower. As you take more steps during the day, you get more leaves on the flower. It's a nice little graphic that is kind of sweet. Don't worry, guys, you won't lose your Man Card for having one of these. FitBits are so awesome. You can talk QS (Quantified Self) stats with all your friends!
To sync up your Fitbit, you put a little USB dongle in your computer and usually it syncs itself. I think it seems to sync, when you are within about 15-20 feet of the dongle, about every 20 minutes, but that's a rough guess. If you want to force it to sync (to set a silent vibration alarm, for instance- go to Settings on the web interface), you can do that. Fitbit has great directions for everything. Sometimes it gets confused about syncing. Taking the dongle out and putting it back in helps, as does forcing a sync sometimes. That has fixed it every time for me.
Now, about the web interface. You go to Fitbit.com, register to get an account, and you get a dashboard with all kinds of dials and widgets. It's pretty intuitive. The beta version is much prettier than the regular, so you can use it instead. Make sure you set up your account, settings and all that good stuff! That is how Fitbit knows how many calories you are burning, etc.
The great thing about Fitbit, and I did a lot of research before buying one, is that you can actually connect it to all kinds of different apps and other sites. Endomondo is a great one, and MyFitnessPal is invaluable. You'll see all the different ways to connect on the website when you are logged in.
If you use MyFitnessPal, which I highly recommend, you will log your food and exercise in MFP, NOT Fitbit! The interface for food is much more intuitive and easier to use in MFP. It's also easier to put in your measurements and weight in MFP. The account is free and they work beautifully together.
There is another website called FitBolt that I learned about, I think through Fitbit. It's pretty neat, but the interface is a bit buggy and requires some patience. If you work at a desk, every 40 minutes (editable), it tells you to either stretch or do an exercise. You can choose either or both. I work at home, so it's easy to do 30 seconds of plank or pushups, but I guess for some it's not practical. But the stretches are meant for people stuck to their computers. It connects to Fitbit, and after you tell FitBolt that you did the exercise they suggested, they tell FitBit and you get credit for that, and Fitbit will tell you how many calories you burned. Then MFP will tell you how many extra calories you earned! They all work together. Endomondo also works the same way. Just make sure if you log an exercise in one app that you don't then log it in another. Let them talk to each other and Fitbit will work it out.
Ok, so those are the details of how to use it. But do I like it? Do I actually use it?
You bet I do! I love it! It's very motivating. I hardly ever look at my Fitbit itself except when remembering the exact minute I start an exercise so I can log it in MFP accurately, when I then have FitBit use the timer. Mostly I have FitBit open in a tab in my browser, and MFP in another tab so that they are in my mind. It's so inspiring when I am active! And when I am really sedentary (it's so easy!), I can see that in the charts. So then I'll go do some jumping jacks or run up and down the stairs or something, anything, to get in some activity. So it really STILL keeps me motivated. Seeing those charts and getting rewards for the first 10 flights of stairs in a day, is awesome.
Oh! And there's a social aspect to it as well! You can become friends with other users and have friendly competitions to see who can take more steps in a day or week. That's really helpful for some people. I find it helpful to have a FitBit buddy.
For the price, this tiny little thing is just awesome. Yes, it sometimes gets confused, but less than a boring old pedometer that does a heck of a lot less. The sleep data is really nice, too, which is why I got the FitBit One. If you find data motivating, and want to see your progress on nice charts, get it and let it motivate you to move more.
My mom has one, as I mentioned. She doesn't use all the features (like sleep) like I do, but she also finds it motivating and will take the dog for a walk just to get in steps. She's in her late 60's and anything that keeps her active is well worth the money! And the same goes for me!
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Life-Changing Gadget 2.0 Video Review!
I upgraded from the Ultra. You can read my comprehensive review of the Fitbit Ultra at Fitbit Wireless Activity/Sleep Tracker, Black/Blue.First, I am sold on Fitbit because I've lost over 30 pounds since starting with the Ultra approximately a year ago. I don't work for the company and have received nothing from them for my enthusiasm -- I just find this is something that really works for me.IMPORTANT Before you read further or miss this: You have to have a phone that has Bluetooth capability for this new Fitbit to sync with your phone. If you're upgrading from the Ultra to this Fitbit One for the sync capability, you'll be disappointed if your phone can't sync. If you've got an iPhone, Bluetooth capability is currently only on the iPhone 5 and 4S. You can still upload your data to the computer with a different phone, but the Fitbit One will not sync with your phone.How the Fitbit Works: You have a few choices on where to wear the Fitbit (typically waist, pocket, chest pocket or bra), and you keep that Fitbit on you for 24 hours. Whereas the Ultra had a built-in clip, this one has to use the included silicone clip. The upside of this is that the silicone is unlikely to crack, which is something several owners of the Ultra complained about. The downside is that the Fitbit could possibly come out of the silicone case if the case were to get pulled on clothing or some other object. Whereas you used to be able to buy a lanyard to secure your Ultra, in the case of the One, you would only be securing the silicone case and your Fitbit would be lost. Time will only tell whether the silicone case idea is an actual improvement over the Ultra's design.On receiving your Fitbit, there's a booklet says to charge your Fitbit for 5 minutes. The charge is supposed to last for about a week. When the Fitbit battery is completely depleted, charging is to take approximately two hours. If you're like me, you'll find yourself just popping the Fitbit into its charger whenever you know you'll be sitting at the computer a while. Unlike the Ultra, which used one USB port on your computer, this Fitbit will use two: One is a small piece that communicates wirelessly with your Fitbit. The other is what I believe people are referring to as a "dongle" -- it's a USB with a short cord: You snap your Fitbit into the end, and that's how the Fitbit charges.I should also mention installing and pairing the device was virtually hassle-free. Since I was upgrading the Ultra, I just synced my Ultra by putting it in the cradle and then unplugging that USB. The instructions for the Fitbit One are clear. You download the software from their web site. Pairing the device with the software on my computer was easy. I was asked what kind of device I was pairing as well as whether I'd still be using the Ultra.What will the Fitbit One do? The Fitbit One is a very accurate step counter. It also shows calories burned and distance walked. There's a cute (not too girly, guys) flower that you make "grow" the more activity you do. And it tracks your sleep. The included wrist band attaches with a very fine Velcro-type material, making it a perfect size for men and women. This Fitbit One wrist band also has holes in it apparently to help ensure that the band doesn't feel hot on your wrist. Included in the band is a little pocket. At night, you slip the Fitbit into the pocket and press and hold the button, which puts the Fitbit in sleep mode. You have a choice between normal and sensitive setting, adjustable from the web site. When you awake, you just press and hold the button again to tell Fitbit that your sleep time is over.New to this Fitbit One is a silent alarm function. Basically, you can set vibrating alarms from either the Fitbit web site or from your Bluetooth-enabled phone. When I tried it out while awake, it was a soft little vibrating that I commented was as likely to wake me as "an ant wearing socks, tiptoeing across the floor." But I kept a (somewhat) open mind and still set an alarm for 7:30 a.m., which would give me enough time for an 8-hour sleep. Much to my happiness, I awoke to the soft little vibration on my wrist. My assessment on this is that I know that if I'm particularly tired, sick or know I'm going to get less than 8 hours of sleep, I cannot trust this as I've had to set an alarm across the room sometimes to wake up. If I have to be up early for something important, I will still need to set a traditional alarm. Depending on how deeply you sleep, your mileage may vary.Once you press the button to indicate you're trying to fall asleep, the Fitbit begins recording sleep data by noting how often your wrist moves. Wrist movement is interpreted as awake time. On the web site, this information is reflected as a sleep efficiency percentage. Now, it's not extremely accurate, because Fitbit doesn't know the difference between your lying there still and your being asleep. However, you'll probably realize soon that if you're lying there, reading a book, just move your hand every one in a while. Later, in the morning, you can adjust your sleep times through the web site to cut off any unnecessary activity at the beginning.What is Fitbit Not Good at? It's very step-oriented, so that means it's not going to accurately record your use of an elliptical machine, Pilates, weight lifting, rowing machine, swimming (don't get it wet!) or anything else that doesn't result in a typical stepping motion. However, you can manually record these activities on the web site, and it will overwrite the data for that period of time. I am finding that the web site food database is still inferior to other sites like MyNetDiary or Lose It, particularly since those allow scanning of barcodes for easy recording of food intake. However, a happy discovery is that Lose It can sync with Fitbit's web site, so I can record my food on Lose It rather than doing so through Fitbit's site. This is a good time to mention that there are also many other apps that Fitbit has partnered with that will sync your data.As with the Fitbit Ultra, the Fitbit One will:---Count stairs climbed (hills count) and translate those into floors. It's just one more way to challenge yourself. On the web site you can earn badges for how many stairs and floors you've climbed. The site also gives you interesting little messages about what that climbing equals, such as "you've just climbed the world's tallest snowman," and if you're the curious type, you can click the message to learn more.---You've got a clock! Just press a button at your waist and look down to see the time.---There's a stopwatch. Training for a race? Just trying to beat your previous times? You can use the stopwatch to record an activity.---Righty and lefty friendly. I'm right-handed, but I like to wear the Fitbit at the left side of my waist. The words were backwards, but I learned that through the web site I could change the direction of the words.---Give it a name. You have 8 characters to input a name or other info. That's not enough for a full phone number with area code. However, you if you search the Internet for "short email address," there are a number of email address services that would fit that 8-character allotment and allow you to forward any email to your regular email address. This might come in handy if you (heaven forbid) were to lose your Fitbit.---Friendly little chatter. So you're sitting on the sofa and you realize you should really get up and move your body. You stand up, and a blinked message catches your eye: GO GO GO or Hello! or I LIKE YOU. I found this annoying after a while, and I disabled it through the web site. Through the web site you can actually disable any of the features you don't want to see on your Fitbit.Is the Fitbit One Smaller Than the Ultra? Yes and no. As mentioned, the One fits inside a silicone clip. You really don't want its slippery little body moving around in a pocket, so you'll be using this clip. With the clip, the Fitbit One is actually larger than the Fitbit Ultra. Without that silicone clip, it is, indeed, smaller. Please check out my photos and you'll see a size comparison.As I stated on my Fitbit Ultra review, use of the Fitbit web site is 100% free. In fact, you can start using it before ever owning a Fitbit device. That's what I did before my previous Fitbit arrived. The site has an active Community of users trying to be healthier as well as device support. If you have questions about the Fitbit, I think the forum on the web site is probably going to get you a faster answer than emailing the company.So over a year later, after starting with Fitbit, owning and wearing a Fitbit has been one of the best decisions I've made. I went to a Quantified Self meetup, and one of the users asked why I'm still wearing the Fitbit if it's already established a habit of exercising. The answer is this: The Fitbit allows me to add gamification to something I don't enjoy (exercise!). It challenges me to reach my goals. If I have a period in which I've gotten few steps, I feel an internal nagging that I want to get that number back up where it belongs. It helps me analyze my sleep and see how that affects other factors in my life.After writing the update on my previous review for the Ultra, I actually DID re-invest in the Premium membership (49.99 on the web site) in order to get the Trainer feature back. I needed some help with goal-setting, and I wanted to be able to download my data in a CSV format. The fact that you cannot download your data without the Premium membership is a small annoyance to me, as I believe you put that data into the site and deserve to be able to download it without paying for a Premium membership. Another disappointment is that the custom trackers that I created through the Premium membership are not included in the CSV download. However, overall, I'm back to finding that Premium membership adds enough value that it's worth it to me. I'll have to reevaluate this when it comes time for renewal (be sure to disable auto-renewal if you don't want to be charged automatically). So again, no, you don't have to pay anything to use the Fitbit web site and get the basic features. The Premium membership just adds some extra perks that you may find helpful in taking your health to the next level.Has Fitbit been a fast way for me to lose weight? Nope. I lost the 30+ pounds over a period of a year. However, it's been a painless, sane and lasting way to lose weight. I attribute the weight loss to the awareness the Fitbit has brought me. Because I'm more aware of my activity (or inactivity), I just naturally make better decisions on a daily basis. If you're motivated to do so, you could lose weight quickly with the Fitbit by always tracking food intake and energy expenditure. I've found that making a gradual and permanent lifestyle change has been the best for me. I can't wait to see what new goals I'll be reaching for and achieving over the next year!UPDATE in MAY 2013: Please note that Fitbit now reportedly works with more than just the iPhone. I also wanted to let you know that I'm still happy with the Fitbit and wear it every single day. However, this one has nearly been lost on a few occasions due to the silicone case getting caught on clothing, causing the Fitbit to flip out. I am a very fastidious person who is careful about things (always puts my keys in the same place, etc.), so if this is an issue for me, it may be for others. I wish they hadn't changed the holder, but I understand the need to since the previous version was starting to crack at the stress points. IF this is a big concern for you, I would recommend preordering the FITBIT FLEX, which is one you wear on your wrist. The upside is that you'd have it on 24/7 and can wear it in the shower, etc., and the downside for me is that I don't want to see it on my wrist every day. Hope this helps anyone trying to make a decision. Again, I'm very happy with the Fitbit One, but I am having to be very careful with it to prevent losing it.UPDATE in DECEMBER 2013: My Fitbit had its first structural failure this month, and I wanted to update you with the problem. The silicone case has a place on it where two pieces are attached. This is the side that slides into your clothing, making it a weak point. One day I noticed the two pieces separating, and I pushed them back together. The other day I pulled my Fitbit out of my pocket and found the small piece was missing. Thankfully, later I found it and will try to glue the two pieces together. That section is a poor design because it's under stress when you remove the Fitbit from your clothing. I've added a picture above showing the two pieces. As far as whether I still love the Fitbit, yes, I do; however, I still think the silicone case is a poor design. There have been numerous occasions where I've almost lost the Fitbit due to it popping out of the silicone case. Hopefully, the company will improve on this design in their next release.
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