MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I think, like a lot of people including some on here I think, I had a Fitbit for Xmas, a Charge HR one to be exact.
I know a lot of my mates did, as we're all 'friends' on our Fitbit app.
Anyone actually stiff use theirs? I'm pretty fed up of mine.
I've being chipping away at the blubber for over a year now, using MyFitnessPal to record what I eat and sticking to 1000Kcal deficit a day (caveats in regards to Kcals and their limitations understood) and it was working well, even if that meant a bit of hunger at times and maybe once or twice turning up to ride/gym underfed and crap as a result, so with that in mind I thought, I'd give the Fitbit HR a go, they promised that with more accurate recording of output you can better control your food input and better fill in the gaps, great.
Except it's bobbings, I followed the dam thing to the letter, never once went over target and on riding days I often went to bed with a 4000 kcal deficit because unless you're going to inject gravy into your veins, it's not easy eating 7000kcals a day, anyway, had to go the the docs to review a month ago - grand total of 3 months following fitbit? Weight loss - 1kgs.
3 weeks back on 1750 a day and I've lost 3 and a bit.
I've just read my rest HR has fallen to 54 from 57 at Xmas, which is nice I suppose, but I'm struggling to be bother to keep the thing charged and put up with a watch that's not as good as my Gshock to learn about my rest heart rate when I can be bothered to look and forget 'step challenges, everyone lost interest with that months ago.
Fitbits seem so unnecessary.
Phones can do the basic stuff and you're probably already carrying one already, and Garmin/Polar etc do the complicated stuff.
Was given one for my Birthday in February. Hasn't been used since March
😯it's not easy eating 7000kcals
How far were you riding?
That's a serious stack of food.
Calorie counting wasn't really much of a thing when i was still racing, but even with our (very) basic calculations we'd probably be on less than that racing minor classics and short tours.
Not surprised you didn't lose much weight.
What sort of riding gets
.7000kcals a day,
Is there a massive over estimation of calorie usages?
Going from strava
To get 8000kcal I rode 300km and climbed 5300m in mallorca (not in one day)
I'd suggest that 7000 is a pretty tough day in the saddle.
Worn mine everyday since last July. Battery used to last four days, since the software update it barely lasts 1.5 now 🙁
They are not supposed to be an accurate method to estimate calories burned. Just a way of motivating yourself to do more walking.
The resting hr feature has some use ie suggesting you are not right. This could be overtraining, hangover, minor illness ora variety of other things. I could just take my pulse but rarely bothered. Writing the rate down in a way I can easily correlate it with activity was even less likely to happen.
The sleep tracking thing made me think about how I feel with varying amounts of sleep.
I still use my charge hr and think it was worth buying.
7000 per day is full on pro tour racing levels (i just checked) so unless you were riding the early season classics, and the TDU, Paris-Nice, tour of the basque country and so on, I'd say your fitbit is ****ed.
They advertise themselves as such. And if they are that bad at estimating, maybe they shouldn't bother.They are not supposed to be an accurate method to estimate calories burned. Just a way of motivating yourself to do more walking.
(I'd not even call it an estimate, just a random number)
in regards to the cals I might have been exaggerating to make a point, but I rode the blue trail centre ride at FOD in the morning and Twrch at CC at the afternoon not long after I had it and it gave me an additional 5000kcals that day on top of my 1800 and a couple more for walking to the car, the point being that yeah, despite its promises of using HR to accurately calculate output, it's bobbing its for me at least wildly generous which kind of negates it's purpose, as someone said HR aside my iPhone (which I need to run the thing) is a pretty accurate pedometer and whatever else.
Just using MFP I rode the red at Brechfa at the weekend, at 20k it's not far off the total distance of the ride day above, I manged it with my usual 1750 a day and an emergency choc bar on the way home because I was flagging - Strava which syncs with MFP gave me an extra 1100 (total 2850) or so for the ride, FB gave 3500 (total 5500!) I went to bed not hungry on 2000 for the day.
I must admit while i agree that they promote "competition" amongst sedentary people - i dont see them as useful for people who are actually active.
For a long time after xmas Facebook was full of people justifying cake or sweets to them selves on the back of having walked X amount of steps on their fit bit.... WOOP DE DO - put the cake down !
This - but they should be OKish calorie counting as they have a heart rate monitor, and don't just go by steps and BMI estimation.They are not supposed to be an accurate method to estimate calories burned. Just a way of motivating yourself to do more walking.
I quite like mine, It's definitely guilt-tripped me into more riding since I had it. Not bothering with the food thing yet, I might try it out one day to see if it's a major faff.
Oh as for the output - I weigh over 100kgs so I guess I'm not quite as efficient as 'Le Tour' riders 😉
Am i right in thinking that it reckons you burned 5000 calories riding less than 30km?
I must admit while i agree that they promote "competition" amongst sedentary people - i dont see them as useful for people who are actually active.
From what I heard they promote new and enthusiastic ways of cheating amongst sedentary people. I was talking to a joiner who 'walked' about a million steps a day but having hand cut wood myself I'd suggest he was less than sedentary.
I still use mine for steps to see how active I am on days when I don't cycle but find it way off for calorie counting so I have un-linked it from MFP.
It seems to give me far too many calories, I never bothered to look into it but I suspect it gives me the calories for my activity but also adds in the amount I would use for just being alive - TDEE or whatever it is called. The only way I think I would lose weight using the fitbit numbers is if my daily MFP total started at 0 and the food I eat gets subtracted from the calories fitbit says I "earn".
Let me know if you want to sell it
The other issue is anything worn on your wrist to capture steps is flawed. I tend to put mine in my pocket or around a belt loop to see what my real step count for the day is. Otherwise I find myself doing several hundred steps working in an office/driving/making dinner.
I use mine all the time - but not for calorie counting. I use it to measure my work rate at spinning classes to check I am working as hard as I can (I aim for three 1 hr sessions a week and always attempt to do one at peak heart rate for the full hour).
Works for me.
Pieface - MemberAm i right in thinking that it reckons you burned 5000 calories riding less than 30km?
Yeah supposedly, roughly what Strava reckoned I did doing Passports a couple of years ago, and that was recording me on the lifts too.
I got a misfit speedo shine, counts laps when your swimming, tracks activity and sleep. Not a bad little device but not what I wanted. I would sell it if anyone is after one.
I'd be very sceptical of those figures.
If your main intention is to lose weight, a couple of things that I've found have worked =
1) I've gone mostly gluten free and lost weight quite easily.
2) A friend had high blood sugar levels and started monitoring his blood sugar level spikes. On the back of this he's cut out potatoes and food with flower in. He says he feels fine and has lost 4 stone in hardly any time.
I got a Charge HR in September and use mine every day. The figures are not necessarily accurate but are perfect for comparison. The main issue I have with mine is now all my expensive Omegas and Panneries just sit in the draw and never get worn. It's a shame no one make a add on that you could attach to the strap of your standard watch.
Am i right in thinking that it reckons you burned 5000 calories riding less than 30km?
Think someone missed the decimal point out there.
Just started using one myself - this week I am just getting a handle on daily baseline activity... then I will try and start building on that next week.
Bored of being injured now, surgery is going to be some time away due to strikes and I want to get at least some fitness back after sitting about since September. I like things that give an indication of where you are at, and encourage you to do something about it. Even if it is not accurate, so long as it is consistent and I can see improvements that is motivation in and of itself.
Not a fitbit, i bought myself a Microsoft Band 2 in March as it has more of what i wanted from a wearable.
As far as calorie counting goes, its remarkable how much you actually have to do to hit your daily target - i cycle a couple of miles to work and back, am on my feet all day doing a manual job and still struggle to hit the target without actually doing some 'proper' exercise - which is the whole point of the thing i suppose.
Its interesting when looking at the comparision page that not only do i 'step' around 80% more than the average for my age group, but i run/walk a bit more and cycle 60+ miles more than the average Band wearer.
Considering that it is a self selecting group of people who are actively interested in their health and fitness, it does seem that many more people are extremely sedentary.
I have a garmin vivoactive which does the step count (vitality health insurance so get free cinema tickets etc for hitting targets) and i really like it. Doubt the step count is accurate but it does easily show busy days and ensuring i hit 12500 steps 4 times a week has helped with motivation. The fact its a proper garmin as well is brill and my forerunner has sat in a drawer for a few months now...
The Google fit app is fine for me. Phone always recording and has feeds from strava etc.
Since posting on this a couple of days ago saying how much I liked it, I've been growing more and more suspicious of the heart rate accuracy. 45 mins to work on my bike today, average 19mph with apparently an average heart rate of 87bpm. 🙁
I'm going to shave my ape-like wrist to see if that helps.
My charge hr needs to be tight and a bit further up my wrist for the hr to give similar readings to my chest strap based hrm. Hairy arms must really mess with the hr detection.