<p>My stepdaughter gave me a FitBit for Christmas, and we’re now linked via Facebook so that we can be fitness buddies. Yesterday was my first day trying this out, but I think it’s going to be fun – had lots of stairs (we live in a vertical 3-story house) but didn’t get anywhere near 10,000 steps (Boxing Day laziness). Anybody else have FitBit stories to share?</p>
<p>I am on my third one. The first one broke during the night and they sent me a new one after a string of emails questioning the circumstances. (Always use the clip-on case.). I lost the second one in my house and missed it so much that I bought another one when it didn’t reappear after a month. It showed up after a few more weeks, so now I have a backup.</p>
<p>I rarely get over 5000 steps and have not hit 10000 yet but I have had 27 flights of stairs. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to meet a daily challenge equivalent to a combination of 10000 steps or 20 flights. Two years ago before my Fitbit, I challenged myself and recorded 1000 minutes per month of exercise for 12 full months. I am in an ongoing health research project to study diabetes prevention in high risk people so exercise is really important. After 15 years, I need gadgets to keep me motivated and Fitbit has been fun. By the way, I bought my first one after reading about it on CC cafe.</p>
<p>My daughter signed me up for everymove
<a href=“FitnessSyncer.com: Not found”>FitnessSyncer.com: Not found;
You can earn points for swag apparently.
She thinks it is great, but she is much more active than I am.</p>
<p>I love my Fitbit. I look at my steps around 6 PM and if I’m short on steps I take the dogs for an extra walk. I’ve lost 15 pounds and the dogs are hard-muscled and fit too.</p>
<p>I love my FitBit and have used it daily since March. I do not use it in its little case as I find that too bulky. Depending on the season, I either clip it on my waistband or place in my pocket. Summer sun dresses prove challenging. It has not failed me yet and I have dropped it in the (clean) toilet water once. It slides off the waistband of my walking tights as I pull them off (TMI). I believe the new $99 model is the same as the old $99 model. They offer sleep tracking and food tracking but I haven’t tried either of these.</p>
<p>In addition to the step counts, miles walked and stairs climbed, my favorite feature is the bar graphs of activity, or inactivity. I keep the Fit Bit site permanently open on my desktop. A glance at the bar graph shows me how much time I am sitting in front of my computer reading CC! The site generates emails congratulating me on milestones I hit one in a day (75 flights, 100 flights, 25,000 steps). I live in a Colonial but spend far too much time running up and down the stairs while doing laundry or retrieving food from basement fridge, so it is a rare day I don’t climb 50 flights. Walking up a hill also counts as stairs so my daily exercise walk skews the stair count.</p>
<p>I think I was supposed to have done something to train the device to my gait but I didn’t bother. Initially it credited me with too many miles for my outdoor walk but now seems to understate the distance I walk outside. I think this is because my stride is far longer outside than inside. There may be a way to address this but I don’t care enough to try.</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy your new toy. Remember to charge it every couple of weeks. I do not quite know how this works, but even when my computer was out for repair for three weeks (eventual replacement by Apple), the historical data was all on my computer when I returned.</p>
<p>You can also charge it with the plug from your iPhone or iPad adapter cord, which I have done while traveling without a computer. The longest I have been away from sync computer is 11 days, and it caught itself up on the computer. H left his on gym shorts and it was washed. The bag of rice trick did not quite work. He contacted the company, and they sent him a new one. </p>
<p>I have been using mine since late July. Usually I get 12-15,000 steps credited every day. Flights of stairs vary from 6-30, depending on my activities. I have lost approximately 5 pounds, just from the extra effort I am aware of making. It motivates me to get up and go. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Am I the only one who has never heard of this device???</p>
<p>It has received a lot of free press this holiday season. I imagine the Jan 1st fitness articles will also promote it. Brookstone has a full page or two devoted to the model choices and even a Fit Bit scale.</p>
<p>[Fitbit</a> Wireless Activity Tracker - Overview](<a href=“http://www.fitbit.com/product]Fitbit”>Fitbit Comparison | Compare Fitness Trackers & Smartwatches)</p>
<p>I got one for DH for his birthday, a bit concerned that he’d be insulted with a fitness gift. He really liked it - we bought a replacement when he lost it.</p>
<p>So it’s like a pedometer on steroids?? 
What does the sleep option show you??? </p>
<p>I need no more gadgets but this intrigues me!!! </p>
<p>And the cost ???</p>
<p>Abasket: yes, it’s a pedometer on steroids with a fancy website to back it up. The device tracks a bunch of things (I’ve never used it for sleep) and the data goes up to the website for historical tracking. There’s also a food log there. Think of it as a one-payment-only (no monthly fee) cross between the weight watchers website and a pedometer. </p>
<p>I notice a lot of people mentioning buying a second one after losing the first; I am in the group as well. I know have a keyring on the Fitbit and a lightweight carabiner attached to the keyring so that I can attach the Fitbit to my belt loop.</p>
<p>(And go to Fitbit.com to see what devices there are and what they cost.)</p>
<p>Another Fitbit fan here. I found that I easily hit 10,000 steps on any day with planned exercise, but that I was logging just around 4,000 on a typical day at my desk. That was very eye-opening, and completely worth the money.</p>
<p>Abasket–yes–it’s a pedometer on steroids. Plus, it can track your sleep patterns. I was never very successful with that part because I didn’t like the wrist band that you had to use when you slept. I lost my fitbit a few months ago and didn’t replace it. It’s about $100 for the Fitbit One–which, I think, is the newest model. There’s also a cheaper model. I find my heart rate monitor more useful and while I haven’t decided yet, I might upgrade the HRM instead of getting another Fitbit.</p>
<p>An article from the NYTimes on the Fitbit and other devices: <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/27/garden/devices-to-monitor-physical-activity-and-food-intake.html?ref=health[/url]”>Devices to Monitor Physical Activity and Food Intake - The New York Times;
<p>Fifth day in and I am hooked! It truly is motivating me to move my **** more! The dog has gotten a few extra long walks over the last few days – even in the middle of the snowstorm in upstate NY.</p>
<p>I checked these out on Amazon and I would love to get one, but there are a lot of reviews saying how easy they are to lose because the clip isn’t so great. Anyone have any experience with that?</p>
<p>The clip is quite firm. If it is clipped on waist band and pants are snug, it could come off when pants are removed. We have wood floors, so I have heard it fall.</p>
<p>The clip may be firm, but I lost it off the waistband of my bands while running sprints. I now zip it into my pocket.</p>
<p>Will agree that the Fit Bit can come detached when removing pants, but I have only had that happen with sports/running tights. It doesn’t slide off jeans or cords as it has something to grasp.</p>
<p>As dmd77 posted above, it does its job just fine when stored in pocket of pants or jacket. I use it without the clip and just slide the device itself onto my waistband. I have never tried the clip as it added bulk. </p>
<p>The device is quite sturdy. I have dropped it many times and it is still intact.</p>
<p>The FitBit is small, easy to loose. </p>
<p>For my needs (awareness of daily step count), the less expensive pocket pedometer works well. It helps remind me to walk, especially on days that I work from home. Mine is like this one - $28/REI [Omron</a> Pocket Pedometer - Free Shipping at REI.com](<a href=“http://www.rei.com/product/769817/omron-pocket-pedometer]Omron”>http://www.rei.com/product/769817/omron-pocket-pedometer)</p>
<p>It just needs to be in a pocket, not clipped to waistband.</p>