Pros and Cons Of A FitBit: What It’s Users Want You To Know!
Last Updated on 01/31/2022 by Nicky
Pros and Cons Of A FitBit
I’ll take a small guess that you’ve stumbled on this post because you are wanting to take your weight loss and fitness journey seriously and thought hmmm…
Should I get a Fitbit?
Is it even worth to still get a Fitbit in 2021? I mean, it’s all about the Apple Watch now, isn’t it?
If you’ve noticed that the digits on your scale are steadily increasing (or perhaps it’s broken?) and your health isn’t where you’d like it to be, then a Fitbit is an excellent health and weight loss tool.
You don’t have to buy a lot of fitness gear to get healthy or lose weight but a Fitbit is a must!
And in this post, I will share my views on the pros and as well as some of the cons of using a Fitbit for your health & weight loss journey!
But I won’t just be letting you know about my perspective on the Fitbit.
I’m going to show you how you can specifically find the views of hundreds of Fitbit users so that you can figure out if a Fitbit is right for you.
Let’s get started!
Oh yeah, and this post contains affiliate links to great products that will help you in your health journey. I will get a commission if you decide to buy from these links but I’m only recommending products that I feel confident about.
What is a Fitbit?
In the simplest terms, Fitbit is a wrist-based fitness tracker!
The Fitbit device is strapped to your wrist (in most cases) to collect and record every movement and activity throughout the day!
It can cover even basic activities, including strolling in your garden, moving around the office, or chasing your boss down the hallway for an urgent conversation!
You can track multiple metrics from your Fitbit watch, including the steps taken, miles walked, calories burned, weight loss (from the Fitbit app), hours slept, and more!
The list is endless!
It comes in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and colors!
And if you’re worried that it won’t look cute with your outfit, you can also style it to wear as a fashion statement with almost every outfit by changing the Fitbit’s bands.
Advantages: Pros of wearing a Fitbit
After pouring over 100s of Fitbit reviews these are what the users say are the biggest benefits of using a Fitbit
Pro #1: Fitbit devices monitor more than just your steps.
As I said, the Fitbit can cover up pretty much every activity you do for your fitness journey.
Do you love to swim? (raises hand)
Many Fitbit models, like the Fitbit Charge 4, are water-resistant and perfect for counting the calories you burnt while taking those dives! (Source)
In fact, let’s do a little investigating…
What do the users say about the Fitbit’s activity tracker?
If you go to Amazon and search the reviews of the Fitbit Charge 4 using the keyword swim, you will see many buyers confirm that this Fitbit is indeed, water-resistant and swim proof.
Click here to check out the reviews for the Fitbit Charge 4
Love running?
Of course, you can easily track your activity here too!
Love grooving to your favorite music tracks? The Fitbit can easily record your dance parties or Zumba sessions!
Most people consider Fitbit to be just a step counter which is clearly wrong.
Once you get a Fitbit, you’ll see that it will track most of your activity throughout the day.
Pro #2: Sleep Tracking: FitBits monitor how much shut-eye you get.
Most people tend to overlook their sleeping schedules during their weight loss journey!
But this is a big mistake because there is a big link between your sleep quality and your weight loss success, as I discuss in another one of my blog posts.
If you want to know more about why sleep is so important for reaching your weight loss goals, just click this link…(don’t worry it opens in a new tab).
The makers of the Fitbit must know how important is for your health so that’s probably why they included it.
Anywho, the Fitbit tracks your sleeping sessions and monitors your sleeping quality.
You can find insights in the Fitbit app, where you can see how many hours you’ve slept, the quality of that sleep, how restful your sleep is, and more.
For me personally, I don’t wear my Fitbit to bed very often but when I have I can attest to how accurate its assessment was.
When I had a high sleep score, I did feel more rested. When I had a low sleep score, my body definitely agreed.
What do the users say about Fitbit’s sleep function?
The Fitbit’s sleep function is one of the features that its users were most pleased with.
Many reviewers claim that this feature works well and is accurate based on their own calculations.
Some say now that they know their sleep quality is low they are taking steps to improve it, whereas before, they hadn’t really thought about it one way or the other.
Someone who has issues with their sleep finds the data that the Fitbit (in this case the Fitbit Charge 4) provides useful.
It’s pretty fascinating to see how much REM vs light sleep you get each night and the Fitbit tracks all of that for you effortlessly!
So if you’re wondering, if it’s ok to wear the Fitbit to bed the answer is absolutely yes!
In fact, it is encouraged
Use these insights to build a better sleeping schedule for your fitness journey!
Pro #3: Fitbits track your heart rate.
Did you know that your resting heart rate is an important indicator of how fit you are?
A lower resting heart rate is an indicator that you’re in great shape. (source)
In order to find your resting heart rate, feel free to check your pulse and do a count down :).
But if you aren’t trying to do all that, you can just tap your Fitbit (if you have one) and it will tell you what your heart rate is at all times.
Fitbit with a heart rate monitor can track your resting and active heart rate which are both important for your fitness journey!
Fitbits will help keep your heart health in check. And when you workout, you can check your heart rate zone to see if you’re in fat-burning mode using the Fitbit app.
Tracking your active heart rate will also show you whether you are working out too hard or not hard enough.
Just make sure that if you want a Fitbit with a heart rate function you choose one that has an HR by its name like the Fitbit Alta HR, Inspire HR or check the list of specs for the Fitbit you’re interested in.
Related: Fitbit Alta HR Epic Review
What do the users say about the heart rate monitoring feature on the Fitbit?
From what I read, many Fitbit owners were pleased with the heart rate feature.
They like that it shows the different zones you’re heart rate can be in (peak, fat burn, and cardio).
There will always be complaints of its inaccuracy but no activity tracker is completely accurate. The heart rate number Fitbit’s give you just serve as a ballpark figure and not an exact number.
Pro #4: Motivates you to move daily
You can guess how much you are moving per day but chances are you are overestimating how much activity you are getting.
I promise you, once you see the true number of steps you are walking per day, it will motivate you to get up off of that couch and get moving.
When you lift your wrist and see you’ve only walked 2,000 steps that day and it’s already 3 pm, you start searching for walk at home videos to get your count up (oh so I’m the only one who does that then?).
I know I’m not the only Fitbit user who is motivated to move more when they see their daily count.
Many users claimed in the reviews that they have greatly increased their step count since wearing a Fitbit.
Want to read this post later? Click here to save it to one of your Pinterest boards!
Pro#5: Motivates you to eat healthier
With your Fitbit app, you can track every meal you eat in a day and count the number of calories you’ve eaten.
If you want to really shed those extra pounds, you’ll need to be in a calorie deficit.
When you keep track of your caloric intake, you will be more motivated to eat healthier throughout the day!
I’m not sure why this is except that seeing how many calories you are eating in black white is quite jarring if you have been overeating.
One Fitbit reviewer said this: I eat healthier because I don’t burn as many calories as I thought through activity.
Pro#6: Using a fitness tracker motivates you to set fitness goals and be consistent
Like I said earlier Fitbits motivate you to get moving. But it’s not just that, they motivate you to keep moving consistently.
That’s because you want to maintain your base level of activity or increase it over time.
I use a digital Fitness planner and journal and I track my workouts using a checklist. It’s highly discouraging when you miss a workout session and you can’t check off that days workout!
In turn, this will help you create realistic goals for your weight loss journey and stay consistent with it!
Pro #7: The extra activity can decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety
It is a no-brainer that regular workout sessions can help improve your stress, depression, or anxiety levels.
And like I mentioned in section 6, the Fitbit motivates you to not only move more but to move more consistently.
And do you think your mental health will start to improve the more consistent you are with your exercise regimen?
Absolutely it will. So, the Fitbit is not only great for your body but it takes care of your mental health too!
Pro #8: Losing weight and getting in shape
Obviously, one of the biggest reasons why people purchase a Fitbit is to help them lose weight. Although movement alone is typically not enough to help you lose weight, it does make it easier.
The most common walking goal is to take up the challenge of walking 10,000 steps a day.
This way, you can lose weight faster than dieting alone!
When you search amazon reviews for keywords like weight and pounds you will see how many people are finding weight loss success with their Fitbit:
- Someone lost 7 pounds after not losing weight for years
- Another reviewer lost a few pounds in a week after tracking their steps on a Fitbit
- Someone lost 38 pounds with diet and keeping track of their weight loss using a Fitbit
Pro #9: It’s a watch and fitness tracker all in one
I love that not only does the Fitbit tell me what my step count and heart rate are, it does something as simple as telling me the time.
I’ve never been a huge watch wearer but I tell, I use this feature more than I ever thought I would. I figured since I have a phone, I wouldn’t care about the Fitbit telling me the time.
But boy was I wrong. I used it all the time. Who knew such a simple thing can be so helpful!
Bonus Benefit: The battery life on a Fitbit is far better than that of an Apple Watch. The Fitbit Inspire is said to have a battery life of 10 days!
Even more impressive…the Fitbit Zip can have a battery life of up to 6 months! Crazy!
Cons of a Fitbit: What are the disadvantages of Fitbit?
Con #1: Inaccurate Step Count
While the Fitbit records your everyday step count, the readings might not be the most accurate.
A slight bit of fluctuation is sometimes observed.
However, even if the step count is not the most accurate, it still gives you a close idea of the amount of activity you had throughout the day, which is also beneficial!
At least better than nothing, right?
Con #2: Inaccurate heart rate
The Fitbit claims to have high accuracy while recording heart rates.
However, apart from a few medical devices, it is impossible that a tracker would actually measure your heart rate accurately!
Yes, this is even true for the more expensive ones too.
Again, you will still have an estimate of your heart rate, but just know that it is not 100% correct in its measurement!
Con #3: Wearing a Fitbit can be misleading
The last, yet the most common issue people with the Fitbit struggle with is this…
Most people tend to check the calories burned after a workout and get tempted to binge on junk just to celebrate the feat!
Why?
Because the Fitbit makes you feel like you’ve burned more calories than you really have. I would not take the calories burnt metric to heart as it has proven to be inaccurate as well.
So, if you consider buying a Fitbit, you should keep your diet and portions under control no matter how hard you worked out that day!
Final Thoughts The Benefit Of Fitbit Smartwatches
Well, by now, you will already have a clear understanding of the benefits of using Fitbit!
The pros undeniably outweigh the cons here and for the right reasons!
Even though the final call is yours, as per my personal experiences, I would indeed approve this investment!
If Pros & Cons Of A Fitbit has helped you, please share it on social media!
More Walking & Workout Related HAYC Posts
Can I Lose Weight Just By Walking?
Epic Feature-By-Feature Review On The Fitbit Alta HR (Is It Worth The Money?)
Can You Lose Weight By Walking An Hour A Day? These 35+ Jaw-Dropping Before & Afters Say Yes
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Health Disclaimer: The owner of Healthy As You Can is not a physician, nutritionist, or medical professional. Any tips or ideas that you implement as a result of reading the information on this blog are done at your own risk. The results that may be discussed are not typical or guaranteed. Please talk to your doctor before starting any workout, exercises, diet or nutrition plan. Please stop any workout if you start to feel any pain. Healthy As You Can is not entering into a Doctor-Patient relationship with any reader and is not responsible for any errors or omissions of information.
