Should you purchase a Fitbit to help achieve a healthy lifestyle? (a Fitbit looks like a watch and is a health tracker that you wear every day) I have been asking myself this question for the past few months.
Debbie, Sherri and I have been working together to lose weight and get in shape. We have spent the last three months changing our poor eating habits. Goodbye, sugar, junk, and processed foods. Hello, healthy whole foods, lean meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds. As of today, I have dropped 30 of the 50lbs I need to lose.
I remember my father telling me. “Losing weight is the easier half of a healthy lifestyle.” “Maintaining the weight loss permanently is the hard part.” I’ve proved him right by losing and regaining the same weight over the last 20 years.
Changing my eating habits alone will not be enough to get those last 20lbs pounds off and maintain my new physique long term.
The key to my success is adding daily exercise to my routine. Which brings me back to the question should I get a Fitbit? It seems like everyone around me owns one. After doing some research, I decided to take the plunge and purchased a Fitbit Flex.
The answer to my question is yes, using a Fitbit helps me achieve my fitness goals. I choose the Fitbit Flex, because I like the sleek design, and the price worked with my budget.
Over time, diet and exercise can become monotonous. Here is how my Fitbit gets me going and helps make the process more enjoyable.
It gets me MOVING!
When you get your Fitbit, the default goal for every member is set at 10,000. This number has been chosen because the medical community (domestic and international) have found exercising at this level helps to improve overall health and lower the risk of heart disease. It also aids in weight loss, lowering high blood pressure, decreasing waist size, and BMI.
I started with 2,000 steps per day. After finding out how easy it was to reach 2,000, I increased my steps a day to 6,000. I’m working towards 10,000 steps a day. Instead of parking as close as I can to any store when shopping, I choose to park at the last parking space instead. I skip elevators and take the stairs instead. It’s amazing how making simple changes like this help rack up the steps.
Motivation to Excercise – Compete with Friends and Family
You can use the Fitbit app to create groups of friends, family or co-works. Once everyone joins the group the Fitbit app provides a summary of everyone’s steps in order of highest to lowest. Each person in the group then competes to earn a spot at the top of the competition list. The more you compete, the healthier you get. Deb, Sherri and I are going to start a challenge with each other, and I intend to win!
Tracking Exercise and Weight
Before my Fitbit I used to color in the days I had worked out on my desk calendar. I tracked my weight on a separate spreadsheet in a secret location never to been seen by anyone but me! Now both my weight and exercise are recorded in one place on my Fitbit.
Sleep Patterns Tracked
When I crawl into bed, I put my Flex into sleep mode and my sleep patterns are recorded. If I forget, I can manually input when I went to bed and when I wake up. The summary displays when I was restless and when I was in my deepest sleep. Reviewing my sleep patterns helped me realize I need to be better about getting more zzzzz’s.
Customizable Food Log/Calorie Tracker
I can use it as a food log and calorie tracker. Even if I forget to add the calorie count for each item, looking at my daily food log helps me make healthier choices.
Adding food entries is easy, you can choose from an extensive list of groceries and restaurant food. You can also create custom lists of foods you eat on a regular basis.
The Design
I like the slim, sleek design, having a battery life of five to seven days, and it’s water resistant. I don’t have to take it off to shower or wash dishes. Different color bands are available to jazz it up if you get tired of the black band.
Silent Alarm
A silent alarm can be used so I will wake up on time without disturbing my husband.
Easy to Use
It only takes a couple of taps on the wristband for me to see where I stand at reaching my daily goal.
Let us know if you have a Fitbit, we’ll create a TGIF-This Grandma is Fun! group and invite you to join!
I am 67 years old and have a hard time loosing weight. Can you post your daily eating plan and the amount you eat. I must be eating too much thanks
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
Sorry to hear how hard it is for you to lose weight, it’s always been a struggle for me as well. We are in the process of creating a webinar/Facebook page about the eating plan we use. Once it is ready we will notify you via email. Until then I can share with you that I have gone gluten and sugar-free. I do not eat any processed food, including diet soda. I eat between 4-6 small meals a day. Once last thought, it is common for many women as they age to have difficulties with their thyroid. Stop The Thyroid Madness is an excellent site to learn more about your thyroid. Keep an eye out for our email about our eating plan. Warmly, Tracy
I loved my Fitbit! After a year it has stopped working and I’m so sad! I have lost 14 lbs in the last year and it has played an important part in that weight loss.
Hi Marcia,
I’m sorry to hear your Fitbit is no longer working! A 14 lbs weight loss is great. Any chance your Fitbit is still under warranty and you could get it replaced? I’m definitely falling in love with my Fitbit, love how motivating it is. Best, Tracy
I also got the Fitbit flex for motivation. I really like it a lot. There is also a website called myfitnesspal.com that syncs with fitbit. You can enter your meals and recipes into their database and it will calculate your calories eaten and burned. I bought my flex on black friday last year and I try to get my steps in each day.
Thanks for the tip about myfitnesspal.com. I’m looking forward to checking it out. Getting my steps in every day is getting easier! Have a great weekend, Tracy