Fitbit on board?

[cruisin lady ca]

There are lots of good smart phone calorie apps. Check out this site which I found in about 1 minute by the very simple method of typing "android calorie aps" into Google - http://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-diet-apps-and-android-nutrition-apps-569702/

 

DON

 

I was using a pedometer app prior to using a Fitbit - free app called Pedometer++. It is quite nice for counting steps but I needed something to help with food tracking. Not interested in paying for weight watchers or similar program. My husband wasn't using the Fitbit he was given so I adopted it. I find it really helpful and am achieving good results.

 

Ultimately, everyone will find what works best for them.

[Paulette3028]

I have a very basic question with regard to this Fitbit obsession. If you do not keep track of your exercise on an electronic gizmo, does this mean that your exercise does not count and is will appear to your body as if you did not exercise at all. How did we manage with exercising before Fitbits?

 

DON

 

I love this post.....so cute!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I adopted my husband's Fitbit flex a few weeks ago' date=' with the goal of losing weight before our cruise in September. Not wanton to leave him out of the pre-cruise weight loss campaign, I gifted him a Fitbit Charge HR yesterday.

 

I applaud everyone who has posted their step counts and expect we will do well onboard with respect to steps. My concern is how to determine calories for meals. Managing calories is a big part of my success and I don't want to ignore that while on our 10 night cruise.

 

Have any of you tracked your calories while cruising?[/quote']

 

I have been losing weight. A lot of it. I have lost 135 pounds since August 2014. Perhaps not counting calories is not necessary for some people. I applaud those who can lose weight by just paying attention to what they eat. But, for many of us boundaries are essential and careful calorie tracking gives us those boundaries. I track my calories faithfully on My Fitness Pal, which is a phone app and a website. I weigh all of my food prepared at home in grams, so I am pretty accurate with my counting. I even have a purse scale and I weigh all my food when at work and when eating out many times.

 

I also walk a lot. My steps are counted with my FitBit and they synch to MFP. My Fitness Pal calculates my calories needed peer day to lose at a safe pace. I can earn exra calories each day if I walk enough steps,. So how many calories I get to eat a day is directly related to how much I move. I will do MFP tracking (or something similar) the rest of my life. As with any addiction, a food addiction never will go completely away and those borders must be maintained. I am still losing. I have about 25 - 30 pounds to go until I reach my goal range (set by my doctor and by my BMI). My DH lost 45 pounds using MFP and FitBit and has maintained it for 2 years. He still tracks every day.

 

That said, the only time I do not track is when I am on a cruise! I have been on two cruises (22 days total) since I began my weight loss journey. I tried the first few days and it was an exercise in frustration. I did wear my FitBit at all times just to make sure I was getting enough steps in every day. On a cruise it is easy to do. We went to the Fitness Center and also walked the decks just to get in extra steps. I have always had a gain when I returned home from any kind of travel since I am so sodium sensitive, but lost it quickly enough. I continue to track while on a land vacation since we can go to restaurants that post nutrition content. Not completely accurate information, but better than what you have while on a ship! A cruise has a definite start date and an end date, so it is not hard to get back on the wagon. Just be sure you do! So, my recommendation is to not track your calories on the cruise, but wear your FitBit. Eat mindfully. Enjoy!:cool:

Edited May 9, 2016 by Sunny AZ Girl

[buggins0402]

I have a very basic question with regard to this Fitbit obsession. If you do not keep track of your exercise on an electronic gizmo, does this mean that your exercise does not count and is will appear to your body as if you did not exercise at all. How did we manage with exercising before Fitbits?

 

DON

 

LOL...I wear one, but do get a bit bummed when I do my online HIIT spin class, sweat a ton and have no steps to show for it.

 

I must admit to being goal oriented, so the Fitbit helps me achieve daily goals. I am looking forward to setting some new "flights of steps" personal records on our next trip. My previous record was set touring Toledo Spain last fall, with a walk up hill for dinner at night in Madrid. Our visit to Cinque Terre this spring might help set a new stairs PR.:)

 

I must also add, I am an ex- marathon runner (24 of them), but that was 20 years and 20 pounds of weight ago.

[sail7seas]

Wear a pedometer that tracks number of steps as well as distance walked.

Edited May 9, 2016 by sail7seas

[peajay84]

Boy I'm glad I read this thread!! My Fitbit is my alarm clock so no telling what time I'd be waking up if I relied only on it while on our cruise in December. Will add "cheap watch" and "battery operated alarm clock" to my list of things to pack!

[GUT2407]

Boy I'm glad I read this thread!! My Fitbit is my alarm clock so no telling what time I'd be waking up if I relied only on it while on our cruise in December. Will add "cheap watch" and "battery operated alarm clock" to my list of things to pack!

 

Yep, same as those that rely on smart phones.

[GottaKnowWhen]

Yep, same as those that rely on smart phones.

 

Actually, no. It is an easy obvious step to go to Settings and set Time/Date to Manual rather than Automatic. Anybody traveling with a smart phone across time zones probably knows this. I am surprised your fit bits don't allow you to specify Time...

[Jasalth]

While I know this is technically a Fitbit thread, I wanted to throw this out there.

 

If anyone has read this and is looking at getting a Fitbit but sees the issues with it and cruising (at least the wrist ones) take a look at Garmin Vivosmart's.

 

I had a Fitbit Charge that started coming apart and cut my wrist all up. Happily Fitbit replaced it for free! 2 months later the 2nd one did the same thing in the same place (the rubber pulling away from the screen). Went to go get new model and realized something useful.

 

I loved my Fitbit and they got me addicted (I do on average 12k steps a day, my husband does a lot of walking at work so his setting is closer to 17k goal a day right now). But we now both have Garmin Vivosmart fitness bands.

 

They work just like a Fitbit charge, but have some really added benefits IMO esp when you are traveling. They hold 4 weeks of step/activity data and 7 hours of heart rate data before you have to sync. Sure you also have to do things like have a WiFi connection along with Bluetooth to sync, but 4 weeks is a long time!

 

Also what I hated about my Fitbit was well, on a cruise, I can't get it wet! The Garmin's are waterproof up to 5m! It means not having to take it off for beach time. Also unlike the Fitbit's the Vivosmart's are one solid piece. No sand in the little crevices and such they have.

 

The "smart" ones do need charged, but there are also basic ones with a battery. I only Sync once a week with a 2+ yr old model, and my batter will last a good 8 days before I have to charge it. I also get about 60 smart phone notifications on it a day, so I know that eats up battery also.

 

And sorry for a semi-hijack of the thread, but I wanted to throw another option that does the same thing with a better storage time and being waterproof, I think that Garmin's really are the way to go for vacations.

[buggins0402]

While I know this is technically a Fitbit thread, I wanted to throw this out there.

 

If anyone has read this and is looking at getting a Fitbit but sees the issues with it and cruising (at least the wrist ones) take a look at Garmin Vivosmart's.

 

I had a Fitbit Charge that started coming apart and cut my wrist all up. Happily Fitbit replaced it for free! 2 months later the 2nd one did the same thing in the same place (the rubber pulling away from the screen). Went to go get new model and realized something useful.

 

I loved my Fitbit and they got me addicted (I do on average 12k steps a day, my husband does a lot of walking at work so his setting is closer to 17k goal a day right now). But we now both have Garmin Vivosmart fitness bands.

 

They work just like a Fitbit charge, but have some really added benefits IMO esp when you are traveling. They hold 4 weeks of step/activity data and 7 hours of heart rate data before you have to sync. Sure you also have to do things like have a WiFi connection along with Bluetooth to sync, but 4 weeks is a long time!

 

Also what I hated about my Fitbit was well, on a cruise, I can't get it wet! The Garmin's are waterproof up to 5m! It means not having to take it off for beach time. Also unlike the Fitbit's the Vivosmart's are one solid piece. No sand in the little crevices and such they have.

 

The "smart" ones do need charged, but there are also basic ones with a battery. I only Sync once a week with a 2+ yr old model, and my batter will last a good 8 days before I have to charge it. I also get about 60 smart phone notifications on it a day, so I know that eats up battery also.

 

And sorry for a semi-hijack of the thread, but I wanted to throw another option that does the same thing with a better storage time and being waterproof, I think that Garmin's really are the way to go for vacations.

 

Thanks for the info on the Vivosmart. This morning, my Charge came apart in back after I disconnected from the charger. They're sending a new one from Fitbit. But, if this has issues, I'll look into the Vivosmart.

 

Service was very nice though...only had to look where I purchased it from, which took a while to go through my CC statements, and they're sending a new one.