Ditching the FITBIT

[morganstein]

Ok...so I'm considering giving away my FLEX. I'm 8 months in and I've gone from 260lbs to 185lbs (I'm 6'2") and from a 38" waist to 30". I've been not only maintaining my weight loss, but I've been improving my overall physical fitness. I've built the habits needed to sustain my health and I'm thinking that my FLEX could be of better use to someone else.

Has anybody here successfully lost the weight and given up their FITBIT? The fact of the matter is I'm not going to wear it forever. At what point do you say "I've got this, I can maintain on my own"?

[smhermione]

What I know for me is that I have a problem with food.  I will always be tempted to eat more than I should because I am an emotional eater and I come from a family with a history of overeating.  I am now at my maintaining weight and have been for three months, but I still check my fitbit and log most of my food everyday.  I don't trust myself to go it alone, because then I don't have any numbers (calories burned, etc.) to guide myself and I'll be just as lost as I was before I started using my fitbit.  For me, going back to the way I was isn't an option so I will keep logging for my own accountability.

You may be completely different, you just have to do what is best for you!

Good luck!

[Heybales]

Might want to make it through a seasonal change to see just how much your activity changes.

Because it's not just about exercise, though for many that has trouble too with busy winter lives.

[dawnamarie]

Congratulations on your goal achieved!! It's nice that you would think of giving itto someone in need. However, I am keeping mine forever. I am 5'10" and 150, I need this to check overall fitness and activity as well as my sleeping habits, not for weight loss. I have horrible insomnia in which I am trying to get a handle on. FITBIT helps . I think it plays part in a healthy lifestyle no matter what your weight is. I also like to see just how much I actually walk and what I am getting out of the effort I put in.

[gmurtie]

Congratulations on reaching your goal.  That is encouraging to everyone on the way to reaching their goals.  I spent the last 20 years or so putting the weight on that I am now trying to get rid of.  I think I'll keep my Fitbit for the next 20 years just to make sure I will keep it off.

[SunsetRunner]

You might want to hold on to the FB and see where you are in 6 - 12 months.  If you read the posts in Weight Watchers (and I expect the same is true in MyFitnessPal and probably here) you will see a LOT of posts from people who met their goal weight and decided they had it all figured out but realized too late that it was much easier to gain the weight back once they stopped tracking than they had expected.  WW has many people who have been on their program multiple times.  If you want to give your Fitbit to someone else to motivate them - great.  Just be willing to buy yourself a new one down the line if you end up needing to do so.

[carl669]

just fyi...you don't have to have a fitbit to still log your food intake.  so, if all you need is the calorie intake tracking, then you should be fine.

[Jodi6682]

I think of my FitBit as my daily checkup and I won't ever give it up! The point of the FitBit is that it keeps your focus on the goal at hand. I'm so worried that without that constant reminder, I'll slip right back into my unhealthy ways. Just seeing it makes me want to be more active, and seeing those little lights light up keeps me on task with getting in my steps and reaching more aggressive goals!

That being said, he's some thoughts I had regarding the subject:

1. Just because you're wearing it doesn't mean you HAVE to check it. You could switch to spot checking or only wear it every other day if you'd like.

2. You could only wear it while you work out to track those workouts and make sure you're working as hard now as you were when you were wearing it.

3. As someone already suggested, you can always keep tracking your calories to make sure you're on track with your goal.

4. You could change your goal from "losing" to "maintaining". This would adjust your calorie allowance and allow you to maintain through the holidays. I totally agree that the holidays is a terrible time for weight loss. Plus most people gain in the winter naturally anyway because it's harder to get outside and be active in some areas.

5. You can give your tracker away and if you find yourself slipping, you can always buy another one or something different. (IE: If you have the flex or force, you could downgrade to the less-expensive Zip for about $70.)

Just a bunch of thoughts I had. Like I stated, I can't say that going without FitBit would be a good choice for me, but if you can do it without, more power to you!! Good luck and let us know how things turn out!

[ToughMother]

Hello,  I am already really lean but I want to track for 4 months to monitor my sleep also.  I think I will give mine up after 6 months max...  Wendy x

[morganstein]

As of October 18th, the training wheels are off and I feel like that's an accurate description of what I'm doing. I've maintained my excersize levels and have maintained my diet so far. I'm hanging onto my FITBIT just in case I need to go back to it, but so far so good.