Some tips for new users...

[Giftie]

Hey guys!

I've had my fitbit for over a week and I'm loving it! There are a few thoughts I wanted to share based on my experience so far...

1. To add friends you have the click on the persons name, go to "about", scroll down to " go to fitbit profile" then add them there.

It took me a while to figure this out now people beware, I'm going adding crazy!

2. Use the search tool. I'm at work and have a toddler so not much time in between and the search tool is very cool because if you have a question, most likely someone has answered it.

3. Don't eat all of your exercise calories! I learned this the hard way. This whole last week I've been eating almost all and wondered why I'm still the same weight. (You'd think I'd know this already considering I've been in the game for 8 years)

For the last couple of days I kept some calories in the bank and I've lost 2 lbs (feel I should put a results not typical disclaimer here)

4. Check you steps throughout the day. If I see I haven't hit 10,000 by a certain point, I get my butt up.

5. Log alll your food! Because I have this fitbit on 24/7 (except in the shower) I get a pretty accurate count of my calories in vs. out. This is important. I thought I did good last week because like I've done before I put in a lot of work when exercising. I thought I was okay but my fitbit tracking in conjunction with Myfitnesspal determined that was a LIE, LOL. My average burn was lower than my average intake! If I had not tracked my food I wouldn't have realized that.

In final thoughts, I really love this thing. It is already proving to change my nutrition habits, up my exercise rate even more and given me a complete picture of where I am. I have over 30 lbs to lose I am self-motivated to get it done, but having this fitbit is going to help me do it!

A quote I heard that I love:

It works if you work it so work it cause your worth it!!!

[HelenaFitbit]

Those are some epic recommendations @Giftie! I will make sure to spread the news on this 

My tips for the new members are to  follow your food plan as a guide and make sure you write down your meals as soon as you are about to get them; this will prevent the moment where you are holding your food log and remembering how much you ate and underestimating amounts. I have a tiny notebook where I write down the meals and their weight, so when I'm ready to write them down, they are accurate.

Get a food scale and measure everything. Increase your water intake and find different sources or variations for the meals you love that won't take a hit on your caloric budget.

Also, have a rest day! Enjoy your food and don't miss out on the opportunity to eat different.

Good luck!

[Grateful2015]

I also use the great app "Lose It" and paid the $39 and it sincs with fitbit and adds in all my calories.  What I love about Lose It (the app is free you just have to pay if you want it to syn to other apps) is that is have every food item in the world within it.  It has a scanner so you can just scan the barcode and it almost instantly picks it up for you.  It then keeps in alphabetical order every food you eat.   My fitbit now picks up this information and automatically logs it as soon as I turn on the fitbit app.

[Andy1dog]

So does myfitnesspal, and its free, it will sync with fitbit but not with Apple healthdata, had to buy a $1.99 app for that sync to happen. I enter all my food / scan my food including my friday nights out, the low carb beer isnt bad, but those shots, my fav being VO has no carbs, but 170 calories a shot, friday nights im always killing my food goals, but still losing it

[Giftie]

Yep I've got myfitnesspal and I actually like it better than the fitbit tracker only because it gives me a lower calorie count. I'd rather be conservative than psyching myself out.

[HopeGraceLove]

My tip: If I'm at a restaurant or somewhere that is not convenient to log my food, I'll take a photo of my plate with my phone so I can accurately remember what was on my plate and better judge the portions. A picture's worth a thousand words... or calories.

[Giftie]

Man, I LOVE that! What a great idea! I now feel bad that I've made fun of people for taking pictures of their food for so long. Duh Giftie.

[EdsonFitbit]

Great tips @Giftie! The number 4 made me laugh. 

[Giftie]

Thanks @EdsonFitbit!