"Cheating"?

[too_spicy]

Can someone explain to me why I'm seeing so many posts about "cheating" on the Get Fit boards lately?

Are FitBit challenges becoming a competitive sport?

Do we need to start hiring judges for this?

I feel like no matter how you're moving, you're moving, and you shouldn't consider your movement "cheating." The whole goal of the fitbit is to get people more active... the fitbit is the judge here. If it decides that you moved enough to earn a step, then you earned a step. (Except whoever that was that was bouncing on an exercise ball for steps-- that's just ridiculous). 

I appreciate that you all are trying to keep yourselves honest about your exercise, but dang... 

Should we be working on a competitive rulebook as a community? Just so that we're clear on what we expect from one another? Or should we be leaving it to the fitbit...?

[LedMatrix]

You can sit in a chair all day and just repeatedly tap your tracker on your leg and rack up boo coo steps while doing absolutely nothing at all. Why someone would do this is a mystery to me, but some do, and it's cheating.

[Ukase]

I am afraid I no longer even pay attention to steps. I get credit for some, don't get credit for others. 

I used to accept challenges from friends and try to wait all day to sync to catch up at the last minute and win. 

But, ultimately, none of the playing fields are level. We're all different. Some have a sedentary job, others are walking 5 miles a day waiting tables. 

Ultimately, we compete with ourselves. If we cheat, we only cheat ourselves. 

In the end, you can only worry about your own efforts. 

[Dominique]

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@too_spicy wrote:

Are FitBit challenges becoming a competitive sport?

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Well, I’ve been using a Fitbit for almost three years, and participating in the forums since the beginning (they were on a different platform back then). I remember there were suspicions of people "cheating" even before challenges were introduced. Merely having "friends" (that is, accepting requests from people sending them) means you were already able to compare yourself to others. I guess it’s quite natural to do so, especially in the beginning (when you are new to "step counting") and it can be bewilderning to see some people getting 50k day in day out, when you struggle to reach the recommended 10k. Once you get your own 30k or 40k day for the first time, and you realize the time and effort that went into it, you are able to put things in perspective and make your own mind about the 50k+ steppers.

So far I’ve been lucky with challenges and I’ve ended up with people that seemed real and had realistic step counts. It doesn’t bother me at all that I’m currently "only" #25 in my own friends’ list, with 107k steps for the past 7 days. I’m interested in my own health and well-being, not in trying to impress other people with my step count.

[SunsetRunner]

The only ones they are truly cheating is theirselves so more power to them.  I know I do what needs to be done to stay healthy and the challenges I join are more to challenge myself than to win.  

[emili]

@too_spicy- I think a lot of negative things are happening on these boards of late. Hostility, disrespectful posting, disregard for opinion and of course the cheating. We have a stalker that keeps joining female groups for the sole purpose of harassment. And my favorite, fitbit bashing. What is supposed to be an activity tracker and a forum for motivation and discussion has turned into some playing doctor and treating the fitbit like a medical device. I think everyone, me included, needs to chill and remember what this is all truly about.