How do you use your Fitbit to help manage your weight?

[LeticiaFitbit]

Managing weight takes time and dedication. Whether you have a goal to gain or lose weight Fitbit has multiple ways to help you manage your goals -  tracking Activity Zone Minutes, nutrition, step counts, and more. 

How do you use your Fitbit to help manage your weight? Share your tips and tricks with the community in the comments below.

[JackieAnnette]

I wear my fitbit to remind myself to get up and move. I want to reach 10,000 steps a day. But I need to get up and move not sit. 

I have lost weight and then gain some back, but now I am back on track.

[cinnamon43]

Hi I'm trying to lose weight too. Are you following the tracking food .

I just started and that's what I'm doing hope it works 

[Janjojo]

Hi I have had my Fitbit for 6 weeks and have lost 2 pound a week . Which is amazing for me . I have set my food plan at 1000 calories deficit for a day . So I log all my food and drink . I check what calories in I can consume based on calories burned . Some days I am over so days under but over a week it balances out 

[mjbanks41]

I have lost 135 pounds since Nov 2021 and fitbit has been 1 of the very important tools to help me achieve this. I have the Sense and I have the "Step it Up" watch face that gives me my projected calorie burn for the day.  I use that to move more or to cut back my calorie food intake so I can eat about 1000 less calories than I burn for the day.  I use MyFitnessPal to log all my food intake and that also transfers over to fitbit. I use my fitbit when I walk, run, row, bike, elliptical or weights. I track my steps daily and share my steps with my family.  (We all have a fitbit) So we compete to see who has the most steps for the week.  I wish we could compare daily steps though. There are of few issues with the fitbit though.  The stairs are completely inaccurate on my watch.  Sometimes it will say I got 200 flights when I didn't take any stairs. Also, when I use my under-the-desk bike pedals, my heart rate is double what it actually is. That increases my projected calorie burn for the day inaccurately. I also use the data from Fitbit to take to my annual doctors office visit. I was able to use that data to address concerns about my resting heart rate. I hope this helps! 

[Slipjig8]

My Fitbit is fighting against my ability to manage my weight.  It's dramatically over-estimating calorie burn.  I'm trying a hack right now setting my weight and goal weight at 67% of what it really is.  But it would be better if the app/device just had an adjustable percentage I could apply to the "burn calories" to bring it in line with reality, but it doesn't exist.  Why doesn't that exist?

I'm running MyFitnessPal alongside and I'll keep trying to find an artificial factor that can make this thing useable/trustable for my weight loss.

[Janjojo]

That’s brilliant . Well done but how do you link My Fitness Pal with your fit bit ? Confused 

[OldSoulGal]

I have worn my Inspire for years. Since my doctor wanted to put me on insulin for Type 2 Diabetes, I have used my FitBit to remind me to move during the day and to keep up with my calorie burn. I try to get up and get my 250 steps in each hour. I track everything I eat and try to keep a 500 calorie deficit. Since I have really started paying attention 2+ months ago, I have lost 25 lbs. I love that the app allows me to track my glucose, that has been a tremendous help. The website allows me to put in notes in the food log, I use that to add in my ketones levels. I am eating lower carb and higher protien food and have found that if I "fast" or do not eat enough carbs, my ketones become elevated. It get cumbersome managing all these levels but FitBit is making it easier to keep up with it.

[OldSoulGal]

I track every bite I put in my mouth. I love that the app breaks down what I eat into carbs, fats, and protiens.

[reyn1833]

I have lost weight twice in the last 8 years In January 2015 I weighed 350 pounds I joined weight watchers,  I got a fit bit and tracked my food in take and activity level.  By summer 2016 I was bouncing around 170 - 190.  Over the next 4 years I watched my food intake and activity.  I got sick,  February 2020, maybe COVID maybe pneumonia. between my cardiologist and my GP they have different opinions,  I was left with a heart valve issue.  My doctor in the hospital said he had never seen anyone with my activity level get that sick. I got out of the hospital did not track what I  was eating, did not exercise. April 2023 I was back to 290.  We went on vacation walking was a real issue.  Got home my wife and I both decided we needed to do something.  Fit bit allows you to track your calories, I started religiously tracking every thing I ate.  As I reduced my weight I started to be able to exercise more.  I started getting 25 to 35 thousand steps a day.  Now it did not to need to be that intense I just needed to move. I have a pace maker so I can not get me heart over 130.   The trick is to keep moving.  I set myself an eventual goal of 200, then moved it to 180.  October 30th I was down to 180.  I have maintained that ever since staying below 181 since.  My average weight is 177 over the period.  Thanksgiving put a dent in it 180 Friday morning.  Today I was 177.8  so you fall off the wagon get back on.  I'm 74, pacemaker since 2013,  aortic stenosis due to whatever I had in 2020. So don't say your to old, to out of shape you have to start some where.

Bottom line,  your food intake and exercise level are key to getting to and maintaining your weight.  Now that I have got to my goal. I have cut my exercise back to more normal levels. 18 to 20 thousands steps a day.  Keeping my daily calories below 2000, I like to be 15 to 18 hundred.   I weigh myself every morning before I work out.  I start my day 5 miles on the treadmill at 3 miles an hour.  I get the rest of my steps doing things around the house an occasional walk.

One thing I have to say weight watchers taught me how to track my food.  I did not ever buy into the 0 point foods.  So this time I have done it strictly off from calories.  You have to monitor your food intake.  You did not get heavy without eating.  You do not lose without making adjustments.  Exercise and food intake need to be managed together.  Do what exercise you can,  fit bit will give you a burn rate.  Your calories in need to stay under that number.  I try to leave 500 to a 1000 differential on the table each day.  I'm convinced the burn rate to calories is going to be different for everybody.  It is a guide you need to find the level that works for you.      

[TimH54]

I lost a total of 30 pounds using the Fitbit.  I shoot for 2 pounds a week and if I put that in as my goal, it was pretty accurate when the app would tell me how many calories left that I could eat.  If I consumed that number of calories and no more religiously, I did lose 2 pounds per week.

I quicky learned that if I didn't want to starve all day, I needed to get some exercise and for me that was almost always walking.  It works if I stick to it.

The latest update to the app does not have the number of calories yet to eat in the day and that is a big inconvenience for me.  You can see it if you drill down on the website but that's a pain.  If anyone knows of a setting that will get that info back into the app, I'd love to hear about it.  

[bmac65]

MJ,

thank you for this info! very helpful.  I need to get off about 100 lbs quickly, so your message is inspireing!

[JackieAnnette]

You can do it! One day at a time.

Jackie

[tractorlegs]

I started using Fitbit in March 2016, and have lost around 50 pounds (most of it in the first year). I primarily use the calorie counting features, and follow them strictly. The watch/app combo creates an estimate of how many calories you should eat to attain a certain goal - which, in my case, was weight loss. It uses age, height, resting heart rate, activity/exercise levels (based on HR), and determines the number of calories the user should eat that day. If we are honestly and correctly counting calories, and we are staying within the Fitbit’s limits, the weight comes off. I’ve always been very happy with the result. 😊

[brainjohn011]

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@happymangle wrote:

Not using yet, but going to. Need to lose some weight now and even found an interesting routine with the somatic exercises https://betterme.world/articles/somatic-exercises/pc. I know that those exercises can help people to get a better mind-body connection and improve their general well-being. This time of the year can be very depressing and we need to do everything in our power to stay positive and healthy.

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Thanks for sharing the exercise. I want to lose my weight but due to shortage of time, I cant go to gym regularly, now I will try this exercise at home. 

[KarenRogers]

It will work if you're consistent.  I've met my 10-year anniversary with Fitbit this morning, and rarely check in online anymore, so I'm doing worse.  Back in the day when I made sure I got at least 10,000 steps a day before going to bed, and tracked all my food, trying to keep under 1,600 calories a day (which put me in a slight deficit) I did manage my weight, although never getting to my goal.  Still I did well.  I'm going to start tracking everything again.  I'm not sure how to add friends in Fitbit but I think that might help.  

[KarenRogers]

My latest Fitbit Charge 5 doesn't do stairs and I really miss that!  I have an old Garmin that has trouble with stairs also. Keeping track of our eating and steps should be very important to our healthcare professionals but mine aren't interested either. I used MyFitnessPal for years because Fitbit didn't used to be that great, but now it is vastly improved and I've switched back to Fitbit to track my meals.

[OldSoulGal]

I have not paid any attention to Fitbit in 3 months and have gained 10
pounds back. I have maintained a walking routine which is obviously my
saving grace. I quit smoking in the last month and that is when I really
saw the weight coming back on.

Sometimes it is frustrating when you work so hard to lose a little weight
but the second you are not thinking about it constantly, the weight just
catches back up to you.

So yesterday I started tracking my food again. Since I am a Type 2
Diabetic, I am also trying to keep up with blood sugars and ketones. I am
very happy with Fitbit for making it pretty easy to track everything. I
have to go online to track the ketones by just putting a note in my food
log, but that works for me. I don't have to go back and look at it but it
is there if I need to.

It is a constant battle and a journey. Be happy with yourself and learn
what works for your body so you can feel the best you possibly can. Most of
all, LIVE LIFE!

[shirmash]

Fitbit is great for weight management! I focus on staying active by hitting my daily step goal and using Activity Zone Minutes to monitor my workouts. Tracking nutrition helps me stay mindful of my diet. What are your favorite features? Also let me know if you had taken before supplements like the nature meds! 

[skygoddess22]

for me personally, i found the fitbit for food less than user friendly.  so i joined noom... again.  this time with will power to actually take my health seriously.  i use my fitbit to weigh myself with the corresponding scale, and tract my steps, sleep and timed work outs.  the wider screen on sense makes all the difference for me. 

on noom, because of the lesson i learned the importance of having protein at every meal is critical to weight loss... rather than muscle loss.  for the first time with noon and fitbit with nearly perfect interface, i am actually losing pounds and feeling lighter and better!