Using Fitbit abroad, increasing RHR, BMI, and a weightlifting question

[SunnyGirl86]

Hi everyone

First of all, just wanted to give a big thank you to everyone who has helped me so far!  My weight is steadily dropping, more consistently and faster than I thought it would be.  I am likely moving to France this year and have a few questions.... should I purchase a UK version of a Fitbit to swap out for my US one due to the time difference, etc?  Can MFP be adjusted to a different time zone?  Also, in calculating my BMI, I've noticed that there's a slight variance from the US vs. the EU.  Has the US changed BMI standards recently?  (Not that it matters a huge bit, as I'm considered overweight, just curious.)  Also, what are the indicators for an increase in weight for a weight machine vs an increase in reps?  I want to get stronger, not necessarily bulkier, but whatever works at this point. 

Thanks,

SunnyGirl

[Dominique · Accepted solution]

@SunnyGirl86: whether you purchase a Fitbit product in the US, the UK, France etc. makes no difference in terms of the physical device you get. They’re all the same, including accessories such as charging cables. What may vary are things like price and warranty (for instance, Fitbit scales come with a longer warranty period in Europe, because of local laws).

When you set up your Fitbit account, you can choose things like language, units used (e.g. metric vs. imperial).

BMI is based on metric units: it’s weight in kilograms divided by the square value of height in meters. The discrepancy you observed is probably caused by rounding issues, if you were previously using pounds and feet/inches, and switched to metric units. There is no "US BMI" vs. "European BMI".

As to your question related to resistance training: your fear of getting "bulky" is unfunded. Don’t be afraid of lifting heavy enough (for you), that’s how you’ll gain strength and become "toned" (the Holy Grail for women!). As a woman, you’re not going to become "bulky", even if you wanted to (at least not without the help of performance enhancing drugs). One of the main principles of resistance training is progressive overload: lifting must become more challenging over time.