What do you use YOUR Versa for?

[CerriesM]

Hey everyone!

I hope you're having a wonderful day! ❤️

I'm super-curious to hear from those who are more experienced with their Fitbit than I am 😉 

I purchased my Versa just over a week ago.

The reason I bought it is to help me lose weight. I was hoping to gain an insight into how many calories I'm burning a day, logging my food, tracking my exercise, motivating me to move more etc...

After much initial excitement, I'm starting to wonder whether my expectations were unrealistic, or whether I need to shift my perspective about how I can use my Versa to help me.

In the last week, I've discovered that:

• My Versa isn't all that accurate on the step front. I totally understood that it wouldn't be 100% accurate when I bought it, but adding 250 steps while I'm stirring bolognese, stood still? This confused me. I had a live chat with support, and they told me this is 'normal'. Today, I did some work in the gym on my arms (like a bike for your arms - not sure what the techy name is!), and it added 1500 steps to my step count (while I was stood still). So - it seems the step count isn't really accurate at all.
• My calories burned may be significantly over-estimated. As stated, I'm using my Fitbit to lose weight. After gaining 2.5lbs this week (despite being 'in the zone' throughout the week), some kind folks here on the forum advised that really, the calories burned should be taken with a pinch of salt. So - it seems the little metre for intake/outtake isn't really accurate either.
•  I'm having to log my exercises manually. As my exercise is mostly at the gym (cross trainer, bike, weights etc), I need to tell my Versa that I'm doing them. On the occasions it has auto recognized, it has been WAY out (like logging a 15 min walk when I did 40 mins). 
• The heart rate monitor is iffy. I know that this isn't going to be perfect, being worn on my wrist - but at the gym, the machine tells me my HR is 120, and my Versa is telling me 90. Does this mean the data in Fitbit is therefore incorrect?

Although I do love my Versa, and Fitbit in general, I'm really struggling to understand what the actual benefit is of using it...if much of what it provides is likely inaccurate? 

When I've asked Fitbit staff to clarify for me, I get pretty much a stock answer: it's all normal. It's normal to have logged an extra 250 steps while cooking. Normal to not log when I walk up and down my stairs at home. Normal to be considerably out in calories burned terms.

Which is fine...but it makes me wonder whether using it could actually sabotage my weight loss, rather than aid it?

I've used the 'under/over' target this last week as a guide for how much I can eat - but putting 2.5lbs on, I'm wondering whether the inaccurate steps/activity and overestimated calories burned could have contributed to this?

Like I say - I'm just curious to hear how others benefit from their Versa. I'm aware that there's a limit to how accurate a fitness tracker can be...but if it's inaccurate, how can I use it in a way that still helps me achieve my (significant) weight loss goals?

The only feature I've found to be completely accurate so far is the food logging (as I'm manually inputting the nutritional value of every food I'm eating) - but I could do that on MyFitnessPal without a Fitbit.

Maybe I had unrealistic expectations of what it could provide for me...but looking at the marketing, I'm not sure that I did?

Really looking forward to hearing from those more experienced on this! ❤️ 

[SunsetRunner]

Hi, regarding the steps accuracy, and thus also calories used, Fitbit support is right in her answers. Why? Steps are counted by moving/swinging your arms, so when you are stirring bolognese, you do that and the Versa will recognize them as steps. The other way around is also possible, e.g. when you do a workout on, f.i. a treadmill with bars, you usually hold the bars and thus not swinging/moving your arms. the Versa then will not count them as steps. Hope this helps for more understanding how the Versa works. 

[Simply_Rae]

I'm sorry I'm not experienced with Versa; I've had mine less than a week, but I do have experience with fitness trackers. In my use of fitness trackers, it has been to get a broader view of my daily activities and steps. I know it isn't 100% accurate but it shows me trends and patterns, for instance not getting in near the same amount steps on the weekends as opposed to the weekdays, thus motivating me to get off the couch and be more active. I run/walk with it so I can see my average heart rate, again if not 100% accurate I can see the difference in runs that may have been difficult how my heart rate was too high, etc. Also, I have an irregular heartbeat, this device though not medical helps me keep an eye on that. I especially love the sleep tracking feature as I have insomnia and difficulty falling/staying asleep. I'm hoping this will give me insight into what possibly triggers bad nights for me. I don't use it for tracking food; however, I use a separate tracker to add daily notes about other health symptoms, moods, etc. and cross reference with my sleep tracking results. I use the sedentary reminders to get up and moving and also to drink water. The silent vibrating alarms are also a beautiful thing to have; I'm a light sleeper and hate loud alarms, also am glad to not chance waking up a sleeping toddler when trying to slip out in the mornings to workout.  

Well, that's all I have. It's really not but I don't want to prattle on. Take care! 

[divyag]

Recently, I experienced the same, when I had stirring my potato curry then it is counting the steps. 😞 

Any solution for this? I bought the versa for health tracking as steps and all not stirring counting:( and it's not accurate, how would I know that how many steps I walked before stirring. It's shame.