New Year, new... Fitbit?

I'm looking forward to getting a FitBit Surge. I have been trying to read up on the device, especially how it actually works in the real world.

I've still got my recalled Force, but I submitted my claim for a return recently. Soon I'll ship it back to FitBit, and get a bit over half of what a Surge costs. Then, I think Ill get the Surge with some birthday money.

Medifast 'Sunrise Smoothie' and FitBit update

This morning I did an experiment with some Medifast meals... I tried to emulate the Sonic 'Sunrise Smoothie'.

I took a packet of Strawberry shake, and a packet of Banana shake, and mixed them with water in a blender bottle. Then I took ice and blended it into snow, added a 1/4 cup of light Orange Juice and half the shake mix, and blended it.

I got a very bland and inoffensive smoothie. Hints of banana, strawberry, and orange, but nothing really exciting, and I won't make it again after I finish the second half of it tomorrow.

Also, I just got my weekly FitBit results!

Everything seems to be moving along fairly well here. My daily step average is down a bit, but I'm happy with the rest of the numbers. I need to be sleeping more, but that's always going to be a challenge. Of note was that I picked up my 250 mile badge! Woo.

Post-PAX Fitbit weekly report

I got my weekly FitBit report yesterday and it's interesting! Let's take a look at it.

Woo! 60,000 steps! that's what walking all over Boston for 3 days will get you. Nearly 13,000 steps on my best day, as well, and a total of over 30 miles. I'll take it.

Not only that, but 62 flights of stairs climbed... and none of those were fake days, either. I climbed lots of stairs at PAX.

Then we get to calorie deficits. I should have had about a 4lb loss according to the numbers, but instead it was just 1.8. This is because of timing, the week ended right after I gained 4 lbs of water weight the day after PAX.

Finally, we have my sleep average... it took a nosedive and dropped down to 6.5 hours. Ouch. Well, not every week will be PAX week, so that should work itself back up.

Despite the weekend, I was still only 3rd place on my step leaderboard! I need to crank it up a notch.

I have class tonight, so I'm drinking my water religiously today. I want to try to make sure my numbers are good for tomorrow when I post my spreadsheets. I know that's silly, since holding on to water after working out is so standard, but I still want to see a nice jump tomorrow and maybe get back down to my low.

FitBit Weekly Update, plus more PAX!

Just got my FitBit weekly update, and that's always good for a blog topic so here we go! Let's take a look at my numbers.

Well, first off, look at all those red 'down' arrows. With one exception, those all suck, don't they? Fewer total steps, less distance, less stairs less calories, less sleep... but! I also lost more, so that's a net positive.

I spent much of this week battling either atrocious allergies or the mildest cold ever. Either way, it negatively impacted me doing stuff. On the other hand, though, is that by not exercising as much I'm not holding on to as much water weight.

It will be interesting to see next week's numbers though... because I'll be walking a huge amount this weekend while I'm at PAX East!

This is my first PAX. I've been to DragonCon, GenCon, and Origins, but never a PAX. I expect there will be a ton of walking as I trawl the vendor halls and exhibits. I don't have a solid plan for what I plan to do there overall, I figure I'll take it as it comes. I only have a couple of things that are 'must see' events...

First, I want to get in on the Mike and Mike Show and hear Krahulik and Selinker talk about their games, Thornwatch and the Pathfinder Adventure Card Game. I really would like to get into a Thornwatch playtest session as well.

Secondly, I want to go see MC Frontalot's concert. I've seen him once before in person, at KoLCon, and it was a great show.

Outside of that, though, I expect I'll wander, explore, catch as catch can what is happening at any given time, and get in some gaming with Brandon.

I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm not sure what the content of my blog posts will be while I'm gone. I'll probably try to talk about exercise and what I'm eating, but there's a fair chance this either becomes a 4-day PAX blog, or it'll get late-night blog posts that say 'exhausted, going to bed, blog later'.

FitBit update!

So, I finally got the email telling me my FitBit Force had been recalled and I should send it in for a full refund. The only problem with this, is I do not want a different FitBit. So, for now I'm keeping mine and checking my wrist every day for sings of rash, and will ditch it if they appear.

I also just got my weekly FitBit summary, so let's take a look at it!

So, from the top!

My most active day was Sunday, March 30th... this surprises me, as that day was a D&D day so there was lots of sitting around a table. On the other hand, there was also a lot of house cleaning and some intense EFXing and Weight lifting as well, so I guess that did it. My least active day was a Tuesday, and a day with no workout at all, so that makes perfect sense.

Total steps are up to 47,000! I need to get this up a little higher. If I hit goal every day my steps would be at 52,500, so I'm about 5,000 steps short. Still, not bad for the week! Distance seems reasonable given the number of steps, as well.

My stairs climbed might be close to accurate at 20. This number is still not very useful though, as I get phantom flights of stairs added regularly.

Calories in vs Out and Calories burned are staying pretty consistent. Weight loss, however, took a dive. That said, last week's was way too high, so this balances out. Since FitBit picks when it's cutoff points are, my water weight is going to make a big difference on weekly totals. As long as it keeps going down, though, everything is good.

Finally we've got sleep duration. this went down a bit due to a couple of late nights. I really would lie to get this number creeping up, especially after this week.

Oh, and I also earned a few badges and got third place on the step ladder! Woo, go me.

I'm still really enjoying my FitBit, much more than my Nike FuelBand. Now, the folks at FitBit just need to make a new Force without the rash issues, with a larger screen that communicates with my phone for texts and caller ID and a built in HRM. Get on it, guys.

Goalbusters class and Fitbit weekly update

Last night started the Spring Session of our Goalbusters fitness class. Whenever we start a new session, the intensity is ratcheted down a bit for the newbie, which means I try to increase my effort on the exercises.

I partnered with Bob last night and we had a good circuit. I'm up about a pound today, I expect that's part of the reason I saw such big losses recently... no gym workouts this weekend (we were too busy), so my muscles aren't holding onto as much water.

Warm-up

• Pass medicine balls in a circle, clockwise, one minute
• Pass medicine balls in a circle, clockwise, one minute
• Jumping Jacks, 30 seconds (I did 42 jumping jacks!)
• Ankle mobility, 30 seconds
• Split squats, right leg front, 30 seconds
• Split squats, left leg front, 30 seconds
• Push-ups, 30 seconds
• Mountain Climbers against the wall, 30 seconds

Partner Warm-up (repeat 4x)

• 15 body weight squats
• Hold a wall squat while partner does 15 squats

Circuit
Station 1 (repeat 2x)

• Kettlebell Squats, 35lbs, 30 seconds
• Triceps Extensions, Blue band, 30 seconds

Station 2

• Cable machine 'woodchoppers', 27lbs, right arm, 30 seconds
• Dumbbell clean and press, 12 lbs each hand, 30 seconds
• Cable machine 'woodchoppers', 27lbs, left arm, 30 seconds
• Dumbbell clean and press, 15 lbs each hand, 30 seconds

Station 3 (repeat 2x)

• Double waves on the heavy rope, 30 seconds
• Bicep curls, blue band, 30 seconds

Station 4 (repeat 2x)

• Bosu Balance, 30 seconds
• Lunges with a body bar shoulder press, 22 lbs, 30 seconds

Station 5 (repeat 2x)

• TRX Pull-ups, 30 seconds
• Medicine Ball bounce passes, 15 lbs, 30 seconds

Ab Work (on mats)

• Bridges, 30 seconds
• Hip thrust, right leg up, 30 seconds
• Hip thrust, left leg up, 30 seconds
• Bridges, 30 seconds

Cooldown and Stretching

As I was writing this, my Fitbit weekly report came in. I should probably save it for tomorrow's blog post, but it's here now... so I'll at least post it. I may go into detail on it tomorrow though, so maybe this is just a teaser!

Click to embiggen!

FitBit weekly update!

I just got my FitBit weekly update in my email, and thought this would be a good time to share another one, and give more thoughts on my FitBit Force now that I've had it a few weeks. So, first, here's the update!

Woot, 3rd place on the leaderboard! Go me!

So, let's take a look at these numbers... Step count is down a little from the week I was on vacation, did a fun run, and walked all over Fairhope, Alabama. I can live with that. This obviously affects my mileage as well.

Then we get to 'Floors Climbed' and you'd think 'Holy crap, the man is a stair climbing machine! Look at those numbers! And a 34 floor day!' However, you'd be wrong. Here's the reality: I go up one flight of stairs in the parking garage, and 2 flights of stairs in my office. That's 3 a day. Many days I go down to the gym, so that's 2 more when I come back up. And most days at home I go down to the basement once or twice, so that's a couple more. My average day should be 5 or 6, and a good day should be 7-9. So what happened?

The EFX machine at work, when it is over level 10, and I'm going fast, credits me with a flight of stairs every 45-90 seconds. Apparently, with my arms on the handles, I'm going fast enough that the wind force hitting the sensor is triggering a pressure change and it gives me a flight of stairs credited. Oh well, there's nothing I can really do about it, so now my stairs climbed number is terribly suspect. I can live with it though.

Calories Burned/Calories In VS Out is interesting. And shockingly accurate, apparently. I have a deficit built in for 7000 calories, or two pounds. Then I burned an extra 9460 calories, on top of that. With those numbers I should have lost 4.7 lbs for the week... and I lost 4.6. How about that! This is still terribly suspect because it can't really take into account the water weight issue when I'm retaining water, but it's still neat to see the math work out so precisely this week.

The we have our sleep tracker, I'm doing well keeping that going and I really like seeing the averages. I should probably be getting to bed a little earlier.

Further FitBit Force Thoughts

Unfortunately, the FitBit Force has been discontinued due to issues with people having rashes. I've not had any symptoms yet, so I'm not recalling mine (yet, at least). The Force was the first FitBit that I felt replaced the Nike FuelBand, and I'm not willing to go back to my FuelBand, or switch FitBit products. I hope that I can keep the Force until they come out with a replacement for it that is even better.

For me, the FitBit Force is still 'almost perfect'. It is easier to wear than the FuelBand, the screen looks good, the features are excellent. I wish it were truly waterproof, but that would cost the stair counting feature. I would probably prefer a Force that was truly waterproof without that feature, but that's not an option, and I'm unwilling to lose the display and go to a Flex.

The band clasp is still strange, but it's pretty easy to realize if it is seated properly or not. I've only had the Force pop off my wrist once, when I caught the edge of it on a shopping cart. Other than that, it's been perfectly secure, and there is no sign of the clasp mechanism failing or wearing so far.

If you could still find these somewhere, I'd still recommend it. If you can deal with the FitBit One's form factor, it's the same device so that would be the health tracker I'd recommend if you don't need a wrist-based form. But until FitBit gets a replacement for the Force on the market, I think the other wrist-based trackers all need to mature a little more.

FitBit Weekly Update

As I continue to use my FitBit Force daily, I'm very impressed with the tracking, and I love my weekly stats that I'm getting. Here, take a look!

Click to embiggen!

So, let's take a look at all of this....

Total steps isn't bad. I need to make a little bit more effort here... I want a 10,000 step day! that's the problem with a job where I sit all day, though. Total distance, that's cool to see too.

Total floors climbed... this is where the FitBit is *actually* helping me get in better shape. I've stopped taking the elevator while I wear it, and I wear it all the time. 

Now we get into Calories burned, Calories in and out, and weight change. This is a lot of voodoo, but let's see what we've got going on here.

First, calories eaten, I know is close to accurate, since I track everything in MFP, and while I probably miss a few calories here and there, it should be relatively close. In addition, weight change should be accurate as well, since I track that every day in MFP. So this says I've lost 5.2 lbs and have a calorie deficit of 8741+7000, or 15,741 calories. Doing some basic math, that calorie deficit should have caused me to lose 4.5 lbs.

Well then. I've lost a bit more than expected. I know I am not eating less calories than I post, so one of two things could be the culprit. It could be I'm underestimating my BMR, or I'm underestimating my calorie burn in most exercises. However, I'm not planning on changing anything at this time, because with water weight, swelling, and all the rest that goes into things, one week of data is not enough to make any decisions. It is however an interesting piece of data.

But wait! I then go into my spreadsheet and take a look at the 7 day period that FitBit is tracking...

Click me! Click me!

Ok, FitBit is tracking everything pretty properly. I've got myself as a 5.1 lb loss over the same time frame, I'll chalk that up to weird rounding.

Finally we have the sleep tracking information. I think this is extremely interesting, to see how much I sleep and how quickly I start sleeping, but I also know that this is more voodoo based on moving while sleeping. I'll keep tracking it, but I'm uncertain how accurate it really is.

After a couple weeks, I have to say I'm a huge fan of the device. the way it integrates almost completely seamlessly with my phone and MFP makes it a perfect fitness tracker for me. And the information it's tracking seems to be surprisingly accurate!

Fitbit Force thoughts

I first started using a personal fitness tracker in December of 2012. My wife had just gotten a FitBit One, and I loved the concept, hated the form factor. At the time, the Nike+ FuelBand was the clear winner for me, with its techy styling. And, they promised an Android app later in the month.

My FitBit Force

 Well, fast forward 14 months and Nike still chooses to ignore the Android market, and FitBit finally made the device I wanted... a One, in a wrist-based form factor.

I've had it for 24 hours and so far I'm very happy with it. It syncs great with my phone, wirelessly. It automatically updates MFP and my Walgreen's Rewards apps. It has built in alarms and will buzz on my wrist, it tracks more than the FuelBand as well.

The wrist strap is a little finicky, but once you get it to click, it is solid. It was comfortable to sleep in as well, and tracked my sleep fairly accurately. I also like both the website and mobile app features.

Overall, I think that the FitBit Force is clearly the best fitness tracker for Android users, and while it's not perfect, It'll be good enough until the technology matures more.

Now I just need an app that will track my food for me without me having to type it in! 

Nike FuelBand vs Fitbit Force

I've been a user of the Nike FuelBand for well over a year. I am a big fan of its form factor and how it works in general... 

Unfortunately, the good people at Nike refuse to integrate the FuelBand with my Android phone, so I'm considering buying a Fitbit Force today. If the large fits my giant wrist, I'll buy it.

Nike is about to lose a customer due to their inability to get an Android app out in a reasonable time frame. When I purchased my Fuelband in December of 2012, an Android app was in development. Well, a year later and they still ignore me. So I'm out.

I looked at a few other bands... the Basis is really cool, but it's too early for me to adopt it. 

I'll post more about the Fitbit if I get it, but for now, I'm just a little sad that I'm considering giving up my Fuelband.  

UPDATE: Just picked up a Fitbit Force and have it set up and syncing with MFP. So far I like it.