I got a Fitbit Force for Christmas, and that has honestly made a huge difference in the way I’m viewing my journey this time around. I’d previously used a BodyMedia Fit and, while I loved all of the data it provided me, I didn’t love the bulkiness of the armband. I also perceive the two devices as functioning slightly differently, which has also adjusted my expectations this time around.
I always viewed the BodyMedia Fit as a device that would tell me how many calories I’m actually burning throughout the day. While it did count my steps, I never paid much attention to that bit of data. I focused instead on the number of minutes I was active + the calories I was burning.
With the Fitbit, my primary focus is the number of steps I take in a day. To reach my goal, I do have to go to the gym but it’s not the calories that I’m monitoring – it’s the steps. I can still see an estimation of my calories burned and the number of minutes I was active, but my focus has shifted with this tool.
And that shift has made a world of difference.
- It’s quantifiable. I know exactly what I need to do to reach that goal everyday. 1 step = 1 step. Previously, the activities I did were usually a shot in the dark to hit the calorie burn goal because who really knows how many calories 30 minutes on the treadmill burns?
- Smaller goals make me less crazy. While I do weigh every day (and of course I have goal weights in mind to target), I’m not constantly looking towards some date in the future with a number beside it. I have a daily goal (7,000 steps). If I do the work required for me to meet that goal (in addition to watching my diet) then I don’t have to worry about that future goal because it can’t not happen. Eventually, that 7k goal will be increased to 8k and so on and so forth.
I saw results in January.
And one of my favorite things about Fitbit is that it sends me a weekly progress report telling me how I’m doing. I get it on Tuesdays, so the weight number isn’t always the same number I count on my official weigh-in days – but it still gives me a snapshot of how I’m doing.
While I don’t use any of these as my “official” number because it comes on the wrong day, it still helps me stay on track. I especially pay attention to my average daily steps. That number should never be lower than it was the week before (barring illness).
And so far? It’s working. This little armband is helping keep me motivated to get up and move – because I’ve been lazy for way too long.
Becoming Mandi Kaye 