About trainer

trainer · ‎12-21-2015

Here is an update to my original post. I have had an Ultra since 12/2011, no linux support and a hacked together work around that 'mostly' works (Ultra still going strong so there is still a HUGE need for linux support!!). Now I have a chargeHR and S T I L L no linux support (seriously?) so I do nothing directly on the computer regarding fitbit and my HR (I thought we lived in the 21st century...My android tablet can interact with my fitbit better than my linux machine). As someone said above, I no longer recommend fitbit to my clients. So, fitbit, you told me YEARS ago that you were glad I gave you the suggestion, are you actually going to act on that suggestion?

trainer · ‎07-12-2015

Check into things like what does she do before sleeping? what does she eat? Also, you share a room, is there something you are doing that might be an issue? She might have something like sleep apnea or allergies or light sensitivity or need more melatonin or... there are so many possibilities that the sleep study is really going to be your best idea. Most people with sleep issues are taught to keep a sleep journal (what they ate, what they did for 4 hours before sleep, how they felt, temp of room, etc) she might be old enough for this.

trainer · ‎07-12-2015

You can do this. Go into it with the idea that you can run for as long as you can and then walk. And then run a bit more and walk. Over and over. A 5k is definitely a doable race! 🙂

trainer · ‎06-06-2015

Have your personal trainer take your measurements (hips, waist, chest, etc) and then keep track of how these are changing. About every 6-8 weeks do another measurement session and compare. Do you notice your pants are getting too baggy? You might be building muscle mass and losing fat mass. Muscle is more dense than fat so it takes up more space but weighs more. Once you build up muscle mass your metabolism goes up and your weight will drop. I am a personal trainer and this is what works for my clients.

trainer · ‎05-31-2015

I try to keep it simple myself. I look at calories in vs calories out. I try to keep that ratio the same so that I always burn about 500 calories more than I eat. Regardless of any other piece of information, as long as I burn 500 calories more than I eat I am in a calorie deficit.

trainer · ‎05-31-2015

Try resetting your fitbit. Plug it into the charger, then hold the side button down until it shows v6.4 (it can take about 10 seconds) and then let it finish charging and force a sync.

trainer · ‎05-13-2015

It sometimes take time for the two sites to talk to each other. I don't know why this happens but eventually it all catches up.

trainer · ‎04-24-2015

As stated by the OP, fitbit is NOT aligned with most up to date data on movement. Micro activity bursts are the most beneficial. The CDC data you cite is outdated and incorrect. Those of us who hold degrees in fitness and follow health issues closely know that micro bursts of activity throughout the day have been proven to be most effective. Forcing someone to be active for 10 minutes minimum is counter to the most current data. Rather than babbling platitudes at us and expecting us to just follow like sheep, I suggest fitbit actually do current (not outdated) research and allow actual users to dictate how the device should work. Since your update I receive almost NO active minutes! The update has not made it easier for me to see progress, it has effectively stalled my ability to use fitbit as an activity tracker. As a trainer I am on the go all day, every day and the current update no longer tracks my movements in a functional way.

trainer · ‎04-17-2015

You are going to have to really increase your intensity to get your HR up simply because you are in such good shape. It is also going to drop very quickly once you slow down so it will be harder to capture your top HR. Finally, there have been several reports that the HR reading on the fitbit has trouble when you are really going all out. My suggestion is to find a chest strap monitor and use that to see what your HR is doing on a device that is very good at picking up true HR (polar makes an inexpensive one that is easy to find in most sports stores and is very reliable) and compare that to your fitbit. Finally, if you are still not able to get your HR very high check with a dr. Some meds and supplements can suppress your HR so that you really can't get it very high.

trainer · ‎04-14-2015

I'd try it both ways. First, wear your fitbit and do your activity. Sync and look at the data. Does it seem to represent what you did? Now go to your dashboard and manually log it (I think they give you 'martial arts' as an option to log) and compare the data. Which way looks more accurate? If you don't think the manually logged data makes sense, simply delete it and the original data will return. When I wore an Ultra (like a One, clipped on body) my kick boxing didn't record as enthusiastically as now, when I have a wrist worn charge HR.

trainer · ‎04-14-2015

Also remember that fitbit calls movement 'awake'. You go through sleep cycles about every 90 minutes and during the time of the lighter sleep it is normal to move around a bit more. Every time you move your fitbit logs this and then you get the restless or awake data, but sometimes 'awake' is simply more movement.

trainer · ‎03-29-2015

My husband and I experienced this just after our second child was born. Having a toddler and a newborn and no money was hugely difficult for me. We live in the middle of nowhere so I wasn't able to take advantage of anything local (no parks, no sidewalks, no neighbors, etc) and our newborn had medical issues. We kept cobra for this reason and reduced in any area possible. I was relegated to the 'stay at home' parent (a role I hated and wasn't planning on taking on) because daycare was no longer an option. My husband got a job after 7 months! What we did to stay in shape during the lay off was very much what you describe. We ate terribly and tried to get in as much walking as possible. Once he got his job it was about 1/2 pay of his previous job. Our only options at the time were lots of walking whenever we could fit it in, wild dance parties to music in the LR with the kids (watching a new walker trying to dance is definitely a great way to spend an evening!). My husband also had an hour lunch break and used it to walk/jog in good weather. In bad weather he did body weight exercises (plank/push up, crunches, squats, lunges) anything to get his HR up. It wasn't ideal, but it did allow him to be healthy enough. Finally, about 12 years later, he is in a higher paying job and I own my own business. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, just keep stepping.

trainer · ‎03-10-2015

Rather than focus on the scale, use your measurements. Get a tape measure and write down your chest, waist, hips, bicep and thigh measurements. Make sure you date the paper. Now, every month or so do the same thing. Regardless of what the scale says, if you are more active and eating healthy, you should see some change in how your clothes fit and what your measurements are.

trainer · ‎03-07-2015

Do some research into sleep cycles. We all cycle through different phases of sleep over and over all night. A cycle is about 90 minutes long and during that time we go from lightly asleep through REM (dreaming) into deep restorative sleep and back. It makes sense that at the lighter point in your cycle you would move a bit more as you are not as deeply asleep. As long as you are getting enough sleep (7-9 hours is considered ideal) and you feel like you are getting enough sleep I would assume this is normal for you.

trainer · ‎03-07-2015

I am also trying to figure this out. I would assume we could wear it on our ankles if there is some way to get it to fit tightly enough to read the HR. So far I'm putting it in my pocket and manually logging the activity, not ideal but at least I get calorie credit and it does pick up _some_ steps.

trainer · ‎03-06-2015

Your poor body is probably very confused! I'd say take your measurements and pay attention to them for awhile, esp. your waist. As you add lean mass and drop fat mass you will be denser (muscle is more dense than fat) so you will lose inches but not lose weight. Once you gain enough muscle your metabolism will increase enough that you will lose fat however. So, for now get active! Move, dance, walk, take classe, learn a new activity, get busy! Stop worrying about the scale and just move. Pay attention to your measurements and keep eating healthy. You will start to drop in weight once your body realizes you aren't going to binge/yo yo any more.

trainer · ‎03-02-2015

It is possible to edit your sleep log on the dashboard. I use a laptop for this, not the app. On your dashboard, go to the top of the page where it says 'log' select sleep and scroll down to where you see the graph of your sleep. Hover on the graph and on the right hand side of that square there will be a gray paper/pen icon indicating you can edit the log. Click and edit as you like. Fitbit will adjust all your data accordingly.

trainer · ‎02-28-2015

Im a trainer so I might be able to help you. First, you need to learn good form in lifting. You might want to work with a trainer for a few sessions to learn how to lift heavy safely. Second, muscle building needs fuel and that means very high quality protein. You will need to find what works best for your individual body/genetics, but basically you are going to need a minimum of 20g of really clean protein spread out in 4-5 'meals' about 2 hours apart. Whey protein has been chosen through research as the least expensive, most efficient protein IF you can handle it (it upsets some stomachs). You need to have a schedule for lifting that gives you enough rest (lift Monday, rest Tues and Wed, for example) You need to learn which exercises work for upper pull muscles, upper push muscles, lower, etc. None of this is complicated but this is the most efficient way to bulk up and keep your form/shape so you look good while getting bigger. And of course don't forget you also need to be eating veggies and fruit and complex carbs 🙂

trainer · ‎02-28-2015

You can go to that friend's profile and, if they have allowed you access, see what they are doing for the day.

trainer · ‎02-26-2015

I am a personal trainer. I have a client who was on synthroid and then stopped it to go on natural supplements. She is under the care of a specialist (a doctor that uses natural remedies before going to traditional western meds) so she did NOT just stop the med on her own. I encourage you to find a doctor that will listen to you and try other options. it might be that you need to be on the synthroid, or there might be a natural option that will work for you. My client does very well on supplements and natural remedies, but they are expensive and not all are covered by insurance.

trainer · ‎02-22-2015

And on the flip side, some people really do just sleep a lot. I have a very active busy life. I take no meds. For as long as I can remember, I lay down and am asleep in less than 5 minutes every night. My fitbit backs this up. I wake up maybe once a night to go to the bathroom and have 94-98% sleep per fitbit every night. I happily sleep 12 hours if I can, otherwise I sleep 7 hours. I am good with either amount but prefer the 12 hours. I've slept this way my whole life and have never thought there was was anything wrong with me. My dad slept this way as well and my mom used to always tease us that our sleep was clearly genetic as no one else in the family slept like this (they are all early risers and complain constantly about insomnia). My fitbit shows that I move around while asleep (restless) about every hour, with much longer stretches of not moving at all happening toward the end of my sleep (the last 2-3 hours). My dr says as long as I feel rested and I perceive my sleep as normal I am fine.

trainer · ‎02-22-2015

Just to add more information to all of this, cardio machines can be off by 20% easily each time you use them. Things like: how old is the machine, how often is it maintained, how many people use it, is it a high quality machine or low, all go into the equation. I work in a gym and I have seen machines off by over 20% over the course of the day or even within the same workout/same client. I never use the machine information for my clients! Most accurate is a chest strap HRM, next is a device that knows your personal stats (like a fitbit) that is worn on your torso, third is a wrist device (like fitbit) that knows your personal stats (they are less reliable because they get confused by things like holding onto the handrail, although the new fitbits that also measure HR seem to be pretty reliable (I have no personal experience with those yet). So, I'd say make sure your information in your fitbit profile is accurate for you personally and then go by what it says over time. Any given session might be a bit off but over time you will have a pretty accurate average to rely on. That is how I use mine, I pay attention to weekly averages.

trainer · ‎02-21-2015

I personally would wear the device and not track anything at all for the first time. Then sync and check how your fitbit records each activity. For example, it is most likely going to record your cardio just fine. It might not record your weight lifting (depending on how/what you do). Next, sync and then check the dashboard. You can then manually record an activity and compare how the fitbit said you did from the manual log. If you end up agreeing that the fitbit did a good job on its own you can simply delete the manual recording and go back to what the fitbit said on its own. If you think the manual recording makes more sense you will know for the future.

trainer · ‎02-15-2015

I don't think we can compare calories in across people. Your metabolism changes over time so what is right for a 25 year old very active male is going to be VERY different for a 60 year old post menopausal sedentary woman. Consider your BMR (basal metabolic rate). If your BMR is 2,000 and mine is 1200, we are going to automatically start out on different paths. So it doesn't really mean anything to compare calories eaten unless you control for all the variables.

trainer · ‎02-12-2015

You can get the premium for free for a trial period (I think a week or two). Just grab that and try it out with your own data. There is a lot that it gives you, much more than one screen shot's worth 🙂

trainer · ‎01-31-2015

I only know how to do this from a computer. Go to your dashboard, look on the left side there is a circle with 9 small squares in a circle. Click this and it will show you tile options to add to your dashboard. Maybe your tile got accidentally moved over to there?

trainer · ‎01-26-2015

I"m big on just plain food. Raw veggies, raw fruit, pressure cooked dried beans, unsalted raw nuts, just plain food with nothing fancy on it and minimally done to it.

trainer · ‎01-01-2015

I think fitbit is giving us several ways to think of this. You pick which one makes most sense to you. I personally only pay attention to calories in/calories out. I intentionally plan to end up about 700 calories negative at the end of the day. Thoughout the day I check to make sure I am moving enough to stay ahead of my intake and I adjust my intake to stay 700 behind my activity.

trainer · ‎12-29-2014

Some of it depends on your time and storage space. I make big pots of dried beans, add veggies, sometimes quinoa and freeze it in individual portion sizes. I can also make big pots of veg soup and add to it as I eat it. Potatoes are also very nutritious if you are careful with what you put on top of them. I bake a potato, add steamed or sauted veggies, maybe some salsa for a kick and add in a protein to make a complete meal (I'm veg so my proteins would be beans, tofu, seitan, quinoa, etc). My way of doing it takes up a lot of storage space so you have to have a good sized freezer.

trainer · ‎12-22-2014

Our solstic dinner is always nice and filling. This year: homemade bean soup, vegan stuffing and mushroom gravy, a corn casserole my son loves (and makes!), and a never before tried mushroom/green bean dish. We do traditional US food on T'giving and give in to our 'wild' side at the end of the year 🙂

trainer · ‎12-07-2014

Overall I don't see a problem in wearing your flex during cricket. It shouldn't be any different from wearing it during a football match. However, it is relatively easy for the actual flex to come out of its holder and THAT is what I would worry about. If you slid on your wrist and twisted the band it could come off or rip or the flex could pop out. I would be worried about any wrist device (watch, bracelet) in this respect. I am trying to think of an alternative. If you have pockets you could safety pin the band into your pocket. You might be better just manually logging the activity and not wearing your flex. This is sad as cricket is the type of activity the flex does very well tracking, but then you would be sure to get credit for the workout without risking damage or loss. I'm not sure what I would do... maybe experiment with different ways to carry the flex and see what results you get? There are wrist bands that are designed to carry an mp3 player or phone while you are jogging. You could put the flex in one of those and at least know you wouldn't damage the band or lose the actual device.

trainer · ‎12-05-2014

I also think a trip to the doctor is in order. You can have tests done to measure your cortisol. You can also talk to a medical professional about your diet to see if you are in fact reacting to some food. For example there is a fad called 'wheat belly'. If you are bloating in response to some food you are allergic to or sensitive to, you might get this type of reaction. Only medical tests should be done to determine if this is the case as there are other reasons you could be reacting this way and they could be more serious.

trainer · ‎11-29-2014

The numbers fitbit will give you depend on how you have set your account. If you have set it to lose 2lb a week you will need to have a weekly deficit of 7000 calories. This means 1,000 calorie deficit a day. If you want to lose 1lb a week, your deficit will be 500 a day. How you get this deficit is up to you. If you eat 1500 calories a day and burn 2500 calories a day you are set to lose 2lb a week. Remember that burning calories don't have to be all step related. You can go home at night and dance to a dvd. Or do an exercise video or join a gym or... And also remember that weight loss is rarely an even decline over time. Most people lose in fits and starts. You lose 2lb then lose nothing, then lose 3lb then gain 1lb (gulp) then lose 3 more lbs then nothing, then lose another 1lb and so on. Just take it slow and be consistent. Make healthy choices with your eating and try to increase your activity each day (again, it doesn't have to be step based) a little bit so you can keep it up without hurting yourself or getting overwhelmed. Before you know it you will be 20lb down and totally addicted! *wicked grin*

trainer · ‎11-26-2014

To answer your question directly, there is no specific number of steps that will get you to lose weight. it is based on individual needs. If you are a sedentary person and you suddenly go from 800 to 5000 steps, you will lose weight. If you walk 10,000 steps and go to jogging 10,000 steps, you will lose weight. To lose weight you have to use up more calories then you eat. If your body is used to walking 10,000 steps each day and eating 12-14,000 calories each day you are at a plateau and won't gain or lose. You have to either eat fewer calories or do more activity. Add a 1/2 hour of strength training or take a class at a rec center that gets your heart rate up. Change the pace of your walking so that you still do 10,000 steps but they are faster or there are more hills. Eating fewer then 12,000 calories might not be a good idea so it is probably best to keep your intake the same but add activities.

trainer · ‎11-18-2014

Good idea. Using the fitbit as a way to collect data makes the most sense to me. I originally used mine to notice when I was active, when I wasn't. Then I could choose to make changes that fit into my life easily.

trainer · ‎11-17-2014

I'm curious why you think 'sensitive' is a better option for your sleep log? I would think that logging regular sleep would give you a good indication of when you are asleep vs awake, based on what you said. Yes, the red bars indicate restless vs awake. Starting and stopping the tracker during the night is potentially just going to give you confused data if/when you forget. I personally use the regular setting, lay down in bed, push the button and then forget the device until I get out of bed in the morning. I am able to see what times during the night I am more restless/awake and which times during the night I am sound asleep. If I get up during the night it registers this as awake and I am docked sleep minutes as expected. But I never have to remember to turn things on/off. Remember, the tracker is trying to give you a full picture of your life, so the idea that you are restless, get up, sleep soundly, whatever is all part of the big picture.

trainer · ‎11-08-2014

Sounds like you have tried all the obvious things. I assume you have seen a dr? What about orthodics for your shoes? What about your shoes, have you talked to a professional sports shoe place? I have never personally suffered from this, but people I know who have swear by simple things like ALWAYS stretching multiple times a day, wearing proper shoes for your feet, icing as soon as there is even the least bit of tightness.

trainer · ‎11-04-2014

This is interesting. I have noticed in the past few days that something seems different with my sleep tracking. I have the ultra. I've used the same device every night for years. My sleep is rock solid consistent. Starting maybe 3 nights ago I notice it suddenly says I am restless A LOT more than usual. I am a good sleeper and average something like 96% sleep with one 'awake' and maybe 7 'restless' a night. As of a few nights ago I am now in the 80s% and my 'awake' is crazy, like awake 17 times and restless 33. I know this isn't right. Given that the ultra and the one are basically the same device, I wonder if they aren't making changes to the sleep log.

trainer · ‎11-02-2014

The One should work well. I have the Ultra (older version of One) and it tracks steps perfectly on ellipticals, gazelles, treadmills. As long as you are standing up and moving your body rhythmically the Ultra seems to figure it out pretty well. It also counts 'steps' on a rower (which is just odd *grin*) but not on a bike. I wear it on my bra strap, btw.

trainer · ‎10-28-2014

There are two different types of calories burned tracked on your fitbit. One is the amount you need to eat for the whole day and it is based on your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and your activity throughout the day and whatever you set in terms of maintenance vs losing weight. This changes as you eat and move. There is also a tile that shows what you have burned so far today. This changes as you are active. The tile that is assuming you are going to burn x calories all day and are allowed to eat y calories is the one you are probably noticing. Fitbit made an assumption that as the day went on you were going to burn so many calories so it was giving you an amount as a target. At the end of the day you fell short of that assumption. I find this tile to be the most frustrating and I rarely pay attention to it. _I_ look at calories in vs calories out only and keep the one always higher than the other by at least 500. So, I can decide to slack off at the end of the day and it will still be under. Or i can look and realize it is creeping up and I'll jump up and start running around the LR like a crazy person (entertains my family this way *grin*) but at the end of the day when I go to sleep I know I will always be at least 500 deficit.

Not finding your answer on the Community Forums?

About trainer

Community Badges