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My two cents: just start eating better and getting more active. Then worry about gadgets that make it more interesting and fun.
I would think that making it interesting and fun at the beginning would increase the OP's chances at success.
OP-I have a Fitbit Charge HR. I have had it for a few weeks. It was easy to set up and it syncs with my phone and my computer. It cost $149 and seems to be the same price everywhere. I had a coupon for $10 off at BestBuy so I bought it there because it was the only place I could get any sort of discount.
I don't think the food database is very good but you can use the free one at Myfitnesspal.com and sync it to your Fitbit account.
I like having the heart rate data. I also love to see the charts and graphs. If you really like charts and graphs it can make the exercise part of your life more fun. It has made me hyper-aware of my activity level. You can also go on the Fitbit website and join different challenges. You can challenge your friends to little competitions. I haven't done that yet but I am thinking about it.
The Fitbit is a toy. I like mine. It makes fitness more fun for me.
How is that possible? Most everyone I know has their phone with them during their runs/workouts. Only time they dont is during actual races.
I do my daily runs here in my city and EVERYONE has their phones with them. When going out with running groups, EVERYONE has their phone. Going to the gym? Same thing, EVERYONE is with their phone. They are not talking on the phone, but they have it with ear buds and music and/or workout apps tracking what they do.
Could this possibly be just a Los Angeles thing where most everyone who exercises/runs have their phones with them? Possibly. But I rarely if ever see anyone out and about on my usual runs or gym visits without their phone. Only time is during crossfit workouts at crossfit gyms. Other than that, people have their phones with them not "miles away".
I never have my phone with me when I run outside and I always leave it in the car when I head into the gym. I tried using it but it's just too big to strap on my arm and I'm not particularly fond of having it strapped to my body anyway. I wear a heart rate monitor for workouts and that's been enough for me.
I feel like I'm always "tuned in", so for the hour or so that I work out, I tune out and leave the phone behind.
My two cents: just start eating better and getting more active. Then worry about gadgets that make it more interesting and fun.
That's a lot easier when you actually know how many calories you burn. When I got mine, I found out that I burn a lot more calories than I thought I did. I'm having a lot more success losing weight now that I'm eating MORE. I've never thought of myself as particularly active but it turns out I walk more than 10,000 steps in a typical work day. No wonder I'm hungry all the time on a traditional diet.
How is that possible? Most everyone I know has their phone with them during their runs/workouts. Only time they dont is during actual races.
Not all of us feel lost without a cell phone in our pocket 24/7, and I don't especially like having a $600 brick bouncing around in my pocket, nor do I like how fragile modern phones are. Even in an Otterbox, I'm on my 3rd Galaxy Note screen from drops, and 2nd phone from landing on it once in a fall. Sure, I could take further measures to protect it better, but I find it far easier just to leave it in the truck or at home.
I'm also one of those freaks that goes outside to enjoy being outside, and having the occasional conversation with people I meet along the way...not to shut it out with headphones in.
I have never been a fan of gadgets like fitbits and the like. For one, those things can be horribly inaccurate in terms of trying to track cals consumed and/or cals burned. It may sometimes get you in the ballpark, but its not accurate enough IMO to really make a difference.
Secondly, its more important to start eating better. Eliminate sugars, breads, processed foods etc. from your diet and you really wont need to pay such super strict attention to number of calories you take in/burn. Its kind of a "cant see the forest because of all the trees" type thing. People tend to be so super laser like focused on calories, that they neglect to focus on where those calories come from and how it plays into an overall proper eating program. Kinda like "oh, its okay to eat this Burger King burger as long as I stay under my caloric intake for the day" and this is horribly horribly wrong bad to do. This is why learning how to eat healthier (not just "better") is super important.
Thirdly, the cost for many of those devices is just ridiculous - $90.00 to $150.00 is absurd. Almost everyone in the world has a cell phone, so take advantage of many of the FREE or low cost (as in $2.00 - $5.00) apps you can download that do the same thing(s) as a fitbit type device, usually BETTER.
Finally, I just cannot emphasize enough how important it is the educate yourselves on proper nutrition. This will last you much longer than a fitness gadget, and you'll really start to realize that as you get smarter, you wont have any need for such devices.
Dont waste money on buying those things. Learn proper nutrition, learn how to apply it in your daily lives, and exercise daily.
I couldn't agree more. OP, you're 35 and diabetic. This should be a major wake up call for you. If you are going to successfully turn this around, one of the first things you are going to have to learn is that not all calories are the same. Two hundred calories of Twinky has a different effect on your body than 200 calories of beet. You need to start giving your body quality nutrients to work with and quit giving it toxins. Doing this will have a much greater impact on your future than buying a gadget to monitor how many feet you walk in a day.
I don't do gadgets. they complicate things and add more time to working out. I am in already good shape so whats the point? fatbits are for fat people trying to lose weight. the only thing I will use sometimes is a cheap pedometer.
Just like 99% of the threads in this subforum, a bunch of holier-than-thou attitudes. I'm surprised no one has started going on and on about how much they can bench or how many kipping pullups they can do in 7 seconds yet. Thankfully there are some good posts here as well. OP, listen to Momma Bear:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momma_bear
The Fitbit is a toy. I like mine. It makes fitness more fun for me.
It is absolutely a toy. Who cares if it's not some ultra-accurate calorie expenditure gauge? In some models the steps are only 95% accurate. Who cares?? It's a toy and it makes fitness more fun for many people. I have several friends who, regardless of the physical shape they were in before getting a fitbit, now go to the gym every day. It's all in good fun and the challenges have been enough of a kick in the pants to start an exercise regimen.
I've worn one for a while now (I got it as a freebie ages ago) and it was a serious wake up call for how sedentary my desk job was. I'd often leave work after a full day with less than 3k steps. So I'd go to the gym after work and spend 4+ miles on the treadmill instead of the usual 3. I don't care if my steps are 5% inaccurate or the calorie expenditure isn't all that great, but it still makes fitness more fun and I'm all about that.
I do wish the site had more capability for exercise tracking, but I'm an engineer so I'd be more interested in manipulating the stats than most.
Just like 99% of the threads in this subforum, a bunch of holier-than-thou attitudes. I'm surprised no one has started going on and on about how much they can bench or how many kipping pullups they can do in 7 seconds yet. Thankfully there are some good posts here as well. OP, listen to Momma Bear:
I'm glad I'm not the only one that saw it, lol. It's like hell...I've already gotten the lecture from my doctor, from my Dad who's diabetic, and my Mom who told me all about the misery my Uncle went through from not taking care of himself. Frankly, I don't need it from a bunch of people that think they know my exact situation based on a couple posts, nor do I really care about whether it should be a wake up call or not. Honestly, if it wasn't for feeling tired all the time, I would have happily continued on devouring entire pizzas in one sitting and been a perfectly happy clam, lol.
Quote:
It is absolutely a toy. Who cares if it's not some ultra-accurate calorie expenditure gauge? In some models the steps are only 95% accurate. Who cares?? It's a toy and it makes fitness more fun for many people. I have several friends who, regardless of the physical shape they were in before getting a fitbit, now go to the gym every day. It's all in good fun and the challenges have been enough of a kick in the pants to start an exercise regimen.
Funny thing here...the suggestion to use my phone...I've already tried that, and found the other day that I somehow clicked off roughly 40,000 steps. Turned out it was counting part of my drive time as "walking", probably because I drive a 1961 truck that rides like it has no suspension. Hardly what I would consider accurate, and if that's better than the gadgets, I don't see how they would be able to keep selling them, lol.
I'm a bit of an engineering/tech/science guy myself, and I just like seeing stats, and trends, for this kind of stuff. It seems like it would make it easier to collect such information, and I like things like the continuous HRM on some of them, and the pedometer. Since, as I mentioned earlier, even when I have my phone "with me", it's usually not "on me". I've also seen some of them have sleep tracker stuff built into them, which again, my phone isn't with me in bed, lol. Usually it's not even in the same room as me...I don't have an overwhelming need to check my Facebook first time in the morning before even getting out of bed, which apparently is quite common these days.
But really, I was looking for the long term stuff, as there's been many times that I've bought something that seems absolutely awesome for the 1st week or two, but 6 months down the road it's worn off, and I virtually never touch it again.
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Miles away from you??!! Who in the 2000's does that???!!! 
