If you’re looking to lose weight in a controlled way a fitness tracker can be a really great idea.
There are about 45.000 trackers available and that’s only on Amazon! so deciding which tracker is the best to buy is a hardcore choice. As well depending on your needs, the trackers are going to be a different suit that’s why it’s important to find the tracker that performs best for your individual needs.
To understand what was the best weight loss tracker on the market we talk with people that actually lose weight with the trackers as well we review each of them to have a better comprehension of the trackers and why are the best choice on the market today.
Check ’em out!
Fitness Tracker to Weight Loss Review
If well there’s a lot of trackers out there we review the best ones to lose weight, we also add personalized histories of people that actually lose weight with this trackers so you can understand why these smartwatches are the best for your weight loss journey.
Garmin Vivofit 2
The VÍVOFIT 2 is our first pick and is not only a great choice to help you lose weight but is also a budget-friendly tracker costing just $59.97
When it comes to activity tracking the Vívofit 2 comes with the same features as the first model but in terms of losing weight this tracker can count your daily steps, the distance walked, the calories that you burn as well have a track of your sleep.
Just like any other ANT+/ Bluetooth tracker, it can be paired with heart rate monitor for bpm-based training.
Another great feature to lose weight is that the tracker will automatically set your daily goals based on your recent activity. So it will not be set up for daily 10,000 steps, and you are going to be looking at a countdown during the day to know how many steps you did that day, instead, you are going to have different goals depending on your own body and progress, making more organic the way you lose weight.
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In terms of Calorie counting, the tracker uses an algorithm based on your personal stats combined with your activity, and distance recording is estimated using a calculation from the accelerometer.
The tracker also has the Move Bar feature that comes with every Garmin smartwatch, that will encourage you to make more movement. After one hour of sitting on your backside, the Vívofit 2 will give you an audio alert and it will display a red move bar that gradually builds, making you feel pretty lazy giving you reasons to move around. You will need to get up and walk for a couple of minutes to reset the tracker
As we said at the beginning the tracker comes with the sleep tracker feature but in reality it will simply track your levels of movement in the night, rather than providing periods of REM, As well another downside is that you need to press and hold the band’s button to tell the tracker when you’re going to bed. Not ideal if you like nodding off in front of the TV.
How Jane use the VivoFit2 to lose weight :
Jane gained almost 30 pounds in the first year she was working on a pizzeria. She says that it was working 6 days a week and eating pizzas every day at least 3 slices every work day. For her New Year’s resolution on 2017, she decides to lose weight. She started to take her own food to work having chicken and vegetable at least 4 days a week and replacing one meal every 2 days with a green juice. She also start to use the Garmin vívofit 2 to really have a track of the calories she was losing and how much of a workout she was getting.
Once she begins to have a track of the calories that she was spending Jane understood the proper amount that she will need to have a regular day without loosing the energy to work, she also realized that during her shift on the pizzeria she was burning a few calories by being in a hot place moving around.
Prefered weight-loss feature: The tracker is intuitive meaning that it learns your activity level and then sets new goals for you each day. “It was like I didn’t want to let my smartwatch down when it set a new goal for me,” Jane says. “I was walking even when I didn’t have anything to do at work just to reach my step goal.”
TomTom Spark 3 Cardio +Music
This weight loss tracker is the updated version of the impressive TomTom Spark, used to be a newcomer to the tracker industry but that is in the past, now the TomTom Spark 3 comes stronger than ever, with amazing features and a great design that not only will help you lose weight but it also will look good on your wrist.
Some of the features at a glance are: in addition to the GPS a Route Exploration capability, all day long activity tracking that is available for multiple sports, heart rate tracking and music streaming via Bluetooth headphones without the need of having to carry a phone with you!.
In terms of losing weight features, this tracker can track accurately your steps, calories, distance covered and active minutes by just pressing the left button and you can measure this statistic by day or week. There’s also activity and sleep tracking and you have the option of 7 different sports mode so you can get the best metrics from the smartwatch.
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Focusing on losing weight the TomTom Spark 3 can accurately track your outdoor running, treadmill running, swimming and gym modes as well. When it comes to running statistics the tracker is an incredible performer by using the quick GPS signal will retrieve all your data in one minute. Another advantage of this tracker is that is very easy to set up and get out running.
A downside that we found is that the tracker doesn’t offer a workout summary without the need of having to jump into tracking mode again. And in case that the battery is low and you’re only using it in watch mode you are not able to check in on your last run.
When compared with the first models the Spark 3 is so much better when it comes to treadmill run tracking. It’s still accelerometer, we put it to the test on runs and we find out that is a lot more consistent with tracking distance covered on the treadmill instead of the regular runs. If you would like to take it for a swim is really accurate you only need to put it on the swim mode and configure the pool size.
How Carol use the TomTom Spark 3 to lose weight :
Carol said that she didn’t understand all the hype about the fitness trackers. After she was on 3 marathons in 2016 she decided to start training for a full triathlon. She got as a gift from her mom the new TomTom Spark 3, she uses it in the pool to track her swimming sessions as well her runs and her cycling training statistic. She’s now hooked on her fitness tracker. Over the last 4 months, she’s lost 20 pounds and gained muscle as well.
Prefered weight-loss feature: She loves to work out while listening to music which Carol says pushes her through workouts, so by being able to store up to 500 songs she could get the best from her training sessions. The smartwatch is also smaller than the cell phone that she was used to carrying with. “The built-in music player is making it for those days that I don’t feel like working out” Carol says. “I actually trick myself and only listen to my favorite songs when I’m exercising.”
Fitbit Blaze
Fitbit says that The Blaze is the best friend for the fitness lovers a tracker that is great for the gym as well to track your pace and calories!
For losing weight the Blaze can as we said track your steps, the calories that you burned, as well the stairs climbed, the time that you were active, and will give you data about your heart rate.
In terms of sleep, it can track both your sleep stages and quality of sleep. Another great feature is that you have several sports modes to choose from, which will track particular exercises using the built-in heart rate monitor, and act as a running watch, but you will need to have your smartphone to use the GPS from it.
Let’s be honest here is a real downside the fact that to be able to use the Fitbit’s ConnectedGPS feature you will need to strap on your smartphone when it’s time for a run.
On the right side, the Blaze comes with the FitStar feature that will provide you with three guided sessions that appear on the watch: warm up/down, 7 Minute Workout and 10 Minute Abs.
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Another cool feature is the Relax guided breathing one, that’s comes with 2 different modes: 2 min’s breathing and 5 min’s breathing. Each one tries to gauge your breathing and tailors guided breathing to your breath.
The Blaze comes with dedicated modes for running, treadmill, cycling, weights, elliptical and open workout. And just like the Charge 2, the Blaze will automatically recognize exercise and track it automatically.
The Bike and Run modes will need Connected GPS to report distance, pace, and all the data that you will need, while the other features will just monitor your heart rate and workout time to give you the accurate data that you need.
How Deb use the Fitbit Blaze to lose weight :
Deb lost 25 pounds about five years ago without the need of a smartwatch. But in mid-2016 she started to use the Blaze, roughly a year in a half later she lost another 35 pounds with the help of the running and boot camp workouts modes.
She credits her smartwatch for helping her keep the weight off since she was able to keep tabs on her steps and calories burned. Deb also compete in a healthy way with her husband and a close friend to see who can log the most steps each day.
Prefered weight-loss feature:“The reminders to move around every hour and hit 250 steps keeps me from sitting at my desk all day,” Deb also said that the “stair flights” tracker motivates her to take the stairs instead of the elevator. “Checking at my ‘calories burned’ motivates me to do more activity to drive that number up”.
Timex Ironman Move x20
Another affordable weight loss tracker is the Ironman Move x20. While it tracks your all-day steps, distance, and calories, the workout mode will get the most accurate data on your exercise sessions and will track the calories that you spend on each step that you make
Through a Bluetooth connection to the Timex phone app, texts and calls are displayed on your wrist, along with the time, date, and even the weather report.
The sleep mode on this tracker is pretty unique since it will track in separates way depending on “deep sleep,” “light sleep,” and “awake time.”
The Ironman Move x20 features 3D accelerometer technology. The display will show your steps, calories, distance, as well the time, day, and date.
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The tracker connects with the free Timex phone app (which is compatible with Android and iOS) to show caller ID and SMS as well your statistics all on the screen display. Another cool feature is that you can use the ‘Find Phone’ mode that will activate an audible alert on your smartphone. The band offers goal completion alerts, can hold 30 days of daily data, 30 workout files, and 10 days of sleep data.
We used the band with the Move X20 iOS app. The setup process is pretty simple; you just need to turn Bluetooth on and initiate pairing by long pressing the Home button on the band, set up a profile by entering your vital statistics and create an account. You can also set a daily goal based on this information.
The Move x20 is powered by a rechargeable battery and offers battery backup for 7 days. We used for a week and it lasts the 7 days without the need of a charge.
How Heather use the Ironman Move x20 to lose weight :
Heather is a dentist on Atlanta while she was at the university she gain almost 30 pounds that she couldn’t lose for a few years. When she was more established in her practice she felt that that weight was starting to get on her way. She tried to lose the weight by taking spinning classes, she lost 8 pounds in the first month but she couldn’t know which week was the best for her. So she bought the Ironman Move x20 and start to track the different weeks and how many calories she lose in the different weeks.
She understood while she was working all day and then working out the weight loss was less than when she was well rested. So she started to do classes only on the days she was free ( 3 days a week) having the best routine for her schedule and body.
Prefered weight-loss feature:“The understanding of my sleep patterns was key to understand my daily routine better and when I could get my sleep patterns in order, I felt more motivated and energetic to get over my days”.
How to use a tracker to lose weight
Let’s be honest here just by buying a smartwatch you are not going to lose your weight overnight so here we leave you some tips to use your tracker and successfully lose weight
Most activity trackers offer some support for those trying to lose weight. They know the more important concept to lose weight the calories that you burn must be greater than the calories you eat.
And then they provide an estimate of calories burned (based on height, weight, gender, and measured activity) and some way to track calories eaten (whether in the native app or website itself or via a third party app that connects to it). And, the mere act of tracking your activity can be enough to motivate you (or shame you!) to exercise more.
But People are different they have different ways to deal with things, as well each body has a different metabolism. And is not the same to try to lose 20 pounds that trying to lose 200. So we talk with a few doctors and trainers to find out the best way to lose weight while using your tracker
Start with 5,000 steps
Just about any smartwatch also is a pedometer and they come built with a 10,000 steps for day target. When you exercise your body produces different chemical processes like lactic acid or the improvement of your insulin sensitivity that will measure how effective your body is at when processing the excess of glucose in your blood.
For those that have a sedentary life, is common to have a tendency to get progressively worse at dealing with the glucose in your blood, the body will have to produce far too much insulin in the process and, if things get serious, you’ll develop type II diabetes wich it could be really dangerous for your health. That’s when the 10,000 steps a day comes handy studies have shown that you’ll improve your IS threefold. That’s why they come up with this number on the trackers.
But if you can manage at least 5,000 steps each day, which is more achievable, the impact will massively improve your insulin sensitivity and your ability to deal with carbohydrates on your metabolism. So long as you are able to make 5,000 steps a day you are going to be able to improve your health and begin to lose weight.
Learn to resist
Putting your goals in order and start to accomplish them is the first step in a successful weight loss programme. The second one it needs to be pairing that up with a regular resistance workout training to see those pounds dropping in a real way. So what is exactly a resistance workout and how you can use your smartwatch to help you track and achieve your resistance goals?
The basics of a resistance workout (and yes you need to hit the gym to do this workout) are using your muscles to work against an opposing force. Depending on your strength your opposing force could be gravity itself, at least on a beginning stage, so you can get the real and entire movements from the exercises. As well a resistance routine goes from 8 to 15 repetitions so normally you would start with a basic weight.
To get a real result you need at least to go to the gym 3 times a week and practice a resistance workout. At the beginning of the workout do your 10.000 steps on the treadmill and then work out for about 40 min.
Of course, you need to keep track of your results and check how you evolve every 2 weeks and have in mind how you evolved during the different weeks
Dietary details
This is pretty straightforward. If you change your dietary habits you are going to lose weight without a doubt.
While consuming fewer calories is important shifting the types of food you’re consuming at each meal is also a big deal.
At first, changing the most carbohydrates in your diet for proteins and good fats is a good way to lose weight at the beginning. When you start to get leaner that’s when tracking calories makes a difference. If you start to keep track of your statistics at the beginning without a proper diet you are gonna get depressed real soon cause the effects are going to take some time. You want to have your hopes up instead of beating your self. So for the beginning start with the workout and have a proper diet that is going to make the biggest difference.
You can also replace one of your foods of the day for a Detox juice or green Juice where you can felt fulfill with a great juice that is healthy and doesn’t add too many calories to your diet.
Then you can start with the MyFitnessPal app that is today a standard of nutrition tracking. With the service tied in with so many of the smartwatches available on the market and the ones that we talk prior on this post. The app will give you a formal panorama of the balance of your diet as well as your calorie intake.
Keep moving
Most of the trackers available as well the one that we mentioned before come with the inactivity monitor feature that will tell you when you are for more than one hour without moving to avoid sedentarism.
This is key to get those pounds off of your system. Try to get some move every hour or two. You don’t need to go a long way. Just walk over and talk to someone instead of being in front of the tv or computer. Getting up and move around is a great way to keep you active, to lose weight as well and by making it a habit tends to help with your concentration as well.
Watch your Hydration
As you can track your calories you can do the same for your water intake by using the latest mobile apps. You can make a real difference in your weight as well by keeping track of your hydration. Try to get at least 1 to 1.5 liters a day and for better results try to go as far as 3 liters per day.
The consumption of water will help you to control calories since will put a stop to those sweets treats that you might go for in the middle of the day. As well will help you to prevent unnecessary muscle fatigue that might otherwise stop you getting through your entire workout.
Sleep well
Another great feature that comes with almost every tracker out there is the sleep tracker one. Once you get your 8 hours of nonstop sleep, the quality of your energy levels for the day gets so much better
When you don’t get a proper sleep you go through the day tired as well you get more stressed easily and your willpower goes out of the window. That can make the difference of getting that take away or grilling some chicken at your home instead. Or going for that extra 10 minutes on the treadmill.
Workout SMARTER
Last but not least, a great way to hit your goals is to workout in a smarter way. Your regime should be Specific to your body and complexion, Measurable, Exciting, Realistic, Agreed, Time-based, and Recordable. That is a ton of things to have in mind manually, that’s when a tracker will come more than handy.
And now go for it! We wish you the best of luck with your weight loss program with fitness trackers and let us know how it goes!
-Maybe you would like to get a Fitbit check the Bets Fitbit tracker to lose weight.