Activity Trackers advice please...

I've had a Garmin Vivofit for a couple of years now, and I do find that it encourages me to do a bit more walking than I might otherwise do, particularly on days when I'm just under the 10,000 steps, and I'm now usually over that. It's not totally accurate about giving you the distance equivalent of the steps, but I can cope with that. I don't keep it on at night as I don't want to know what I'm doing while asleep, thank you very much.

Maybe the figure of 10,000 was based on a study of young Japanese men some years ago, but who cares? Anything that encourages a bit of exercise has to be a good thing. Good luck with getting the weight off, Clematisa. If you have the willpower to stop smoking, you can do anything!

I've got a Fitbit and would recommend them. Mine is absolutely worth the money. Monitoring your steps is just the start, if you get one with heart rate monitoring too you can see yourself getting 'fitter', which is very motivating. It also shows you when you're in the 'cardio' or 'fat burn' zones, so you know you're burning extra calories. It even calculates the calories you've burnt during exercise, which can be heartening, or frighteningly small. It can be a shock to learn how far you need to walk to burn off a KitKat.
The sleep monitor is interesting, but for me, it doesn't add a massive amount.
I like the option to add people as 'friends' and all take a challenge together - it will push you to get a few extra steps in, or sometimes shame you into getting out and about. I have my DDs added and they're very good at cheering me on.
I'd definitely give it a go - if nothing else, once you've bought it, you'll make sure it clocks up plenty of steps every day

If you don't want to spend as much as a fit bit, I bought an Omron pedometer which is more accurate than the phone pedometer and keeps track of my walking every day.

Wear my Fitbit every day. I find it really motivates me to move more. I aim for 10000 steps every day. This means I need to make the effort to go out for a walk. Hasn't helped with weight loss but I eat well and maintain my weight.

Ditto to everything that Primrose said . I have a Fitbit with a heart monitor and love it . It's so motivating and great fun to monitor progress and get involved in challenges with others . Through my job I walk between 17000 and 22000 steps a day and have lost 21lbs since getting it ( about 18 months ) without dieting . I deliberately park further away , go 'the long way ' on any route and love running up and down the stairs to meet my targets .

Congratulations on giving up smoking Clematisa .

Weight gain in the early months after stopping smoking isn't uncommon. Most people find it disappears as they become fitter and exercise more, as well as stopping 'treating' themselves to sweets and chocolates for being so good as to not smoke. At least, that's how it worked for me and friends.
I don't have a Fitbit but my iPhone decided to count my steps. I didn't ask it to, have no idea how it measures my steps even when I turn it off but it does. I try and do 10,000 a day but don't always manage that. If I keep to 10,000 most days, I don't gain weight. Well, not much

A Fitbit is motivating and I like the one with heart rate too, it's quite addictive but in a good way as it's nice to meet your goals and beat them, well worth it I think

I use the fitness app on my Ipod to keep track of of daily activity so I can listen to the radio or a talking book while I’m walking. Daughter and slyinlaw use the wrist things but I don’t think they are very accurate. My daughter says she can increase it by waving her arms around! I have read that the 10000 steps a day will help you lose weight, but for women 60 plus a goal of 8000 is a good average for general fitness.

I have been dithering over buying a fitbit, the price is the only thing stopping me. I keep seeing cheaper versions but then worry that I will waste money on something which is a cheap substitute. So is the fitbit worth the close to £150 price tag?

Mine cost £80 and my husbands £120, they both suit our needs if that helps at all and both reliable and hardwearing

What is your one menopaws?

Fitbit charge HR, I bought it two years ago and it could well have been £89 as I now see they are £119 so guess gone up, sorry to mislead, but knew it was 80something!

I love my Fitbit. It keeps giving me little nudges. Buzz, buzz, time for a walk. Buzz, buzz, only 400 more steps to your goal, Buzz, buzz, fireworks, goal achieved!!!
It could well become my best friend

Heard about a lady whose family bought her a fitbit, so she could lose weight...she puts in on her dog....they cannot understand why her weight is stable....hee hee

Mine is just languishing in a drawer. I hated it and just last night on the TV during the programme about thin people the experts said very few of them were accurate so I feel vindicated. That said if it motivates you then who cares if it’s accurate or not?

I bought a cheap one which was a nightmare and had to be returned........the second one was no better, debating on the real Fitbit now

My brother had a heart attack last year, he goes to the gym three times a week and his daughter bought him a Fitbit. Finds it useful because he mustn’t let his heart rate go over a certain rate.
My daughter has one as well, thinking of getting one fir myself.

Bought GD a Fitbit for her birthday but have never seen it in her wrist, perhaps another of these must have items that get relegated to a drawer.

On her wrist even

The Fitbit is terrific. It measures steps, stairs, heartrate and the new Fitbit Alta relays texts and gives a magnificent display when you hit 10,000 steps of rockets, stars and flashing lights. Wouldn't be without it. They are a bit pricey but are sometimes on offer. Google 'Fitbit offers' and see what gives. My daughter got hers for £80 on Groupon.

Clematisa - you've given up smoking - great. If money is now an issue buy an ordinary pedometer for around £5. This will record the steps you walk and for the moment that's all you're interested in. The NHS recommend 10,000 a day. I bought a fitbit but got tired of having to continually charge it, and I also don't like wearing a watch or anything restrictive when I'm sleeping so for me it wasn't a good buy but I know others who swear by them. The downside I see with some people who have them is that they seem to have become governed by them, checking their heart rates, calories burnt etc., they seem to be taken over by them.

A fitbit Or Garmin Vivo is brilliant and well done to you for getting moving and giving up smoking. Exercise of anysort can be boring if done by yourself. Can I suggest you take a look at 'parkrun'. It's a free 5k walk, run, hop, skip as quick or as slow as you like with a group (usually about 200) like minded people in lovely locations in the UK and overseas. Ive been a volunteer and run/walk at our local on for two years. The whole family are now involved from our 6 year old grandson to my Son who run pushing his son in a pushchair and my husband, whose not up to running but is a good walker. Give it a go, it fun and a great community feeling on a Saturday morning at 9 am.
www.parkrun.org.uk/

... forgot. As for the weight have you considered joining something like Slimming World. You can eat as much as you like, whenever you like. Its not all about salad!

I do love my Fitbit, a present last Christmas, it really does motivate me to try and hit my 10k steps a day. I wish I could feed in the steps I do when I forget to put it on before I take the dog out. Only real gripe is that it doesn't work when I'm pushing the buggy.