TEST / Fitbit Ultra

For some people, hopping on the scale every morning is enough to confirm when they have overdone certain dishes and therefore need to increase their level of physical activity or monitor their diet a little more closely. . Others prefer a more structured approach and force themselves to monitor their diet and activity level on a daily basis, which is one of the safest ways to lose or maintain weight. The Fitbit will certainly fall into this second category by removing a lot of the control work and analyzing the data for you. The Fitbit is an accelerometer that tracks your steps, distance traveled, calories burned and, more strangely, the quality of your sleep. The tracker is the size of a Bluetooth device and clips onto your waistline during the day and to a wristband while you sleep at night. The docking station plugs into your computer and doubles as a charger, and the device's battery life is estimated at 10 days. A blue screen on the tracker displays steps, mileage, and calories burned for easy tracking throughout the day. Users can download the daily information just through the base or store the detailed data on the tracker itself for up to seven days (generalized data can be stored for 30 days). The Fitbit site checks the accuracy of the device's ability to calculate the number of steps, although there may be a slight lag.

In addition, the device is designed for walking and running but not suitable for cycling or many other aerobic activities. Calorie burn calculations are based on the resting metabolic rate estimated from the user's weight and age. The sleep tracking function, which is triggered by pressing the control button for two seconds before going to bed and again when you wake up, certainly makes this product unique in the electronic pedometer market. It is interesting, especially for those who have trouble sleeping, to see how long it takes to fall asleep and how many times a night they can wake up. Total sleep time is also calculated and an overall efficiency rate is provided. The Fitbit site offers a simple interface and includes many features that may be more or less useful, depending on your information needs. However, care should be taken not to fall into an obsession with tracking and comparing data, and food diary management is time consuming. While it's easy to save staples, entering or combining homemade meals is a chore. Also, although meals are analyzed for their fat, protein and carbohydrate content, it does not offer percentages. For example, if you are trying to keep your fat intake to less than 30% of total calories, you will have to do this calculation yourself.

The website offers additional features, including capacity to monitor weight loss goals and to "compete" with other Fitbit users.