Fitbit

Fitbit is a service that can be linked to their smartwatches and other devices in order to automatically track health-related metrics like step count and heartrate.

What can I beemind with Fitbit?

  • steps
  • zone minutes (requires HR support on your device)
  • active time
  • number of activities logged
  • floors
  • hours of sleep
  • total calories burned
  • total calories eaten
  • weight
  • body fat %
  • net calories

All goals are Do More goals except for calories eaten (Do Less), weight & body fat (Weight Loss), and net calories (a unique custom type).

Do I need to sync my Fitbit every day?

When Beeminder checks for data, we'll look at the last 7 days of Fitbit data and update any datapoints that are out of sync with Fitbit. No worries about going off the grid and not syncing for a weekend — you will automatically be caught up when you return and sync your weekend steps.

If you've derailed because you didn't sync in time, but you actually did enough to stay on track, no problem. Sync your data first and then reply to the legitimacy check to have your derailment undone and your graph all fixed!

I deleted my datapoint in Beeminder, but it came back!

Because of the 7-day lookback, any deleted or edited datapoints will be replaced with Fitbit's value for the day. If this data is incorrect for any reason, you'll need to modify it in Fitbit directly. We can then sync up those changes and reflect them in your graph!

How much Fitbit history does Beeminder access?

When you create the goal, we'll import all the available data for that metric, but your graph will only show starting on the goal creation date. The y-axis will start at your current cumulative total according to all the data we've imported, so e.g. if that data already includes 100,000 steps, the y-axis will start at 100,000.

We do import data from today before the goal was created as well. This will show up and count for today. If you don't want it to, you could immediately ratchet to get rid of extra safety buffer. This always makes your full amount due, even if you don't ratchet to zero. This won't work if you have zero days of buffer already, but you could use the visual graph editor to move the line, in that case.

I'm doing steps, but they don't seem to show up on the right day in Beeminder.

First step: double-check that your Fitbit timezone and your Beeminder timezone are in agreement. On Beeminder, you can check that from your account settings.

If that doesn't help, contact support and we'll dig in! If you could include screenshots showing the discrepancy, that will give us a head start.

Fitbit sample goal setup

  1. Head to create a new goal.
  2. Click the Fitbit icon to start a new goal using Fitbit data.

    Fitbit logo

  3. First, select the metric you want to track using the dropdown menu. For this goal, I'm doing steps. Then enter the amount that you want to commit to using the two fields below - this goal will be 10000 steps per day.

    If you want to delay your goal's start a few days (maybe you're traveling this weekend), be sure to tick the "Start this goal with extra leeway" box. Enter the number of days you want to delay.

    Screenshot of Fitbit goal setup, showing the Beeminder and Fitbit icons at the top and followed by a field labelled "I pledge to track" with a dropdown option including all the possible metrics, then a box where you need to enter an amount per day, and a ticky box for extra leeway
  4. If you've never set up a Fitbit-linked goal before, you'll need to connect with Fitbit now, to allow us to access the information. Click the "Connect to Fitbit" button to proceed and get that set up! You should automatically arrive back at Beeminder at the next step.
  5. Give your goal a brief name. If you want, you can also write a short description with more information.

    Shows the "Give your goal a name" page, with "stepitup" entered in the first box, showing how it creates the goal's URL. Below there's a box with the description entered, saying "Get more steps"
  6. Finally, choose your initial pledge. This is the amount you will pay the first time you derail on the goal. After derailing, the pledge will increase by default — use the dropdown below to control how high it goes by selecting the cap. In the example below, I have chosen to start at a $5 pledge, which will increase each time I derail, until it reaches $270 — the pledge cap. (To read more about pledges and payments, check out some FAQs!)

    If you want to start out with a sort of trial period, you can choose to start the goal at $0. If you do that, the pledge will automatically increase to $5 after seven days. If you derail before that, it will also increase to $5.

    Screenshot of the "Starting Stakes" screen. The text says "Your pledge will increase each time you derail until you reach your pledge cap (which you can adjust below)", with a demonstration below showing the pledge progression: 5, 10, 30, 90... to the pledge cap, which currently shows $270. Below, a checkbox button allows you to choose to "Hold the pledge at $0 for 7 days while I get my feet wet"
  7. And that's it! Step through the preview and payment confirmation to see your new graph. I'll need to start stepping in the next 4 days to avoid paying Beeminder my first $5.

    Example graph showing one where +10000 steps are due in 4 days


Keywords: autodata integrations, step counters, fitness trackers, weight loss, wifi scales

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