Wireless Activity Tracker

If you have struggled with your weight, exercise may be intimidating. The good news is you don't have to buy a gym membership and start lifting weights with the tough guys.

You just need to start making small steps. And that's why the Fitbit One wireless activity tracker is part of the Retrofit Weight Loss program.

What the Fitbit Measures

The Fitbit has a 3D motion sensor (a lot like the Nintendo Wii) and is smaller than the average stick of lip balm. It discreetly clips onto a belt or undergarment, or you can drop it in your pocket.

Much more than a pedometer, the Fitbit keeps track of steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, and stairs climbed, as well as the length and intensity of your activity.

Before you go to bed, you can also clip the Fitbit onto a bracelet so it can monitor your sleep patterns. It measures how long it takes you to fall asleep, how many times you wake up during the night, and how long you sleep as opposed to lie in bed.

As a bonus, the Fitbit One has a vibrating alarm clock that can wake you in the morning without waking your partner.

Why measure sleep for a weight loss program? The quality of your sleep can influence your efforts to lose weight.

When you're getting as much quality sleep as you're supposed to, your body circulates less of one hormone that tells you to eat and more of another hormone that tells you to stop eating.

Just like the Withings wireless scale that's part of the Retrofit weight loss program, the Fitbit wirelessly reports all of its data to your private Retrofit online dashboard.

It can sync via your desktop or laptop system, as well as through Bluetooth 4.0 phone and tablet synching. That makes it incredibly convenient for clients with busy travel schedules.

The Fitbit's Use in Weight Loss

While the technology is definitely fun, the real magic of the Fitbit comes in the form of feedback, accountability and motivation.

When you realize today's long road trip really took a bite out of your steps, you'll go for a walk while you're on your next phone call.

When your Retrofit weight loss expert team sees your activity slipping, they'll get in touch with you to see how they can help.

And when you know you've done 18 flights of stairs today, you're going to push yourself to get to 20.

Plus the Fitbit shortens the feedback loop.

Sometimes weight loss can be slow to show up on the scale. It'll come, but it's slow. The Fitbit lets you know you're headed in the right direction immediately.

Together with your Retrofit expert team, the Fitbit helps you work up to that weight lifting at the gym in a way that is slow and sustainable for the long run.