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As a part of the ever-growing weight-loss industry, fitness bands help keep track of weight loss by tracking the amount of steps you take each day, along with the amount of calories consumed. The bands can be synced to computers or Apps to give more information, such as the amount of calories you should be consuming per day due to the amount of exercise you partake in. In addition, there are more advanced fitness bands that track the hours you have slept and allow you to see who is calling you.

Many Americans are investing their money into these devices, which can get pretty costly, wholeheartedly believing that it will help them lose weight. However, there is one huge question being asked: do they even work?

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The answer to that question is far more complex than a simple yes or no. That is solely because every person is different. 

Your roommate is the person who can eat a double-double and animal fries from In-n-Out for dinner every single night, never gaining a pound, while you have been working for six months to lose three pounds and nothing seems to help. 

Therefore, the effectiveness of fitness bands lies within the hands of the user, and how well the user knows his or her own body. 

There is no chance that just by purchasing a fitness band, without changing any part of your daily diet or exercise schedule, a person will start losing weight. The point of these devices is to make you aware of your habits. For people trying to lose any amount of weight, being aware of your current lifestyle is the first step toward achieving your goals. 

Nonetheless, this device was not made for you. The software and data does not take into consideration your health restrictions or the rate of your metabolism. 

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There have been stories on the news about people who have started using a fitness band and realized they actually gained a few pounds. And there is nothing else to blame but the bracelet, clearly. 

But really, it’s very possible that the data estimated you should be eating 200-700 more calories per day than your body can metabolize. And this is where logic comes into play.

If the data is advising you to eat far more calories than you are burning, and you are not losing, but gaining weight, cut your calories. Likely, there will be a drastic change. 

Additionally, fitness bands just count the calories, not the health content of the food you are eating. If you’re eating fast food for all of your meals, but still within your given calorie zone, it is likely that your diet will not be as fruitful as you'd like.

The new fad of fitness bands will not magically whip you into bikini-ready shape just by wearing it. It is necessary to put in the work in order to see the difference.  

However, fitness bands are not a scam. If they are used properly, they can certainly be extremely effective. You might not even realize how many calories you are eating per day, or how little you are walking every day, but the fitness bands make you aware of that. And that knowledge alone can be life-changing. 

Contact Staff Reporter Emma Shepardson here.