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Adding FitBit Stats to Self-Hosted WordPress Blog

March 21, 2012 By 3 Comments

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Recently I re-started a blog, One Man’s Loss, where I detail my journey trying to finally shed years of excess weight and eat healthy.  Having purchased a FitBit after The Brand Chef insisted, I wanted a way to show my daily stats on my blog.

The problem is, the FitBit data doesn’t readily allow us to embed its stats (yet) so I had to find another way.

The Brand Chef noticed there was a link to sharing FitBit stats on a wordpress.com page, and thought I should start there.  After looking around for an API or other way, I decided upon a plan.

First, if you are using akismet, you probably already have a wordpress.com account.  So go ahead and create a blog too.  The name of the blog should be something related to the blog you are displaying your FitBit info on, or simply “My FitBit Stats.”  Once your blog is created, click on the Entries RSS item on the home page to get the location of your XML feed.  We’ll come back to that.

Next, go into your fitbit  dashboard, and under your profile photo, there will be an option called “Share Stats.” Click on that option and scroll down to the “Share on WordPress.com” section.  Here you can choose daily or weekly posts, and be able to link up your wordpress.com account.  Go ahead and link it up.

Next, you will want to set your privacy settings by clicking on the Privacy link.  Since the way we are doing this will theoretically allow people to see your FitBit dashboard if they click enough, set the various privacy options to control what people can see.  You will need to make sure “steps and distance” are shared to everyone.  Be sure to save your settings.

Now, log into your WordPress installation, go to plugins, and install the RSS Just Better plugin. There are a lot of RSS readers out there, but this one seems to do the trick fine.  Once installed, go to Appearance and then Widgets to bring up your widget configuration.

Wherever you want the Steps and Distance to display, add the RSS Just Better widget.  Paste in the location of your wordpress.com RSS feed into the settings.  Be sure to show the excerpt, and set it at about 250 characters.  Don’t try and make it just small enough to display to the end of “traveled” because your numbers can vary.

Hit Update on the widget – and your FitBit RSS feed is good to go.  It took mine past midnight to update for the first time, but you can also make a test entry on your wordpress.com blog  just to verify the feed is coming in.

If you have any questions, please let me know.  If you want to see it in action, just go to http://www.onemansloss.com

Filed Under: Blog, Health & Fitness

Hello The Diet

February 26, 2008 By 2 Comments

Ok, so I am back on The Diet (Hi Colin!)  for real.  I have even joined an organization called “Lighten Up Iowa” to provide an even more intense “team” feeling to help lose weight.

Since the original diet, I have fallen quite a bit.   I gained a lot of weight back when I was directing a play because I would go from work, to McDonalds, to rehearsal.

So I started last week at 239, and this week and at 234.  So I am officially restarting “the diet” again.  My weigh ins will be on  Fridays.

Please don’t delete me, Colin!

[TAGS]the-diet,fitness,Colin Devroe,Lighten Up Iowa,weight loss[/TAGS]

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Sinking "The Fat Tub"

December 27, 2007 By 4 Comments

Almost a year and a half ago (has it been that long?)  I participated in a weight-loss “group” with some bloggers and epreneurs headed by Colin Devroe.  During the summer, combined with both the group and preparing for the renaissance festival, I did indeed lose about 15-20 lbs over the course of the summer.  Not bad.

But like all good things, I got lazy.  Especially during the winter, and then last year I wasn’t working out swordfighting, so I’ve grown and grown.  And now, I seem to be a proud owner of a blue Rubbermaid storage tub that I have dubbed “The Fat Tub.”  It contains all of the clothes I was “so proud” to wear a year and a half ago, but now cannot fit into.

I want to empty that tub.

I have some other health related things going on right now (I Think) that I want to take care of before I start a new program, but by Hook or by Crook, that tub shall be sank by this summer.  Or better yet, replaced by “clothes that are too big.”

Do you have a ‘Fat Tub” or “Fat Pile” or maybe its called your “Thin Pile” or “stuff I can’t wear anymore” pile?

[TAGS]Colin Devroe, the-diet, fitness, fat clothes, Troy Rutter[/TAGS]

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I Can't Cook… or can I?

August 19, 2007 By 1 Comment

One of the hard things for me about sticking to a “diet” is the fact that I can’t cook.  Or rather, I don’t THINK that I can cook, because its so much easier to go to Wendys and get that Spicy Chicken sandwich with fries – Biggie size.

Last night on Dateline (ABC) I saw mention of The Abs Diet, a bestseller that not only says why foods work, but includes 12 major foods that are “good” that can be mixed any way you want.   And the best part – the menus / recipes are “male friendly.”

So here is the start of day #1 on The Abs Diet.   Dinner consisted of a serving of “Macho Meatballs.”   I am about ready for my snack of handful of Almonds as we speak.   Now, I have never made my own meatballs before, but these were SO GOOD.  Plus, I have enough to nuke and eat about 3 more dinners throughout the week.

I also bought some new “take and go” storage containers so I can take things to work instead of eating out every day.   Those frozen dinners can’t hold a candle to the menus that The Abs Diet has, I can’t wait to try more.   I am so impressed with the book, and my meatball creation, I had to take a photo.

machomeatballs.jpg

[TAGS]the-diet,The Abs Diet,Macho Meatballs, Troy Rutter, weight loss[/TAGS]

Filed Under: Health & Fitness

Weigh In – Week 41

March 14, 2007 By Leave a Comment

Original Weight: 225.3
Week 1: 219.6
Week 2: 220
Week 3: 215.8
Week 4: 216.4
Week 5: 213.8
Week 8-21: 213
Week 22: 213.6
Week 40: 222.2
Week 41: 220.6

[TAGS]the-diet,weigh-in[/TAGS]

Filed Under: Health & Fitness