My front runners:

• Apple Watch 5
• Garmin ForeRunner
• Fitbit
• Polar with Chest Strap

The first time I lost 65lbs when I decided to become a personal trainer, this was well before my days of corrective exercise and bodywork therapy; I used a Polar watch with a chest strap. I loved it because it was the most accurate option, constantly tracking my heart rate. In many ways I would still love to use this, however, a previous rib injury keeps me from doing so as the compression from the chest strap for long periods tends to irritate the area and its simply not worth the recovery. I would still recommend this to anyone that would like to seriously track calories lost vs intake. That is how I did it! 10 years later the weight is still off!
My next option I considered was the Fit Bit, I love that it can track my quality of sleep and offer feedback and does a little more than a simple step counter. This is still a good inexpensive option for someone that is just wanting the basics. Something to make sure they are staying moderately active.
The Garmin Forerunner was one I considered not because I love running but because running does good for my body. Big different to consider! It is the best watch for tracking your run, GPS, time, mapping it and offering intervals. I ultimately did not go with this choice because the reality is, I don’t love to run but if you do, go for it! It also was a small price jump to the Apple Watch.
I would not have chosen this watch if it wasn’t for the recent upgrades in quality of tracking from the first series to the current. I didn’t like the idea of being tied to my phone as I truly try to “disconnect” as often as I can. I have grown comfortable with the ability to DND (do not disturb) for an hour, until that evening, until I leave a location, so I am not interrupted throughout the day. Ive set my phone and watch to communicate minimally, so I’m not receiving all notifications to my watch. The watch will track my sleep and ask questions about my levels of energy that day to compare. The recent series also tracks with more frequency and accuracy in exercise and heartrate than previous series. I’m not crazy about the claims for EKG, as the watch can not compare to the medical needs of a individual, so don’t buy it for that! Everything else is good though!
So for me, the APPLE WATCH 5 it was!