BodyBugg?

[Jess55 97]

I osted in the bodybugg thread in the fitness forum, but it's been a few days and no one has responded. Does anyone have one of these? Is it worth it? Does it tell you if you need to eat more to lose weight, or what? Do you wear it under your sleeve? If I got one I would not want people to see it at work and stuff. I currently have a Polar heart rate monitor that I wear when I go to the gym and kickboxing, but maybe it would be cool to see how much I burn the rtest of the day, since I have a physical job. Any info would be greatly appreciated

[CheckYes 46]

I have one. This is my first week using it so I haven't really quite got the hang of it but I can tell you it is very comfortable and you wear it under your clothes. My family haven't even noticed I have had it on. I would never have thought it would be comfortable enough to sleep with but it is!

[Dave_NW 92]

Jess, I have one, and think it's excellent. I have the Bodymedia armband, which is the same as the Bodybugg, made by the same company, Bodymedia.com. Main difference is it also measures your sleep quality and duration, which the Bodybugg doesn't, I believe.

They come in several models, with or without external monitors to see at a glance what you're doing throughout the day, There is even a bluetooth version that lets you track on your iPhone or Droid with a free app. All models sync to your computer via a USB cable. It requires a subscription to the Bodymedia website ($6.95 a month.) I use that to sync my armband both from home and from my work computer. Since it goes to the website, the collected data goes to the same place. So when I log in, I can see what's up, no matter where the last sync came from. It's easy.

You wear it on the back of your tricep on the arm you don't write with. It's easy to wear, it's easily hidden by your shirt sleeve, and you get used to it quickly. I wear mine basically all the time (except in the shower - it's not waterproof), because it tracks all sorts of movement, calories burned when you're active or resting, and as I mentioned, when you're asleep. (As you may know, good sleep helps with weight loss.)

The nutrition part of it is very good. You enter your food intake by meal, either by selecting from their built-in list of food, or by creating your own items. It saves the entries to show you what you ate today, tracks calories, and shows you in graphic form where your calories are coming from (fat, Protein, carbs, and such.)

Where the armband really shines is the personal profile. You set up where you are now, in terms of weight, age, and activity level, then set your goals. It will then tell you how many calories you need to burn daily, how much caloric deficit you need, and how many to consume to make your goals. For example, if it says you need to burn 3500 calories in a day to maintain your current weight, and you eat and burn a total of 2500 calories, you have a 1000 calorie deficit that day. It takes 3500 calories burned to lose one pound, so if you keep having 1000 calories a day deficit, then in seven days you'd have a 7000 calorie deficit, which translates to two pounds of weight lost. (I hope that makes sense. I understand it better than I can explain it, I think.)

I find having the armband there helps me throughout the day. I can see how much activity I've had, and how much more I need to get in. Steps taken (it has a three- or four-way pedometer built in), activity levels when working out, and caloric intake and expended all are shown in an easy to read format, so you can see at a glance where you are for the day. If you're short on steps taken, take a walk. If you need higher activity, work out for a bit. It tracks it all. It simplifies the process, and about all you have to do is eat right. It'll show you what more you need to do that day to reach your goals.

I think the thing I like best about it is that I don't have to worry about things. I check the armband website, and take appropriate action based on what it's telling me. No more guesswork of whether I've worked out enough, or if I've eaten enough (or too many) calories for the day. When I then enter my weight changes, I can see over time what I need to do to achieve weight loss. Easy, breezy.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

Hope this helps.

Dave

[Jess55 97]

Thanks Dave that does help me. It sounds like it would help me a lot. I am going to go price searching and see if I can find the cheapest price and may get it.

[Dave_NW 92]

Thanks Dave that does help me. It sounds like it would help me a lot. I am going to go price searching and see if I can find the cheapest price and may get it.

Glad to be of help. I found it on sale ($30 off) at Best Buy a few weeks ago for a friend. costco.com also sells them, with a free year's subscription, so it's the best overall price I found. Amazon sells them, too. Check around, and see what you can find. The prices seemed to be pretty consistent.

Good luck!

Dave