Fitbit, Bodybugg, or another device???

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gracieb1
gracieb1 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am trying to decide which device I am going to purchase, any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks!!

Replies

  • missmorninglory
    missmorninglory Posts: 303
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    I'm looking too! There is also something called bodymedia, but the body bugg seems cheaper right now. I'm really leaning towards the body bugg.
  • workman83
    workman83 Posts: 11 Member
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    I've had a Bodybugg for a while (actually charging it right now) and it's been great. The only thing that gets to me is that you have to pay a subscription fee for their website which downloads the information and does pretty much what this one does for free. Since the Bodybugg only holds 15 days of memory, the only way to get it cleaned off is to update the website. So just keep in mind that you pay the price for the Bodybugg, and then an extra $80 a year for the online service.
  • mandijo
    mandijo Posts: 618 Member
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    I have a Bodymedia. I love it. The only advice I would give is getting the display right from the get go. I don't mind having to plug mine in at the end of the day, but it is nice to see what I'm burning. It is expensive, but it works really well. I've heard a lot of people say they have spent 70-100 on ones that aren't accurate. So I saved the money and got a good one.
  • sundaysurf
    sundaysurf Posts: 72 Member
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    I have the BodyMedia and I love it. It has really helped me see how active/inactive I am throughout the day, how well/bad I sleep at night (I have a toddler) and how many calories I really burn doing a certain exercise. I got mine from Costco and it came with a year membership. I am glad I have it and I talk to everyone about it. If you have specific questions let me know.

    www.bodymedia.com
  • mandijo
    mandijo Posts: 618 Member
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    I've had a Bodybugg for a while (actually charging it right now) and it's been great. The only thing that gets to me is that you have to pay a subscription fee for their website which downloads the information and does pretty much what this one does for free. Since the Bodybugg only holds 15 days of memory, the only way to get it cleaned off is to update the website. So just keep in mind that you pay the price for the Bodybugg, and then an extra $80 a year for the online service.

    Just an FYI-- You also pay a subscription fee for the Bodymedia!! It's cheaper the more months you buy at a time, but it's the same concept! :(
  • HMKan
    HMKan Posts: 472 Member
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    wearing my fitbit right now and really like it. The online graphs are great. My big thing was not wanting to pay for a monthly subscription which the bodybugg requires. FitBit's is free. But I've heard great things about both!
  • workman83
    workman83 Posts: 11 Member
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    How accurate is hte Fitbit compared to Bodybugg or Bodymedia? That was my question when first looking at them.
  • crys30
    crys30 Posts: 43
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    Are those kinda like a HRM? or is something like this better than one?
  • workman83
    workman83 Posts: 11 Member
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    These actually don't capture your heart rate. What they do is measure the amount of calories you burn throughout the day and also the amount of steps you take. BodyBugg mentioned making a model that also includes a HRM, but that doesn't seem to have happened yet.

    Has anyone tried the Polar FA20? That's one you just wear on your wrist, and I think it has HRM capabilities.
  • workman83
    workman83 Posts: 11 Member
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    These actually don't capture your heart rate. What they do is measure the amount of calories you burn throughout the day and also the amount of steps you take. BodyBugg mentioned making a model that also includes a HRM, but that doesn't seem to have happened yet.

    Has anyone tried the Polar FA20? That's one you just wear on your wrist, and I think it has HRM capabilities.

    UPDATE: FA20 does not have a HRM.
  • HMKan
    HMKan Posts: 472 Member
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    Are those kinda like a HRM? or is something like this better than one?

    Yea no. A fitbit does not track your heart rate. It simple tracks your movements. It's very similar to how a wii remote tracks your movements. But its interesting. Online it tells me how many steps I've taken since I activated it this afternoon and how far I've walked and how many calories my body has burned based on my BMR. Kind fun to watch them tick by.
  • paroxysm
    paroxysm Posts: 56
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    I've been using a fitbit for 2 months to maintain my weight. I love it. It has a display that you can see calories burned, steps, and a flower that grows and shrinks with activity.
    There is a 'start/stop' button to time stamp any activity you do (sleep included) so that when you sync it will be time stamped- though you don't have to do this, it's kind of cool to have it divied up and to be able to see your sleep pattern, how many times you tossed and turned in your sleep, etc.

    I like seeing the calories in vs. out and use the trainer for exercise. It syncs automatically when I walk near the base station (I believe 15 feet) and I charge it about every 5 days while I'm in the shower.
    The website with all of it's graphs is really intuitive. The community over there is very dead though and is just starting to get a little more activity. I'd love to see it as active as here.

    As far as it's accuracy- I find it incredibly accurate on walking, running, no/low resistance elliptical, EA Active 2 lower body activities, treadmill, even zumba, and things of that nature
    some people have seen success putting it on their sock for biking/stationary biking-- I manually log that.
    not accurate for weight resistance -- need to manually log
    certain yogas- need to manually log
    if you're doing upper body work and your fitbit is on your lower body-- not accurate
    I wear mine on my hip and it logs nicely. I've maintained my weight to the tee, no gain, no loss so it must be telling me something right! MFP had my maintenance calories wrong (underestimated) and overestimated all exercise calories.

    Hope that helps a little on the fitbit. I didn't want to have to wear anything on my arm or pay a fee for seeing what I was doing so that's why I got the fitbit.
  • HMKan
    HMKan Posts: 472 Member
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    I wish that fitbit would link with mfp so I wouldn't have to log my food, exercise in both and so the community would be the same. Or at least have a feature like they do with the facebook feature on here where entering it here will send it there.
  • nkster781
    nkster781 Posts: 235 Member
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    I wish that fitbit would link with mfp so I wouldn't have to log my food, exercise in both and so the community would be the same. Or at least have a feature like they do with the facebook feature on here where entering it here will send it there.

    I don't log my food into Fitbit. MFP is way better for that.

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