Bodybugg-opinions

mhoch

Hey,
I am thinking about buying a bodybugg after work today. Before I do, does any one have any opinions about it. good or bad. I just have not talked to any who has one and I am a little hesitant to buy somethine so expensive without talking to someone first.

I think I would like this better than a HRM since I want to know what I really burn throughout the day. MFP calculated 2100 for me, but Im afraid I might be burning more throughout the day, which would give me a bigger deficit thant I think I am at.

Please let me know how you feel about yours if you have one. It would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Megan

ddavies919

Hi Megan,

I actually have the BodyMedia which is made by the same company that makes the BodyBugg. It does the same thing and also monitors your sleep too which is really cool! Plus, it's less expensive. I've had mine for about a month now and it's amazing how much it's really helped keep me in check! I've lost 4lbs and I think it's had a huge part of it. I got mine at Costco when they were on sale, not sure if it's going on anymore but you should check it out.

I had a HRM for the longest time but the strap would slip and my readings were incorrect, so it's nice to just have the armband.

Anyway, hope that helps in your decision but I would highly recommend it!

Deb

mhoch

thanks for the input! 24hrfitness is having a sale, well it ends today, on the BB and the display. Plus you get 4 more months of the online subscription. I am just always overly cautious when it comes to big money items.

How do you feel about the calories it says during workouts? Do you think it is accurate still then?

mhoch

Hmmm...I wonder if the lack of comments is because it is not used as often?? I think I am still going to go ahead and get it. I need something to really help me.

wolfchild59

I've done a bunch of reading and research on the BB and BM Fit. I've decided to go for the BM Fit because I like that it also monitors sleep and the monthly subscription after the free trial is cheaper.

But I'm waiting for the Costco sale again because it was only $159.99 w/a 12 month subscription, extra armband and free shipping. Unfortunately I decided to pull the trigger a day late and missed it. But that was the second time in two months it had been on sale, so I just have the page bookmarked and keep checking for when it goes back on sale.

pyroxian

I've been looking at these devices (GoWear Fit, BodyBugg, BodyMedia Fit) for about 18 months but haven't ever actually pulled the trigger on purchasing. One of my peers @ work has a Bodybugg and he loved it while he was using it, which was almost enough of an endorsement for me to purchase, but not quite.

There seem to be a lot of conflicting reports about accuracy, and it's known to NOT be accurate in some activities - stationary biking for example. One of the best unbiased assessments I've ever read of the technology is here:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-bodybugggowear-fit.html
(it's a bit long, but worth the read I think, including the comments on it - there's a reference to a clinical trial one of the commenters added that is in itself worth reading that whole page, but I'll extract that reference here)

Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;27(2):307-10. Epub 2008 Feb 13. Links
Poor agreement between a portable armband and indirect calorimetry in the assessment of resting energy expenditure.Bertoli S, Posata A, Battezzati A, Spadafranca A, Testolin G, Bedogni G.
International Center for the Assessment of Nutritional Status, University of Milano, Milano, Italy. simona.bertoli@unimi.it

BACKGROUND & AIMS: To evaluate the agreement between resting energy expenditure (REE) estimated by a portable armband and measured by indirect calorimetry. METHODS: One-hundred and twenty-seven women and 42 men with a mean (SD) age of 44 (12) years and a body mass index of 30.2 (5.4) kg/m(2) were studied. REE was estimated using the Sense Wear Pro 2 Armband (SWA), measured using the Sensor Medics 29 metabolic cart (V(max)), and estimated using Schofield’s equation. The limits of agreement (LOA) and the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) were used to evaluate the interchangeability of the methods. RESULTS: The LOA between REE(SWA) and REE(Vmax) were wide in both women (-269 to 378 kcal/day) and men (-330 to 545 kcal/day) and CCC was low (0.579 in females and 0.583 in males, p<0.0001 for both). REE(Schofield) agreed with REE(Vmax) to a similar degree (CCC=0.563 in females and 0.500 in males, p<0.0001 for both). CONCLUSIONS: SWA and indirect calorimetry are not interchangeable methods for the assessment of REE in normal-weight and obese subjects.

ddavies919

thanks for the input! 24hrfitness is having a sale, well it ends today, on the BB and the display. Plus you get 4 more months of the online subscription. I am just always overly cautious when it comes to big money items.

How do you feel about the calories it says during workouts? Do you think it is accurate still then?

I feel that it's a lot more accurate at calculating exercise calories than an HRM myself. Also, as someone mentioned. The yearly subscription is a lot less expensive than the BB.

mhoch

Do you ever have issues with the website or tech support? I have read a few comments about those types of things.

The one thing I would like more about the bodymedia is the sleep part. I already know I sleep terribly, part of it is how i have always been and the other part is meds I'm on.

but it would be nice to have the sleep monitoring so i can try different things (sleeping remedies) and see how it helps me sleep or the opposite.

BeLightYear

I've had my GoWear Fit for almost 2 months and LOVE it. No problems at all, and I bought mine on ebay. It synced up the first time. And even though mine was "used", they gave me the first 4 months subscription for free!

The website is great and fast, I love that I see my average for the last few days or weeks or months too.

The sleep thing is pretty neat too, it "knows" when you are actually sleeping as opposed to when you are laying down. I knew I woke up a lot before, now I have proof lol

Hope this helps ~ I'm at work and trying to type really quickly before my boss comes back in!

mhoch

The Bodymedia that costco sales is $209 right now but it doesnt have the display. Right now 24hr fitness is selling the BB and the display discounted. So the 2 come out to $208. Id much rather get it sooner and have the display as well....the sleep option would be nice, but I dont really want to wait anymore.

BeLightYear

I don't blame you, I hate waiting ~ enjoy!

I just bought the display for my bodymedia, it's really cool:glasses: :glasses:

mhoch

I just have to say the dog in your picture is adorable! I love those feet!

SkiChica

I don't usually respond to these questions posted on the boards, (I just prefer to stalk them) but I had to answer this one because I love my Bodybugg. It was a huge help when I lost 60 pounds before I got pregnant with my son. I was way under estimating how many calories I burned during a day and was not eating near enough. I was dieting and excersizing like a crazy person and not losing a thing, even gaining sometimes. After I got my bugg I was able to correct this and the weight just started to fall off. I actually just started wearing it again this week and signed up online in hopes that I can lose this post pregnancy weight (since my son is now 15 months) lol. The only downside is their food log, it sucks big time!! That's why I use this along with my bugg. I have the version 3 with digital display, a friend just bought the sp and hates it on her phone and wants to return it. Just my two cents, hope it helps.

wolfchild59

Yeah, the cardio with minimal arm movement not reading accurately seems to be pretty much across the board. So I don't plan on stopping using my HRM once I get my Body Media Fit. I guess that's the ther reason I'm okay with waiting for the sale to come back at Costco to save the $50. I know my exercise calories are being tracked accurately and I'm losing weight based on my MFP net goal and tracking, so I'm not overly concerned at this time. I'm actually looking for it more as a maintenance tool then a losing tool. So as long as I can get one before I reach my goal weight, I'll be happy.

mhoch

I don't usually respond to these questions posted on the boards, (I just prefer to stalk them) but I had to answer this one because I love my Bodybugg. It was a huge help when I lost 60 pounds before I got pregnant with my son. I was way under estimating how many calories I burned during a day and was not eating near enough. I was dieting and excersizing like a crazy person and not losing a thing, even gaining sometimes. After I got my bugg I was able to correct this and the weight just started to fall off. I actually just started wearing it again this week and signed up online in hopes that I can lose this post pregnancy weight (since my son is now 15 months) lol. The only downside is their food log, it sucks big time!! That's why I use this along with my bugg. I have the version 3 with digital display, a friend just bought the sp and hates it on her phone and wants to return it. Just my two cents, hope it helps.

Thanks so much for responding! I really appreciate the input. Im glad it worked for you before! Just gotta get back to it right? I am going to buy the version 3 with the display right now. Im so excited! Hope it gets here quick. I plan to keep using the food log here, and just get my total calories burned from BB, then just figure out the deficit and make sure it is not too large. Sounds easy right? Hope so!

smurfcore

I did a huge review of it here: http://www.fitlifesf.com/2010/06/bodybugg-review-novel-gizmo-with-notable-flaws/

Nutshell version: It's a "nice to have," not a "need to have." You can get just as close with estimations on a free tool like this as you can with the pricey Bugg... BUT, if having it strapped to your arm will make you move more, then it's worth every penny.

mhoch

I am mostly worried that the number of calories they estimate that I burn on daily basis is too low. And that I am possibly not eating enough, which would cause a larger deficit than they estimate also. I feel like the bodybugg is the only way to know FOR SURE that I am eating enough to lose and not hurt my body. I know that once I have it for a while I will pretty much have learned it and not need it anymore. Then maybe I can pass it to someone else who needs to learn more about their own body. I have the money, might as well try it right? Cant hurt me : )