BodyMedia Armband quesitons

RunConquerCelebrate

Hello everyone, I just received the armband from bodymedia as a gift today. I am all setup with myfitnesspal but I am just curious on a couple of things.
Do you guys wear the arm all day long?
Do I still have to wear my heart rate monitor when I workout? or will this track my calories burned during a workout?
How often should I synch up?
Any other information that you guys think it might be useful I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

rockerbabyy

i wear it for 23 hours a day, as suggested..
i sync mine in the morning when i wake up, and at night before i go to bed.. ive only really worked out a few times and wore my HRM once with the BMF and it was about the same reading so i dont really bother with the HRM. the BMF will track everything as long as its on you
ive had mine for about two weeks and love it. ive figured out im a bit more "active" than i thought i was - even on my laziest day last week i burned 2200ish calories (and most of the time was spent in bed and/or sleeping)

RunConquerCelebrate

Thank you for the information, how do you synch myfitness pal? I already created the accounts I guess I am just wondering how does it update when you add new entries to your diary?

crazyellybean

I would not suggest wearing your HRM.. it will drive you batty because the two will never be in sync with each other... infact I was just posting about it, because I did some research on it.. and HRMs really are not all that accurate.. and pretty much they over estimate your calorie burn.. the Bodymedia being 95% accurate (less then 5% error for exercise activities) is enough for you to base your calorie intake on..

with that, I wear mine for 3-4 days without syncing... and there are times I sync mine 2-3 times a day.. but I wear it all day everyday.. (I've worn mine since November consistently, but I've had it for about a year now)

try not to get tied up in WHY the numbers are the way they are.. and focus on setting and exceeding your BM goals..

To sync with MFP.. go to your bodymedia..(you will need to be logged into MFP) .. go to your activity manger and click on the "Apps" tab.. this will bring you to all the apps you can sync with.. find MFP and click on it,and select "LINK APP" it will automatically sync..

Your food is generally synced automatically.. however your exercise is only synced with MFP when you upload your device.. and sometimes it takes a few minutes to register..

RunConquerCelebrate

Thank so much for the detailed response. Great information

yustick

I wear my bodymedia about 23.5 hours a day. I usually charge and sync when I shower in the morning. But sometime I sync at night too, especially when I've worked out hard and I want to see all the graphs. It is deigned to wear all the time. If you choose to wear it only when working out, make sure it is set up for this. Mine is set up to use historical data to fill in the time it is off. I took it off for three days after a surgery and was suprised to see high calorie burns...I was able to edit it, but you can see how this could lead to false high numbers if you mostly only wore it for workouts.

I never wore and HRM. The bodymedia will track your calorie burn for workouts, but won't tell you your heartrate. If it is important for you to know this, you may still want to wear your HRM.

This was an awesome gift for you. I love, love, love mine!

RunConquerCelebrate

Thank so much for the information, I am all synch up. Yeah it was a gift from my husband he knew I wanted one and my Dr actually suggested I get one so it is great

Athena98501

Hello everyone, I just received the armband from bodymedia as a gift today. I am all setup with myfitnesspal but I am just curious on a couple of things.
Do you guys wear the arm all day long?
Do I still have to wear my heart rate monitor when I workout? or will this track my calories burned during a workout?
How often should I synch up?
Any other information that you guys think it might be useful I would really appreciate it.

Thanks

I wear it longer than they suggest, and I don't think off-body time is necessary if you adjust the position of the armband periodically. I leave it plugged into the computer when I'm in the shower, because you can't wear it then, and it would count the time as you sleeping (causing a falsely low burn recording). I try not to sync it in the morning, because it adds exercise calories I haven't earned yet, based on a projection from my typical activity. I sync it in the evenings, so I can try to get what I need in before I go to sleep, but I sometimes don't if didn't burn more calories than are accounted for in my goals here.

It does track exercise extremely well, and it shows amounts very, very close to my Polar FT4. I never would have believed I could burn 3,990 calories (moving day), and an hrm couldn't have given accurate burn info, as it wasn't solid cardio. I also couldn't have known I burned 800 extra calories because I was up most of the night when my niece was born. It seems like a big expense to a lot of people, but it's such an invaluable tool!

danibu98

I would not suggest wearing your HRM.. it will drive you batty because the two will never be in sync with each other... infact I was just posting about it, because I did some research on it.. and HRMs really are not all that accurate.. and pretty much they over estimate your calorie burn.. the Bodymedia being 95% accurate (less then 5% error for exercise activities) is enough for you to base your calorie intake on..

with that, I wear mine for 3-4 days without syncing... and there are times I sync mine 2-3 times a day.. but I wear it all day everyday.. (I've worn mine since November consistently, but I've had it for about a year now)

try not to get tied up in WHY the numbers are the way they are.. and focus on setting and exceeding your BM goals..

To sync with MFP.. go to your bodymedia..(you will need to be logged into MFP) .. go to your activity manger and click on the "Apps" tab.. this will bring you to all the apps you can sync with.. find MFP and click on it,and select "LINK APP" it will automatically sync..

Your food is generally synced automatically.. however your exercise is only synced with MFP when you upload your device.. and sometimes it takes a few minutes to register..

Thanks for all this great info! I hope you don't mind another question. I'm a road warrior- I drive on average 700 miles a week. Would I need to shut it off while I was driving? Or will it think every time I hit a bump on the road that I am doing jumping jacks

Athena98501

I would not suggest wearing your HRM.. it will drive you batty because the two will never be in sync with each other... infact I was just posting about it, because I did some research on it.. and HRMs really are not all that accurate.. and pretty much they over estimate your calorie burn.. the Bodymedia being 95% accurate (less then 5% error for exercise activities) is enough for you to base your calorie intake on..

with that, I wear mine for 3-4 days without syncing... and there are times I sync mine 2-3 times a day.. but I wear it all day everyday.. (I've worn mine since November consistently, but I've had it for about a year now)

try not to get tied up in WHY the numbers are the way they are.. and focus on setting and exceeding your BM goals..

To sync with MFP.. go to your bodymedia..(you will need to be logged into MFP) .. go to your activity manger and click on the "Apps" tab.. this will bring you to all the apps you can sync with.. find MFP and click on it,and select "LINK APP" it will automatically sync..

Your food is generally synced automatically.. however your exercise is only synced with MFP when you upload your device.. and sometimes it takes a few minutes to register..

Thanks for all this great info! I hope you don't mind another question. I'm a road warrior- I drive on average 700 miles a week. Would I need to shut it off while I was driving? Or will it think every time I hit a bump on the road that I am doing jumping jacks

I've never had that problem. It uses info about perspiration, and heat dissipation, so it really can tell when you're physically active or not. You do burn more driving than just sitting, though.

ginnylee75

Bump for when I get my Body Media:bigsmile:

Neets086

I'm glad you posted this, I was looking at getting a HRM then just heard about Bodymedia.

From what i seen quickly glancing at the promo, you have to pay a monthly fee for the website, is this right?

Would you rate this over a HRM, i like that it tracks everything and can sync with MFP.. so im just weighing up my options?

windyday61

Bump

missjanetleigh

Awesome! I love this place! I just got my arm band today and I'm charging as we speak.

I too had these same questions, thank y'all for answering.

Athena98501

I'm glad you posted this, I was looking at getting a HRM then just heard about Bodymedia.

From what i seen quickly glancing at the promo, you have to pay a monthly fee for the website, is this right?

Would you rate this over a HRM, i like that it tracks everything and can sync with MFP.. so im just weighing up my options?

You get a minimum of 3 months free, but when it's purchased at Costco, it comes with a year's subscription included. When my initial subscription was up, I was able to buy a year's subscription on ebay for $20. It's very definitely much better than an hrm, see my above post for my explanation of why I say that.

davidrip1

bump!

crazyellybean

I'm glad you posted this, I was looking at getting a HRM then just heard about Bodymedia.

From what i seen quickly glancing at the promo, you have to pay a monthly fee for the website, is this right?

Would you rate this over a HRM, i like that it tracks everything and can sync with MFP.. so im just weighing up my options?

I would rate this over an HRM.. only because I was just reading on it, and HRMs are not accurate at all .. they estimate your calorie burn based off your heart beat..

Also I found out so much after wearing my Bodymedia for a short time.. for example my BMR here on MFP (which is not customizable) is 2300 where my actual BMR is 1900.. so that's 400 extra calories MFP is giving me per day.. Also I found that even though I have a desk job, I barely move all day.. so my steps are really low..

ConleighS

I came upon this thread at just the right time. I nave been trying to figure out how to calculate calories burned doing various gym activies (30 min express workout, using the machines, etc.). I have a MIO heart rate monitor but the battery has died (and I forgot that it shows calories burned). I haven't looked into this BodyMedia thing..but will take a look now.

crazyellybean

I would not suggest wearing your HRM.. it will drive you batty because the two will never be in sync with each other... infact I was just posting about it, because I did some research on it.. and HRMs really are not all that accurate.. and pretty much they over estimate your calorie burn.. the Bodymedia being 95% accurate (less then 5% error for exercise activities) is enough for you to base your calorie intake on..

with that, I wear mine for 3-4 days without syncing... and there are times I sync mine 2-3 times a day.. but I wear it all day everyday.. (I've worn mine since November consistently, but I've had it for about a year now)

try not to get tied up in WHY the numbers are the way they are.. and focus on setting and exceeding your BM goals..

To sync with MFP.. go to your bodymedia..(you will need to be logged into MFP) .. go to your activity manger and click on the "Apps" tab.. this will bring you to all the apps you can sync with.. find MFP and click on it,and select "LINK APP" it will automatically sync..

Your food is generally synced automatically.. however your exercise is only synced with MFP when you upload your device.. and sometimes it takes a few minutes to register..

Thanks for all this great info! I hope you don't mind another question. I'm a road warrior- I drive on average 700 miles a week. Would I need to shut it off while I was driving? Or will it think every time I hit a bump on the road that I am doing jumping jacks

it does record any body movement well in the car - but at the same time if you think about it, even if it's only 50 calories, you ARE moving.. tapping to the music, shifting your legs, arms.. etc.. MFP is set up so that its giving your your BMR based on just sitting there all day long.. (unless you chose active etc.) .. Bodymedia will take all that guessing out of the equation..

However, you can take it off and log your off body activity as driving.

Neets086

I'm glad you posted this, I was looking at getting a HRM then just heard about Bodymedia.

From what i seen quickly glancing at the promo, you have to pay a monthly fee for the website, is this right?

Would you rate this over a HRM, i like that it tracks everything and can sync with MFP.. so im just weighing up my options?

You get a minimum of 3 months free, but when it's purchased at Costco, it comes with a year's subscription included. When my initial subscription was up, I was able to buy a year's subscription on ebay for $20. It's very definitely much better than an hrm, see my above post for my explanation of why I say that.

Awesome, thanks! which device did you get? i see there are three models Advantage, Link and Core? are you able to view your tracking (mainly calories burnt) through out the day or only when you sync

zumbarock

I love my BM! I haven't sync'd it yet with MFP, so thanks for the detail. i will do it tonight

crazyellybean

I would not suggest wearing your HRM.. it will drive you batty because the two will never be in sync with each other... infact I was just posting about it, because I did some research on it.. and HRMs really are not all that accurate.. and pretty much they over estimate your calorie burn.. the Bodymedia being 95% accurate (less then 5% error for exercise activities) is enough for you to base your calorie intake on..

with that, I wear mine for 3-4 days without syncing... and there are times I sync mine 2-3 times a day.. but I wear it all day everyday.. (I've worn mine since November consistently, but I've had it for about a year now)

try not to get tied up in WHY the numbers are the way they are.. and focus on setting and exceeding your BM goals..

To sync with MFP.. go to your bodymedia..(you will need to be logged into MFP) .. go to your activity manger and click on the "Apps" tab.. this will bring you to all the apps you can sync with.. find MFP and click on it,and select "LINK APP" it will automatically sync..

Your food is generally synced automatically.. however your exercise is only synced with MFP when you upload your device.. and sometimes it takes a few minutes to register..

Unless there is an update or a change I don't know about, it doesn't work well with exercise. It's far less accurate(talking about the BMF) if you can provide a link...

Actually it's proven to be accurate..

BodyMedia FIT is Clinically Proven to be Accurate

The BodyMedia FIT System has been Clinically Proven to Accurately Measure the Amount of Physical Activity and Calories.

A recent independent study tested our Armband system in real-life situations. Participants engaged in "free living" activities, including brisk walking, running, bicycling, sedentary activities, home activities, home repair, occupational activities, strength training, and ball games. The study compared the armband to a $40,000 "portable oxygen analyzer", the gold standard for measuring calories. Results showed:

Total Calories for free living activities: mean error <10%.
Total Minutes of exercise: mean error <5%.

(found here: http://www.bodymedia.com/the_science.html)




Here are the studies:

http://www.bodymedia.com/studies.html

bethb03

bump... mines in the mail!

ConleighS

I guess through February there is a 15% discount offered.... now to figure out which one I should get. Any suggestions?

Athena98501

I'm glad you posted this, I was looking at getting a HRM then just heard about Bodymedia.

From what i seen quickly glancing at the promo, you have to pay a monthly fee for the website, is this right?

Would you rate this over a HRM, i like that it tracks everything and can sync with MFP.. so im just weighing up my options?

You get a minimum of 3 months free, but when it's purchased at Costco, it comes with a year's subscription included. When my initial subscription was up, I was able to buy a year's subscription on ebay for $20. It's very definitely much better than an hrm, see my above post for my explanation of why I say that.

Awesome, thanks! which device did you get? i see there are three models Advantage, Link and Core? are you able to view your tracking (mainly calories burnt) through out the day or only when you sync

I got the Link, and I really highly recommend it. I can check my burn, steps, etc on my phone, and the Link is the only model I know of that does that. The only info you can only get through syncing is to do with sleep.

crazyellybean

I guess through February there is a 15% discount offered.... now to figure out which one I should get. Any suggestions?

I highly suggest if you have a smart phone and can spring the extra bucks to get the LINK.. it's the one thing I regret and I've been watching ebay for one (they run $70 on ebay).. I would LOVE to be able to see real time data via my smart phone, but you can't do that with the CORE or ADVANTAGE

darcyinmo

I wear my bodymedia about 23.5 hours a day. I usually charge and sync when I shower in the morning. But sometime I sync at night too, especially when I've worked out hard and I want to see all the graphs. It is deigned to wear all the time. If you choose to wear it only when working out, make sure it is set up for this. Mine is set up to use historical data to fill in the time it is off. I took it off for three days after a surgery and was suprised to see high calorie burns...I was able to edit it, but you can see how this could lead to false high numbers if you mostly only wore it for workouts.

I never wore and HRM. The bodymedia will track your calorie burn for workouts, but won't tell you your heartrate. If it is important for you to know this, you may still want to wear your HRM.

This was an awesome gift for you. I love, love, love mine!

Wait... I can leave it off? Can you please explain how to set it up for historical data? I've had mine for almost a month and the indentation in my arm is concerning me a little. I had seen a post from another MFP user that wore hers for like 2 years and had a permanent indentation.

ConleighS

Good to know...I will check ebay too... that is less than the discount.

meganac69

I originally purchased my BodyMedia band a little over a year ago with the 1-year subscription at Costco. I used it religiously for about a month, then sporadically for the remaining 11. (And my results fairly closely followed that schedule, with losses in the first month and not so much in the following 11).

After the free subscription period, you can purchase a monthly ($6.95 USD), annual ($59), or 2-year plan ($89).

I typically wear the band about 23 hours daily and sync at night. I an thrilled to be able to sync my MFP food diary (with a huge user-database) to BodyMedia account and vice versa.

Being a bit of a data wonk, I love the ability to look at all of the metrics from sleep efficiency, to steps per hour, to daily burn.

Athena98501

I wear my bodymedia about 23.5 hours a day. I usually charge and sync when I shower in the morning. But sometime I sync at night too, especially when I've worked out hard and I want to see all the graphs. It is deigned to wear all the time. If you choose to wear it only when working out, make sure it is set up for this. Mine is set up to use historical data to fill in the time it is off. I took it off for three days after a surgery and was suprised to see high calorie burns...I was able to edit it, but you can see how this could lead to false high numbers if you mostly only wore it for workouts.

I never wore and HRM. The bodymedia will track your calorie burn for workouts, but won't tell you your heartrate. If it is important for you to know this, you may still want to wear your HRM.

This was an awesome gift for you. I love, love, love mine!

Wait... I can leave it off? Can you please explain how to set it up for historical data? I've had mine for almost a month and the indentation in my arm is concerning me a little. I had seen a post from another MFP user that wore hers for like 2 years and had a permanent indentation.

I got mine on the 4th of July last year. I only take it off to sync, and to shower, and my indentation always goes away in that time. I move mine around a little on my arm, so that I can comfortably wear it all the time.

crazyellybean

I would not suggest wearing your HRM.. it will drive you batty because the two will never be in sync with each other... infact I was just posting about it, because I did some research on it.. and HRMs really are not all that accurate.. and pretty much they over estimate your calorie burn.. the Bodymedia being 95% accurate (less then 5% error for exercise activities) is enough for you to base your calorie intake on..

with that, I wear mine for 3-4 days without syncing... and there are times I sync mine 2-3 times a day.. but I wear it all day everyday.. (I've worn mine since November consistently, but I've had it for about a year now)

try not to get tied up in WHY the numbers are the way they are.. and focus on setting and exceeding your BM goals..

To sync with MFP.. go to your bodymedia..(you will need to be logged into MFP) .. go to your activity manger and click on the "Apps" tab.. this will bring you to all the apps you can sync with.. find MFP and click on it,and select "LINK APP" it will automatically sync..

Your food is generally synced automatically.. however your exercise is only synced with MFP when you upload your device.. and sometimes it takes a few minutes to register..

Unless there is an update or a change I don't know about, it doesn't work well with exercise. It's far less accurate(talking about the BMF) if you can provide a link...

Actually it's proven to be accurate..

BodyMedia FIT is Clinically Proven to be Accurate

The BodyMedia FIT System has been Clinically Proven to Accurately Measure the Amount of Physical Activity and Calories.

A recent independent study tested our Armband system in real-life situations. Participants engaged in "free living" activities, including brisk walking, running, bicycling, sedentary activities, home activities, home repair, occupational activities, strength training, and ball games. The study compared the armband to a $40,000 "portable oxygen analyzer", the gold standard for measuring calories. Results showed:

Total Calories for free living activities: mean error <10%.
Total Minutes of exercise: mean error <5%.

(found here: http://www.bodymedia.com/the_science.html)




Here are the studies:

http://www.bodymedia.com/studies.html

I have a bodybugg(very similar), pretty much the same thing. The issue with these devices is they work good for normal living conditions. When you start to increase activity it don't work as well. Heybales(a member on MFP) tested the sensors on them and they didn't work at all. We now see it as a pedometer. Just tracks your movement. Yes it can be up to 95% accurate during normal activity, if you increase your activity intensity Then it won't measure accurately.

Not sure that I would belive a random MFP user over several clinical studies, but to each their own..

I've also read that the bodybugg is not as accurate as the bodymedia as it's not as advanced