Hey. Feel free to add me as a friend because I am on MF too and love the program. I hear you about having your diary private. I have gone back and forth with mine as well but I figure that if you don't like the way I eat and lose weight, then unfriend me! I know that a few people have unfriended me because of that but I don't want anyone as a friend if they aren't going to be supportive. I have lost 25 pounds and 30 inches with MF and it has changed my life. This is my first time on MFP too and I really like it. I also use the bodymedia fit that syncs with MFP and it is awesome. Welcome to MFP and good luck to you!

Hey for the person that wears the bodymedia fit & doing medifast - how many calories a day does the bmf tell you burn? how much of a deficit is medifast from that?

I am also using the Bodymedia Fit armband, and it does vary from day to day. I don't do heavy workouts either, but my calorie burn "target" is 2000, and I am hitting at least 2300 every day. My highest day was just over 2800. I have a "steps" goal and a moderate activity goal of 30 minutes. I get my moderate activity in easily just by walking a little more briskly than I used to. My calorie deficit varies greatly, but as an example, yesterday, the deficit was 1468, and Sunday (day of rest - I don't push at all) it was 1223. Saturday, which was busy from sunup to sundown was 1861. Incredibly, I wasn't hungry or lacking in energy on Saturday at all.

I try to stay in the recommended 800-1000 calorie zone with what I eat, with Carbs under 100g, Fat under 30g and Protein over 75g.

I don't know about you, but I find the information I'm getting from the Body Media Fit to be very motivating and useful. I feel like I have the trifecta of weight loss tools working in my favor now. My Fitness Pal, Medifast and Bodymedia. MFP is so easy to use and I have my friends and forum etc., that are familiar. MF with my health coach and the ease of simple meals and guidelines that make the nutrition aspect very nearly idiot proof, and Bodymedia, which gives me the big picture - what my metabolism is doing, my activity level, my sleep habits, etc. I'm loving it!

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The BodyMedia armband is in direct contact with the skin and, according to the BodyMedia information, gathers over 5000 bits of data to essentially track your metabolism. It measures body temp, salinity of the skin and movement etc. My experience is that it's been incredibly accurate, with the one exception that it doesn't recognize steps when walking on a treadmill, although it does register the activity and increase in energy expenditure during that time. I assume that the accelerometers in the device require some directional movement in addition to the stride to recognize walking. I'm told that the fitbit has a similar issue.

The Fitbit clips onto your clothing or bra, so it has the advantage of being "out of sight". My friend who owns one tells me it's essentially a glorified pedometer that very accurately captures movement and translates it to energy expended.

So the technology of the BodyMedia seems to be a bit more advanced, but it will show if you have on very short, see through, or tight sleeves. There are a small percentage of owners who have a reaction to the metal on their skin - about 1%.

The Fitbit owners I know seem very happy with their devices too, particularly the ability to keep it hidden from view.

I'm a data / technology geek, so the BodyMedia is a great fit for me. I think either one will help you monitor your activity level.

I think you will be happy with either one. I was shocked when last weekend I burned 2,800 calories in a day and had about 11,000 steps. Once you start using it, you will feel lost if you leave the house and forget it. I have actually gotten used to sleeping with mine too and I think one of the FitBits also monitors your sleep patterns too. Good luck and let us know how it is working for you.