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!

I have the bodymedia fit and am doing MF but my daily calories varies depending on whether I work out or not. I think I need to do some adjustments because my target for calories burned is 1700 but I burn a lot more than that even without working out. I need to play with it some more. Or I may need to lower my calorie intake. I don't do heavy aerobic workouts because I am not taking in enough calories to do it, but I stay in a fat burning zone so it is working.

yeah, my base is 1700 calories burned but I am averaging about 2200 a day and I had a high of 2800 this last Sunday but we worked a water stop at a half marathon and then spent most of the day shopping for furniture so I was active pretty much all day. I really have a bad habit of not logging my food on the weekends and I ate some things I shouldn't have this past weekend but it appears that I have worked it off though! I am also trying to get in 4 workouts in a week so that is helping. I still have about 15 pounds to lose and I am kind of stuck right now so I am not sure what I need to do but I am not giving up!

I feel the same way as you about the trifecta of weight loss tools and it is so very motivating. I am friends with someone else who is on MF and uses Body Media too and she said that she prints out a report of what her totals were for when she goes into the center and I thought that was a great idea. It is so easy just to pull up a report but I had never thought of it. I may do it today before I go in for my weigh in. I don't know if you have heard about the Earndit website but it is pretty cool too. You can do challenges and earn points towards gift cards, etc. the website is http://earnd.it/Yi7igu I sent you a referral so we both can earn points if you want to do it. Everytime you download your Bodymedia, it adds points to this website. Just another way to get some motivation! We are all here to support each other!

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.