Body Media inaccurate??

Hi everyone.
First off if I have posted in the wrong section I ask the mods to move it.

I am in dire need of help with my body media core. I have been wearing it for a few days now and i think it is saying I am burning way too many calories. For example I am supposedly burning 1200 calories overnight. It is giving me a daily total of 5000+ calories a day without even working out. I am not wearing it while I drive. It gave me a calorie reading of 272 calories burned while using a stationary bike (the bike said 200) and I left it on my arm. Also according to the core unit, I am only getting about 1 hour of sleep a night.

What could possibly be wrong as body media is supposed to be the most accurate device on the market?

I am over weight by about 65 to 80 lbs.
I have a high heart rate of about 100
current weight is 212
Current Height 5'6
Female
Age 36

any help or insight is much appreciated.

Replies

  • kelleybean1
    kelleybean1 Posts: 312 Member
    I would call the company, sounds wrong to me. Mine is pretty accurate.
  • Double check what you entered into body medias website for your info, stats, etc. maybe that's it. If not, it's the unit. You can't be doing that much.

    Mine is working great
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    Something seems amiss. What does it tell you for METs for overnight/sitting around doing nothing? I would double check your entries/settings on bodymedia to make sure you're in lbs (not kgs or something) and all of that. Then call them and ask what's up. Mine does read a little high (about 15% based on actual results), but nowhere near what you're experiencing. My stationary bike tells me I burn 107 calories. It also thinks I'm a 175lb dude. Bodymedia and everything else says about 220. It's the sleep that sounds very off. Anyway, I'd double-check your settings then give them a call. Something sounds off.
  • Update: spoke to body media and they are sending out a new unit. They think mine has a faulty accelerometer.
  • threshkreen
    threshkreen Posts: 79 Member
    I am thinking of purchasing a Body Media Core unit. I am looking for the Core2 which I have read will record heart rate as well, but can get no information on it from the web site.. I used to have a Fitbit, but was unhappy since it didn't record intensity of work - I do incline walking on the treadmill due to bad knees (as well as strength conditioning)and I can really get my heart rate up at a low pace. The fitbit barely had me taking any steps. Also, I guess I just don't move my arms when I walk because I have a fairly up and around job and it usually recorded my steps at 10 or so.

    In any event, the Body Media device interests me. Any pros or cons? (I use a Polar hear rate monitor, so I am rather used to having that kind of data available).

    If there is a better place for me to post this, please move! Thanks.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    I am thinking of purchasing a Body Media Core unit. I am looking for the Core2 which I have read will record heart rate as well, but can get no information on it from the web site.. I used to have a Fitbit, but was unhappy since it didn't record intensity of work - I do incline walking on the treadmill due to bad knees (as well as strength conditioning)and I can really get my heart rate up at a low pace. The fitbit barely had me taking any steps. Also, I guess I just don't move my arms when I walk because I have a fairly up and around job and it usually recorded my steps at 10 or so.

    In any event, the Body Media device interests me. Any pros or cons? (I use a Polar hear rate monitor, so I am rather used to having that kind of data available).

    If there is a better place for me to post this, please move! Thanks.

    I have a BMF and I love it!

    I like that I get calories burned all day and night. I have the external display device, so I get real time calorie burn (very motivating when you look down and see a low number!), steps, and minutes of moderate and vigorous exercise. I can also set it to show calories burned during a workout.

    A lot of people don't like it because it's visible on your arm or under close-fitting sleeves; I don't care about it. In fact, I like it when people ask me about it, because their invariable response is "You're thin! You don't need to watch what you eat!" and I reply "I do if I want to stay this way" because so many people think there's something magic about normal weight people and they can consume massive amounts of calories and not lose weight. If I'm going to something where I don't want it to show, I put it in my bra on my side. It works just fine, although I think the calorie burn is a little lower than wearing it on your arm.

    It records steps even if you're not moving your arms (because I usually don't move mine when I'm walking on the treadmill and it still counts them). It may not be as accurate when biking; in this situation, BodyMedia says to put it on your calf.

    A lot of people don't like having to pay for the online subscription. You get three months free when you buy one, and if you buy a year in advance it's $60, or $5 a month. Some spend more than $5 on one cup of coffee. To me, it's not that bad.
  • threshkreen
    threshkreen Posts: 79 Member
    Thanks for the input. Have you heard anything about the Core2 Body Media? I cannot find it anywhere and with my luck I will buy one and in two weeks the Core2 will come out. I read somewhere BodyMedia was purchased by Jawbone (?) but there is no mention on their website either.

    Plus, I emailed BodyMedia and the "Contact Us" email and the message bounced back saying the mail box was closed.