GOWEAR FIT AND BODYBUGG: A COMPARISON

Since I have been searching for more info about this devices for myself, I just thought about sharing with you guys, because I know there's a lot of questions about differences between the Bodybugg and the Gowear Fit. I found this article online and I'm just coping to this post because I found it pretty interesting. Big thanks to Leigh Peele to work on that for us. (I don't know her)

What is GoWearFit and Bodybugg?

GoWearFit and Bodybugg are armband devices that track your daily caloric expenditure. It does so through 4 primary methods of measure.

Accelerometer-This measures motion and movement.
Heat Flux-How much heat your body gives off.
Galvanic Skin Response-How much stress your body gives off.
Skin Temperature-The temperature your bodies skin is.
While it may seem like each of these is the same, it is not by a long shot. My question was/is the degree of their accuracy of measurement.

Here are a few examples:

Accelerometer:

Seated leg movements do not register as high as they should such as recumbent biking or spinning. Some could argue that they just aren’t high levels of burn in the first place, but other studies of these types of activities have rated higher, especially with mountain biking/uphill rides.
Elliptical or gazelle type machines seem to overestimate caloric expenditure. It does seem to land in more correct/logical numbers when arm levers are not used or when stabilizing on an elliptical. It seems the momentum of the elliptical rates in expenditure, but doesn’t elicit that same demand on the body.These have been known issues, but it should still be noted.
Unilateral arm movements or isometric holds are measured differently. For example, if you wear one on each arm and completed scrubbing movements, the arm in use always registered significantly higher than the arm not in use. In some cases it ranges as high as 45% higher. It should be noted that testing was done with the same device type and transferring different arms because of proper armband use.
Heat Flux:

No real noticeable flaws in this system or a real means of testing with my equipment. Anything here would be guessing.
Galvanic Skin Response:

The measure of physical stress seems to exist. I did a lot of tests with isometric stress and it took measurements well. How correct or accurate, I do not know. The measurements themselves were taken though and in a noticeable fashion.
Emotional stress seems to not be measured very well or perhaps is not a big indicator of caloric burn. When the stress reaches a point of physical reaction there is small measured response. For example shaking or shivering are registered.
Skin Temperature:

Exterior heat seems to affect burn due to skin temperature changes. How much this is accurate or not again I couldn’t say. This was tested by sitting outside in shade and then in direct sunlight with multiple people. Studies have played in favor of cold speeding up caloric burn, but not heat. So this could be a flaw or it could be accurate. No way of knowing from my side.
Overall these issues are minor in the big scheme, but on small levels could show a difference in readings.

The truth is the only way to confirm these errors in readings would involve far more investigation than I could provide. That being said I do have some opinions and thoughts on situations that I have seen and worked with.

When the numbers don’t add up

One of the easiest ways to test the accuracy of loss would be by rate of loss under a caloric monitored situation. If you measure your intake best possible and compare it with your loss rate this could lead to charting its accuracy. This is great in theory, but hit or miss in practice.

A large reason for this is that weight loss isn’t linear. Weight bounces all over the place and water is the ultimate enemy to conclusions in most weight loss studies. See my recent article “The Science of Scale Fluctuations” for more on this subject.

To get any level of quality charting it takes two very important things:

Time
Precision in Measurement
There is only a small number of clients that I have worked with that I could trust on the 2nd aspect. Even then you have unintended human error, and flaws in the system of caloric definitions for products and whole foods.

That all being said I have seen some “weird stuff” go down.

We meet again

It is no secret that I welcome the fat loss challenged. It’s kind of my place. Beyond that I attract a high number of the following…

Anorexics
Bulimics
Overtrained/Undernourished
Extreme Carbphobics
The Hormonally Challenged (Adrenal/Thyroid/Estrogen/Etc)

A lot of the problems above can be solved/treated with relative ease with the knowledge of the proper method of fat loss. Assuming that these types of cases push past my suggested methods of fat loss, they are usually met with more and more problems.

For brevity I will put a few bullet points out and perhaps I can discuss it more in future article if need. Based on my experience thus far I believe:

Overtraining/Lack of Time off leads to the worst charting patterns
Those that try to ditch refeeds/diet breaks have noticeable charting problems
Decrease in general activity and RMR are noted, but only severe drops have been seen in those who are very sick, inactive, and unhealthy (as would be expected).
I still believe water retention to be the big issue for a massive majority. I do believe that there is a degree of unmeasured burn decrease that isn’t charted, but that is a complete personal belief that I really can’t prove. I hesitate to put it out there. I only do so because there are a few cases that I feel confident because of charting, time passed, and water retention assessment. I will say that these were woman, all overtrained, and put off breaks and refeeds.
Take home point on accuracy

I would be “full of it” if I gave it a correct percentage of accuracy. I have only my experiences to go on. I have now rented out/monitored over 150 different clients and trainers under different experiments and lengths of time. Beyond that I have corresponded in high detail with many others who were charting their own experiences or distant clients.

For my own experiments removal of variables was the best I could do given the circumstances and equipment.

Because of all of the things I have discussed I believe that the Bodybuggs/GowearFits are great monitors for a gauge of your general movement, but not to be taken as gospel in anyway as to your actual daily caloric burn.

In my personal opinion only I would allow for at least a 15% error in reading. I would use them only for alertness to your actual movement in life, to understand that caloric burn is not static, and as a gauge of where to start from to reach your current body goal.

Cost and Package

I initially had a comparison chart but it seems there are just too many places to buy it at different prices so it would be silly to assume. Prices of each range and packages are different. Below are my opinions on different additions and gadgets offered.

Digital Display: No one needs it. All it takes it two minutes to upload your devices and see what you have burned. There is also a good lag between the display and the armbands. I personally see no reason to buy a display for anyone.

1-Phone Coaching: Not important and no different than a help manual. Because I ordered over 12 Bodybuggs initially when they came out I got 12 different phone calls. I used every one of them, and each one were base level knowledge of training and nutrition. 2 of them were downright rude and rushing me off the phone. Had I been an actual beginner to training and nutrition, I would not be left feeling comfortable.

Because of that, I do not see the free phone coaching a benefit.

Food Logging Database: While the GoWear Fit claims food logging, it is a pretty sad example. At least currently. BodyBugg’s food log system is leagues above the GoWear Fit system. While everything is still mostly in cups/tbsp, the variety is pretty good and the interface is attractive.




Sleep efficiency: Though not a technical spec that is mentioned, the Gowear Fit does have a “Sleep Efficiency” chart that measures the amount of sleep you got each night. I happen to think that sleep time is crucial to fat loss and performance and being aware of how much or how little sleep you are getting could be a big advantage.

The better deal overall: It changes constantly on a price point. I wouldn’t be surprised if 2 weeks after I posted this, the prices went up on either. I personally now use the GoWear Fit because at the time there was still only the V2 and I liked the smaller armband. If I had to choose now I would likely go with the GoWear Fit system based on their quick response in customer support.

Since they are by the same company though, I don’t really get the point. I think it is a bit weird to be honest as from a marketing angle I am not sure why they don’t just put the focus on making one product and service the best it can be.

The real question is – should you get it?

Before I give my opinion I want to state that this review is not an affiliate review. I make nothing if you decide to buy a Bodybugg or Gowear Fit. I will say I am 100% recommending my book with it because I believe that knowing how much you burn will mean little to nothing if you don’t know what to do with that information.

I think if you pair The Fat Loss Troubleshoot with a GoWear Fit or Bodybugg system, it is as close to fool proof fat loss you can get.


You can find the article here > http://www.leighpeele.com/gowear-fit-and-bodybugg-a-comparison