New to BodyMedia Fit tool

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chodgi06
chodgi06 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I just bought a BodyMedia Fit LINK tool. Today is my first day wearing it and using the software. Any tips or tricks to get the most out of this? Anything weird i should expect for the first few days as it calibrates (i think i read somewhere else they had weird readings?) How easy is the software on the phone/computer to track food, etc?

I had posted before i was considering buying this and Turbo Fire, just could only get one at a time. I got a deal on this, so i have it already and Turbo Fire is on its way to me now, so i'll be starting that soon!

I already wear a HR while i workout so i've been doing pretty good with my calorie usage during workouts i think, but i wanted help on my total daily burn numbers to make sure i'm getting the right deficit. I'm trying to lose 1-2 lbs per week, but since i'm putting on muscle too, that number changes, flattens and sometimes goes the opposite way some weeks!

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  • rsbremiller
    rsbremiller Posts: 24
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    I have been wearing the Fit Advantage (with the watch-like display) since January and I love it. There are some pros and cons of it, so I'll try to answer your questions.

    First few day weirdness - you may get a little bit, but try to wear the armband as much as possible (including when you sleep.) This will start the calibration process. I didn't get info that was to far off outside of the sleep - if you're couch potatoing it for a while, it thinks you're sleeping.

    Pro - you'll find out that you're not as active as you think you are. This was the biggest "a-ha!" for me. I have a desk job, but work out 5+ days a week... however I didn't realize how low my calorie/minute burn was while I was sitting there doing work. This will make you more conscious of needing to get up and move around to meet that moderate activity goal.

    Con - The software can be challenging sometimes. Setting your goals to be reasonable (It told me to eat 2400 calories at first) can take a little manipulation.

    Pro - The reporting tools are awesome (especially if you're a bit of a numbers nerd.) The nutritional distribution chart is one of my favorites!

    Con - The food database is not as varied as MFP. For that reason, I log details into MFP (where I have a support network of friends) and log the bulk calories as an estimate into BM. You lose out on the nutritional breakdown chart I mentioned above though. So it ends up being personal choice. If you choose to log into Body Media, expect it to take a bit longer.

    Pro - The calories you burn will be calculated on more than just your heart rate. As cliched as it sounds, while heart rate is a good measure, I feel the armband to be more accurate. THAT BEING SAID ~ be cautious on logging your armband "calories burned" into MFP. The calories burned for the armband include the base calories necessary for your body to function, while the calories that MFP is looking for are the ADDITIONAL calorie value. The way I address it is by always using MFPs values for cardio whenever possible. Sure, it under estimates a little bit, but as long as you're sure to eat the calories you've earned, you shouldn't be at too much of a deficit.

    Pro - one of the reasons we gain/don't lose weight is sleep duration/quality. I love the sleep section (although I find it a hard problem to fix.)

    Con - Armband + Sun = one seriously funky tan line.

    Overall, to help put things in perspective:
    I have a similar goal (1-2lb per week), so my deficit goal at Body Media is 1000 calories. My framework to attain this is to burn 2900 calories in a 24hr period and eat 1900. To get there, I have a daily 10,000 step goal and a 90 minute (30 vigorous/60 moderate) activity goal.
    On the flip side, MFP originally quoted me 1350 net calories.
    This makes a lot of sense to me as, by wearing the armband, I know that on a day that I don't work out I burn anywhere from 2100 - 2450 calories, and since 3500 calories = 1lb (x2 = 7000, /7= 1000 per day) I could ostensibly not work out and eat only 1350 calories and lose weight. Not my choice as l looooove to eat! :wink:

    Either way, be patient with the armband and yourself as it will take some time to get use to the information it's providing you.

    Good luck!
  • forty3fab
    forty3fab Posts: 148 Member
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    I have had my BodyMedia Fit for just a week now and I love it. I could not get it to sync with my phone my first attempt, but I need to try that again. I do use MFP for all my food logging as I have too many foods and recipes saved on here (and I have great friends) so I will always stay with MFP!

    If you want to enter your totals from MFP into your BodyMedia info, go into the account manager for BodyMedia and go to logging meals, you can create a food. I do this at the end of the day and use all my totals from MFP including the nutritional values and enter them as the date and mfp totals, example: 3/22 MFP daily total. Then add it to a certain meal, i.e. breakfast or dinner, save it and the numbers will post to your dashboard.

    I just hope I can choose my goals correctly, as that is what I am having the most problem with and keep playing around with the numbers. I do love the sleep feature and have learned that I am seriously lacking some shuteye. I need to work on that!

    I would love to hear success stories of people using MFP and BodyMedia Fit! Actually, I would like to be one of the success stores! Best wishes to you!
  • chodgi06
    chodgi06 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks for the info! I also was happy to see my sleep graphic. I knew i wasn't sleeping well and now i can see it :-)

    I think i will opt out of trying to track my food on BodyMedia unless they can improve the food database. I'll just put in the daily estimate.

    I also was sad to see how much i have to sit around all day for work. it does make me want to get up and move around more often!

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