Bodybugg
I’m obsessing again. This time on the Bodybugg. (It’s a device that you wear on your arm that tracks how many calories you are burning.) I came across it online a few weeks ago and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. The reviews on blogs and message boards have been mixed but overall people seem to love it. I keep thinking “maybe”. Maybe this is the “missing key” to maintaining which to me is much harder than losing. Maybe this will give me the motivation I need to eat peanut butter without having to ask for permission. Maybe I’ll discover I can eat more. (Wishful thinking) Maybe I’ll be able to enjoy pizza without guilt. Maybe parking in the farthest parking space in Target will be fun. Maybe I’ll start vacuuming as if there is a reward for world’s fastest vacuumer.
$300.
I’m using a 7 year old cell phone because I don’t want to pay for a new one. Both of my cars are nearing 10 years old. I bought Joe’s Jeans (that ripped the first time I tried to wear them) from a recycled clothing shop. I workout in my garage with rusty dumbbells and spiders. I’m not complaining. In fact, I actually enjoy being thrifty and I’m extremely grateful to even own a cell phone but spending $300 on a device is just hard for me. I’ve been trying to talk myself out of it but this morning I read this review by Chalene Johnson. Now, I am starting to convince myself I need instead of want a Bodybugg. We’ll see….
xoxo
j
This is my (almost) sane quest for insane health. Let's 
I know how you feel! I’ve been dreaming about the GoWearFit for quite a while now… If only I had the money just lying around :]
my work out partner (and BFF) wears a Bodybugg. She loves it and it’s really helped her with her goals. I heard that you can find them used on ebay. Might be worth a try. Good luck making a decision.
I had one last summer and used it very successfully to lose my initial weight. Nothing like black and white stats to motivate. I paid about $200 for it on the 24 hour fitness website and then sold it on eBay for $180! Can you believe it? I found it super accurate …
http://www.24hourfitness.com/training/bodybugg/ $199 and free ship.
I checked out the bodybug website. Very Interesting, especially the “how it works” page. I’m a scientific guy; I won’t be buying one. It tells you that you are moving, hot, and sweaty, that means you are burning calories. Only thing is; I know when I am hot, moving and sweaty. It may tell you that you are moving, but there is a big difference in moving 10lbs on a bench press or 200lbs. Also jogging uphill is different than downhill but you are still moving. Kinetic energy expenditure (calories) is moving a measured mass at a measured velocity, which this thing doesn’t do. OK, I’m always being accused of being cynical; and I risk being erased off this blog. So, to be safe, I will give it some benifit as a motivation tool. Even if the measurement is not accurate, it is a standard you can use for YOUR relative calorie burn one day to the next. It’s still better than $300 worth of peanut butter.
Me again. Can you recommend a good heart rate monitor. Maybe one that I can easily buy online like at Amazon? The last one I had, got left lying around when the battery died. If it needs special batteries I tend to never buy them. If it had a AAA battery that would be perfect.
Thanks guys!!! I’m still undecided. One minute I’m rationalizing the expense then next minute I’m telling myself I can do this without it.
Dad – LOL!!!! You won’t be erased off!!! I’ve sort of thought about the same thing although not in scientific terms. My thought was how does it know the difference between a HIIT session and a steady state cardio session? And does it measure the EPOCH (excessive post oxygen consumption) in other words does it your raised metabolism after a hard lifting or HIIT session? I did see some study that this thing was 90% accurate but I too have my doubts. I would be using it more as a motivational tool to stay out of the peanut butter!! As far as heart rate monitors the only one I’ve ever used is Polar. I think my batteries are dead in mine which is why I haven’t used it in over two years. I liked it when it worked!
Not to add to your obsession.. buttttt.. The Body Bugg is made by BodyMedia and given to 24 hour fitness to market. However, you can buy directly from the manufacturer under the name “GoWearFit”.. you can get the armband for $179 on Amazon.com.. the wrist receptor is extra but I had mine for six months before I got the wristband.. you just don’t have the instant gratification of being able to glance down at your watch… I am NOT anywhere near where you are – but for me, it was like confronting the brutal truth that I AM NOT MOVING ENOUGH. No denial. No excuses. It’s there in black and white. (Which is probably why I put it in my drawer for many months until taking it back out 8 weeks ago.)… the “catch” with either the body bugg or gowearfit is that you must SUBSCRIBE to the service… I compared the two every which way possible and landed on gowearfit. If you still have questions call BodyMedia and talk to them. They gave me a great comparison between the two – and they don’t care which one you buy since they are both essentially making money for them.. GOOD LUCK.. and thanks for the inspiration to chose a goal, remain focused and DO IT!
SkinnyInMyHead – Thanks for the info and sharing your experience. I’m still obsessing. Thanks for stopping by too!
I don’t know if you want this, but if price is an option as the above blog post seems to indicate, then why not buy one used off ebay? you can easily get one under $100 on there, even one of the newer models…just a thought..i am on tracker by the way and ended up on your blog after reading your posts about the sugar addiction, I am still trying to figure out if I really have one or if I can control it..hmm that probably means I can’t huh?
Found my way here from Sparkpeople:)
I have a Bodybugg but I stopped using it. I loved seeing the numbers but I didn’t love how big and visible it was. I didn’t wanna walk around work in a t-shirt and have that thing stuck on my arm and having people asking me a million times what it was. Now, I use only my Polar F6 when I work out.
The Bodybugg is a really cool took, but mine just lies there and gathers dust these days;)
The Bodybugg does detect motion using the sensors and calculates it against the gravity and motion to measure the true level of physical exertion. It also checks the amount of heat dissipated by the body with the Heat Flux sensor, the GSR sensor measures the conductivity of the skin to see how much current can pass between 2 points. Then of course there is the skin temperature.
The difference between 10 and 200 pounds is detected in all of these sensors because the heat/conductivity and motion is different. Even the HIIT sessions are affected by this. When you get the bodybugg and upload the data to the website, you get all kinds of graphs and images to see how much and when you burned calories. So you can see during 1 minute you may have burned 12 calories and then the very next minute 8 calories. The other day I helped a guy push his car into a gas station, I wasn’t active before that sitting idle at about 2.3 calories a minute, but then I see this spike for about 4 minutes where I went up to 10 calories while I was helping the guy. But when I’m pushing the grocery cart it’s not doing anything. So yes it can tell the difference, pushing a cart my muscles are not getting hot, i’m not sweating, I’m not radiating heat.
I would also suggest you buy a bodybugg new. There are different models and you always want the latest. Another issue is the bodybugg program is $80, so if you buy a used one on ebay for $120 then you still have to pay $80 to use the program and actually view your results. So a used $120 bodybugg from ebay will cost you the same as just buying a new one for $199. You can walk into a 24 hour fitness today and get it and be going by tomorrow.
Hi Josh. Thanks for commenting. I see you work for Bodybugg. That doens’t annoy me at all!
I admire companies who recognize bloggers and social networking as a big part of their potential business and then use their resources to interact with those on the internet. Wise marketing strategy indeed. I’m still thinking about getting a bodybugg…it’s just the matter of having the cash to pay for one. But if Bodybugg wants to give me one I promise to mention it regularly in my blog. 😉
I currently own (but do not use) a bodybugg. i found the subscription fee to be a little ‘much’ to tack on to the overall cost of the entire unit: watch/band. i used it while preparing for a figure competition last year and was very interested in knowing how many cals i was burning throughout the day. it works well in my opinion… i just didn’t want to pay that fee every month!
p.s. – i’d sell you mine if you were really interested. it’s just collecting dust! LOL
Hi Jazzy! Great I thought I was over this obsession and now I want one again! 😉 Just teasing, yeah the subscription fee has been holding me back. I just think it would be really fun/interesting to know how many calories I was burning through out the day. Maybe it would motivated me to quit daydreaming and get off the couch! Ha!!! Thanks for stopping by. If I decide I’m in the market for a used Bodybugg I’ll letcha know!
Thanks for commenting. Hugs or hive five. Whichever you prefer!
I am an owner of the bodybugg- and I have to say- I paid full price – 350$ (including the display) and I have NO regrets! What turned me on to it to begin with was my sister in law lost over 300 lbs- and has kept it off for 3 years now! Her transformation was enough for me! I also was following many diet fads- cutting cals to 1200 and working out like crazy and NOTHING- I’d get frustrated and binge because I felt like I was getting no where fast!
so I get the bugg- and I put it on- and it tells me I burn like 2600-3000 cals a day! I am 5’3 and at the time I weighed 150 lbs! HMMM… I wore it for a month and sent it back- there MUST be something wrong with it! there is NO way I am burning that many cals! (My sister in law burns 1800 on a rest day- while I burn 2400 on a rest day??) so I get a new bugg- and guess what ?? same burn!!!??? (I have burned over 3000 cals 7 times so far! amazing!!!)
the bugg takes out all the guess work- I wasnt able to lose weight cutting my cals back – in fact one year later I am eating 1800-2100 cals (depending on my burn) and I am losing weight! weird!
is it accurate? I dont know- but try this on for size: when I follow the bugg’s plan – I LOSE WEIGHT… when I decide to try what “suzy q” down the street is doing (ie: cutting cals and working out like crazy – YES I have actually STOPPED following the bugg’s plan and tried this SO many times- dont ask me why I do this over and over again!) when I eat more- I burn more cals easier too!!! when I cut back I have a harder time burning cals at rest!!
more then anything I like the bugg- it gives me something to obsess about! its FUN! I wear it to church even- with a dress- with a tank top- whatever- I love it! I dont care what people think either! I love my bugg and I tell everyone I meet I have one and how it works for me!
I heard about another gadget called the “fitbit” – you should check that out. A couple of ladies from sp who have the bodybugg got a fitbit and BOTH ended up returning the bodybugg- its only 99$ and they read pretty much the same amount of cals- !! I also there is NO monthly fee!!!
(by the way- 80$ broken up into 12 months is like NOTHING!! and I love the site- I love the food log- I love the graphs! I enjoy it!! I think you would too!!)
ONE LAST THING: there is a lady on SP who rents out bb’s!! her name is Bodybugger- check her out- maybe you could rent one for 2-3 weeks and get an idea of what your burning????
Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing!!! either way- your doing GREAT and I love your blogs!!
Joni
Joni – WOW!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking the time to write this EXTREMELY information, thoughtful and telling post. Your experience sounds incredible!!!! Ahhhhh…now I really want one! 😀 So interested that you needed to eat more to lose weight and that eating less was actually hurting your progress. LUCKY DUCK!!!!!
Congratulations to you and (your sister in law)!!!
I’m off to check out the fitbit right now!!!
THANK YOU again!!!!!
Hugs!
wondering what you ended up doing!!! hoping you WENT for it and just got ONE of these amazing devices!!!
I have been obsessing about the same thing, do I want to spend the money do I not? Reading the comments, I also am think I think I do – Mother’s Day is this weekend, maybe that is my gift? Let us know if you do get one or not