Ok I saw this thing called the body bug on the biggest loser and online at 24 hour fitness and I wanted to know if anyone ever used one. I'm considering saving up to buy one with my ssi money but I just want to know if it's worth the 300 and some odd dollars.
Body Bug (bodybugg®)
- Thread starter nomorefatsoon
- Start date
I've been waiting for someone to mention these since the BL is using them.
I think they're pretty neat. I know some prominent coaches in the industry use them.
If you're looking for precise calculations... don't bother.
If you're alright with ballparks, it will certainly give you a rough guestimate..
I heard you have to purchase a subscription to their website to view the data though, which is total BS.
Personally a bit pricey considering the fact weight loss isn't rocket science.
I think they're pretty neat. I know some prominent coaches in the industry use them.
If you're looking for precise calculations... don't bother.
If you're alright with ballparks, it will certainly give you a rough guestimate..
I heard you have to purchase a subscription to their website to view the data though, which is total BS.
Personally a bit pricey considering the fact weight loss isn't rocket science.
The bodybugg™ is the most accurate device on the market today for measuring calorie expenditure outside of a clinical setting.
It utilizes a patented process for interpreting calorie burn called "sensor fusion" developed by BodyMedia, Inc. This process involves collecting a range of body-data using multiple physiological sensors instead of a single sensor, which is what other calorie estimation devices such as pedometers and heart rate monitors rely on. It's this multi-sensor approach that enables bodybugg™ to "see" the wearer's context (whether they are sitting, sleeping, jogging, walking, etc.) that makes bodybugg™ such a reliably accurate device for calorie expenditure estimation.
The Physiological Sensors
Here is a list of the sensors in the bodybugg™ followed by a short description of how they contribute to energy expenditure estimation.
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Ummm - Ok
It utilizes a patented process for interpreting calorie burn called "sensor fusion" developed by BodyMedia, Inc. This process involves collecting a range of body-data using multiple physiological sensors instead of a single sensor, which is what other calorie estimation devices such as pedometers and heart rate monitors rely on. It's this multi-sensor approach that enables bodybugg™ to "see" the wearer's context (whether they are sitting, sleeping, jogging, walking, etc.) that makes bodybugg™ such a reliably accurate device for calorie expenditure estimation.
The Physiological Sensors
Here is a list of the sensors in the bodybugg™ followed by a short description of how they contribute to energy expenditure estimation.
- Accelerometer - The accelerometer in bodybugg™ is a two-axis micro-electro-mechanical sensor (MEMS) device that measures motion. This motion can be mapped to forces (g-force) exerted on the body. By taking gravity and motion into account along with the other sensor data, the wearer's body context and true level of physical exertion can be accurately predicted.
- Heat Flux - The bodybugg™ also contains a proprietary heat flux sensor located on the side that measures the amount of heat being dissipated by the body via a thermally resistant material. In short, this sensor measure how much heat the wearer's body is giving off. Heat flux is an important parameter because the body tends to heat up the faster it burns calories.
- Galvanic Skin Response - Better known as GSR, this sensor is comprised of two "hypo-allergenic" stainless steel electrodes on the back of the armband that measure skin conductivity. Skin conductivity is how much an electrical current can pass between two points on the surface of the skin and is affected by sweat due to physical exertion as well as emotional stimuli such as psychological stress.
- Skin Temperature - Skin temperature is measured by using a highly accurate thermistor-based sensor located on the back of the bodybugg™. Looking at continuous measurement of skin temperature in conjunction with data collected from the other sensors can reveal the body's core temperature trends which are affected by the level of a person's physical exertion or lack thereof.
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Ummm - Ok
you still have to manually enter your calories eaten, so how it is different than using any program to keep track of calories expended...
txsqlchick
New member
I'm a member at 24 hour fitness so I can get them for $200 each but I'm not sure what the benefit would be. It seems awfully expensive and like maleficent said, it's mostly something you can do yourself. It would be cool if I could wear a sensor that told me how many calories I'd burned that day without me having to upload data to a server or pay for a subscription. I might go for something like that...but not something as bulky or expensive as a bodybugg.
I've just signed up on FitDay myself and am familiarizing myself with its layout and searches. I'm not crazy about the amount of ads; the page looks very cluttered. I suppose after a while I'll be able to ignore them and tune them out.
I've just signed up on FitDay myself and am familiarizing myself with its layout and searches. I'm not crazy about the amount of ads; the page looks very cluttered. I suppose after a while I'll be able to ignore them and tune them out.
FutureMrs444
New member
BudyBugg - My experience
I bought a bodybugg about a month ago and I really enjoy it. I like knowing how many calories I burn in a day. The company has been nothing but helpful since I started this program. After a while of wearing it I don't even notice it anymore. It really has helped to give me that extra push. It comes with a 3 month subscription to the online program and after that you do have to buy more time online. Overall if you are into seeing exactly what happens when you are sedentary, exercising or even cleaning your home. I would recommend it. The woman on the phone did tell me they are coming out with a smaller more precise version the end of this year so you might want to wait to buy it.
I give it two thumbs up!
I bought a bodybugg about a month ago and I really enjoy it. I like knowing how many calories I burn in a day. The company has been nothing but helpful since I started this program. After a while of wearing it I don't even notice it anymore. It really has helped to give me that extra push. It comes with a 3 month subscription to the online program and after that you do have to buy more time online. Overall if you are into seeing exactly what happens when you are sedentary, exercising or even cleaning your home. I would recommend it. The woman on the phone did tell me they are coming out with a smaller more precise version the end of this year so you might want to wait to buy it.
I give it two thumbs up!
txsqlchick
New member
So....how exactly does it work? Is it pretty accurate in telling you what you've burned?
Id you're looking for calories burned thr out the day - a heart rate monitor would do that...
madness1
New member
I have a body bugg too. I tried the heart rate monitor but it was completely off (my heart rates are not usually in the "normal" ranges so I'm "special" 
). I tried recording my activities in something like fitday - I think that was worse because I never realize how much or how little I move during a particular day when not doing dedicated exercise. The body bugg is pretty awesome if you ask me. But I'm a gadget nut so it's sorta my "thing".
I don't notice I'm wearing it at all - it only weighs 2 oz and you just don't even feel it.
It is reported to be 92+% accurate. I've been getting similar results. The last 30 days, it says I should have lost 8.8 pounds and I've lost 8.6 pounds.
But you have to be accurate about your food intake. I've screwed that up this week so I'm going to be off pretty soon, but not that bad.
I love the website interface - yes it costs $15 a month after the first 3 months and I think that is pretty lame. I hate it in fact. But this thing has kept me really motivated. If I only have to pay $90 for the next 6 months of subscriptions to get me to my goal weight, I will call that money well spent.
It's not for everyone. I know people that hate it. I just happen to love it. You certainly don't "need" it to lose weight...but I want it!!!
). I tried recording my activities in something like fitday - I think that was worse because I never realize how much or how little I move during a particular day when not doing dedicated exercise. The body bugg is pretty awesome if you ask me. But I'm a gadget nut so it's sorta my "thing".I don't notice I'm wearing it at all - it only weighs 2 oz and you just don't even feel it.
It is reported to be 92+% accurate. I've been getting similar results. The last 30 days, it says I should have lost 8.8 pounds and I've lost 8.6 pounds.
But you have to be accurate about your food intake. I've screwed that up this week so I'm going to be off pretty soon, but not that bad.
I love the website interface - yes it costs $15 a month after the first 3 months and I think that is pretty lame. I hate it in fact. But this thing has kept me really motivated. If I only have to pay $90 for the next 6 months of subscriptions to get me to my goal weight, I will call that money well spent.
It's not for everyone. I know people that hate it. I just happen to love it. You certainly don't "need" it to lose weight...but I want it!!!
txsqlchick
New member
Help me out here, because I'm new to all these weight loss technology products...how would a heart rate monitor tell you how many calories you burned?
a heart rate monitor isnt a weight loss technology product.. it keeps track of your heart rate while you are exercising (or just sitting on your butt) Calories burned are based on your exertion which is based on your heart rate... ergo - your heart rate goes up, you burn more calories... (unless you're different like madness
There's a thread or three here on heart rate monitors and fat burning zone and all that -I'm not obsessive about the fat burning zone -I'd rather get my heart rate up while exercising and then back down to a normal rate.. Cardiovascular health ( i think) is somehow dependent upon how quick your heart rate can get back down to normal..
I wear mine for workouts. and will compare the number I get for calories burned against the number i get on the equipment -and the number on the hrm is always lower -which I think is better... the equipment monitors seem to inflate the calories burned.
There's a thread or three here on heart rate monitors and fat burning zone and all that -I'm not obsessive about the fat burning zone -I'd rather get my heart rate up while exercising and then back down to a normal rate.. Cardiovascular health ( i think) is somehow dependent upon how quick your heart rate can get back down to normal..
I wear mine for workouts. and will compare the number I get for calories burned against the number i get on the equipment -and the number on the hrm is always lower -which I think is better... the equipment monitors seem to inflate the calories burned.
txsqlchick
New member
a heart rate monitor isnt a weight loss technology product.. it keeps track of your heart rate while you are exercising (or just sitting on your butt) Calories burned are based on your exertion which is based on your heart rate... ergo - your heart rate goes up, you burn more calories... (unless you're different like madness
There's a thread or three here on heart rate monitors and fat burning zone and all that -I'm not obsessive about the fat burning zone -I'd rather get my heart rate up while exercising and then back down to a normal rate.. Cardiovascular health ( i think) is somehow dependent upon how quick your heart rate can get back down to normal..
I wear mine for workouts. and will compare the number I get for calories burned against the number i get on the equipment -and the number on the hrm is always lower -which I think is better... the equipment monitors seem to inflate the calories burned.
I dunno, I checked my figures on FitDay vs what the machine said and FitDay was much higher than the figures on the machine. Could that be because I don't enter my weight on the machines at the gym, and doesn't your weight figure into the calculation?
I really don't know anything about calculating calories burned or what the optimal heart rate is. Can you recommend a good website or book so I can do some homework? When I work out my heart rate is usually between 140-160 bpm and my resting heart rate is now 85-90 bpm. That's down from 90-100 just a couple of weeks ago.
try this
As for calories burned - I don't think it's all that wise to get too hung up on numbers... they can make you crazy (speaking from personal experience.. when I can caculate that I spent 4500 calories working out in a week so that means I should have had a 1lb loss and I didn't... )
go for the activity and how you're feeling... donlt worry about numbers... workon the progression and improving performance
Google "rate of perceived exertion" that gives you a pretty good idea of where youo should be working without getting too into numbers...
As for calories burned - I don't think it's all that wise to get too hung up on numbers... they can make you crazy (speaking from personal experience.. when I can caculate that I spent 4500 calories working out in a week so that means I should have had a 1lb loss and I didn't... )
go for the activity and how you're feeling... donlt worry about numbers... workon the progression and improving performance
Google "rate of perceived exertion" that gives you a pretty good idea of where youo should be working without getting too into numbers...
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txsqlchick
New member
For my own edification I would like to know how many calories I'm burning. I'm just starting out so doing the math now will help me out. I do worry about the numbers, particularly when I feel that I'm working my ass off but not losing weight. If I had a good idea how many calories I'd burned vs how many I took in, it would give me a clue as to what needs changing.
GregOlso
New member
A buddy of mine bought one and just loves it. Yes you can do everything it does by hand or with other tools, but it makes it really easy. IT's 200.00, and for another 100.00 you can get the watch that goes with it to dispaly goals and real time progress. The 15.00 a month kind of blows, but I'll still be getting one in about a week or so, and I'll let you know how it works out. Even if it's not 100% accurate, 92% is fine, and if I can see were I need to eat less or more that would help immensely.
I have one and I love it. It's a very useful tool, though obviously it doesn't do any work for you, it just tells you how much work you've done.
In addition to telling you how many calories you've burned, it also has a pedometer which is amazingly accurate. I have bought several brands of pedometer in the past, and this is the first thing to be *exact*. And it doesn't matter what speed you're going or what your stride length is, it will be spot on. This has motivated me to set step goals (mine is currently 8000/day) and I can see all day long how many I've done.
The calorie readout is also very motivating. I find it so motivating to see what a big difference being just a little more active throughout the day can make. All those bits of advice in magazines that seem inconsequential DO actually add up (walk to see your colleague instead of email, park a little further away, talk a little walk on your break, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.) I can see how those little things add up to meaningful results (200-500+ extra calories burned in a day) and it has motivated me to be so much more active. I used to have such an all-or-nothing attitude about exercise -- if I didn't do a killer workout I felt like a lazy slob. I am seeing how the stuff I do throughout the whole day actually matters as well. Once you upload your data, you can see charts that show your burn throughout the day, and how many cals you burn in a given minute (e.g. when I took the stairs I burned 5 cals/minute as opposed to 1 cal/min when I sat at my desk.)
If you buy one, I highly recommend getting the digital display (it can be worn as a watch or clip onto your clothing.) I would consider mine pretty useless without it, especially since I like the step counter so much.
While I highly recommend the BB, I will also admit that I will probably use mine for another month or so and then sell it. I have gotten so much information from it and can keep applying that knowledge to my program going forward. I now have a really good idea of how much I burn on a totally lazy day versus a very busy day, and adjust my food intake accordingly. It's pretty cool.
Lastly, don't buy the Bugg if you expect to get any support from their forums, which are totally useless. All posts must be approved before they're posted, and moderators seem to get to this only every few days. It's infuriating.
In addition to telling you how many calories you've burned, it also has a pedometer which is amazingly accurate. I have bought several brands of pedometer in the past, and this is the first thing to be *exact*. And it doesn't matter what speed you're going or what your stride length is, it will be spot on. This has motivated me to set step goals (mine is currently 8000/day) and I can see all day long how many I've done.
The calorie readout is also very motivating. I find it so motivating to see what a big difference being just a little more active throughout the day can make. All those bits of advice in magazines that seem inconsequential DO actually add up (walk to see your colleague instead of email, park a little further away, talk a little walk on your break, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.) I can see how those little things add up to meaningful results (200-500+ extra calories burned in a day) and it has motivated me to be so much more active. I used to have such an all-or-nothing attitude about exercise -- if I didn't do a killer workout I felt like a lazy slob. I am seeing how the stuff I do throughout the whole day actually matters as well. Once you upload your data, you can see charts that show your burn throughout the day, and how many cals you burn in a given minute (e.g. when I took the stairs I burned 5 cals/minute as opposed to 1 cal/min when I sat at my desk.)
If you buy one, I highly recommend getting the digital display (it can be worn as a watch or clip onto your clothing.) I would consider mine pretty useless without it, especially since I like the step counter so much.
While I highly recommend the BB, I will also admit that I will probably use mine for another month or so and then sell it. I have gotten so much information from it and can keep applying that knowledge to my program going forward. I now have a really good idea of how much I burn on a totally lazy day versus a very busy day, and adjust my food intake accordingly. It's pretty cool.
Lastly, don't buy the Bugg if you expect to get any support from their forums, which are totally useless. All posts must be approved before they're posted, and moderators seem to get to this only every few days. It's infuriating.
expressojr
New member
Body Bug For Sale
I have one and have never used it. Willing to sell it for cheap to anybody who is interested.
I have one and have never used it. Willing to sell it for cheap to anybody who is interested.
GregOlso
New member
So I grabbed one from 24 hour fitness when they had them on sale for 129.99 (As they we're clearing out the old model to make room for the new one, which does the same things, just half the size). I have to say I love this thing. It allows my to see were im at, and then I can react if I ate to much, and can hit the gym or do some Wii fit to burn a few extra calories.
So far it's well worth the purchase price. I've heard the new one is 249.99 and it comes with the watch for free right now (99.99 normally) and 6 months service (vs 3 on the old one).
So far it's well worth the purchase price. I've heard the new one is 249.99 and it comes with the watch for free right now (99.99 normally) and 6 months service (vs 3 on the old one).
R
ronin1026
Guest
I am the fitness manager at 24 Hr Fitness in Omaha, they just released the new bodybugg this month and it retails a 249 and includes the watch for those interested. It is a fascinating device if you like gadgets, and yes you can do it without one. I figure technology is responsible for putting our weight on, then why can't it help us take it off?
expressojr
New member
AngelaT - BodyBugg for sale
AngelaT - I have a barely used BodyBugg for sale. Willing to sell at a great price. If interested, you can email me at (removed)
AngelaT - I have a barely used BodyBugg for sale. Willing to sell at a great price. If interested, you can email me at (removed)
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