I got a free Body Bugg to test! This thing is AHHHMAZING!

[martina92685]

http://www.bodybugg.com/

The Body Bugg (and other instruments like it) measures how many calories you burn in a day so you can more accurately determine the caloric deficit or surplus needed to attain your fitness goals. They use a bunch of factors to determine how many cals are used and of course, over time it gets more accurate because it gets used to you and your specific pattern of walking, running, cleaning, and blah blah.

So I watched Biggest Loser and I was intrigued by these things, but I wasn't willing to pay for it. I managed to be part of a test group for one and I have only had it for a few hours, but it is freakin' awesome.

Anyone else here have one?

[Keltron]

Holy cow, I work for 24 Hour Fitness and I still had to pay for mine. I've had it since late '06. It's a pretty cool device. I go off and on.. for a while, I'll wear it.. then I'll notice that normally burn about the same amount of calories every day... and I adjust my caloric intake based on that and stop wearing it.

Then if I start a new exercise program or do something new, I'll wear it again to see if it has a greater impact on my caloric expenditure.

[martina92685]

Originally Posted by Keltron

Holy cow, I work for 24 Hour Fitness and I still had to pay for mine. I've had it since late '06. It's a pretty cool device. I go off and on.. for a while, I'll wear it.. then I'll notice that normally burn about the same amount of calories every day... and I adjust my caloric intake based on that and stop wearing it.

Then if I start a new exercise program or do something new, I'll wear it again to see if it has a greater impact on my caloric expenditure.

Right - that's how I see it being used.

I have some weight to lose - and it is astounding how many calories I DON'T burn in a day. All the counters online are great, but this thing reallllly lets me know how much I need to exercise. The graph online forces you to see how many hours a day you spend on your butt. It's pretty sad, and very eye opening.

I was told that 1800 cals a day was too low for me, but if I'm burning 2300 just by sitting on my butt, walking to work, and blah blah, then 1800 sounds good to me!

No seriously. I am in love with this device. I will say, however, that it is NOT for people with eating disorders or compulsive exercisers. I can see how it would be too easy to develop an unhealthy relationship with the Body Bugg.

[Walk2liv]

Originally Posted by martina92685

Right - that's how I see it being used.

I have some weight to lose - and it is astounding how many calories I DON'T burn in a day. All the counters online are great, but this thing reallllly lets me know how much I need to exercise. The graph online forces you to see how many hours a day you spend on your butt. It's pretty sad, and very eye opening.

I was told that 1800 cals a day was too low for me, but if I'm burning 2300 just by sitting on my butt, walking to work, and blah blah, then 1800 sounds good to me!

No seriously. I am in love with this device. I will say, however, that it is NOT for people with eating disorders or compulsive exercisers. I can see how it would be too easy to develop an unhealthy relationship with the Body Bugg.

how'd you get one for free??

[RebeccaG]

Originally Posted by Walk2liv

how'd you get one for free??

Did you read the thread???

That's awesome Martina!! I love free stuff!! lol

It would be nice to know EXACTLY how much you burn in day-to-day activities. Just how pricey are these body bugs? (Yes, could google it, lazy. Ha ha ha)

[Walk2liv]

Originally Posted by RebeccaG

Did you read the thread???

That's awesome Martina!! I love free stuff!! lol

It would be nice to know EXACTLY how much you burn in day-to-day activities. Just how pricey are these body bugs? (Yes, could google it, lazy. Ha ha ha)

actually I did thanks! I'm askin her how she got it for free, as in, what did she say to them.... thanks

[RebeccaG]

Originally Posted by Walk2liv

actually I did thanks! I'm askin her how she got it for free, as in, what did she say to them.... thanks

Originally Posted by martina92685

I managed to be part of a test group for one

Usually you just sign up.

[FameGirl]

That sounds awesome!

[OrchidLady]

The gym I belong to allows you to lease a Body Bugg. I leased it for 3 months for $75 with an option after that to purchase it if I wanted.

I didn't purchase it, because I felt the 3 months was enough time to really get a good idea of how my eating and exercise habits worked together. I knew how many calories I was able to burn in a sample day based on my activity and also got used to the portion sizes and total macro amounts in the food I was eating. What an eye opener!

I did change a few habits as a result, so I feel it was beneficial, but can't imagine wearing it constantly for the rest of my life. It is just a wonderful tool to get you in tune to what you are expending compared to what you are taking in on any given day.

[genepool]

IMO the body bugg is a waste of money

First off a calculated RMR can be off by a significant margin. The only way to get an accurate snapshot of your true metabolic rate is a direct measurement of O2 consumption vs CO2 output. My calculated RMR is appx 2300 cals.. Now my direct measured RMR is 3800. IF i only ate 2300 cals, I would actually lose muscle and gain some fat (look it up thats a fact).

Second the site says the way to lose weight is cals out>cals in.,, which is misleading as hell. The quality of the calories also matters. now onto its parameters


Accelerometer - The accelerometer in bodybugg? is a tri-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. - bull, it doesnt take into account any physical exertion, if you move your body moving 10lbs or 100 at the same speed its gonna give the same data.


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 measures 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. - so if your gym is warm its automatically going to tell you youre burning more calories. Or if u take niacin or a vasodialator or even blush its gonna tell you that u are burning more cals.

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. - sweating has absolutely nothing to do with cals burned.



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. -again only loosely correlated with physical exertion


IT lacks a heart rate monitor which can much more accurately predict overall exertion.