Wife wants a body bugg...anyone with experience?

[Klayfish]

I searched to see if this had been discussed on the OV35 forum, but didn't see anything recent. So let me ask it here.

After having watched the Biggest Loser show, my wife wants a Body Bugg. I got a recommendation from someone I very much trust on this forum to get a Polar F11. I actually went to pick one up this weekend and was going to surprise my wife with it. But I watned to make one last check. I know she really wanted the Body Bugg, but it's $100 more than the F11, plus there's a montly subscription.

Does anyone have experience with the Bugg? Like it? Dislike it?

We know that the Bugg, or the F11, is just a tool. She wants to use it as a guideline to help her monitor her heart rate, calorie burn, etc...to help her get the most out of her exercise. So I want to get the most out of the money I'm spending on these things.

Steve

[Do_Somethin]

Marketing is persuasive when it hits the right target isn't it?

[BJC22]

Yeah, I thought about getting one of those for about 2.5 minutes until I realized I was doing fine without one already by tracking and tweaking stuff myself.

If they were $50, I'd consider it for 3.5 minutes....

[Klayfish]

Marketing? Yeah, partly. She's been into fitness long before she started watching the show, so it wasn't her inspiration. In our recent efforts to really step up our fitness, we've started tracking everything we eat, really changed around our routine, etc... She's trying to work at a 500 calorie deficit. We've got a good idea of what she's eating daily, but she wants something to help her track what she's burning daily. Yes, the scale is going to be the ultimate indicator, but she wants something as a "real time" guide. That's probably where the marketing part of the show comes in. Body Bugg is the only thing she knows of as she hadn't researched HRMs and such before, so that's naturally what she thought of. Well...I'm not one to just jump for marketing hype. I want to make sure I'm getting what I pay for, and the most bang for my buck.

But I have no doubt whatsoever that like you said, marketing is a huge thing. I'm sure the Body Bugg sells countless units due only to the show. Wonder how many of them wind up as paperweights after a few months??

[Do_Somethin]

Then whoever advised you to get a Polar is right. It's the best HRM out there.

Plus some cardio equipment interferes with readings on lower quality devices or other devices.

[ironwill2008]

. We've got a good idea of what she's eating daily, but she wants something to help her track what she's burning daily.

There are too many variables involved in measuring actual "calories burned" for any method (other than measuring how much oxygen you consume) to be reasonably accurate.

I'll always suggest the old standby--the mirror, and the fit of your clothes.

That's an expensive gizmo; it's your money.

[d-in-gr]

Klayfish,

I’ve been lurking on this site for about a year and a half, but never posted.
I do have some experience with the bodybugg; so I thought I would post for the first time, and give you a review from someone who has used it.

I used Gowear fits version which is basically made by the same company as bodybugg.
I got stuck on a weight loss plateau for several months, I tried lowering calories to as low as 1600 day with no results; in desperation I bought the bodybugg to see what my calorie burn was.

I would say it is fairly accurate about how many calories you burn in a day; however it’s not really that simple.

When I would eat at or slight below the maintenance level that the bodybugg said was my maintenance I would not gain weight; however when I was in a calories deficit I still was not losing.

I noticed that my body temperature was around 96.1; generally the advice is to eat more to get your metabolism going again. So I stopped cardio, raised my calorie level, but kept lifting.

What did my temperature do; it stayed at 96.1. I was lifting 6 days a week doing an upper lower body routine with Mondays off.
I decided to stop lifting for a week stay above maintenance, and see what would happen.

By the end of the week my temperature was normal (this was two weeks ago), and I started a calorie deficit again. I’ve lost five pound the last two weeks.

Oh I’m not wearing the bodybugg now but when I hit my goal, at the end of the summer I will be starting a clean bulk, and I will be using it for that. Like I said when I ate at what it thought was maintenance it seemed fairly accurate.
Hope this helps
D_IN_GR

[NurseRatchet]

I LOVED my BodyBugg! (Don't wear it anymore) I used it for 4 months

It helped me lose 23lbs!!!! Now my situation might be different than your wife. I had never counted calories before, didn't exercise, etc. It is VERY good if you are more of a Type A personality. You have to be super diligent about logging everything you put in your mouth for this to really work. (It comes with an online food journal) I think its very accurate as far as counting how many calories you burn per minute. I would shoot for 500cal/day deficit, and I lost 1lb/week on the dot.

Now the problem is, she has to really use the online food journal. I got such good results my sister asked for one for her birthday, I got her one, and she hasn't been very strict with it. So of course...her weight loss halted.

Honestly, it really puts it all in perspective for you. You enter in the calories you eat, it calculates how much you burn. It has a feature sort of like calorieking.com where you can "search" for foods and it will give you the nutritional breakdown (if you go out to eat or whatever). Obviously the more accurate you are with this the better.

Now, you said she wants to use it to monitor her HR - well the BodyBugg doesn't do that actually. It figures out how many calories you burn per minute. So she could wear it at the gym and it wouldn't tell her her HR, but if you get the digital display watch (I think that's like another $100) she could see how many calories she is burning per minute. Otherwise she would have to wait to get home and upload it into her computer for her to see how many calories she burned during the workout.

The downsides of the BodyBugg are the price obviously (which is why the GoWearFit might be a better idea...but I don't know too much about their online nutrition journal, I'm sure it is really similar). AND it does become a paperweight when you are done w/it because you have to have the online subscription to download all your info.

So...right now mine is a paperweight. But it gave me constant, immediate motivation and positive feedback and helped me lose 23lbs so it really was priceless. Now I feel like I "get it" and know how much to workout at the gym (and how much to eat) but if for whatever reason I fall off the wagon...I have the tool and can just renew my online subscription.

Overall, its expensive - but I'd pay 3x that to get the results I wanted if that's what would work for me!!! ***Check out Ebay though...lots of people who don't want theirs anymore are selling them for a lot cheaper.

[Beefcupcake]

What a heck is a body bugg? Is it something you get after you sleep in cheap hotels?

[elzool]

My wife has one and while she has been working out for 8 months now it has helped her tweak her workouts and her daily routine. It's been a benefit in her opinion. I would say her best moment with it was seeing that she burned more calories on days she got up and immediately worked out. Common sense you may think, but seeing the numbers in front of some people is just an extra kick in the pants.

She recommends it.

[Klayfish]

Thanks for the responses. We already use Fitday.com to log our food intake, and are quite diligent with it. And the best part of that is that it's free. So she wouldn't need the Body Bugg's function for that. Is there any other function that the Bugg does that the Polar F11 can't do?

I know that no device can be perfectly accurate, and I agree with ironwill that the clothes and the mirror are the final judge. But if this will help her get a good ballpark and help motivate her (she's already plenty motivated, but she'd enjoy this), whatever floats her boat...

Steve

[mavrick77]

What a heck is a body bugg? Is it something you get after you sleep in cheap hotels?

its the thing that the people on biggest loser wear on their arms, and look totally stupid.

[Klayfish]

I guess one other thing I should have asked is if anyone knows if the two devices use the same technology to estimate calorie expenditure.

[BJC22]

What a heck is a body bugg? Is it something you get after you sleep in cheap hotels?

Sort of. I believe they originate with low-class hookers.

[NurseRatchet]

Not sure if one is more accurate than another - or if they use the same technology.

If you guys already use FitDay, then I think you should go with the Polar F11 (assuming they are both pretty similar in accuracy). The main thing I found beneficial is to have someplace you log your food, and something telling you how many calories you are burning - so I think the Polar F11 might be the way to go with regard to $$$

[JOHN GARGANI]

Dearest SARAK:




bodybugg.......P90X.......normally, I frown upon trendy, but however, the proof is in the pudding , and YOU certainly got these gadgets and gimmicks to work! LOL.....



BTW: I had never heard of Bodybugg before: here is an excerpt from their site:

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 ****meters 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

The data these 4 sensors collect, in conjunction with the wearer's specific body parameters (age, gender, height, weight) enable the most accurate estimation of energy expenditure on the market today outside of a clinical setting.

it sounds like a lot of psuedo-scientific jabberwockery..........

but then, again, I look at the avatar of our lovely SARA, and have to relent, that it might have some merit.....

[freebirdmac]

^^^^ Is there any wonder why attractive women are used to sell things.

[StressMonkey]

What a heck is a body bugg? Is it something you get after you sleep in cheap hotels?

I watch the show and I had no idea either.

[rebelynn]

I love mine! It has gave me more control and understanding and it has been great tool for my trainer to log in and see everything from what my activity levels are, how many calories I'm burning during various exercises, how well I'm sleeping etc...

[muttytwist]

While it makes sense to track everything, I think the price is a little high. I use a workout log( $1.99 here) and a $.99 notebook to track workouts and food.

[Beefcupcake]

I watch the show and I had no idea either.

lol! I never watch the show so I had google body bugg to see what this rage was all about.

If it keeps people motivated, then why not spend that money on it? They're good as long as it doesn't become one of those things that end up in the closet a month later because they're tired of it.

[Beefcupcake]

Dearest SARAK:




bodybugg.......P90X.......normally, I frown upon trendy, but however, the proof is in the pudding , and YOU certainly got these gadgets and gimmicks to work! LOL.....



BTW: I had never heard of Bodybugg before: here is an excerpt from their site:






it sounds like a lot of psuedo-scientific jabberwockery..........

but then, again, I look at the avatar of our lovely SARA, and have to relent, that it might have some merit.....

She's 25!!! That's all I'm saying

[Klayfish]

It's certainly something that a person doesn't "need" to get into the shape they want. After all, there were people in great shape before these things were invented. I think she'll really enjoy the instant feedback. Sure, it can't be 100% right, but it's a ballpark figure, and with her Type A personality, it'll help motivate her during her 4:30am workouts. If it is a piece of the puzzle that gets her to her goal, money well spent. Money well spent for me too if I get to see the results....

I wound up with the Polar FT60, should arrive in a few days. It seemed like a good fit for what she wants.

Steve

[NurseRatchet]

Dearest SARAK:


bodybugg.......P90X.......normally, I frown upon trendy, but however, the proof is in the pudding , and YOU certainly got these gadgets and gimmicks to work! LOL.....

BTW: I had never heard of Bodybugg before: here is an excerpt from their site:


it sounds like a lot of psuedo-scientific jabberwockery..........

but then, again, I look at the avatar of our lovely SARA, and have to relent, that it might have some merit.....

Haha thanks! Its not like I just bought the bodybugg and the P90x DVDs and stared at them though. Lots of dedication/hard work.

[joncandoit]

I know this thread is old, but I find it funny how all the people without it and those who have it are satisfied.

I just purchased GoWear and decided it would help me estimate how many calories I am burning and help motivate me. Yes you could just guess and just keep working out, but when you have progress halted it helps you realize where the problems are.

[Fifty+]

Dearest SARAK:




bodybugg.......P90X.......normally, I frown upon trendy, but however, the proof is in the pudding , and YOU certainly got these gadgets and gimmicks to work! LOL.....



BTW: I had never heard of Bodybugg before: here is an excerpt from their site:






it sounds like a lot of psuedo-scientific jabberwockery..........

but then, again, I look at the avatar of our lovely SARA, and have to relent, that it might have some merit.....

OMG, where is it hidden?...

[brizey]

I think these are probably good for relative measurements, but not so good for absolute measurements. In other words, you could use them to compare two workouts, or to measure progress as you intensify a workout over time, but I have my doubts that they are accurate enough to compare to your actual caloric intake.

[acwild]

Honestly, if a small gadget gets someone motivated to start exercising and loosing body fat, it's a good thing.

Also, it's not one of those 'gimmicky' rocker-spinner-twisty-"never do another crunch again" exercise machines which do not work and will wind up gathering dust in your closet.

The bodybugg keeps track of activity and if it gets someone into working out... that can only be a good thing.

[lanolar]

You can find them used on ebay and craigslist.

[Klayfish]

Since this thread was brought back up, I'll update. My wife has been using the Polar FT60 since right after I made this thread. In fact, she just changed it's battery this week for the first time. She uses it daily. She doesn't use most of the gadgets it has, just primarily the heart rate monitor. If I had to do it over, I'd go with a more basic heart rate monitor.