Bodybugg - experiences, opinions, anyone wanna sell ;) ?

[Hedwig]

I only recently heard about the Bodybugg. It is not available in Germany as fas as I know but possible to buy if from the UK or US.

Does anyone here have any experience with it and can recommend it? What I heard so far is mostly positive and I would really like to try it.
What is a bit of an obstacle right now is the price - it is quite a bit for something that might be only a toy...

Maybe someone here has a bodybugg that only gathers dust and want to sell it to me? *blink blink*

[Wiery]

I don't have one, but here's a thread from a fitness forum regarding the Fitbit, Bodybugg, and a few other similar devices:

http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...light=bodybugg

http://forum.videofitness.com/showth...light=bodybugg

you can also enter "bodybugg" as a search term to look at other threads....

Whether or not it's useful for you depends on what you want to use it for...pedometer, calorie counting, etc...

Hope this helps.

[CarolineBingley]

I have a bodybugg and love it - and am thinking about upgrading to the new model. I could be willing to sell mine. I paid $300 for it and the display monitor that accompanies it. I believe I have all the original packaging and information. Let me know if you are really interested in purchasing it.

As for fitbit, my best friend works for them, and it's a great product as well. But it doesn't track your actual calorie burn, it tracks as an average based on what type of activity, so it's less accurate.

Hope that helps.

[MacMadame]

I have the BodyMedia FIT which is the name they are selling under now. I love mine. I wear it all the time!

Their food tracking website leaves something to be desired but the actual device is awesome.

However, a lot of people find they get what they need out of it after 3 months of use and so you can find them on eBay. Just make sure you are getting the actual device and not the "display" which is just a watch that the device can talk to.

Also, it's worthless without a subscription so make sure they'll sell you one even though you aren't in the US (Probably not a problem but sometimes companies have weird policies).

[Hedwig]

Thanks for the tips!

Yes, the subscription seems to be an issue. I saw people here had to trick with using a fake US adress or with - even better - using a device called freethebug which is then free of charge.

Caroline, do you have the v3 version? I would like to get that one. (Probably not if you say that you want to upgrade to the next model )

At the moment there seems to be a special offer for a v3 model without monitor for 110$. That wouldn't be too bad but they don't sell outside the US. So I need to find someone in the US who would be willing to let it deliver to them and then post it to me (which is an additional posting charge of like 30$).
I looked on ebay too and they sell for a similar price - so maybe trying to find a FSU friend who is willing to do a bit of work for me is better because then I would end up with a brand new device.


It is good to hear that you two are still wearing and using it!

[CarolineBingley]

No problem Hedwig. Mine is the v3 and I'm thinking of upgrading to the SP (smartphone) option. I personally find there food tracking portion to be pretty useful (although I'm not comparing it to any other).

[Kasey]

Have used it in the past, and just upgraded to the v3. I'm not affiliated with 24hr fitness, but that isn't necessary, since the system is independent of that. I love it, and it's intriguing to see your calorie burn for daily things, which are either much higher or lower than you would expect (when I volunteered at the zoo, I generally burned 1100-1200 calories in a four hour period!)

[Hedwig]

I just "bought" mine or more precisely, let a FSU friend buy it for me.

If anyone else is interested: I found a coupon that sheds off an additional 20$ - then I couldn't resist!!
http://bodybugg.extole.com/offers/13...?dist_src=link

so all in all 89$. And the shipping costs of course.

Have used it in the past, and just upgraded to the v3. I'm not affiliated with 24hr fitness, but that isn't necessary, since the system is independent of that. I love it, and it's intriguing to see your calorie burn for daily things, which are either much higher or lower than you would expect (when I volunteered at the zoo, I generally burned 1100-1200 calories in a four hour period!)

Oh, that is intriguing. I saw your incredible weight loss progress - do you think the BB helped you with that?
(Hint: the right answer is: yes, then it is soooo easy and you can eat chocolate all the time. - just kidding)

[CarolineBingley]

Oh, that is intriguing. I saw your incredible weight loss progress - do you think the BB helped you with that?
(Hint: the right answer is: yes, then it is soooo easy and you can eat chocolate all the time. - just kidding)

I've defninitely found it helpful when I'm working on weight loss. But you still have to do the work and limit the chocolate! Glad you got such a great deal on it!!

[Kasey]

I do think it helped me, definitely; I'm kinda ADD with weight loss efforts (thus all the massive, epic FAILS over the years!), and so having something techy to play with during it, and having all the number-crunching helped me specifically keep on target and focus better.

(And yes, let the flogging begin, but I really don't like chocolate.....and have indeed proof of womanhood, so I guess I'm just an anomaly of nature!)

[Hedwig]

I've defninitely found it helpful when I'm working on weight loss. But you still have to do the work and limit the chocolate! Glad you got such a great deal on it!!

Thanks.

(I always have to smile when I see your name btw - I guess it is derived from Jane Austen?)

Yeah, I figured about the chocolate. But I do hope that a kind of objective tool will help me to stay on target.

I do think it helped me, definitely; I'm kinda ADD with weight loss efforts (thus all the massive, epic FAILS over the years!), and so having something techy to play with during it, and having all the number-crunching helped me specifically keep on target and focus better.

I am the same (even diagnosed with ADD) and I love technical play things so I have high hopes.
The only thing that worries me is that I read on a message board somewhere that it cannot measure the basic metabolic rate but only the extra metabolic rate (I am not sure if these are the English terms, I hope you understand what I mean).
So it wouldn't show, for instance, if you have dieted in the past and have a bad metabolism in general.
The person said that the basic metabolic rate was only calculated by height and weight like "normal" internet calorie calculators do.

Well, we will see if it helps me...

[Kasey]

I don't think any computer program can do your BMR...I think metabic rate has to be tested by a doctor.

[Hedwig]

I don't think any computer program can do your BMR...I think metabic rate has to be tested by a doctor.

Yes, that is how I understand it as well.

But that would mean that the BB could be off by quite a bit, couldn't it?

Well, I will have to test and try if it works for me. Try to eat 500kcal less than I consume according to the BB for 2 weeks and see if I lose the appropriate weight more or less.

[Kasey]

I think it makes assumptions of your resting caloric burn (like during sleep), based on your age, height/weight, and resting heart rate...

Have been re-using mine for the last 4 or 5 days....realizing that on a normal work day, I really walk a LOT!!

[MacMadame]

If it measures your body temp, how much heat you give off, etc. I think it could be pretty accurate measuring your calorie burn while sleeping.

Also, my personal experience is that it has slowly lowered the amount of calories per minute that it says I'm burning as I don't work out and lose my muscles. There's no way that would be happening if it just used a formula based on age, etc. Plus, it doesn't ask your resting heart rate so it's definitely not using that in any formulas has.

[Hedwig]

I asked customer service. This is their answer:

"Thank you for contacting bodybugg Technical Support!

I understand you want to learn more about Resting Metabolic Rate. I am more than happy to provide you this information.

The web program calculates your actual caloric burn at rest, in terms of the body parameters you have entered into the program (ex. your height, weight, sex, age). . Health condition causing you to have a slower metabolism will affect the accuracy of the data you see on your web program.

If you have further questions or concerns, please feel free to call us. I have created ticket number 548994 for your reference. You may also check out answers to common issues and Frequently Asked Questions at http://bodybugg.com/faq. For bodybuggSP, you may visit http://bodybugg.com/start.

Thank you and have a great day!
"

So, they use formulas but that is not to say that the bodybugg can still measure stuff. It is interesting, MacMadame, that it seems to measure your muscle loss. This gives me extra hope in the accuracy.

[MacMadame]

It's good to keep in mind that all these numbers are estimates. But some estimates are based on more than others. The more input variables, the more accurate a formula can be.

I have found it to be pretty accurate. But that's not to say that it doesn't get thrown off. Like Saturday I was waving a cow bell with my right arm and Sunday I waved it with my left (where my Bobybugg was) and my calorie burn for sitting in a chair waving a cow bell was higher on Sun. than Sat. when it probably wasn't really. (I got a cowbell injury on my right finger so I had to switch.) And it can be inaccurate with low impact workouts such as biking.