Quote:
Originally Posted by MQ5
The 10% +/- is actually from bodymedia's own research. They post it on their web site.
As for accuracy - I find the Gowear very accurate for me. I base this on how many calories the GWF estimates I burn, how many calories I put in and compare that to how many pounds I have lost.
I love it because I do not have a very easy to quantify day. Some days my job pins me down and even with exercise my burn is fairly low. But the very next day my burn might be as much as 800 calories more. Having the GWF means I can keep tabs on what is going on throughout the day and I am not just guessing and getting it wrong. Over time I have been able to see patterns in the data that make it easier to plan for what is to come.
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This what it says on the website:
"A recent independent study tested our Armband system in real-life situations. Participants engaged in "free living" activities, including brisk walking, running, bicycling, sedentary activities, home activities, home repair, occupational activities, strength training, and ball games. The study compared the armband to a $40,000 "portable oxygen analyzer", the gold standard for measuring calories. Results showed:
- Total Calories for free living activities: mean error <10%.
- Total Minutes of exercise: mean error <5%.
Source: British Journal of Sports Medicine. July 2008."
However looking at the abstract of this study, there were only 20 participants and they only particpated for 2h. So they either did an awful lot in those 2h or they all did different things which reduces the numbers involved even further. They were also testing 4 different monitors so it is possible that only 5 were actually involved in testing the Gowear fit. Furthermore in this study they were actually interested in the accuracy of the monitors in periods of moderate to intense activity so it's misleading to imply that the accuracy extended to "home activities", "sedentry activities" etc. I am a bit disappointed that this is the only real data out there on the validity of the monitor.
It seems likely to me that, rather like a drug, it will work better for some than others, but it is good to know that a number of people are feeling they are getting useful data from it. I am thinking I will watch and see for a bit longer before deciding to buy one.