Worn Calorie Calculators - JP Fitness Forums

AFI82 · 05-01-2008, 01:31 PM

Someone posted in another thread mentioning the BODYBUGG :: HOW IT WORKS. It was the first I'd heard of it, and it seemed like a great idea for someone that has a hard time getting a grasp on their calorie expenditure. It also seems a little pricey though. Particularly in that you have to pay for a monthly subscription to use the bugg, even after paying $250 for the unit itself.

So I found a similar product. The ActiTrainer Online Data Analysis - ActiGraph, LLC. It seems very much like the bugg, but with a smaller pricetag. Plus, you don't have to pay for a subscription to use it. Sure, it loses some of it's functionality, but it would still be able to tell me my daily calorie expenditure.

I'm considering getting one of these for my wife (I'd get to play with it too

). I think she's beautiful, but she'd like to lose some weight. She's already good about tracking food intake 90% of the time. The overeating days are what keeps her at a stalemate with fat loss. I think this would help her to hold herself accountable on those days.

So who has experience with either of these products, or something similar? I'm still a little confused on how they actually work. I thought they would have some sensors that would need to be in contact with your skin. But the actitrainer says it doesn't need to touch you, just be in close proximity to your body.

Cynic · 05-01-2008, 10:39 PM

Is there a reason you can't judge from whether you're gaining or losing?

Where your wife is concerned, if she already knows how much she should eat but has a tendancy to binge, how will knowing a more precise figure help?

AFI82 · 05-02-2008, 07:52 AM

She has a tendency to fluctuate. Down one week, back up the next.

The reason I think this will help is, she seems to binge on the days when she feels more active, I do to. But some days when she thinks we're active, I don't really think we have been.

This seems like a more definite way to know how active you've been during the day doing additional activities. More so than just saying "Wow, we did a lot today" or "We don't seem to have done very much".

Ogedei · 05-02-2008, 08:08 AM

I think your money would be better invested in a notebook and a pen.

record everything you eat. If the fluctuations are caused by binges, monitoring how much you burn isn't gonna do squat for you.

If you or your wife is unwilling to record your food intake, then maybe you are not ready for this journey?

LisaS · 05-02-2008, 11:37 AM

back to the original question - I think both use accelerometers to gauge your activity. This is good for walking/running and overall activity (compared to just a step counter). Not as good for cycling - but you still get the HR measure. the bodybug also includes HR & skin measures (e.g. sweat) AFAIK. I'm not sure how/if the 2nd does HR other than the version that specifically includes HRM. and of course whatever software and proprietary algorithms are used to translate the measures into "calories burned" would also be a difference in the products, as well as displays and reporting available.

AFI82 · 05-02-2008, 02:03 PM

I think knowing how much we burn could be very useful. Like I said, she tends to binge on days when she thinks we've been very active. Something like this that would show a comparison between normal days and active days would maybe help her to understand better what is required to burn off that extra snack.

I agree that if we aren't willing to count calories then we aren't ready to start the journey. We already do count calories, this would just be the other side of the equation.

But if nobody has any experience with these, good or bad, I don't think I'm willing to take the plunge.

chickdiver · 05-02-2008, 02:13 PM

Thanks for posting a link to the Actitrainer. I've been looking at the Bodybugg, but reluctant to spend that much. I want it for one specific reason- I suspect that some of my recreational activities burn a lot of calories, but I have no real data on that- only "guestimates".

LisaS · 05-02-2008, 02:21 PM

Leigh Peele uses bodybugg with some of her clients - perhaps she will see this thread and chime in with her thoughts.

Shale · 05-03-2008, 03:28 PM

I have a body bugg and it showed me that my gym workout are not nearly as much as "people" say they would....oh, don't get me started on the afterburn of a lifting workout.
If you are sedentary due to your job, an hour lifting in the gym won't do much in terms of overall expenditure. I am burning more cleaning the bathroom for an hour. It comes really to how active you are during day, not at the gym.

Cynic · 05-03-2008, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shale

I am burning more cleaning the bathroom for an hour. It comes really to how active you are during day, not at the gym.

I think Michael Roussel or John Izzo had posted an article about that very same subject. The greatest effect will come from your activity outside the gym.

Libellula · 05-04-2008, 09:14 AM

I think that you could try logging your activity in addition to your food. You say you both overeat on days you feel you've been active. Or think you've been active. Thinking and feeling are different than knowing. I eat an extra 300 kcal a day on days that I workout, sometimes a little more if those fall on my heavy cleaning days, but I am pretty good about logging both activity and diet. Try that before spending money on equipment that may or may not help you