Bodybugg review!!

I love it! I love it! I love it!

Some background on the BB

According to the My Apex website, the company who puts out the BB, the BB is "the world's most intelligent and accurate calorie management system... outside of a clinical setting."

The BB is essentially an arm band with a sensor that monitors and collects data based on five areas of measurement:

• steps - basically a pedometer but way more accurate (see "movement" below)
• movement - motion sensor to more accurately count steps, not arm movement, car riding, or fidgeting
• galvanic skin response - how much you're sweating
• skin temp - increases/decreases in skin temp
• heat flux - skin temp vs. environment temp

With these five ares of measurement, the BB is the most accurate calorie counter available to the general public. Each day I log my food into the BB website and upload my BB to view how many calories I burned/ate. It's flippin great!! And they sell a digital display that you can buy so you can see your calorie burn without uploading to a computer. Great stuff!

More in-depth info on the BB can be read here, here, and here.

Some background on me

First, I love my gadgets but when it comes to weight-loss gadgets, I'm way too skeptical and I will pass on most "next-best-thing" kind of items. What's up with that weird swivelly (is that a word?) ab rotating chair thing anyway? SERIOUSLY people?!?! Anyway, in my entire weight-loss journey, the only gadgets I ever bought were a pedometer, a heart rate monitor and a BB, all of which were essential in getting me to where I am today. And I only bought each of those items after I felt like I 'graduated' from the previous one. The pedometer started me out by making sure I got in a decent number of steps a day. Once I got a hold of that and improved my fitness level, I got my heart rate monitor... and we're talking months down the road. Eight months after my heart rate monitor, I got my BB. By this time I was almost a year into counting calories and getting a good base on macro-nutrients so I really wanted to up my weight-loss game by getting a really good hold on the calories in/out. And this is exactly what the Bugg has done for me!

Pre-bugg I was in a L-O-N-G plateau of super slow weight-loss - six months to be exact!

February 13, 2009 - 149.8 lbs.

August 12, 2009 - 139.8 lbs.

It took me six months to lose ten pounds. Six months!!! That comes out to about 0.4 lb./week, whereas I was easily doing 1 - 1.25 lbs/week before that. Well I've been on the Bugg for one month now and without changing anything else (diet or fitness wise) I'm back to my 1 lb./week status and already down 4 lbs. in the last month!

September 29, 2009 - 135.6 lbs.

Sure it could be sheer coincidence, that the exact day I start using the Bugg my body decides it's done with the plateau, but I really doubt it. And I know there is no way to prove that my recent weight-loss is because of the Bugg, but I would like to think so. I'll be doing another review at the end of October to see if I'm still consistent and on track!

And here are some things I learned from my new love:

• sitting in a cold place vs. a warm place doesn't burn more calories, but...
• exercising in a colder place does
• every step throughout the day counts... E.V.E.R.Y. single one!
• I burn a lot less calories than I thought... WAY less.
• It's a great motivator - I always tell Anthony my BB is 'watching' me so I have to eat right and get in my exercise
• Fidgeting at your desk burns 0.4 more calories per minute than just sitting there; that's 192 more calories per 8-hour work shift

0.4 more cals/minute = 192 more cals/8-hour shift =
960 more cals/week = 49,920 more cals/yr = 14+ lbs. lost/year
(that's a lot of calories! And lots of fidgeting!)

• weight-training keeps your calorie burn up hours after working out - so it is true!
  
• shopping counts as physical activity/steps if it's not something you do regularly