www.24hourfitness.com/training/bodybugg/
Enter discount code bbgcj24 and earn an additional $15.00 off the price of your purchase!
All lower case: bbgcj24
MY REVIEW:
Let me preface this for those of you who might be just meeting me. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always prided myself as being the “hot product” go-to girl. Thinking back to my middle school punk-rock days in Portland, Michigan (not exactly a fashion-mecca) it was ME who found a place where we (myself and my Go-Go wanna-be girlfriends) could mail-order the new wave sunglasses we saw on MTV. Mine were white cat-eyes like the ones worn by Belinda Carlisle! (I digress.)
When I bought I my first George Foreman Grill in 1995, I began all my “step aerobic” classes with what I called a “public service announcement” about the benefits and ease of this little gadget.
I still use a George Foreman Grill everyday, though I’ve gone through 2 or 3 models since that first one.
You’d think I work for Nike the way I promote, love on, and generally obsesses over all Nike footwear, Shox, AirForce Ones, Old Schools, boots.. you name it.
I’ve sold more Sleep Number beds than the store in the mall. Not only that but I love letting people know where they can find the best deal on the best bed in the world… (QVC.com) and when it’s on sale.
Surely if you've come to my house in the last 6 months, you didn’t leave before trying one of my Shakeology recipes.
I have no financial or even sponsorship arrangements with these products. I just love it when people come back to me and say…”You were right! It works and I love it!”
Now, that is not always the case. After having his first Shakeology, my father rushed to the bathroom and exclaimed that his body was “rejecteing” the shake because it was “too healthy”. He also asked me where he could find the nearest donut shop was so that he could “make things right” in his system. (He might be a lost cause…**sigh**…but he makes me laugh.)
I’ve just always been one of those people who likes to “stand on my soap box and tell everybody bout it”.
My latest love affair is with the bodybugg®. Let me start by telling you what it is…
WHAT IT IS:
Bodybugg® is a calorie management system that uses an armband sensor (worm around the upper left tricep) and an optional (additional cost associated), but way cool wireless digital display that can be worn as a watch or clipped to your belt, etc which shows you in real time the current calorie burn, your calorie burn per minute during your current workout, your calories burned since midnight, and even the calories you burned yesterday!
Unlike pedometers or heart rate monitors which don’t really tell you what you’re burning all day long, even when you sleep, the bodybugg® lifts the heavily shrouded veil from the mystery of your metabolism, the mystery of your personal and very individual calorie burn.
The armband is worn as much or as little as you like. In my first week of owning one, I only took it off to shower. I slept with it on because I wanted to know what my metabolism was doing when I was sleeping. Sooooooo interesting! It even shows a spike when you have a heart pounding nightmare! Wow!
The armband can than be synced to your computer to see a graphical display, minute by minute, hour by hour of your activity, steps, calories, etc. Again… fascinating to see! Fascinating to compare one workout to the next, to see what your metabolism is doing post-workout, while sitting at your desk and even just walking around the house! Amazing.
THE DIGITAL DISPLAY:
Now the Digital Display is not required, but for those of us who are “need to know now” kind of people, the digital display allows you to glance down and see exactly what’s happening RIGHT NOW! HOW IT WORKS:
The bodybugg® armband uses 4 sensors, (an accelerometer, a heat flux sensor, a skin thermometer and a sweat rate sensor), which measure over 1000 body algorithms 32-times a second (don’t ask me what that means!). This is what I do understand…based on exensive questions you answer when you set your armband up including weight, height, activity level, etc., those four sensors talk to each other and very accurately determine what motion you are doing, how hard your working and how many calories you’re burning. This info is recorded in the brain of your bodybugg® sensors. Like an Ipod, you can plug it into your computer at the end of the day, or at the end of the week and see minute by minute what you’ve burned. From what I understand it will store info for up to two weeks, though I have only ever gone a few days without syncing to their website which stores and displays your data. However, if you have the digital display, you have instant gratification of knowing what you’re burning…in realtime!
Body Media, a technology company, developed the revolutionary sensor, and partnered with Apex Fitness, a nutrition company, to develop the bodybugg® system. Originally used in a medical setting, this is by far the most accurate calorie monitoring device available today, other than spending some time in a laboratory. 24-Hour Fitness purchased Apex and many have become familiar with the bodybugg® from seeing the contestants of the "The Biggest Loser" use it to achieve insane weight loss.
In fact, that’s where I first learned about the bodybugg®. Two seasons ago, I was contacted by one of the contestants who had been voted off late in the season. She had just a month left when she contacted me to see if I could help her lose those final pounds before weigh in! I offered to let her come and stay at my house and take several Turbo Kick workouts a day, weight training with the test group I was working with on ChaLEAN Extreme and basically just keep her moving all day long! Those final weeks for contestants are CRAZY…but that’s another blog!
We spent every day together for a month. It was a blast. I was totally sold on the bodybugg® that she wore and raved about and had planned to get one ASAP.
I went on line to do some research. I read a few negative reviews and decided to hold off. I forgot all about the bugg until recently a friend and fitness instructor told me how the bodybugg® had helped her lose the last 5 pounds that had been haunting her for years. I told her what I had read. That’s when we realized that in my haste I had read outdated reviews of the “old” model and all of the items which were “negatives” for me, had been fixed with this newest version (third generation)! I asked around and sure enough, everyone I could find wearing one loved the new generation! The concept was fantastic, and now the design and technology was even better! I was convinced and couldn’t wait to get mine!
I bought mine the next day after my class at 24 Hour Fitness with my employee discount (thank you very much!!)
For years I have preached the undisputable weight loss principle of calories in versus calories out. I have long encouraged…no…scrap that…I have been BEGGING people to keep track of their calories since I started helping people lose weight 18 years ago. It’s a weight loss/weight maintenance ideology that is sometimes unpopular. Why? Because it takes a bit of work. It’s an extra step, a calculation, a formula. Americans are desperate for fast and easy. We don’t want to think. Let’s face it, if there were a pill everyone could pop and go about our hedonistic ways, we would.
Many weight loss experts like to simplify the process and suggest you eat a sensible diet and become more active. The problem with that is the unknown. What is sensible when you have no idea how many calories you’re burning? Just think…if you underestimate what you’re burning by just 100 calories a day, that would equate to a 10 pound weight gain over the course of next 12 months. Do you really think you can ‘guess’ at your calories consumed versus calories out and come within 100 calories? Really??? I’m considered an expert, and even with all the knowledge, formulas and information I have engrained in my brain, not until I started wearing my bodybugg® did I realize how OFF many of my calculations were! Wow!
Some activities I had WAAAAYY over estimated what I was burning and others I had way underestimated. The good news is that my three favorite forms of exercise burn the most… Turbo, Hip Hop Hustle and ChaLEAN Extreme. Interestingly with CE the burn isn’t necessarily super high during the class, but it lasts for hours after my workout! Cool!
Now that myself and 5 of my friends have bodybugg’s and have been comparing our calorie burn and though within just a few inches and pounds of each other (we’re all under 5’5”) and all doing the same workouts on the same days, at the same time, we are all burning drastically different calories, by as much as 800 to 1,000 calories!
It makes me realize that when someone asks me how many calories they should consume to lose weight, which people ask me ALL the time, that I REALLY can’t answer that question with any kind of accuracy. I can certainly make an educated guess, and that’s about as much as I can do!
bodybugg®'s armband calorie/mataboism monitoring device this is actually accurate! That's huge! Since I’ve started preaching about it’s many benefits, I’ve had many “heart rate monitor” owners ask me how it compares. No comparison. Its like the difference between meeting with a personal trainer one hour a day and having one with you 24 hours a day. World of difference!
To lose weight or gain weight it really comes down to calories/energy in and calories/energy out. Create too much of a deficit for prolonged periods and the result is a metabolism that slows. There are sooo many factors that determine the number of calories you burn in one day, genetics, muscle composition, height, weight, age, dieting history, exercise intensity, type of exercise, hormones… you name it! This device takes the guess-work out!
Create a deficit of 500 calories per day, report your calories on the web based food log accurately and when compared to your bodybugg data (which is proven to be 90% accurate or better) the result is a weight loss of 1 pound per week. Period. Done. End of story.
I tested it myself. I strapped my on my arm. Filled out my on-line questionnaire, religiously recorded every calorie and monitored my calories burned with the data collected on my device. I set a goal to lose 3 pounds in three week. (I’m short! Three pounds makes a difference in my line of work ;) I applied the weight loss formula to lose a pound a week, i.e. 500 calorie deficit per day. I created an average daily defceit of between 500 and 600 calories and BAM…a pound a week, 3.5 pounds total in three weeks and it had never been so simple! (I never had so much fun eating!)
Here’s the beautiful part….the food log! It actually breaks down the amount of carbs, proteins and fats you need each day and tells you where you’re off! That was huge for me! That’s a lot to try to calculate in your head. With the web based program it does it for you. Just by making some minor tweaks, I was able to drop my body fat at the same time!
MORE PRODUCT DETAILS:
bodybugg® armband is necessary. The digital display is highly recommended, but not necessary to operate the system. The current bodybugg®' is the third generation device. It is 50% lighter, 40% smaller and 20% thinner. The signal it sends to the digital display is apparently much stronger than original versions. Basically you just need to be with 5 to 10 feet of it to find a signal. Occasionally it loses connection, which you re-sync very simply by pressing a button on your armband.
The digital display measures minutes of activity, steps, calories burned today since 12 am, during your current workout and even shows you your previous day’s calorie burn. It also contains a new rechargeable battery. The battery re-charges like an Ipod, when you plug it into the USB port of your computer! Yay!
SUBSCRIPTION PRICING
In my opinion the invaluable information is when you’re able to see minute by minute, step by step, activity by activity, hour by hour what your body is burning. That can only be done on the bodybugg web based program. The program is MAC and PC compatible. True, the web based data does require a subscription, but the cost is nominal (less than .25 cents per day when you buy a year at once!) AND great news.. you’ll get 6 months free and a 45 minute phone coaching session with your purchase (current promotion).
Website subscription pricing:
Online subscription renewal fees are: $9.95 for month to month, $49.95 for 6 month and $79.95 for 12-month.
This is outstanding when you see what this program can do! You also receive a personal coaching session and access to Apex's customer service. I had a bazillion questions and their customer service team has been 5 Star!
Kim Slover at bodybugg tells me a mobile application of the website is in the works, so you can track your food intake on your phone.
Now, as someone who loves QVC and has been a guest on several occasions, I can tell you that the reason I love shopping with them is because they give you the “anti-sell”. In other words, they tell you what the product won’t do. In much the way I would tell my girlfriends the things I see at “negatives” about the product. I will do the same for you! I would lose my credibility as the self-proclaimed “Hot Product Go To Girl” if I wasn’t honest about the few features I wish I could change…
THE NEGATIVES:
1. The armband strap.
It’s very comfortable and you don’t even feel you’re wearing it. But at first I was like, “Oh hell no! I’m not messing up my cute outfit with this big black strap on my tricep.” Certainly nothing a few rhinestones couldn’t cure as you can see from the photo at the top of my blog. Your package will come with two sizes. Bret and I both got one, so we swapped sizes. I gave him my large and he gave me his smaller band. Yes, it’s very sporty and basic, but it doesn’t have to be! ☺ In fact, I’m working on having a couple blinged out designs mass produced and sold on our website at http://www.turbokick.com for those of us who want something a bit more fashionable! Standby!
Second, after about a week of wearing my arm band I realized the “ripe” smell was coming from my arm band. Duh! I don’t know what I was thinking, but obviously if you’re sweating, sleeping and wearing this thing as much as I was the first week, it starts to smell a little, shall we say… “funky”. Again, easy fix…hello…soak it, dry it, wear it! Of course I also bout several replacement bands so that I had several to match different outfits and I really had some fun creating different looks on each armband! Crafty fashion fun.
2. Web based food log. I have to say entering the food the first week was a pain in the butt. To do it right, you really need to know the nutritional facts of everything you consume. This takes some time and it seems their data based doesn’t identify items that should just be in their system. Again, I talked to Kim Slover about this. She acknowledged the systems short-comings and happily informed me that they are expanding the data based expedentially in the coming months for greater ease of use! Here’s my tip: During your first week, keep a small journal with you. Record calories, service size in ounces or grams, fat, protein, sodium, calcium, carbohydrates. This way you will have it all at your finger tips each day when you sit down and enter your food consumption. AND LET ME TELL YOU….accurracy is the key! When people don’t record or write down their calories, on average they UNDERESTIMATE their calories by as much as 40%!
Another tip: When entering your food log… You can go through every single meal and actually enter what you at for breakfast, then skip to am snack, then lunch, pm snack, then dinner, etc. Time consuming. Instead, record all your food on a note pad or journal. At the end of the day enter all of your food as if you ate it for breakfast. The system doesn’t care when /where you enter your calories consumed. This makes entering food much, much faster. Then the next day, around dinner, I click on breakfast from the previous day and just one line at a time click on any item I’ve consumed that day. I recommend you do this in the evening before your final meal. That way you can look at what you’ve burned, what you’ve consumed and have some idea of how many more calories you can allow yourself and still reach your health and weight goals.
3. Obsession. Admittedly I do get obsessed with new toys and gadgets. The bodybugg® has a grip on me. I find myself wanting to buy them for everyone I know. But I’ve also learned that when you “give” people valuable items, they lose their value and importance. (That another blog) But I am totally head over heals for this thing. It’s just fascinating! My wheels are turning! I really think every kid in America needs to be wearing one. I think that we could save Billions on healthcare if we made bodybugg®’s mandatory! I’m obsessed. I suspect it will be a healthy addiction once I get used to this, but at the moment (on my fourth week of wearing it) I can’t stop checking my digital display! I find myself trying to avoid, “inactive” time and admittedly there were a few days that I just pushed myself to see how high I could get my calorie burn in one day and really enjoyed all those extra calories I was able to consume (and still hit my weight loss goal)
Also, you don’t really have to wear the armband while sedentary (sleeping, showering, returning e-mails, writing blogs). Yet, every time I took it off, I sorta felt like I was disconnecting myself from a life support machine. I think I was holding my breath to take a shower. I speed-washed my hair, lightening fast body scrub, dried off like the house was on fire, strapped that thing back on and gasped for breath! Geeesh! Calm down already! I’m laughing thinking back on it now. Funny.
Current promotion through June 30th is about a $100 savings!
$249 with armband and digital display!
www.24hourfitness.com/training/bodybugg/
Enter my discount code and earn an additional $15.00 off the price of your purchase! All lower case: bbgcj24
Finally, if you have a third generation bodybugg, please share your thoughts and reviews here !
Posts
29 comments:
Oooh, thanks Chalene! I have an addictive personality so this would be my new obsession;) Thank goodness I'm obsessed with fitness because of you:)
I have been wondering about this since BL show, so I think I will have to check this out.
Thanks for such an indepth reveiw.
I am an early adopter, which is the type of person who tries all of the newest gadgets and products, whether it's the latest computer technology or kitchen gadget, and then gives a review to everyone they can. When I heard about Bodybugg through Facebook, I was horrified that there was a gadget out there I had NEVER heard of! So, of course I did my research and ordered it immediately. I am so glad I did! I have worn my armband for three days now and the information I have learned in just three days is invaluable. First, I found I am burning more calories in the day that I expected and I am probably not consuming enough healthy calories to provide the level of energy I need to continue with the intense workouts I am doing. Second, before buying the Bodybugg I suspected I wasn't getting enough sleep and now I have proof that I am waking up multiple times throughout the night and not achieving sustained restful sleep. Something I will be working on. AND - just by wearing the Bodybugg with the monitor I am aware of my real-time calorie burn and steps and find myself making adjustments in my lifestyle, like parking farther out in the parking lot or taking the stairs instead of the elevator so that I reach my daily goals. The little activities in your day add up along with regular exercise and a healthy diet. With Bodybugg, you will more accurately know the big picture of how your lifestyle, fitness and diet work together for improved health. If you are at all interested in improving your overall wellness - you HAVE to get a Bodybugg (and Shakeology and do Turbo Jam/ChaLEAN Extreme)!
I just want to let you know how much i appreciate that you really interact with all of us who luck up to you as a role model for good health. Thanks for sharing this product with us! I will be purchasing one soon when i save up enough! I'm excited to see how many calories i burn when working out everyday! Thanks again!
Great post Chalene! Got my partner & I bodybuggs. You've truly made me a believer! I get mine via mail this afternoon and so stoked to get it. Thanks for sharing your personal insight. I'm a very fit guy, but I think this device will help me lose those last 5 lbs in my abdominal region. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Best,
John
@bandofoutsiders
I periodically check-in with your Twitter account to see where you'll be working out so I can take your class -yes, I'm a little obsessed with Turbokick:) - and one day you started talking about this Bodybugg thingy. At first, I thought oh just another one of Chalene's cool "gadgets" and ignored it because again I was looking for a class. Then I noticed that there was a whole group of you always tweeting about it and decided to google it. OH MY GOD! I could'nt beleive I wasnt in on this thing. So after reading all the reviews and message boards I decided to purchase one. Now, this wasnt something I could go out and purchase right away. The $250 sale price (BB & digital display) was a little much on my one income but I wanted it, needed it and had to have it so I did some digging and at the time found an addt'l $10 off coupon on the 24hr website. Even though the coupon said it was only good online I actually printed it out, took it into 24hr and prayed they would accept it in store and they did (thanks Lyliana @ Owood). I've had my Bodybugg for about 2 weeks now and girrrrl, let me tell you it is everything you said in your blog and more. I'm so addicted to it and I also find myself rushing out of the shower to get it back on. I can't really describe it but it actually makes you want to get up and get moving. Something about feeling good when you hit that calories burned target that motivates e to walk to the Starbucks 4 blocks from my house instead of driving it or instead of taking the elevator at the train station, I take the stairs and you'd be surprised what walking 30 minutes during your lunch break burns. I've had days where I've burned 3300 calories and almost 20k steps...Yup, there's no way you can keep track of that accurately by just writing it down.
So I just wanted to say thank you Chalene for raving about this. If I wasnt so addicted to TK I would'nt have checked in to your twitter account and if I hadnt checked in on the twit then I would'nt know about this wonderfully amazing tool. It's so worth the money and I can't wait to get my family, friends and co-workers on it. Anyone reading this and on the fence go ahead and JUMP! I promise you wont regret it.
WOW!!! great entry! I think it just pushed me over to go buy one! I'll definitely use the discount! I'm on Jenny Craig, so I'll have all the information on my foods, but I need something more to keep me motivated and I haven't found it yet. don't know why I'm struggling so much, but I've got to figure it out. You look great with your bodybugg!! Thanks again.
Lisa (lisita15)
http://beachmom15.blogspot.com/
chalene, i love you and your workouts and all your reviews, but you're KILLING my bank account!! you just convinced me to buy one! (all these companies should totally be giving you a cut of the profits, by the way!) i had actually heard about bodybugg about 6 months ago and looked at it and thought it was wayyyy too expensive for me, but i also didn't get to read a review as deep as this one. thanks for such a solid review!
--jillian (@butterflyx17)
chalene! i'm LOVING my bodybugg, you and Bret are so generous for giving this gift to me!! thank you! i know mom, and even matt, will want one soon too! who wouldn't want to remove the guess work!!?!
your sis, jenelle
Thanks Chalene...that is great info. I'm totally obsessed with my Bodybugg. I love the idea of adding some bling to the armband. I wear mine to work with my suits and with the summer sleeveless tops, people are always asking what it is. I find it makes you accountable to what you eat and what you burn during the day. I love the idea about being able to update it through my phone and adding to the nutrition database.
I would love to hear more about what BL contestant you took through the TurboKick training. I love that show. Will you add that to this BLOG ?
Thanks,
Cheryl Murphy
Turboing in KCMO
Chalene, I've had my bodybugg for 2 years and I love, love, love it. I've been waitin for you to get one. I can't wait for you to sell the blinged out armbands on turbokick. :)
Darn you Chalene!!!! I was all set to get one, then changed my mind like 4 times, and then there was an article in the Wall Street Journal that said that these can be 10-30% inaccurate in their calorie calculation and I had JUST WASHED MY HANDS OF this expensive contraption when you had to go and support it.
And give me a $15 off code.
I think that is very irresponsible of you. :-)
I just bought it. :) Been wondering for years, but hadn't been convinced yet. Thanks, Chalene. It will be really fun to track what sort of burn I get from ChaLEAN. I'm still in the Burn phase and I'm loving it. Thank you for your passion and sharing your wisdom and energy with all of us. I am telling everyone I know about your programs and getting other people on your bandwagon. :) Hugs!
I cannot wait for the "blinged" out armbands! But I hope you have some bands for the GoWear Fit, since that is what I have. It is basically the same (same company) but I will have to call Bodymedia and see if the armbands are interchangeable!
And I also reacted the exact same way when I got mine -OBSESSED! - I hate to take it off!! I cringe when I have to! I find myself dreading to sit or be still. It is so wonderful and as far as food logging - I just use Fitday and get my total calories; then I just add them to my Gowear food log as a "custom meal".I then have my total calories for the day. I am only interested in the deficit so I don't mind not seeing the protein, carb, etc breakdown. Besides, I have all of that info on Fitday!
But this is the best device ever and I can't wait to get cute fashionable armbands. I won't have to tell people I am really a "Fembot"!!!! (LOL)
Missy
I so want one of those!!! Do anyone know where I can get one from a company that ships to Canada?
Ordered mine this morning, can't wait to get it and really start rockin' the calorie burn. I think having that knowledge at my fingertips will be very powerful, and it sounds like everyone who has a bodybugg already agrees!
Thanks, Chalene! :)
I just bought TWO - one for me, one for a gift for my sister for her (our) birthday next week (twins).
I can't wait to get it - I'm all about the numbers - I like machine cardio because I can use numbers - calories burned during a song, distance travelled during a song, session, etc. so this is right up my alley. And the added benefit is that I can now mix it up (get off the machines) and STILL get my "number fix".
I KNOW I underestimate the food I consume and have NO IDEA about how many calories I burn during the day so this will be an adventure for me (and hopefully help get me back on track (I fell off the wagon and it keeps rolling over me - it's getting painful LOL!)
Thanks for the discount code - it pushed me into another go-around with a gadget (I too am a gadget freak).
Many thanks!
Ok, I'm doing it! Just ordered - can't wait to get that thing on. I appreciate your review! Honestly, I'm a gadget person, too, so I think that obsessing about it will be a good motivator for me to get to the weight and health level that I want to be at. :)
The GoWear fit is also great - and cheaper - for people who can't afford the Bodybugg. And it's made by the same company. =)
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Hi Chalene,
I just wanted to leave you a comment and say that I love what you have created. I also wanted to warn your fans about purchasing the Chalean Extreme videos off of Ebay. I purchased a set that was not complete -- the Muscle Burns Fat Guide is missing the Body Makeover Calendar and the worksheets where you record your weight/reps. If you google "Chalean Extreme Body Makeover Calendar" you will find many people who bought their videos off of Ebay who did not get a complete book.
Also, I tried to play some of the DVDs and while some worked, others totally sounded like they were going to break my DVDs players. I tried them in 2 players and on my laptop.
I suspect this was a defective batch that somehow found its way on to Ebay. Hopefully I will be able to get my money back and can buy the real thing, but I wanted to pass on the word to save other people the time and trouble. I know in this economy it is tempting to save some money (especially when there are gym fees to pay and BodyBuggs to buy!!) but in this case, it was more trouble than it was worth.
I've wanted to try the Bodybugg for a while. I wish I would have seen this deal sooner! I missed the boat. Keep us posted if you get wind of a sale again. Thanks!
I am totally addicted to Turbo and CE, and now dream of the day when my Bodybugg is strapped to my arm!
Hi there .. I have been trying to purchase the BodyBugg online and ship to Canada but the site I tried on only ships to the States, is there any way I can get one ??
You mentioned Shakeology, and I'm very interested... BUT, I would like to know if there's a way I can get this stuff without becoming a beachbody member???
So you convinced me! I'm such a sucker. Thanks for the great post and always being such positive motivator! You Rock!!
wonderful review and many useful tips on logging in food. Putting everything under breakfast -- genius. Also I am waiting for the blinged out bands!
Don't you guys just love Chalene?? I do...! She is always encouraging us and shares great information to help us all along our fitness way... XOXO
I can't wait to save enough to buy one, I work out everyday and it would sure help me with these last few pounds.I'm sold!!
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