Hello and Happy Monday! I bought a BodyBugg on Friday and have been wearing it since late that night. For those that don’t know – The BodyBugg is an armband and computer program system that tracks how many calories you burn each day. 
At the end of an activity or at the end of the day you plug it into your computer and it shows how many calories you burned throughout the day. You can choose to look at a specific time window too, so you can see exactly how many calories you burned while exercising.
The BB online system allows you to input all your food for the day so it can track Calories In versus Calories Out. I am not a big fan of online calorie trackers and haven’t used that yet.
I have wanted a BB for a long time now, but didn’t wasn’t in a place where the information would have made a difference. However, the fact that I’m starting marathon training and trying to eat intuitively with some weight loss sprinkled on top – is a lot for my body to handle on it’s own. I am very curious about how many calories I burn while running versus rest days and did some deep thinking before I decided to purchase it.
My goal with the Bodybugg is to get a better idea of how many calories I burn and how many I should be eating a day. I have a lot of pre-existing ideas of how many calories one should eat to lose weight/maintain/be happy… but none of them are based on my body. 
I put it on for the first time Friday night and wore it all Saturday and while sleeping. Saturday I ran 4 miles easy and 2 more run/walk with Ben. Outside of that I was not very active.
So I when I plugged in the BB to see how many calories I burned Saturday I was very surprised to see it read over 3,000. Yeah.
I’m skeptical that it’s over 3,000, but I’m not complaining if it’s true 
I’m going to wear it a few more days before I decide if this is a scam or not. If I decide this thing is legit then I plan to start eating with Michael Phelps.
I don’t track calories right now, but suspect I am eating like a teenage boy to maintain my current weight if these numbers are correct. That’s not really necessary and some changes may follow.
Body For Life Update: I have not been following Body For Life because the new addition of chicken (and more eggs) to my diet kind of threw me for a loop. In January, I started eating poultry after many years of being veggie and was started the high protein diet at the same time. I decided that one change was enough based on how my body was responding. I immediately started feeling more satiated and less “binge prone”.
The changes with an increase in protein were all positive, and I wanted to focus on that instead of obsessing over portion sizes and calories. HOWEVER, I still believe that the only way I’ll get faster is if I lose weight and that is still a major goal of mine. That is why I bought the BB and will soon be trying to cut calories conservatively based on how many I’m burning.
This morning I went on a 6 miler. It was supposed to be a tempo run, but not all my tempo miles were quick.
Then, I cracked open this new flavor of protein powder. Not a fan.
With my protein shake: PB&J Cinnamon Raisin toast and sourdough with EB. I bought the Boudin’s sourdough from Costco. It’s amazing.
Monday Mini-Goals for 2/21/2011:
1. Get to the gym 2 times this week
2. Stick to running schedule (for once) and stretch
3. Study for the ace exam every day at least 1 hour daily
Got any Monday Mini-Goals?
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WHAT?!? Boudin bread at Costco?
Maybe Costco really is worth the risk of losing a limb to psycho cart pushers.
The trick is to go during the week right after work or on your lunch 🙂
I am NOT a fan of that protein powder either! YUCKO!
I have wanted a body bugg for years and got one in Nov. for my birthday! I haven’t utilized the website much but love looking at my phone at night to see how many calories I have burned and how many steps I have taken for the day. I love your recipes!
Can’t wait to hear how the bodybug works out over the next few days. I would be interested in seeing my daily calorie burn, probably less than I think because I sit at a desk for a large portion of the day.
I am at my desk all day too! So, I was surprised that it was so high. I bet you are a burning machine 🙂
The thing is you WILL get faster when you lose weight. It’s just a fact about running. However, even if you’re faster that doesn’t necessarily mean that the weight is healthy for you. If you’ve been at a “happy weight” for a while and you’re having a ton of trouble changing your habits to lose weight, then maybe take a moment to examine whether it is really worth it to you and whether being faster is your sole motivation. Because if you have other motivations, like happiness, then there is a point where you WILL be faster but your eating habits will not be what you need to remain happy (i.e. enough food), and then you’ll have a dilemma.
I am approaching this from a former ED perspective…Long story short, I developed the ED from wanting to be faster and cutting caloric intake to lose weight. My nutritionist said the ED was triggered by a chemical imbalance once I lost the weight. I have since gained it back and am inclined to believe her.
I love reading your posts every day–you are such a candid, healthy, normal, inspiring person. And I’m sure you’re aware of all this. But just for once, just this once, with all the BB calorie counting losing weight stuff up there, I had to put in these 2 cents. Sorry for the epic post that probably only reiterates things you know already.
Saying “to be faster” does not necessarily justify your motivation lose weight if you are at a happy weight to begin with. So don’t be afraid to relax, chill, and go with something (higher protein?) that’s already working for you mentally.
Lia,
Thanks for the input. I am not at a “happy weight” right now, so this isn’t an eating disorder fueled goal. I want to feel better, feel healthier and get faster 🙂 I don’t have an eating disorder, and I’m not at an ideal weight for my height/age/activity level so I think my goals are healthy.
Good thoughts. It’s so easy to get caught up in “wanting to get healthier”, & not realize your are hurting your mind, soul, body, etc. Thanks for this reminder.
I’ve never heard of a Body Bug. How does it actually work? Is it all based on movement? I’m intrigued!
It’s based on body temp, sweat levels and accelerometer.
I bought a body bugg awhile back, I keep meaning to get back into using it. If you are a little bit skeptical of the calories burned, I might suggest you adjust your weight a little bit seeing as a runners muscle mass might be different than the average person using one. As far as I am concerned, the BB helps you be most efficient. Teaches you to stand up instead of sitting down, teaches you to use the treadmill over an elliptical (hello, 13 cals/min vs 8 cals/min), lets you know what interval work outs do for you, etc. I feel like that is its best use. As far as the calorie intake, it helped me be more accountable. My personal trainer had my login info and when I’d complain about not losing weight he’d retort with “Maybe it’s because you ate cake.. Monday, Tuesday, AND Wednesday?” If you have someone to hold you accountable or even make suggestions (less carbs, more fiber, more protein, etc.), then I would recommend using that part of it.
As for those of you lusting after one- a lot of gyms/clinics rent them out! Also, I get emails from Apex Fitness notifying me of killer deals on them, it would be worth signing up for them!
Wait. I’m not supposed to eat cake every day?!
F this, I quit…
I have never been a big fan of fruity protein powders. I must prefer vanilla so I can mix in any goodies I want 🙂
I usually love the cherry flavor, so I was disappointed that I didn’t like this…
It sounds so cool, mostly because I’d LOVE to learn how many calories I’m actually burning per day. I have a feeling it’s a lot less than I’m thinking! But I just can’t justify the cost just to ease my curiousity.
I bet it’s more than you think – it was for me!
I set new goals every Monday on my blog, it keeps me accountable and I am always thinking back to them through-out the week. I love being able to tick them off the following week!! I make them attainable, but I like to throw a few little newbies in there just to mix it up and get me trying new things! I totally want to eat that toast off of the screen. I was always wondering about the BodyBugg, I might just have to give it more thought now that I see your review 😉
Even though you don’t like counting calories you might try picking a typical day and actually measure/count everything just to see what your average calorie intake.
Wow that is a lot of calories!!!!!
I have to look into getting a BB, sounds like something I would like, I would love to know how many calories I burn on a daily basis!
That’s really interesting! I’ve always wondered how many calories I actually burn… I used to be so obsessed with counting calories but I never figured out what my burn rate was.
https://www.turbokick.com/wblog/?p=162
Here is a great write up on Body Bug. I had one for a few months… that is all I needed it for to see what I burned and what I was taking in. It is very interesting! Check out Chalene’s blog to see what she has to say about it too.
Thanks Bri! Just read the link and totally agree so far 🙂
I had a BB several years ago & loved it. Well…loved that it worked. I hated the calorie counting part. I honestly do think it was accurate – and I wore it for over a year! I was using it for weight loss in conjunction with seeing a personal trainer – in truth, I never “learned” how to eat right when I was using it. I seriously would still eat basically whatever junk I wanted and just move more to offset it – honest. Craving doritos? Eat a bag, and then do jumping jacks while watching TV. Needless to say, I don’t think I was in the right frame of mind to really “learn” anything from using it! I sort of wish I still had it now because I’m in a MUCH better place with food than I was back then! (Although 3-4 years later, I STILL refuse to count calories.) I think the BB is definitely a great tool – as long as you are smart when you use it and don’t use it to justify overeating like I did!
3,000 calories that is awesome…I so need to get one of these!
Oh my gosh, I’m sure you burn way more than me too! Fuel up 🙂
If you decide that the body bugg is a scam, I would more than gladly take it off your hands… or arm… 🙂 j/k!! I want one so bad!
Noted 🙂
I think that the 3,000 calorie count seems believable. Your Basal Metabolic Rate is at least 1,300, right? Add in a 4-mile run, conservatively 400 calories, plus all the other activity you do throughout a day can easily add up to 3,000.
To be in honest, I’m in the same boat as you, extremely active, but apparently eat like a horse and can never shake those last 10 pounds.
Yeah, the first thing I thought when I saw my first day calorie number was, “I eat over 3000 calories a day. No joke.” I always say that I eat a lot, but I didn’t realize it was that much! Crazy.
My Monday mini goal is to eat in a way that I can be proud of all week. I’m with you on the BB — 3,000 sounds like a lot, but maybe you were more active that day than you thought (?).
i hope the BB ends up working out well for you! and i’m glad that adding in chicken has helped out in the eating area! that’s great to hear!
I’ve never used a Body Bugg, but I have a pretty crazy metabolism so maybe it’s not wrong about the 3,000 number. I battled anorexia for years and it seemed to rev my metabolism when I started to eat again (according to my doctor) and now my caloric needs are pretty nuts, especially with marathon training. You should have seen how much I could eat when I was nursing!!
My take-away is that for some people, you can eat a lot and not gain weight and others can get very little and not lose weight. Maybe try to up your calories, the worse thing that could happen would be a slight weight gain and the best thing would be that you feel more energetic and less fixated on food!
Yeah, now that I have a “second opinion” from the Bodybugg of how many cals I burn, I don’t think I’m going to be too worried about what I eat. Even if it’s around the same, the worry part is what is lame, you know?
I’m looking forward to hear what you think of as you keep using it! It is definitely a product that interests me:)
The BodyBugg has always fascinated me since I saw it on Biggest Loser, so I’m excited to watch your saga with it.
i can’t wait to see what you think about the body bugg as you use it more! i use a hr monitor when i work out, and i love seeing that kind of information about my body after i do a workout (or a really strenuous cleaning session – yeah i wore my monitor while i scrubbed my floors…).
Wow I’m so excited to see your progress with the Body Bugg. I’ve wanted one for some time now, and I’m curious to see if it helps you. I have a Polar HRM and I’ve thought about wearing it all day to see how many calories I burn… maybe I’ll try that this week!
How interesting-I’ve never heard of this before!
Rad, I’m looking forward to more of your thoughts on the BodyBugg as it’s on my “maybe wishlist.” My mini-goal is to eventually pry myself off this couch and to the gym. Just FYI, I’m a new reader & absolutely love your blog 🙂