The Scoop on the BodyBugg

I have owned a BodyBugg since September 2009. I'm going out on a limb here, but the BB pretty much changed how I look at weight loss.

When I first started BeachBody workouts, I had early great success. And then I sort of stagnated and I couldn't lose anything. I worked out, I ate well, and yet every Friday when I weighed in, I hadn't lost the pound I thought should be coming off. So I'd be mad/annoyed/discouraged and I'd eat a bunch of food and I'd get in a terrible cycle of eating and not losing.

I was convinced I had a metabolic disorder to go with my muscle wasting disease (see yesterday). I told Eamonn I needed to go to the doctor to learn more about my metabolic disease that wouldn't allow me to lose weight.

Then I read about the BodyBugg. Apparently the Biggest Loser contestants have been wearing them for ages, but I was just out of the loop.

I read about the BB on Chalene Johnson's blog. She, of course, is my favorite BeachBody trainer, so if she says something, I believe it, people.

Chalene did a review of the BodyBugg. You can read it here. I ordered mine right away. Read her review, because it's really good, but here's the lowdown.

The BB is an armband you wear on your upper arm and it tracks, with 90% accuracy according to the company, how many calories you burn each day. The BB tracks from midnight to midnight and if you get the watch/wristband display, you can see at any given moment, how many calories you're burning. As I sit here right now, I'm burning 1.7 calories a minute. I burn about .9 calories a minute while I'm sleeping. Depending on what workout I do, that might jump up to 7 or 8 or 9 calories a minute.

It doesn't track what you eat. You have to do that yourself! You log into your BB account and track your food. It's really easy.

A pound of fat = 3,500 calories. So, create a 500 calorie deficit each day for a week and one pound is gone. Magic. Well, magic and some work.

In the end, I discovered I did not have a metabolic disorder. Instead, I discovered I had a disorder called Eating Too Much and Not Exercising Enough.

It really is true. If you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight.

Bummer.

Wearing the BB has been really interesting. I love gadgets. But what I discovered was that there were certain workouts that I was doing that I thought burned tons of calories. Turns out, I was grossly underestimating what I burning during a workout.

You know how the elliptical tells you you're burning 700 calories if you slog along on there for 60 minutes? Not even close. Cut that in half and you're closer. Same goes for any of those machines. And those heart rate monitors that tell you you're burning 1,000 calories an hour during an aerobics workout? Probably not.

Anyway, once I figured out that I needed to ramp up my workouts, the tracking of my food combined with the exercise finally started paying off. It made the Friday weigh in anti-climactic. I pretty much knew ahead of time that I would/would not be losing weight and that took the drama out of it. I wasn't all deflated when I didn't lose because I knew EXACTLY why I didn't lose. During the weeks I was really good about hitting my goals (burning 2200 calories a day, eating 1700 a day--the BB helps you determine how much to eat and burn).

I have to tell you, I'm a big fan of the BodyBugg. I don't make any sort of commission for saying all of this. I wish I did. But truly it changed my life by letting me know exactly what my body was doing. Even if I didn't like the answers!

It did feel weird on my arm for the first few days. Now, I forget it's there. I do feel a little self-conscious wearing it with short sleeves, so I wear jackets a lot to cover it up in the summer.

So check it out and see what you think. Ask for it for Christmas. The last time I checked, the discount code on Chalene's blog still worked for a $15 discount. Use it!

Let me know if you have any BodyBugg questions.

Today's workout: Turbo Jam Cardio Party 2

FoodBreakfast: Brown rice cereal, almond milk, hemp seeds, maple syrup.

Snack: Banana

Lunch: Leftover taco soup, mexican cheese

Snack: Hot chocolate

Dinner: Pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, onions.

AndthenIwenttoseeHarryPotterwithmysonandweatepopcornwithbutterandsharedarootbeerandIcan'tbelieveitbecauseIhaven'teatenmoviepopcornforages---gahhhhh!

Total calories for the day: 1862 as close as I can guess with the popcorn extravaganza.

BodyBugg stats:

Calories burned = 2209. Hit my goal, thank you TurboJam!

Steps = 11,857

Activity = 1 hour, 46 minutes