A disappointing day of cycling with the bodybugg
Up until yesterday, I’ve been generally delighted with the bodybugg. It basically does what it is advertised to do, and provides very helpful feedback on my diet and exercise (i.e. I can see if it’s making a difference). I really haven’t even started to use it for the fun experimentation I have in mind, and I’m looking forward to that.
Yesterday, though, the bodybugg let me down. Here’s the scenario.Daniel and I had been planning for a while to do what he calls “the big Hard Guy loop.” As I mentioned in another post, Hard Guy is an advanced mountain biking trail that has long been held up to me as one of the most challenging partial-day rides around here. A couple of weeks ago we did the Hard Guy trail itself, but were waiting for a Sunday when we would have abundant time to do the big loop.
The big loop starts with three miles of constant climbing on the road to get to the beginning of the dirt trail. It then proceeds as we did it before, with a little over six miles of almost constant uphill on a dirt trail (sometimes single-track, sometimes old Jeep trail). When we did it before, we turned around at that point, and rode back down to the pavement where we’d parked.
Instead of stopping there, though, the big loop climbs a dirt road for another 500 feet of altitude in about a half-mile of distance. Yeah, that hurt. We stopped to let the nausea pass and had a quick snack, and then rode down the other side of the summit for a while on road, hit a couple of single-track trails with downs (Scott’s) and ups (Corrals), climbed back to the road, went down a short trail, and looped back to our original starting point on one of my favorite trails (Crestline-Kestral).
All said and done, it comes to about 22 miles (as opposed to the 12 or so for just the Hard Guy trail). I had extra motivation, too, because Daniel bribed me with a rain shell if I did the whole loop. I felt like I did reasonably well, not taking any breaks (even though I was so tired) except for the one at the summit, so I deserved my prize.
When we finished up, Daniel looked at the Polar heart-rate monitor he was wearing and read off the stats: 4 hours, 25 minutes of riding; 2550 calories; average heart rate (which I can’t remember, but know was annoyingly low because he’s annoyingly fit). I was very tired and looking forward to getting home and syncing my bodybugg to see how many calories I’d burned. Considering that the much shorter Hard Guy ride a couple of weeks ago burned 954 calories, I was also looking forward to a good lunch.
Imagine my surprise (read: freak out!) when I downloaded my data and was told I’d burned just 1212 calories! In four and a half hours of killer hard work! (Okay, some of that was downhill… but only about an hour of the total.) Arrggg!
I felt terrible. I’d put in this ton of effort, and apparently it was really minimal in the end. I was ready to go all out depressive. Fortunately, Daniel popped in to see the results and immediately protested their accuracy. I argued feebly for the accuracy for a little while, and he asked how the results are calculated. I pulled up bodybugg’s “The Science Behind bodybugg” page and had him read it. There were a few things that bugged his engineer-brain:
- The “Heat Flux” metric that’s a core part of the way the bodybugg calculates work. One thing I didn’t mention above was that the temperature was mostly in the 90s (Fahrenheit) for our ride yesterday (as opposed to 60s and 70s a couple of weeks ago). Daniel thinks that maybe the bodybugg wasn’t accurately recording this metric since the air temperature was about the same as the heat I was dissipating.
- The bodybugg doesn’t seem to track heart rate, which is a pretty accurate indicator of cardio exertion.
- The accelerometer seems like it would be less helpful on a bike, particularly on uphills where the forward progress is extremely slow, but very steady in both forward speed and on the various axises (axes?). I expect that the accelerometer actually has more relevance going downhill, when there’s a lot of motion in all directions (especially on my hard-tail bike!), but the effort level is just a fraction of the climb.
Honestly, we have no idea why the numbers were so low. I’m going to ask my bodybugg trainer about it on our call tomorrow. But Daniel (together with the comparison data from the shorter ride) has persuaded me that the numbers really are low. Even bodybugg’s calorie calculator suggests I should have burned at least another thousand calories.
At this point, my biggest question is: if it doesn’t give me accurate data for my chosen sport (cycling in various temperatures!), should I try to return it and get my money back (and buy a sweet Polar HRM), or keep it for rest days? What do you think?
Wow, that’s disappointing! If you can’t trust the accuracy in the all different conditions in which you use it, it’s difficult to have confidence in it at all. I would have a tendency to stay with more reliable technology.
…and good job on the ride! I’m impressed!
Hi there!
Congratulations on conquering such a tough ride! I’d like to offer some feedback regarding your concern about bodybugg’s accuracy.
1) Heart rate alone is not a good indicator of energy expenditure, and the reading on the heart rate monitor is definitely much higher than what you or your friend actually burned. While heart rate monitors may be a good indicator of cardio exertion, they have no way of accounting for your fitness level or therefore of determining calories burned. Consider other times that your heart rate jumps (when you’re under stress or are surprised or scared); the body does not burn more calories just because heart rate increases. Please review this article on heart rate as it relates to energy expenditure: http://my.apexfitness.com/uploads/Bodymedia_HR_EE_01-2006.pdf
2) bodybugg has been tested in many different environments and temperatures, and the warm temperature would not have affected the calorie burn reading.
3) biking generally burns fewer calories than people think. Though when mountain biking you are obviously working hard, your body is being supported by the bike and you’re not using as many muscle groups as intensely as you would if you were hiking that same route (it’s very likely that you would have burned more calories hiking than biking).
4) if you really believe that your calories burned are not being calculated correctly, you can call tech support at 800 656 2739 Option 1 (leave a detailed message if you don’t have time to hold) and have them troubleshoot your armband to make sure it’s not defective. You can also complete an Energy Expenditure Feedback form which will help the algorithm team further improve the algorithms associated with biking. Here’s a link to the form: http://my.apexfitness.com/uploads/ENERGY_EXPENDITURE_FEEDBACK_FORM.pdf
bodybugg is changing the lives of thousands of people everyday, and we’re always striving to improve the device and the program. Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you!
Hi, Christie–thanks for leaving such a detailed reply. I’m encouraged that bodybugg is paying attention to what people are saying.
I can certainly appreciate the points you’re making. I guess my big concern is that the data I saw on Sunday was so far out of line both with the previous data and with generally accepted burn rates for the activity.
I appreciate the link to the Energy Expenditure Feedback form. I’ll go ahead and fill it out in hopes that it will be helpful.
Hello,
I read the article that Christie mention about HR not being a good measurement of calories burned. The article says that it is not a good measurement when you are not doing extreneous exercise (b/c you might be stressed, scared, etc) as your HR might go up without exercising. However, if you are exercising hard, which it sounds like you did, the article says HR is a pretty accurate measurement of energy spent. When you were biking those hills, I bet you weren’t worrying about your kids, job, etc.
In my opinion, given that neither HR or bodybugg is 100% accurate, such huge discrepancy at least raises some question as to bodybugg’s accuracy if you take bodybugg’s article on HR.
I tend to agree with you, mrbb.
That’s for sure! I was mostly thinking about breathing, and keeping the pedal stroke even so that steering would stay reliable, even on crazy inclines.
I talked to Christine, my bodybugg trainer, and she said that they’ve actually had a fair amount of trouble with the accuracy on mountain biking and offroad motorcycle riding. She reiterated the usefulness of the form Christie suggested, so I submitted that yesterday. She also said the algorithms are always a work in progress and that the biking accuracy has gone up in the last year and a half.
At this point, I’m inclined to keep the bodybugg (it’s so useful for my day-to-day reality checks, and I’ve been steadily losing weight since I got it, without the ups and downs I usually experience).
I’m not sure whether I’ll get a heart rate monitor or just assume some error. After all, if it underestimates my calories burned, that means my deficit is more than I think it is, and I should lose more weight, right?
Well, at least in theory… if I can keep from over-compensating.
You sound like an experienced BodyBugg user, and because I’m thinking of getting one, I was wondering if you knew how the software on the device is updated/upgraded for technological performance improvements…As the algorithms are said to improve over time, how do you get your bodybugg updated with the most recent updates? Do you download them by web and then upload them to the device? Or are you stuck with the version you have until you upgrade to the next release of the device itself? Thanks for your help!
Hi, Hannah—it’s actually pretty straightforward. When I sync the armband to the site to update my calories, if there’s a new software version, I’m prompted to download it and install it. This happens every couple of days so it seems like they’re making regular improvements.
It’s slightly inconvenient because I have to close the browser for the upgrade, but it’s not that big of a deal, and certainly better than not being able to upgrade.
Hi Sarah. Thanks for the quick FYI. Very glad to find someone whose familiar with the product enough to give me a frank review and not just a website announcing the features. Good luck with everything, and have a great weekend!
@Hannah: I’m happy to answer any other questions you have, too, from the perspective of a bodybugg user. I had a hard time finding “real life” info about it before I bought it so I’m delighted to help.
Hi, I am thinking of buying a bodybugg but need to know if you can only get the data off the device if you subscribe to the website, or can you download it onto your computer with any other software, or is there any other way to get the information without having to subscribe and keep paying?
Hi, Claire–at this point, the only way to get the data is through the website subscription. I expect this is intentional on the part of bodybugg, just because it makes sense as part of their business plan.
I do find it a little frustrating that I’ve paid all this money for the device but still have to pay for a subscription, but until there’s a viable competitor, that’s probably just how it is.
If the bodybugg keeps growing in popularity, I wouldn’t be surprised if some programmer finds a way to “intercept” the data, but the subscription would still be needed to keep getting the firmware updates that improve the bodybugg’s accuracy.
It’s a very useful tool, but it is expensive. To me, it’s worth it (I’ve busted through a 10-month plateau), but it probably won’t be for everyone.
I am a bodybugg user for a little over 2 years now, and I must say I am very excited for their new Display Device. This watch-like device that can be worn on your wrist, or kept in your pocket, will allow you to see your calorie burn data from your armband (for the day, during a workout, etc) without logging in to your online account.
You will need to maintain your program subscription in order to log your food, track your bodyweight changes, and see your long-term weight management progress. But at $99/year (or $15/mo), it’s not very expensive to maintain and it’s well worth it for me because it has worked!
I believe they are expecting it to be available in August.
Hey, Jeremy, thanks for the heads up! That sounds like a nifty upgrade. I’ll be on the lookout for it. Do you know if there’s a site with more info?
I don’t mind paying for the subscription, just because I like the food logging tool so well (which is saying something; I really don’t like logging food!).
I just got a Bugg too and was disappointed in the calorie burn between my HRM and the Bugg and then I read this article from their site and it makes more sense to me now. My favorite activity is Spinning but because my arms aren’t moving much the calorie count is going to be low. I’m still knew with this but that is what I gleamed from the article. Still frustrating though.
http://my.apexfitness.com/uploads/bb_Algorithm_changes_0507.pdf
Hi Sarah,
I don’t think there’s anything online about the new Display Device yet, but I’m sure they’ll update http://www.bodybugg.com as soon as it becomes available in the next 3-4 weeks or so.
Happy 4th!
It’s the age-old philosophical question: if an athlete exercises in a forest, but no reliable performance monitor records the effort, did he/she burn any calories?
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
If you’re a fairly serious cyclist, care a lot about knowing accurately how many calories you’re burning and have some cash to play with, you might consider a power meter for the bike. No better way to really know what your exertion is than watts. They don’t lie! Polar makes a relatively cheap version which is accurate against itself but not so much overall. The be all and end all of the devices is the SRM which is what the pros use. Expensive but a great training tool.
Good tip, Brie! I recently got the 1up USA trainer for my winter workouts, and I can run a little math to figure out wattage with it. Haven’t done any serious analysis yet, but it’s good to have that option.
All this info has been really great, thanks for sharing everyone!
My question: I am interested in purchasing a Bodybugg. Right now my contemplation is in the comparison of Bodybugg vs. Personal Trainer/Nutritionist. I am interested in losing body fat while working towards the goal of possible fitness competitions. I was wondering if anyone has any feedback on where my money would be best spent first, since in time - i may eventually utilize both. With the Bugg, i will monitor my calorie expenditure and deficits - but it doesn’t inform me on other things like food ratios, supplements, or improved workout routines. Which set of knowledge is more useful? Which has the potential for higher success not just in “calories in, calories out” but in body transformation? Thanks for sharing your experiences, feedback or any additional thoughts regarding this topic.
Hi, Angela, I’d personally say start with the Personal Trainer/Nutritionist. They will help you get the information you need to be successful, and they’ll be able to tell whether you’re being honest about what you’re eating, etc.
Then, once you have those skills down, the bodybugg would help you maintain your body awareness with a smaller ongoing cost.
Yeah, I’ve noticed some annoying differences myself– taking today as an example, it said I burned ~250 calories during a VERY intense hour-long spinning class, and ~140 calories during my half-hour walk downhill to work.
My old Polar HRM usually gave me ~500 cal for spinning classes. My HR usually sits around 175 bpm (about 80% PE?) for most of the session.
My PE for the downhill walk was like 50-60%. And it looks like it burned MORE calories, if you divide the class in half. That’s sort of messed up, IMO.
I almost feel like their device says it doesn’t matter what type of activity you’re doing as long as you move around a little. With that sort of thinking, why kill yourself with a much higher PE if it’s not going to give you a higher burn?
I’m suspicious.
500 calories during a single 1 hour spinning class does sound a bit high. One thing that the bodybugg supposedly measures that a heart rate device wouldn’t measure is continued burn. Doing high intensity exercise not only burns calories during the activity but raises your metabolism following, which the bodybugg should be able to account for, while a heart rate monitor wouldn’t.
i LOVE my HRM!. I had a map test done so i know at what heart rate i should be burning my “fat calories” and at what point my body switchs to the carb burning….i looked really hard at bodybugg cuz it seemedlike what i wanted, BUT, after getting the bmr and doing a map test i think my hrm is way more accurate. Since I started using it 3 mos ago i have to work harder to get my hr to what i want it to be - indicative of getting fitter! Bottom line - polar makes some great monitors for sports (i use mine for running) their website is FREE to upload your stats and i use calorieking.com to log my stuff - double work - maybe BUT i can customize my exercises to EXACTLY what my hr says, its easy to use as far as logging food, and u can even download their software for both pc and palm. - being a geek by definition means you use everything you can to get where you want to be
After reading your bike Bugg acount, I feel better. This weekend I got on my road bike for a 47mile ride. As I peeled off my sweet soaked clothing (note: it was only in the mid 40ºs outside during my ride so I am not sure the outside temp is relevant during bike riding) I could not wait to down load my Bugg and see my success. To my disappointment, the Bugg reported I burned more calories doing house work the day before then I did during my ride. No steps no calories, it recorded like I was driving a car. After a few hours of recovery I put on my running shoes and suffered through a six mile run just to log steps and calories so my day’s report would not reflect sloth like behavior. A warning would have been helpful. For my next ride I am going to take it off and use the manual entry for activity during the time not wore.
FYI, My personal trainer told me HRM are not always accurate with calorie counting.
I am severely overweight and have tried every diet plan in the book. I really have a tough time forcing myself to exercise because it takes so long to see results. I saw the Body Bugg on the biggest loser and am intrigued, thinking that perhaps if I can see my calories burned it may encourage me to move more. Does the Bugg track your intake through what you estimate you are eating (and entering this data into their website)? Is this just a really high tech pedometer?
Thanks for any insight,
Scout
@Scout: the bodybugg does rely entirely on your reporting to count “calories in”. Whether it will work for you or not depends a lot on your personality. I wrote a follow-up post that has helped some people decide whether the bodybugg is a good investment for them; might be worth a read.
bodybugg does tell you, based on your measurement changes, what your actual calorie consumption was since the last time you weighed in.
This tool is called the “based on measurement changes” view and is intended to help you learn how to either change your eating habits (if you don’t log your food) or how to log your food more accurately.
For example, if your average daily calorie burn is 2000, and your average daily calories consumed according to your food log is 1500, then you should lose 1 pound per week. However, if you get on the scale and see that you only lost half a pound (and you’re not tracking body fat changes), bodybugg tells you, based on your measurement change, that your ACTUAL daily deficit was only 250 calories.
At this point you know you’re underestimating your calorie consumption by 250 calories per day on average.
We’ve just recently created a tutorial that explains the based on views and how to use them to evaluate your progress and to identify what you need to do differently in order to reach your goal.
WOW! This was incredibly helpful. I was about to press the button on the 24 hour fitness website (the Bodybugg is $75 cheaper there than Apex), and I did I google search for reviews. Very helpful.
Thanks.
I’ve had similar experiences with the body bugg. It does not work very well for rowing either.
Working out on a rowing machine for 45 minutes-with my heart rate between 80 %and 90% max. It showed me as burning an average of 4 calories a minute. The same that I burn walking?
I use both the Polar F11 and the BodyBugg. I like the hrm just because most of the hrm on the machines at 24 Hour are broken and having a chest strap lets me dial in the heart rate. I like the bodybugg food logging feature and have lost 20 pounds in 2 months. 20 more to go! fitnessjournal.org also has an excellent food logging program that is cheaper than bodybugg’s. The key is 6 meals a day and cardio and weight training. That plus some zig-zagging of calories and good bye fat! I also like Tom Venuto’s burnthefat site.
Good review of BodyBugg! I was also concerned of the major discrepancies with calorie counts, but what Apex says makes sense.
My wife had the same comment to me this morning when she wore her Polar heart rate monitor and the bodybugg. The bodybugg had her burning much less then the heart rate monitor, so I did a little research.
I know this is about 9 months after this post, but I did find this article and found it useful in explaining why there was a vast difference.
http://www.bodybugg.com/fitness_resources_qa.php?id=323
I was curious if anyone using the bodybugg had problems with not losing the weight it says you should be. This is my second week using it the first week I lost the amount I wanted to, but now the second week I should have lost close to 3 pounds and have only lost 1. I know the program will say I wasn’t logging my food correctly, but I totally disagree I am very diligent about my food intake using measuring spoons and cups as well as a scale. I may have put on muscle considering I have been working out for 4 weeks now, but it doesn’t seem likely. Has anyone encountered this or have any suggestions?
Jennifer, I don’t know your stats but 3 pounds seems like a high weight loss goal per week. 1-2 seems more reasonable. Have you looked at some of the articles on the myapex.com site? I believe there is one almost titled “Why am I not losing” or something to that effect that might help you.
I have been using the Bodybugg for about four weeks now, and it has been pretty spot on every week as far as weight loss is concerned, but I have a body fat monitor. When you just look at weight loss it doesn’t take into account the muscle you may have gained the week. When I factor that into the equation, my food log was within 30 calories a day of accuracy (I was over in reporting, not under).
You might want to invest in a scale that also monitors body fat because that is what you are ultimately trying to lose.
Also, there are fluctuations in water weight from week to week. The trick is to look at weight loss over a longer period of time.
Also the bike thing in the original story: you are sitting. You aren’t going to burn as many calories on a bike. Standing and supporting all your body weight is going to burn more. 1200 sounds pretty right for 3 hours of up hill and 1 hour of down hill on a bike. Yours is more accurate than your riding partners.
I have switched almost all my workouts to where I am standing. I am burning so many more calories this way and LOVING this bodybugg. This website made me decide to take the plunge!
I purchased a bodybugg a few days ago. I have to say that during rest or non-activity, I find it to be accurate. However, I KNEW I was burning about 3000 calories per day just “existing”.
I bought the bodybugg because I wanted to measure what I was actually burning during my workout. The elliptical showed nearly 900 calories after half an hour. The myapex website says that for my body parameters, I should be burning about 820 for the 30 minutes.
The bodybugg shows me burning about 230 in this time period. It doesn’t accurately track the amount of time I’m “active”, either. Some days it tracks 17 minutes, yesterday it tracked only 4. 4 minutes of a half an hour routine? Hrm..
I called technical support, which is based in Panama. They showed me how to update the firmware, but only after 20 minutes of explaining and being talked down to, rather rudely I might add. In the eend, after several days of working, I called tech support again. They say it is monitoring calories burned and that perhaps the issue is that I’m not “actually working out” like I say. Needless to say, I was disgusted by this.
It seems to track walking and running fine. On a bike or elliptical, it doesn’t do as well. No one at 24hr Fitness can explain this. I’ve contacted Bodybugg customer service who only insists on referring me to the rude (and outsourced) tech support reps in Panama, where I have to spend time explaining the whole situation again only to be told that I’m doing something wrong.
Then I read on your post (thank you, by the way!) that the algorithms aren’t correct and are being constantly updated??? And that certain activities aren’t accurately tracked? I’m sorry, but I didn’t just shell out $350 for the armband and display to have them not track my workout, did I? It appears that I did.
From bodybugg’s own website:
“In general non-exercise calibration, say by means of self-assessment questionnaire, can not result in an accurate calibration.”
Wait. You mean the same type of self-assessment questionnaire that you have to go through to set up your bodybugg armband?????
“Bodymedia is currently working on integrating HR into the Sensewear Armband. This is not specifically to improve the accuracy of the EE calculation which is now “acceptable” for clinical and research use, in “free-living” conditions, but because several applications are interested in looking at this parameter over time, features such as HR min, max, average, plus valuable RR variability analyses. Plus for high-end sports applications adding HR to the Bodymedia EE algorithm can further increase EE accuracy. Of prime concern is the quality of “wearability” (the armband’s comfort, acceptance and simplicity), while acquiring ECG signals and recording for several days without replacing the electrodes. Once these concerns are resolved, the Sensewear Armband will add one more important parameter, heart rate, to the broad range of “lifestyle” parameters that the device can acquire.”
So, fantastic! It tracks accurately so long as you’re not actually increasing your activity level, ie: working out.
The bugg doesn’t even match what it’s own website says regarding calories burned for my body parameters during specific activities. Oh, and no one at BodyMedia can answer the question either. And tech support? Forget it.
I’m taking mine back to the gym and demanding a refund. Not only that, I’m going to actively campaign against this product because not only does it not work like they claim, no one at the company is remotely knowledgeable. Combined with the fact that their own website contradicts itself… well, I don’t know about you, but I don’t trust them. Not one bit.
820 calories for a half hour on an elliptical? It really says that on the Apex site? I do the elliptical about three times a week, and I did about 225 when I first started out, but I have lost ten pounds. So, I am not doing as many calories. It is hard for me to get my heart rate up above 70% now because I am in much better shape. I could ramp up the resistance, but my knees start hurting. Well, anyway. 800 calories for 30 minutes seems really, really high.
My body bugg has been right on for the last five weeks. It is within about 100 calories of my food log. So, maybe you have a “bum bugg”? I don’t know. I have had a very good experience. I have dropped 10 lbs. It has been great to move more and eat less.
Before you decide to return the bodybugg because you believe that your calorie data for the mountain biking was inaccurate consider a few things:
Biking is one of a very few (i.e. stepmill) where data may not be as accurate. That said, HR by itself as a guage to estimate calorie burn is even more inaccurate. There are several variables that can affect your heart rate (hydration status, physical fitness level, caffeine intake, emotional and physical stress) and in turn not accurately estimate calorie burn. More than likely your HR device is overestimating your calorie burn. Consider that you at times were just sitting on the bike coasting down hill, the 1200+ calorie burn sounds about right for your entire activity. If the goal is weight/fat loss, would you rather have a device overestimate your calorie burn or underestimate it? Remember you are comparing one sensor to four on the bodybugg. What is the goal? To lose weight? If so, the bodybugg is directionally correct. This means that if after 2-3 weeks of no weight loss, the program will explain why you are not losing weight. If you were, your calorie intake is less than your output.
A recent study looked at adventure racing and energy intake and expenditure, on average over 7 days (covering 300 miles), the subjects burned 3500 calories/day! This event included trekking, mountain biking, running, canoeing and climbing.
Lastly, perceived exertion (what you feel to be “hard or difficult”) is not a good indicator of calorie burn.
Feel free to email me to discuss this further, but your bugg did a good job of estimating your calorie burn.
Matticus,
Can you tell me where on the myapex.com site you were estimated to burn 820 calories for half an hour? I would like to look into this and have it corrected.
Cardio machines generally overestimate calorie burn by about 50% — this is because they know very little about you as an individual.
I can be reached at the email address below. Thanks,
Christie Renick
christie@apexfitness.com
Yes, I agree about the cardio machines. Mine always estimates me high, and I find that all the ellipticals at my club measure my calorie burn differently even when I plug in the same numbers. So, even from the same machine to the same machine estimates me differently.
I was also thinking that often our calorie burn is less if we support our weight on the elliptical bars swinging back and forth. Our trainer really encourages people to not hold on to them at all. I am sure that would slow down your cardio burn too.
@Michael: It looks like you’re confusing some of the original post (from almost a year ago) with some of the comments.
In case it’s not clear from the initial post, my complaint is that the calorie burn of two rides (with overlapping portions) were reported with wild inconsistency.
If a 12-mile ride burned 954 calories, it’s highly questionable that a ride of almost double that length (but including the entirety of the first ride) and steeper ascents burned only 25% more calories.
An extremely rough-but-logical expectation would be an increase in calories corresponding to distance or time or elevation gain. In this case, I have to believe that either the first ride was reported high or the second was low; they’re just too inconsistent for both to be correct.
In the year or so I’ve used the bodybugg, I’ve found this scenario repeated over and over. Activities that involve a lot of arm movement and up-and-down motion (like walking and dancing) report higher calorie burn than smoother exercise like cycling, despite much higher perceived exertion and weight loss from cycling.
As I mentioned in another post, I’d rather it under-report than over-report, but bottom line, I don’t trust it for strenuous exercise. It has proven unreliable time after time, and I find the repeated denials of most bodybugg sales people to be almost laughable at this point. It is a useful tool, but it just isn’t as accurate for cycling as many would suggest.
You had stated: An extremely rough-but-logical expectation would be an increase in calories corresponding to distance or time or elevation gain.
Although this sounds logical, human physiology thinks otherwise. For instance, there was a study performed on training distance and energy expenditure (measured by doubly labeled water) in novice athletes, 4 men and 3 women, from before until the end of a training period in preparation for the half marathon with almost no change in body mass. Training distance was dramatically increased with an increase in calorie burn, but over the course of the 40 weeks, training distance was doubled and yet calorie burn decreased. The more efficient your body is at performing exercise, the fewer calories it burns.
Westerterp KR, Meijer GAL, Janssen EME, Saris WHM, ten Hoor F. Long term effect of physical activity on energy balance and body composition. Br J Nutr 1992;68:21–30.
That said there is no device out there that can measure 100% of the population with 100%, 100% of the time. The bodybugg is always going to be directionally correct (if you are not reaching your goals, it will know why and explain it). I wish you the best of luck!
@Christie,
When I created my MyApex account and setup the bugg, I keyed in my height, weight, body fat percentage, etc. I was then prompted to enter my target activity and when I input 30 minutes on an elliptical trainer at a HR of 85%, I got 722 calories. Several other websites and every machine I’ve been able to enter my weight on show between 715 and 850. The bugg was barely registering 200 calories in this same period of time one day, while another it might even drop to 150. Either way, it only registers about half the “activity time”. When I’m walking or running, however, it shows massive increases regardless of exertion. There is no reason that at 2 mile walk at 3mph should show double the calories burned cranking away for 30 minutes on any cardio machine in the gym.
You know, all I ever get is the runaround from anyone at BodyBugg customer service. And the technical support? Don’t even get me started. Getting a different excuse every time is more than frustrating.
I finally returned my bugg to 24 hour fitness where my personal trainer agreed that for certain exercises (low impact, less arm movement) it doesn’t accurately measure the calories burned. It isn’t accurate and will fluctuate more than 40% during the same workout routine on separate days. While it’s a useful tool for some, it did nothing but frustrate me.
In addition to this, I returned the bugg over a week ago and the gym manager has still not heard anything back from anyone at bodybugg or bodymedia or whoever is actually in charge of this thing. He’s having to e-mail a “higher up”, claiming he has no idea when I might hear about a refund.
So, if the product itself only works some of the time and the customer service works none of the time (and let’s not mention tech support that barely understands English and appear to know nothing of the product), AND you can’t get a prompt refund of the $350 you spent on a piece of plastic… what does that say? I understand there isn’t a device that works 100% of the time. I’m just hoping that getting an opinion on this expensive plastic parasite will show people the other side of the coin.
I consistently see other sites and forums with “happy bodybugg users” reporting amazing results. Problem is, whenever I see these posts they’re from new members who have only posted 1 or 2 times. Kinda makes me wonder if it’s not some kind of marketing scam.
It doesn’t help that 2 other users who bought one about the same time I did have already returned theirs for the same reason. We’re ALL awaiting our refunds. Our money was taken away quickly enough, that’s for sure.
Matticus,
If you returned your bodybugg because you were unhappy with the product, then 24 Hour Fitness should have processed a refund for you on the spot. If you returned your bodybugg because you believed it was malfunctioning, then your case would have been escalated to the manufacturer. If you’ll send me an email I will be happy to do whatever I can to help.
My email address is christie@apexfitness.com.
We absolutely do not engage in any type of marketing scams on our message boards or those on other websites. The testimonials on myapex.com are real, and we get new ones almost every day from people who are amazed with their results.
Thanks Christie,
I am one of those positive testimonials. I have been TOTALLY impressed with the Bodybugg. I am telling all my friends about it. I have lost 12 pounds in 6 weeks, and the food log and calorie burns have matched up to the pounds lost and body fat lost. I went for a walk with friends and played badminton for an hour, and I said, “Ladies, I have burned about 250 right now. Let’s play until we get to 300!” I know their results are different than mine because they are a different weight, but it was fun for us to have a goal and reach it.
I am SOLD on this for me. It just keeps me accountable and keeps me moving while I would normally sedentary doing common things around the house.
I have also been very impressed with the website and the live seminars and my coach was wonderful.
Very pleased.
I rode on the street today on my hybrid bike for 10 miles, 56 minutes (extremely strong winds.) The BB shows I burned about 700 calories (sounds about right) but only had physical activity for 22 minutes. How can that be? I only stopped to rest for maybe 60 seconds the whole time.
i have owned my BB for approx 6 mo. I have switched my body bugg placement from my arm to my calf. this location is much more comfortable for me and i appear to be getting reasonably accurate burn rate measurements for all the exercises i do now- including mountain biking.
I like the body bugg best for helping me keep my food intake within approx. plus or minus 300 calories of my burn rate at any given time.
i have found that when you eat is evry bit as important as how much you eat.
For example…If you eat 1500 calories all in 1 meal per day and burn 2000 calories in a day, you will lose “weight” but you will gain fat. -
why you ask? - the readers digest version is that, your body will refill the calories depleted from your muscles and then store the remaining excess calories from the 1 meal as fat and essentially tend to use muscle for energy during the remaining portion of the day.
this creates a negative cycle , where your muscles get smaller and hold less fuel and your fat cells get bigger and retain more fuel but your weight stays the same or even goes down a little. since fat weighs less than muscle.
so, in my opinion, 1 of the single most important aspects of weight loss is timing your meals. meaning when to eat as well as how much you each each time
I biked today as I always do and the digital BB watch didn’t register more than when I was sitting down. When I synced it, it showed a higher number but not very high. I will just know that I am burning more calories and be happy about that. Anne
to Sarah, On June 20th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
Been done quite a while ago… you can use their API in the their DLL to get dat from the device using their driver. The data is sent as ‘epochs’ .
if you’re serious about your workouts, buy a polar HRM and wear it at the same time as the bodybugg and compare the output of two
the extra $80 is a drop in the bucket for the sort of intense workouts youre doing
I had the same problem yesterday after riding 30 miles on my road bike. I wear the watch that goes with the body bug so I can see how many calories I was burning per minute. I immediately knew something was wrong when my speedometer read 20 mph on a flat and my body bug only read 2.5 calories per minute. Remembering that the body bug uses heat as its primary metric I stopped my bike to see if the wind caused from biking was messing up the numbers. So I got off and I reset the trip on the calorie tracker and waited a minute or two to see what would happen. My calories per Minute shot up from 2.5 to 10 while I was just standing around. So it obviously is inaccurate at when riding with much speed because the wind cools it off too fast. I haven’t had any problems with it running or walking though so it must be a problem when surpassing 8-10 MPH.
I hope this helps
heh~ I wonder how it would work doing Bikram yoga then. You sweat like a pig, but aren’t moving much, but are using muscle/strength to hold the poses… Hmm.
I agree that the bodybugg does not accurately show calories burned, steps, activity time, for some smoother activities. On the stair climber I COUNTED 70 steps per minute and the bugg showed only 30. My heartrate was at maximum and I was sweating profusely. My bugg showed me burning only 70 calories in 20 minutes and stepping only 500 instead of 1400. Walking at 2mph (turtle speed) on the treadmill, my bugg showed me burning 100 calories for 30 minutes. Same goes for cycling, spinning or any other activity that is smooth.
As far as showing inaccurate calories burned on cycling, eliptical, or stair climbers: I lost more weight because I think my actual deficit was much greater than my bodybugg output showed.
I recently bought a bodybugg and would love to use it, but, I can’t get it to work with my computer. Is there a problem with bodybugg and Windows Vista? I just got it today, and customer service won’t be open again until Monday and would appreciate any help you could give. Also, have they made any improvements that you have noticed with the biking? I just recently picked up mountain biking and it would be disappointing if the program doesn’t accurately reflect what I do on those rides. Especially since they are tough. Thanks again, Liz
Thank you for saving me from wasting my money on this product. I’m going to rely on that whole body sensory expendeture system instead - how much my muscles ache, how much my heart is hammering and how many rivers of sweat are on my brow.
P.S. If bodybugg people read this requiring subscriptions to use the device is just not acceptable unless you can deliver 100% accuracy.
Yes, actually you do burn less calories while on the bike. I took spin class today and it was noticeabley less calories burned than my cardio kickboxing class.
You’re never gonna get a straight answer on this one from anyone who gets their paycheck from bodybugg/myapex. No offense, but tis true.
The fact is that the bodybugg places an acceleromete on your left arm and when you bike bike you movve your LEGS.
There was one day in particular that I was wearing a bodybugg and on my lunch break I spent 40 minutes on a recumbent bike in the gym. I kept my RPM up around 80-90 most of the time. I even noted that I pushed especially hard that day in terms of the tension settings I was at while maintaining RPM. then later on that day I went home and worked on a project that involves scrubbing quickly with a wire brush.
Wouldnt you know it but when I downloaded my body bugg it told me that during 15 minutes scrubbing with a wire brush I burned 50% MORE calories than 40minutes of killing myself on the recumbant.
the reasoning is simple: on the bike my arms werent moving..my heart hate was in the 160s, I was working hard and burnign lots of caloies.. but while using that brush.. the accelerometer detected very rapid arm movements and assumed I was sprinting a 400 or something.
until Bodybugg has an accelerometer that mounts on your foot/leg it just is not… CAN NOT be accurate for cycling.
and don’t let the people at Myapex tell you different.
Hi! I am considering buying a bodybugg for myself and have gotten alot of insight from all of the blogs. However, there has not been any new enteries in 2009. Does anyone know if any of the problems have been worked out. I know there is now a watch band that you can wear to see immediate results of calories burned etc. Have they fixed any of the problems with the biking counts. I would appreciate any feedback.
Thanks!
unfortunately they cannot improve the accuracy of the calorie burn while biking until they include accelerometers that mount to at least one leg and communicate back to the bodybugg.
dont believe them if they tell you different. the line that “biking burns fewer calories than most people think” is a canned response used by someone without a working knowledge of physics and a diversion from the fact that without monitoring the motion in your legs they have no idea how many calories you are burning. if they can do so without accelerometers on your leg (using heat flux, etc) then why did they bother to mount any accelerometers on the device in the first place.. ; )
that being said, I have no evidence to suggest that it does anything but a perfect job at calculating calorie burn for a walker or runner.