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Several weeks ago, I was spending a normal evening at home with my dogs, waiting for my husband to get home from class. It must have been a Tuesday night, because I was watching The Biggest Loser (hello my name is Laura and I am a reality TV junkie). During the show, Bob (one of the trainers), was shown at a computer with one of the contestants, talking about how the contestant was tracking calories with something called the BodyBugg. Unlike other product placement bits on the show, nobody really went into the details of the BodyBugg infomercial-style. They just mentioned it briefly and went on with the show.
Since I work in the healthcare industry and am easily awed by new gadgets, I was intrigued enough to do a little research on this device. Videos on the site explain that the BodyBugg has sensor technology that gives you real-time feedback on how many calories you’ve burned and also lets you track how many calories you consume. The program also allows you to set weight loss goals and at any given time it can tell you how many calories you need to burn and how many calories you can still consume in order to reach your weight loss goals. As it says on the video, “You decide – move more, eat less, or both!”
The compelling thing about this system is that it really plays on the idea of trade-offs. Realistically, not very many people are willing to give up on all of their "vices" (smoking, drinking, eating fatty foods, etc.), but wouldn’t it be great to know how much improvement you could make by giving up just 1 of those vices? Or maybe not entirely giving up a vice, but just using more moderation. I think this idea of trade-offs can be a big key to weight loss because people don’t have to necessarily commit to a certain diet. By using the idea of trade-offs and having real-time feedback at your fingertips, you know that if you choose to eat that extra piece of pizza, you’re going to need to make up for it by burning x number of additional calories. On the flip side, if you’ve had a good day of calorie burning, it’s ok to eat some dessert as a reward.
I think people would be much more likely to stick with this type of weight loss plan rather than one of unrealistic diets or food deprivation, which we all know is not really sustainable across time. Research proves that lifestyle changes are much more sustainable than going on the “I can only eat grapefruit and chicken broth” diet (ok I totally made that up, but you get the idea).
So…I bought a BodyBugg, and have been extremely pleased with the results so far. I could tell that my clothes were fitting more loosely within the first 2 weeks of using it, and have already lost 6 pounds as I am finishing up my 3rd week in the program.
Yay – more real-time feedback!
Since I think feedback loops are so important, I am going to continue blogging through my BodyBugg journey (hence the volume 1 in the title). I also want to hear from you. Is anyone else out there on the BodyBugg bandwagon? What other weight loss strategies / techniques / solutions have worked for you?
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
