Bodymedia recently launched the Bodybugg which monitors how many calories you’ve burned everyday (it kind of a pedometer and heart-rate monitor on steroids). Accompanied with the hardware is web-based system that allows you to log your food so you have a good idea of your calorie intake. And as the bodybugg web site says:
weight loss is simple. you just need to burn more calories than you take in. it’s that easy.
Astro Teller and the BodyMedia gang are on to something. This system will truly get people to better understand their calories going in verses what they are burning.
Now this system will only be used by early adopters now … now … but I expect that this will have great appeal as the systems become even more user friendly. Certainly this is a lot more practical than Atkins.
As society invents more and more ways to get obese, it will also invent greater and greater ways to beat obesity and stay trim. So eat another Big Mac — that’s only three hours extra on the treadmill …
This website (bodybugg) gets me heated. Our society is so focused on being thin that many times we overlook something much more important, a proper diet, rich in nutrition. Not enough focus is put on maintaining a healthy lifestyle – which includes eating healthy and consuming plenty of greens and fruits. So go ahead, jump on that treadmill after consuming a big mac, you may have a heart attack from clogging your arteries with cholestrol, but at least you will look good in a bikini.
I agree that there’s too much focus on being thin in our society, but I think that if utilized responsibly this could be a very valuable service. I know that for me, a big part of the motivation behind my runs, weight workouts and lengthy swims in the Bay is being able to polish off an In N Out Burger with extra patties without feeling the effect on my waistline. Sure, it’ll catch up to me later, but think how much happier I am in the short term.
The other thing is, I have an easy time adding things – salads, fiber, extra workouts – and a terrible time subtracting things like Coca-Cola and spicy chicken wings. So for me, fitness has always been about subtraction by addition. I look forward to getting some solid math behind this philosophy.
So glad that you came acoss and mentioned bodybugg, Auren. Astro is an amazing guy (a classmate of mine from Stanford), and it’s been great working with him and the BodyMedia team to launch bodybugg as part of Apex Fitness Group. Apex has been developing nutrition programs for years, and bodybugg is the first time we’ve been able to give individuals the real knowledge they need to make intelligent decisions.
For some, that will be just calorie management, but this is the first time that they will have the tools to understand calories in and calories out. For others, it will be about healthy eating: getting the right balance of protein/carbs/fat, reducing sodium, increasing fiber, managing cholesterol. What’s great is the bodybugg provides the resources to do all of that, if someone chooses to spend the time.
I’m even more impressed with the future directions that BodyMedia will take this technology. More than just a device for weight management, fitness, and nutrition, the technology in the bodybugg armband has some far-reaching medical applications, some of which will radically alter healthcare in the future.
Losing weight is easier now. Staying healthy will be easier in the future!
Great to reconnect, albeit indirectly. It’s been a long time!
It is very important know how many calories you are eating each day. You need a certain number of calories to keep your body functioning and provide energy for physical activities. The number of calories that you should eat depends of your weight, age, height, your activity levels and whether you are trying to lose weight, maintain or gain.