Does anyone here use the Bodybugg or any other calorie monitoring device? I am thinking of taking the plunge and buying one. Are they really worth it? Can it really help me to shed these last 30 lbs or will it make me crazy(I am type A)? I am ready to take my weight loss to the next level as it gets harder the closer to the goal weight.

I use a fitbit, and it does the trick. It was a lot less expensive than the bodybugg. It was $100. It counts my steps, and the calories i've burned. I keep in strapped on my bra so no one can see it, plus it's really small. It's got a lot of cool lil features, like it will track your sleeping patterns and how hard you sleep, how many hours, etc. I really love it.

What is the difference between the two?

SCJP- Have you done a lot of Yo-yo dieting in the past? have you ever had either an eating disorder, or been a compulsive over exerciser? are you well conditioned, even if over weight? if you answered "yes" to ANY of these, than you might want to save your money... the best it will do for you is give you an idea of how much you move in a day (which IS very valuable to know, but you can also get that info from a 10 dollar pedometer)..... if you answeres yes, than the calorie tracker prob wont be AT ALL accurate, because your metabolism may have adapted a lot, meaning you burn much less than you"should"....... also, how long have you been dieting down? The BB and Go-Fit wear or whatever, they all are STILL based on certain algorithms that make certain assumptions based on your stats (height, weight, age, Body fat levels, etc) to determine what you "should" have burned, given a properly, working as EXPECTED metabolism. This may be you,...... it works well for many people..... for me NO. it was a waste of money..... being a smaller, conditioned, chronically underfed and chronically overtrained female, it was showing that i was burning consistently over 3000 cals a day...... YA RIGHT. i was MAINTAINING on 1500........ It doesnt, and CANT takeinto account how your body has metabolically adapted over time, if its had to, i mean.

I used a Bodybugg for a while and the combination of it and logging my daily food intake into the bodybugg program helped. I lost weight on the program, BUT i absolutely hated how you had to wear the bodybugg on your arm. I didn't like how it wasn't small and discrete, everyone could always see it and I was always asked what it was. I quit the program and am now back on WW and I sometimes just wear it during my hours of exercise so I know how much I burn. I guess it's all up to you and what you feel comfortable with. But, if your question is "Does the Bodybugg work?" the answer is yes. The fitbit that was mentioned above sounds much more discrete and less costly...my BB cost me 250.

I have been dieting since March 1, 2011. I have never been a yo-yo dieter, never had an eating disorder, I do not consider myself that conditioned, me an over exerciser, yea right lol....I consider myself new to this game. This is the most weight I have ever lost, the most I have ever exercised and the most effort I have ever had towards anything. I really wanna lose 30 more pounds and on my short frame(4'11) I have no idea how I will look or even if I will like to look like that. I want to be muscular and lean! I have no idea what my calorie expenditure is and I am trying to figure out anything that will help me.

in that case, it just might be reasonably accurate for you! Try and get a good, accurate measuremnt of your body fat, if POSSIBLE--- ask a trainer at your gym to measure you with calipers or something. The more info you give the Body Bugg, the more accurate the calorie expenditure will be. The best part is seeing all the little "spikes" when you are active... .even just standing up after an hour or two behind your desk at work shows a big spike, and it really motivates you to move around more, even if its just standing and walking around the office once an hour, or taking the stairs... Good Luck!

mkroyer- I love the marathon quote you have in your signature. It's so true! Congrats to you for finishing a marathon, that takes some major dedication!

Using a data point of exactly 1 (me) I had done none of those things you mentioned and it was way off for me too. As you mention - it is based on a formula which may or may not be accurate for an individual. In my case I simply don't burn as many calories as a person my size and weight should.

Having said that, I still found the experience of wearing one for three months to be valuable because it showed me in graphic form the power of NEAT. It is really amazing how small movements can add up over the course of a day. Sure I had read about NEAT but actually experiencing it was when it really sank in.

My advice to anyone considering one is to do it only if money is not tight because their use is limited.

I use a My Mio watch for when I exercise to get a rough estimate of calories burned. Whenever I, start, stop, or switch up the intensity, I do a quick heart-rate reading. It may not be the most accurate objectively, but it's accurate within itself -- I'll know how hard I'm working compared to the same activity yesterday, etc., which is itself valuable. It's also a lot cheaper than the bb and similar.

Add another data point to your study. The weight loss that got me to goal was really my first significant weight loss effort, so I've never been a yo-yo-er, and yet still, those things are LAUGHABLY off for me. Laughably. I wore a heart rate monitor for 3 months straight, tracking my calories in vs. out. I ate an average of 1750 calories a day, and my HRM said I burned an average of 3450 or so. I gained 2 lbs in those 3 months. My body is just SUPER EFFICIENT with its calories.

That said, it was super-helpful in getting me to exercise even more, walk around more, etc. Seeing the numbers go up, even if those numbers were hypothetical and not my reality, was pretty fun, and enough of a motivator to move that it helped solidify my exercise habits.