All DietsWhat You Should Know
Bodybugg is fairly new to the fitness and weight reduction arena. It is basically a weight loss lifestyle routine, not an oral supplement. If you take a look at the official website you’ll notice that the pitch for this device is “weight loss made simple.” The basic principle behind this product is that you need to burn more calories than you consume. The device is strapped to the user’s arm, clipped on the belt, or attached to some other article of clothing. It then monitors the user’s calorie burning, as well as the number of calories consumed.
The creator of Bodybugg is Apex, which is also the manufacturer of 24 Hour Fitness. This unique device offers “feedback” to the user. When you purchase the Bodybugg, you get an armband, digital display, one phone session with a coach and a three-month subscription to the web-based program, as well as a custom meal plan with food logging capabilities. The cost of the entire Bodybugg program is $249.00, and a more basic version seems to sell for $199. There is also a CostCo offer that allows members to get the Bodybugg and a 1-year online membership for $179 at the time of this review. There are some user success stories presented for Bodybugg on the official website.
Product Features
The Bodybugg is a contemporary gadget geared toward women and men who are trying to shed excess body weight. The purpose of this tool is to reveal how long the user has exercised, how much food they’ve consumed that day, if they’ve reached their daily target, and how many calories have been burned. The Bodybugg has been featured in publications like Women’s Health, CNET, News.com, PC World’s Digital Duo, Self, and BusinessWeek Online. Although the Bodybugg device does not directly aid in the weight loss process, it is intended to be utilized as one piece of a comprehensive weight loss routine.
Advantages
- Bodybugg seems to make use of state-of-the-art- technology.
- Bodybugg now supports Mac software as well.
Disadvantages
- The Bodybugg is for tracking only, and doesn’t maximize the benefits of exercise like a thermogenic fat burner.
- The cost of this device is rather high at $249.00.
- Some users report becoming obsessed with the number-monitoring that Bodybugg requires.
- May experience compatibility issues with some computer operating systems. (See reader comments.)
Conclusion
The Bodybugg device can be used by individuals trying to drop excess pounds. There are no potential side effects that come with this product. However, the cost of a Bodybugg is rather high at $249.00, and after that you still need to do all of the work to see any results. It is important to remember that this device will not directly result in pounds lost, and is only a monitoring tool.
You need to update your comments. BodyBugg is now as low as $199 with 6 mos free website and is compatible with Macs.
Thank you!
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Where did you find it for 199 w/6mth website? Thanks
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Can you please let me know where I can buy the bodybugg for $199.00?
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Hi Linda, made the changes, thanks for the info!
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I hate my bodybugg. It’s been nothing but one headache after another. I bought my bodybugg 01/25/2010. I asked 24 hr fitness if it was compatible with Mac. When I tried to install my bodybugg at home I found out that I needed a Mac OS 10.5 with an intel pentium processor and I have a Mac OS 10.4 powerpc.
I really wanted to get the most out of the training sessions that I purchased so I got the digital display to constantly see the calories that I am burning through out the day. I thought I could load the bodybugg data at the gym. For some reason my bodybugg info can’t be loaded at the gym in Arvada Colorado (where I meet my trainer) but it can be loaded 30 minutes away at the Denver gym (weird). I just loaded my bodybugg info for the first time tonight. The digital display monitor says that I burned 2200 calories and the web site says 900. The technical support guy said that the web site has algorithms to process the raw data and the digital display device does not. That mean the digital display device shows the raw data from the bodybugg and how much I burn while watching TV. The web site does not count calories burned during inactivity as a result the tech guy said that the web site is more accurate. It’s been about 3 weeks and I have been logging my food, meeting with a trainer and I have not lost any weight. I guess my wallet has lost considerable weight but I plan on remedying that my getting my money back for everything!!!
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I agree that the body bugg is a complete waste of money and time. I am so irritated with the company. I bought the body bugg at 24 hour fitness on Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, I went home tried to register it and it said my serial no was already in use. I contacted the tech support for the company and they were totally useless and said that I would need to go back to 24 hour fitness and get a new one, they must have given me one who someone returned after they had registered it. I went in to 24 hour fitness and they said they couldnt do that because the manager needs to do it and I need to come back in. UGHHHHHHH. What a frickin waste of time. I just wish I never would have bought it, so frustrating, waste of time and money. I would advise to use any other company. one that actually cares about customer satisfaction.
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After reading the comments, i am a little concerned. I just ordered the bodybugg and wonder if it will work on my MAC computer. I guess time will tell…any suggestions?
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I got the Body Bbugg for me and my husband for Christmas. We started using it on New Years Day. I am amazed by how many calories I burn walking the dogs, grocery shopping and getting my kids off to school. I am also able to accurately assess the effectiveness of my exercise program. Entering the nutritional information is easy too. I can even put in all the ingredients in one of my recipes, tell the program what a serving size is and it will report the nutritional information per serving. Amazing. We now know the ultimate weight loss formula… Calories In/Calories Out. We are both loosing weight and feel great. AND we know the expense of a few crackers for a snack and think twice before eating. Maybe that is the best gift! I got mine for less that $200 at Costco.com and it came with one year support on the website!
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Hi, did you get it at Costco online or at the store? Do you know if its still available?
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I live in Madrid, Spain. Is there anywhere here where I can buy the BodyBugg? Also, would my telephone call to the trainer still work?
Thanx!
Lynda
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Maybe this review is older, but I’m not sure where your $349 price for the Bodybugg system comes from. Buying directly from the 24 Hour Fitness web site, the regular price is $249, but it has been marked down to $199 for at least the last couple of months.
Ultimately, weight loss occurs when you use more calories than you take in. If you are honest about your food intake, the Bodybugg will give you quite accurate information on how many calories you have burned so you can see if you need to up your activity or decrease your calorie intake. The system also comes with web help from experts for advice on diet and exercise, and message boards for communication and support from other Bodybugg users. I love the thing.
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Thanks Donna! Our review was over a year old, so we’ve updated the price, much appreciated.
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I’ve read that the Body Bugg only supports certain Mac operating systems, can you tell me if you can run this on current Mac opeating systems. Specifically Mac OS X 10.6.2 ? Thanks !!
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I emailed Bodybugg about my gliches with 10.6.2 and they asked me to call them. When I did they changed a setting in Safari (Safari>Safari Info>check the box foe”Open in 32-bit mode”). Every thing works great now. If I need to go back to 64-bit I can uncheck the box.
Also they said to plug the unit into the usb when prompted, not before.
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Just bought the Bodybugg from Costco’s website thanks to the above comment. It’s $179.99 + tax online and comes with 12 months access to the website.
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Bought my Bodybugg a few days ago at 24HR wishI could have gotten the Costco deal. The software works with Mac OS X 10.6.2, but is a little glichy. I have had to reinstall the BB software a few times and I get a Mac error at the install finish. I emailed BB, but no reply. I’ll check with the Genius Bar. The scroll down lists on the food log are uncooperative and only work for me with the 2finger touchpad move(the sidebar gelly button ands arrows are inoperable.
This may sound like I an dissatisfied, but I would say I’m disappointed in the software and I like the system alot.
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I heard you cannot go through firefox with a MAC
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I cant find it on the search, is that special deal gone??
THanks!
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I want to know just what the difference is between the black and the grey models?
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I don’t think there is a difference. 24 Hr Fitness also has some cool new colors, if the colors matter to you. I did the Costco option and didn’t get a choice
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The grey is the old model but you can’t get that one any more. The black is the current model. I have used both. The black one is so much better because is smaller. There are times I forget I have it on. The grey one you never forget you have it on.
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Hi All! I’ve just started using “the bugg” with a trainer at a local health club. The difference between the grey and black (both new style) is the black is worn on the LEFT arm, and the grey is worn on the RIGHT. They are NOT interchangable, according to the Bodybugg web site.
DO YOU NEED THE DIGITAL WATCH WITH THE BODYBUGG OR DOES IT COME WITH A DIGITAL DISPLAY?
I JUST PURCHASE A BODYBUGG AND DIGITAL WATCH ALL FOR 263.00(BUGG FOR 184 & WATCH FOR 79.00 PLUS 6 MONTH WEB ACCESS)
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You don’t need the digital display. I went six months without one. The only advantage is that you can check your daily progress without the computer. It is really up to you. I don’t use mine that much.
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You do in fact need the digital display with the black (v3) version of the bodybugg. The grey model doesn’t have this restriction, but the black one does.
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Nope…you do NOT need a digital wrist display with the black bugg. The digital display is an accessory only.
Where can I buy Slim Body Matrix shake? I have looked all over the internet and I can’t find a place to order.
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Tried looking for the BodyBugg on Costco.com and couldn’t find it. Can you send a link? I am very interested in this product and I know they have a great satisfaction guarantee so I’d prefer to purchase through Costco.com if it’s still available. I see that many have purchased it recently (2010) but today it did not pull up when I searched on BodyBugg.
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it was listed on the Costco site till the end of January. I ordered mine there and now it does not list it anymore
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The customer service and tech support for bodybugg is almost nonexistant. The problem is that eventually 90% of the users will have problems with either the site or the device. Without a viable cs or tech support option, the device becomes useless. I have been trying to get in touch with them for 4 weeks because my unit will no longer upload and the program is not functioning properly. My unit is less than 6 months old. I have received absolutely no response. I am hearing from many people saying they have the same problem with cs and tech support. I am hoping they see this and fix it because I LOVE my bodybugg!
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You have to call. They do not respond at all to emails. I haven’t heard that 90 percent fail. When I had problems I called and got assistance right away. Well after being on hold for 15 minutes.
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Alysson is right. I emailed my problem on a Sunday, Wednesday I got an email asking me to call. Once I was through the ‘hold’ time they solved the problem right away.
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I called and got a new one sent out because that happened to me as well. They also gave me 2 months of free service for my trouble.
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does the body bug work with windows 7?
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yes, but i needed to add Java jre from java website
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Where did you find it on Costco’s site? I can’t find it.
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It’s not at Costco anymore. You can get it at 24 hour fitness or online.
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is there a place where on how to use this budybugg; I have tryed online, but I cannot find anything, the only think that it says is that it counts the calories in and out; but how ? I do not know is a computer necessary? is the mambership necessary?Thanks for any reply.
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A computer is necessary in order to use the program. When you purchase the Body Bugg, it comes with a manual, a tutorial on the website, and one coaching session which helps you learn to use it. It’s not that difficult to use.
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try looking in youtube.com for video by real users. just search for bodybugg
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Is this device water proof. If not, is there a device one can use in a pool.
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The Body Bugg is not waterproof.
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Can you use the body bugg equiptment without the monthly subscription
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Not really. You need to use the software program to chart your progress. Otherwise, all the data is relatively useless.
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As of today Feb 20, 2010 where can I purchase the bodybugg and do I have to be a member of costco? Thanks
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You can buy one online directly through Apex. Costco isn’t carrying them this month.
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I went to 24 hr fitness to buy my wife thr bodybugg for her b-day, but they will not refund the money if it’s not something she wants. No refund no sale.
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My subscription to bodybugg website expired 8mos ago. I want to use my bodybugg again, but don’t want to pay for the subscription. When I tried to use it, it says that arm band is not set up so I am not able to use it. Anyone know if I can still use it without the subscription? I can keep track of my calorie intake but just wanted to know the calories burned & have it displayed on the watch without the subscription.
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You cannot use it without the subscription because the data has to go somewhere when the arm unit memory gets full.
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do i have to buy a subscription to use the body bugg system? I don’t need to track calories consumed, just calories burned
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Yes, unfortunately that is the only way it works.
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