It came! And I love it. I'm a numbers person so all the data it gives me is awesome.
It tracks calories burned. Sometimes the display is slightly different from the numbers the computer shows, but that's normal. The computer is more accurate and more personalized, but the display gives a close estimate without having to sync the BMF to the computer.
If you enter all your calories consumed, it tracks levels of different nutrients and food groups. And it calculates whether you have a calorie deficit or surplus and if that puts you on track to gain or lose weight.
It counts steps. Which by the way, I apparently don't walk a lot. I still burn a good number of calories though.
It calculates your activity level based on METS. It tracks amount of time spent doing moderate or vigorous activity. I did have an issue with it not registering my HIIT workouts as vigorous activity. Apparently the sensors are supposed to be centered on your tricep. I had it slightly above my bicep. Since I adjusted it, voila. No issues tracking my vigorous movement. Although I did get VERY annoyed when a delightful person on the BMF FB page was very condescending and said that just because I'm tired and think I'm working out hard doesn't mean it was vigorous. Nice, huh? (I have to admit, I took some satisfaction in seeing I have a better figure. I tend to be petty when I'm annoyed. I don't like being talked down to.) Luckily the other people posting on the page have been much more helpful and personable.
It tracks your sleep efficiency too, which is pretty cool. It can tell the difference between when I'm just laying down or when I'm actually asleep. It tells me how long I was in bed and how long and I slept and how efficient my sleep was. Pretty cool. :)
So far I'm down a few lbs since I got the BMF (and stopped eating oil-popped popcorn). I feel leaner too, which is wonderful. I was feeling thick for a while, so feeling lean is really great. I'm aiming for 140 now, to see how I feel there. I'm pretty happy, now that I'm feeling thinner again. But I think more of a buffer between me and my scary weight would be a good thing. I'm very happy with the BMF. Oh, the only downside? I had to order the watchband for the digital display separately (another $20). But that's it.
If anyone is interested and has questions about it, please feel free to ask. :)
Monday, June 13, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Popcorn = kryptonite
Maintenance has been a little rough lately. I mentioned in my last post that the scale went up a bit. Well, it kept climbing. Slowly, but steadily. At first I attributed it to other things: strength training, my period, water retention, indulging a little too much at the different graduation dinners. And it was just the scale, right? Well, my clothes still fit fine, but I did my measurements the other day, like I do at the beginning of every month. My waist is up a little, along with my abdomen, chest, butt, and thighs. Not cool. I checked my body fat percentage and that's up a bit too. I was pretty down about it all day and then jumped into solution mode. I need to fix this NOW.
Steve told me I look the same, but you can't argue with every measurement going up. And he said 5 lbs isn't much. That's true. But it's a slippery slope. If I let it go, how soon will it turn into 10 lbs? Or 15 lbs? Or more? No, I'm out of my maintenance range and I need to fix it. So far I've increased the intensity of my workouts and slightly lowered my calories. Nada. I'm barely below 150.
I ordered a BodyMedia Fit. It's a BodyBugg - made by the same company with the same technology, just marketed a bit differently. Plus the monthly subscription is less expensive and it also tracks sleep efficiency. It should be here in a week or two.
But last night Steve wanted popcorn. With my tightened calories, I figured I should measure the popcorn and figure out how many calories that was (we pop it in oil in a dutch oven). I'd tried to figure it out before, but ended up trying to convert amount of popped kernels to amount of popped kernels and it was a confusing mess. So we've been estimating that a batch of popcorn was somewhere between 400 and 600 calories. And I've been allowing for that many calories in my range. So no problem, right? WRONG. According to my Calorie King book, 1 oz of oil-popped corn is 145 calories. Last night's batch weighed 7.3 oz, after removing the unpopped kernels. That's 1058 calories. Uh oh. Popcorn has been a regular evening snack around here. And if Steve isn't home or doesn't want any, I've been know to eat the entire batch. Yup. I've been eating 500 calories MORE than I thought I was.
Now, a math lesson. 1 lb equals 3500 calories. In order to lose about a lb a week, you eat 500 calories less per day. 500 x 7 (days) = 3500 or 1 lb lost per week. So if we reverse that and eat an EXTRA 500 calories a day, we GAIN a lb a week. Yeah, not good. In retrospect, my metabolism may be higher than I thought, if I've been overeating that much and haven't gained more.
Last night I ate a measured amount of popcorn. From now on, I think I'll stick to microwave popcorn. It's pre-measured and if I get the 94% fat free butter kind, the whole bag is only 300 calories. If I need fewer calories, I'll eat a 100 calorie bag. Good grief.
Moral of the story: MEASURE your food. Calculate the calories. Write 'em down. If possible, don't estimate your calories. It could save you a LOT of grief.
Btw, just by avoiding popcorn for a few days and measuring it last night, my weight is slightly lower. I'm at 148.2. Much better than the 150.8 I've seen lately. At least it's moving in the right direction again. :)
Steve told me I look the same, but you can't argue with every measurement going up. And he said 5 lbs isn't much. That's true. But it's a slippery slope. If I let it go, how soon will it turn into 10 lbs? Or 15 lbs? Or more? No, I'm out of my maintenance range and I need to fix it. So far I've increased the intensity of my workouts and slightly lowered my calories. Nada. I'm barely below 150.
I ordered a BodyMedia Fit. It's a BodyBugg - made by the same company with the same technology, just marketed a bit differently. Plus the monthly subscription is less expensive and it also tracks sleep efficiency. It should be here in a week or two.
But last night Steve wanted popcorn. With my tightened calories, I figured I should measure the popcorn and figure out how many calories that was (we pop it in oil in a dutch oven). I'd tried to figure it out before, but ended up trying to convert amount of popped kernels to amount of popped kernels and it was a confusing mess. So we've been estimating that a batch of popcorn was somewhere between 400 and 600 calories. And I've been allowing for that many calories in my range. So no problem, right? WRONG. According to my Calorie King book, 1 oz of oil-popped corn is 145 calories. Last night's batch weighed 7.3 oz, after removing the unpopped kernels. That's 1058 calories. Uh oh. Popcorn has been a regular evening snack around here. And if Steve isn't home or doesn't want any, I've been know to eat the entire batch. Yup. I've been eating 500 calories MORE than I thought I was.
Now, a math lesson. 1 lb equals 3500 calories. In order to lose about a lb a week, you eat 500 calories less per day. 500 x 7 (days) = 3500 or 1 lb lost per week. So if we reverse that and eat an EXTRA 500 calories a day, we GAIN a lb a week. Yeah, not good. In retrospect, my metabolism may be higher than I thought, if I've been overeating that much and haven't gained more.
Last night I ate a measured amount of popcorn. From now on, I think I'll stick to microwave popcorn. It's pre-measured and if I get the 94% fat free butter kind, the whole bag is only 300 calories. If I need fewer calories, I'll eat a 100 calorie bag. Good grief.
Moral of the story: MEASURE your food. Calculate the calories. Write 'em down. If possible, don't estimate your calories. It could save you a LOT of grief.
Btw, just by avoiding popcorn for a few days and measuring it last night, my weight is slightly lower. I'm at 148.2. Much better than the 150.8 I've seen lately. At least it's moving in the right direction again. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
