The Bodybugg: weight loss for dummies?

No matter how you try to get around it, sneak past it or ignore it altogether, the basic principle of weight loss is this, and has always been this: eat healthily and get some exercise. Period. Well, why do all of that brain-wrenching calorie-counting and thinking when you can slap something on your arm to do the work for you? The bodybugg is a hot, new-ish calorie-tracking device that has been featured on the TV show on The Biggest Loser. The success rate is pretty high; reviews show that people do succeed in losing weight by using this thing. But, I have to ask: is it really necessary, or does it just complicate life?

The product, which can cost from $200 to $350, is based on the simple principle of calorie-counting. One of its sponsors says: “We call it weight loss on your terms.” Fine, and I’m going to call it weight loss for dummies. A person does not need something that high-tech strapped to his or her arm to “stay informed.” Isn’t that what the nutrition information on the side of the cereal box is for? And if you don’t know by now that a Big Mac or an entire deep dish pizza probably has more calories than you need for the day, well then I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you. Bodybugg states: “The basic principle behind this product is that you need to burn more calories than you consume.” As I’m left wondering how that concept is deemed innovative, I ponder the bodybugg’s other capabilities: it can measure your motion, count your steps, sense the electric conductivity of your skin, and--get this--it can measure how hot you are. Now this is just getting ridiculous. If you can’t tell whether or not you’re being active, then you really have a big problem.

Not to mention the awkwardness of having to constantly wear something around your arm. Imagine going out to a nice restaurant: your date slips off your coat for you, admiring you in your sexy dress and staring at the thing Velcro-ed to your bare arm. “Oh, that?” you say to his inquiring eyes. “That’s just my bodybugg. It goes everywhere with me, to keep me from overeating and getting fat. Mind if I do some jumping jacks?” Your date swallows his bite of steak, which suddenly tastes like rubber. “That’s great,” he says weakly, putting down his fork.

There are, of course, obvious advantages. Entering your calorie intake into the machine, and even just having to wear the thing 24/7--makes you much more conscious of what you’re putting into your body. It’s a concept similar to that of many successful weight loss programs, such as Weight Watchers: keeping track of what you eat makes you aware. That awareness will automatically help you make some positive changes. Also, the bodybugg is based on classic weight-loss principles of diet and exercise that actually work, and it requires the user to put in the effort to obtain results. Lastly, for those of us who are not math people, it would be nice to have that pesky counting part of the weight loss process done for you. But for a few hundred dollars? Well, call me old-fashioned, but my advice is this: eat your veggies, go for a run, and buy a scale. You’ll get results, guaranteed.