Losing weight with the Fitbug
Back in January we product tested some detox and health products, one of which was The Fitbug. This is a personal health and fitness coach that measures the amount of activity you are doing, then helps you put together a fitness plan online once your results are uploaded. The Fitbug also has a special programme for pre and postnatal fitness and weight loss.
For the last six months, we asked Chopsy Baby reporter Debbie, and mum of one to test out the Fitbug and let us know how she got on with it.
The Fitbug!
We all know that during pregnancy most of us put on a bit of baby weight. I managed to put on an exceptional amount of weight. I can remember quite clearly a moment at nine months when I poked a man I didn’t know in the bum with a fork, all because I thought he was going to get to the last piece of chocolate cake before me. So three years later when I hadn’t managed to lose the weight I jumped at the chance to try out the Fit Bug.
The theory is that it will monitor how much movement, exercise and steps you are doing when wearing ‘The Bug’. The bug is a digital piece of equipment, which is very small, and light. It will clip onto your belt or any item of clothing. In the first week you just keep to your normal routine, and eat your normal diet. Online you will have to fill in a series of questions to gauge what kind of health you are in and how fit or unfit you are. Over the next few months, it will introduce small amounts of exercise and help you alter your diet to be healthy, with ideas and recipes on their website. What could go wrong?!
Day one – I set up the bug! The instructions are fantastically easy and loading it onto the computer seemed like it was going swimmingly – even to some one who is completely rubbish at technology. The in the last few seconds my computer had a complete melt down. I think this completely confused the bug and so when I clipped it on it didn’t seem to like counting my steps.
Two weeks later – Its 3 pm and my child is having a temper tantrum when I get a phone call from one of the nice people at Fitbug.
I have a male salesman who sounds twenty something with an astoundingly smooth London accent. He sounds well chilled out – probably sat in his air conditioned office – and witty on the phone. As he’s talking to me I start to think that if he sounds this great on the phone he must be gorgeous in real life.
He asks me about whether I’m having any problems with the Bug as I have registered but haven’t put any information online about the exercise I have done. This includes details about me such as my weight and height. I explain the problem I had to him and he talked me through sorting it out. He tells me that I should email my details so he can get the program on track. I say ok put the phone down and realise that I can’t really email my details over to him as he might realise that I am fat…. Over the next few days I cant bring myself to email this gorgeous sounding man that I am over 12 stone and I have bingo wings.
After a while I realise that I have to email him at some point so I decide to get fit and loose the weight before I do it. The turning point was when Fitbug gave me a text reminding me to eat healthily at lunch times. At that point I reverse out of my local chippy, and it has been plain sailing loosing weight ever since. This is all because I didn’t want to tell the gorgeous sounding man on the phone that I was a size 16. Just to let you know how effective it was I am now a size 12 and fit as a fiddle…. Thank you fit bug!!!!
£7 per month with a free trial available
www.fitbug.com