BodyMedia LINK Weight Armband Review
Best Activity Tracker For Weight Loss

A Fitness Tracker That Picks Your Pocket?

The reviews on fitness bands and tracker seem to vary SO drastically between users that I’ve always wondered how to find reliable information. The more I look in to them, the more it seems that there are people who love them and there are people who hate them. There isn’t one that gets all gold stars, and there are still people who swear by the ones that even get totally dumped on by just about everyone else.

I guess there is no question that we have so many options because we’re all really different by nature, but fitness bands seem to be so personal for people that it’s hard to figure out whose advice to take.

BodyMedia LINK Armband
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Wrist Data Meets Actual Data

The one band that I’ve found that goes outside of advertising claims and manages to back up with some actual numbers is the BodyMedia LINK Armband Weight Management System. I was actually impressed with this one because some of their advertising claims are actually backed up by studies.

A science journal from the United Kingdom actually checked in on how the BodyMedia LINK impacts workouts, and have agreed that using it properly can help you loose up to three times as much weight as trying to work out without it.

Calorie Intake Tracking That Actually Means Something

The weight loss options with it are pretty impressive, and it gives you all kinds of ways to track calorie intake. The app and website have lots of preloaded options that show you the nutritional value of what you’re eating is so you can log your food. They also let you manually enter it.

These details become important when you’re looking at the data as a whole. If you properly log your calories and what you’re eating, the app and computer program will tell you how many calories you should be eating as well as if you’re in the right range currently. It’s smart enough to analyze the data and tell you if you’re not eating enough to boost your weight loss. It takes all of the thinking out of calorie intake for you. That’s a big deal.

Reliable Numbers On What You’re Burning According to SCIENCE

I was also very impressed with the numbers from a scientific journal that showed the that BodyMedia LINK was actually the most accurate calorie tracker on the market. Not only does it claim to be that, there has been a study (that was independent of the company) that proves it.

One of my biggest concerns with most of the fitness bands that I’ve looked at lately is that it isn’t possible for them to get accurate calorie calculations because they don’t correctly track heart rate while exericising. That’s not the case here, and there is actual data to prove it. In fact, the calories burned numbers are actually proven to be 90% accurate. PROVEN. That’s huge.

This Science Costs How Much?

The science behind this device is not only good, it’s probably great. I’m really impressed with a lot of it. I’m not, however, impressed with the fact that once you buy the device, you basically have to pay again after three months of ownership.

The software is supposed to be really good, but you only get three months of it with the device when you purchase it. After that, you have to pay $7.00 per month for access or your band is pretty much useless. It’s not attractive enough to be bought as a bracelet.

I really don’t like the idea of paying money so that you can pay more money. I respect and appreciate that Body Media is very clear that there is a subscription fee to use their service, but that doesn’t make me any more likely to spend the money. It would be a instant return if I didn’t know about the subscription that before hand, so good for them for being upfront.

I am really put off by it, though. It makes me question their business model and wonder if they have so few people on their service that the only way that they can support it is to need to charge for it. If people aren’t using it, then there’s a reason. Obviously, that’s complete conjecture. It could come from the other school of thought that if you make things exclusive, you can offer more personalized care to your customers.

The $7 a month is not a deal breaker for me financially, but it does feel a whole lot like the company is double dipping. They get your money when you buy the device, but they keep taking it from you for the life of the device after the end of the first three months. If you’re going to do things that way, then you should have some kind of extended return policy that lasts the whole period of the free trial so that customers who decide they’re not satisfied outside the typical 30 days but before 90 days are not stuck with an unusable device.

Missing LINKS In The Chain

There are other concerns, too. While some people say it’s very comfortable, others complain about the size and band. Some even go as far as to say they have gotten blisters from the band. Blisters? That’s more than a little scary.

The Science is There. Is the Price?

Overall, I’m totally torn about this device. The BodyMedia LINK Armband Weight Management System’s weight loss tracking capabilities really can’t be argued with because there seems to be actual science behind them. That being said, are the perks of the device enough to pay for it twice? I’m just not sure. Every time I get sold on another feature, I go back to being irritated at the idea of a subscription for something I’ve already paid for.

If you are sold by the benefits, which, don’t get me wrong, are plenty, head on over to Amazon and drop it in your cart.

Further Information

• BodyMedia LINK Armband Weight Management System