CES 2012: The BodyMedia Fit captures health data and coaches you to weight loss

With devices like Fitbit and Jawbone Up (hardware problems not withstanding) gaining popularity in the marketplace, the era of personal fitness gadgets is well underway. A company called BodyMedia is taking the concept in a direction specifically geared towards weight loss, with its Fit system of armbands married to tracking software that builds an individual metabolic profile of its user.

New to the system at CES this year is a coaching component to the Fit system software, that goes beyond simply tracking your statistics like calories burned and steps taken and into more proactive recommendations about activity and dietary adjustments that will help the user achieve weight loss goals. Also new in 2012 is a partnership with fitness guru Jillian Michaels, who developed a 360-degree Weight Loss Navigator program exclusively for BodyMedia Fit.

The BodyMedia Fit system starts at $179, which includes the BodyFit CORE Armband and online Activity Manager software (3 months of the service are included in the purchase, with a $6.95 monthly subscription cost thereafter). For $199 you can get the system with the Fit LINK Armband, which communicates directly with an iPhone or Android smartphone via Bluetooth for real-time data processing.

The armband devices include a sensor system that collects a whopping 5,000 data point per minute, including calories burned, steps taken, level of physical activity, sleep patterns, and more. The Activity Manager software stores and analyzes the data from the armband, and the new Fit coach feature offers information on whether or not you're missing, meeting, or beating your daily target for calorie burn. If you're short for the day, the coach software will recommend multiple activity options for making up the shortfalls in your daily routine, along with making nutritional recommendations to correct problems like excess fat intake. The BodyMedia Fit system is sold at select retailers and online at www.bodymedia.com. Check out a number of pictures of the CORE and LINK armbands along with the Activity Manager software in our BodyMedia Fit gallery.

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