The Biggest Loser SlimCoach has been brought out by the TV show the Biggest Loser which helps people to lose weight. This is a tracking device to help you to get the same results that they achieve with people on the show on your own. It is in the same price range as other similar devices like the FitBit Ultra and Striiv. But how does it stack up against these other devices and does it deliver the results it promises?
Specifications
- Type of Device: Activity Tracker/ Workout Coach
- Release Year: 2012
- Size: 2.5 x 1.75 x 0.5 inches
- Weight: 1.7 ounces
- Wireless Internet Data Upload? Yes
- Battery Life: 12 hours
- Water Resistant: No
The Pros
Easy To Understand Instant Feedback:Â The feedback method is novel and unique to this fitness and health tracking device. You can quickly see your progress for the day without having to log into your computer to get you feedback. You can do this at any time during the day. This direct feedback on the device is easy to read and understand too, there are no complicated charts or graphs to read and interpret.
It provides you with the feedback by way of a colored circle on the device display. At the beginning of the day the circle is read and as you do more exercise and activity it turns green as you move towards your target. If the circle is fully green at the end of the day you have achieved your target for the day. Of course, if you don’t meet your target it will still be partly green.
This a clever way that is motivational and is simple and easy way to see how much you’ve done and how much more you have to do. This helps to keep the end in sight which can be very motivational and you also get instant feedback which helps as you go and when you complete the target for the day.
Track Your Stats Online:Â In addition to the red to green circle feedback you can track more detailed information online like you can with other similar products. This helps you to see progress over a period of time. You can enter what you eat each day which helps you track the number of calories you have consumed.
Meeting Your Goals: You set your own personal goals and enter them into the SlimCoach, like you want to lose a couple of pounds a week. It then calculates what you have to do to meet the target. This means you don’t have to bother yourself with the details and can just focus on meeting the challenge of achieving the goal you set yourself.
Personal Motivator: One of the key things in having something to track your progress is that it should help you to stay motivated. There is little point in knowing how much you have exercised if you aren’t motivated to keep on going and do more.
This device does this in two ways. It has the daily target where you can see your progress as the red circle turns to green as you move towards your daily target. And secondly you can see your stats over time via charts and graphs and see how you moving forward towards your goal.
Small: It is no bigger than a small MP3 player. This means it is easy to have on you at all times. You don’t even realize it is their and won’t get in the way of what you are doing, and is small enough not to be noticed when you go out for formal occasions.
The Cons
Online Services Letdown: To get all the features of the online service you need to pay just under $70 per year. This makes using this device to its full ability a lot more expensive. This is not really made that apparent when you are buying the device. You can get a basic service without paying the $70 but most people don’t find this really worthwhile as you can’t really track your progress and is less motivational as a result.
Website Service: On top of the additional cost the online experience isn’t that great It runs very slow, almost like the internet was when you had to use a dial up modem, and navigating around is difficult. It is not that easy to find what you are looking for. As you are paying for it, you would think this should be a good customer experience and not a frustrating one.
Quality:Â Despite the fact it costs over $100 you have the feeling it has been made really cheaply and is more in line with the quality you might expect to see for something worth $15. It really should much better put together for the price you are paying for it.
Water Resistance: This may be related to the build quality. This device struggles with even a little sweat. This is strange as it is supposed to be used when you are exercising so you would have thought sweat would have been factored into the design. The joints aren’t sealed and there is no cover for the USB port. This all adds up to the fact that sweat can get into it easily and make it unusable.
Should You Buy The Biggest Loser SlimCoach?
Our answer to the question above is that it doesn’t deliver on its promise and it is not worth paying the price. It comes with a lot of problems and you have to pay an annual charge to get all its features. The SlimCoach is a very motivational device and the daily progress circles are a great idea but there just too many issues and you are probably better served with other products that are in the same price range.
- Related post: Fitbit Ultra Wireless Activity Plus Sleep Tracker Review
Mike Nikko is a blogger with over 15 years of experience. I will bring you the best product reviews and other useful life experiences, tips to increase height, tips to improve health… If you have any questions, feel free to ask Mike Nikko!