Exercising without a heart rate monitor

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GlutenFreeAussieGirl
GlutenFreeAussieGirl Posts: 44 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there,

Is there an accurate(ish) way to calculate calories burned without a heart rate monitor? I go on an elliptical but it's second hand and the calorie reading is all over the place (once it said I burned 900 calories after 20 minutes... if only!).
I've asked for a fitbit for my birthday from my folks, but that's not for a month or so, is there a way for me to calculate calories burned? Or should I just trust what MFP tells me when I input what I've done?

Thanks for any advice.

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    HRM aren't terribly reliable, anyways. not unless youre running or biking, anyways.

    you can use mfps estimates, just make sure you only eat back around half of the calories.
  • KittensMaster
    KittensMaster Posts: 748 Member
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    I used to be all spun up in that technology

    Had two different heart rate monitors

    Now two years in I don't use any of that stuff

    You know when you are panting and all out going at it.

    I would not worry so much about a heart rate monitor as a good food scale and great diet

    There are reasonable guesses on calorie burn for rough rough estimates on MFP....

    But I think they all run about 30% high for me

    I eat half of my exercise calories back if I'm feeling starved, otherwise I ignore them

    Lost 130 pounds in two years.

    Have fun with it. It makes it easier to stick with fitness long term
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    HRMs are for measuring heart rates.
    Elipticals are the most unreliable and difficult bits of cardio on which to measure calorie burns.

    Imo go for a 2 prong approach.

    1. MFP calories@50% eatback and adjust based on results.
    2. Performance measures, record time and distance traveled. I prefer to do a set distance and then keep track of times taken, with a steady emphasis to keep up the pace so Im aiming to beat the previous time. This imo is more importnat because its a fitness measure and a reliable method of progress.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    I use an HRM to set the base line for any activity, then I extrapolate after that. I don't worry about it. I track cardio when I lift weights, but it's always lower than a Zumba class, for example. However, your body keeps burning calories after you stop lifting fo the rest of the day, which I don't pay any attention to it.

    MFP and all those activity trackers are incredible optimistic about how much you burn.
  • Rowan813
    Rowan813 Posts: 170 Member
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    I used a ploar HRM for several years and just got a fitbit. They are fun and interesting but just confirm what I already knew. The MFP estimates tend to be pretty close to what I measure. The on thing they can do is push you to work to achieve whatever goals you might have.
  • KittensMaster
    KittensMaster Posts: 748 Member
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    47Jacqueline wrote: »
    I use an HRM to set the base line for any activity, then I extrapolate after that. I don't worry about it. I track cardio when I lift weights, but it's always lower than a Zumba class, for example. However, your body keeps burning calories after you stop lifting fo the rest of the day, which I don't pay any attention to it.

    MFP and all those activity trackers are incredible optimistic about how much you burn.

    I like how you said that

    Incredibly optimistic!

    I put a food in my diet log for 500 calories. Excess Calorie Burn Off.

    When Map My Ride dumps in some insanely high calorie burn, I punch tat in a time or two to make it more realistic for calories to eat back

    Goofy program....
  • Soundwave79
    Soundwave79 Posts: 469 Member
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    Even a good HRM is only going to give you a ballpark number to work with. If it's steady state cardio it could be pretty accurate, if it's circuits or HIIT could be up to like 25% off. I used to do it that way and then just eat back half of my earned calories. But eventually I just switched to the TDEE method and now I just log my workouts as 1 cal burned and eat at 20% below my TDEE. If you have a semi steady schedule and routine to your exercise regime look into TDEE, might be a better way for you to go.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
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    It's easy, check your pulse the old fashioned way - with your fingers. Then to determine calorie burn, take your average heart rate and go to http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    Traveler120 wrote: »
    It's easy, check your pulse the old fashioned way - with your fingers. Then to determine calorie burn, take your average heart rate and go to http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

    While certainly cheaper, those numbers aren't particularly accurate either.
  • Florida_Superstar
    Florida_Superstar Posts: 194 Member
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    I do think my HRM overestimates my caloric expenditure. The reason I like using a HRM is because it captures all my workouts relative to each other. I can see how hard I work in a spin class vs. when I ride outside vs. when I lift weights and so on. So even if it isn't 100% accurate, it's a benchmark for ME. I like to see how everything compares. As someone said, you know when you're pushing yourself and when you're not, so I don't need the gadget to know that...but I like it and it motivates me.

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