Exercising without a heart rate monitor

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: 8,626 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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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