exercise monitor thingies

Nette_54

A quick question to those who have the Polar exercise thingies or some other brand I would like to know which way is the best way to go, one that has the strap to go around the chest or just a watch one also can you recommend a good brand ? I cannot decide if I just want a watch one so I can wear it all day or just for when I exercise, I guess it would be better to have something just for when I exercise as that is the main point of them. Thanks to those who can advise

AmyRhubarb

If you go for a heart rate monitor to just wear during exercise, definitely get one with a chest strap - waaaay more accurate than a watch-only model. Polar is a very popular brand (I have a New Balance N4, great reviews, and came up for less on eBay than the Polar, so that's what I got - works great! ).

If you want something for all day tracking, you need something like a BodyBugg or a FitBit.

snookumss

I had a good polar heart rate monitor... FT4 I think? Was great, but even though it gave me calories to add to my calorie burn...

Nothing was a better investment for me than my bodymedia fit armband. This has made everything so much more consistent, accurate and I would never suggest anything else before it. I lost so much weight counting calories and hitting so many frustrating plateaus because the mfp calorie estimate wasn't ACTUALLY what I was burning. I under ate the entire time and made it even harder on myself when I added in the heart rate monitor and hit the gym for crazy calorie burning sessions (those were the times when it seemed even harder to lose the weight... now I know why!).


The bodymedia fit armband has shown me that my calorie burns on a typical day at work have been as much as 4,000 CALORIES.... how could I have ever known that. You don't wear a heart rate monitor to work... you'd hope that based on your perceived acitivity level that would be included. Nope.

Now I can eat more, I lose weight more consistently and am WAY happier. I can see my workouts estimated on there, and its the most accurate calorie tracking thing you can buy on the market to wear all day.

Its changed my life!!!

snookumss

I had a good polar heart rate monitor... FT4 I think? Was great, but even though it gave me calories to add to my calorie burn...

Nothing was a better investment for me than my bodymedia fit armband. This has made everything so much more consistent, accurate and I would never suggest anything else before it. I lost so much weight counting calories and hitting so many frustrating plateaus because the mfp calorie estimate wasn't ACTUALLY what I was burning. I under ate the entire time and made it even harder on myself when I added in the heart rate monitor and hit the gym for crazy calorie burning sessions (those were the times when it seemed even harder to lose the weight... now I know why!).


The bodymedia fit armband has shown me that my calorie burns on a typical day at work have been as much as 4,000 CALORIES.... how could I have ever known that. You don't wear a heart rate monitor to work... you'd hope that based on your perceived acitivity level that would be included. Nope.

Now I can eat more, I lose weight more consistently and am WAY happier. I can see my workouts estimated on there, and its the most accurate calorie tracking thing you can buy on the market to wear all day.

Its changed my life!!!

Over the last 28 days my average calorie deficit would have put me at down 4.6 pounds. I lost five (must leave a slight variance for sodium levels, random outings where estimates weren't accurate... etc). This thing is amazing and I tell everybody about how much of a difference it has made for me.

OMGeeeHorses

^^ agree with top post on Bodymedia Armband. I have the BM core armband with the display and I it!! It helps me understand MY BODY and how it burns, instead of guessing like MFP does. I would highly recommend a bodymedia armband.

TamaraKat

I have a chest strap for my HRM. They come up more accurate as its close to the heart but I was told some people can't wear them due to the feeling of claustrophobia..

beckademic

I have a Polar FT4 and LOVE it. They also dropped down in price quite a bit on amazon since I bought mine, so tha'ts a bonus. It's def better than any estimating a machine or MFP does, especially if I do a class or something.

madtownjeremy

I have both and honestly I'd take my chest strap HRM over my bodymedia any day of the week.

They're both helpful in their ways, don't get me wrong. It's just if I had to choose I'd take the hrm. I can count my cals by hand then go out for a run and make sure I'm not going anaerobic using the hrm; I need that far more than the bodymedia telling me my calorie burn, especially since 99% of the time it's exactly what I calculated it would be.