Using a Heart Rate Monitor

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laurae
laurae Posts: 115 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When logging calories from a heart rate monitor during exercise, should I subtract the calories I would have normally burned during that time doing general day to day activity? For example, my monitor said I burned 692 calories for 56 minutes of step aerobics, but I would have burned about 100 calories just doing things around the house. So should I subtract the 100 from the 692 and only log in 592 calories for my step aerobics?

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  • studentRNwant2Bthin
    studentRNwant2Bthin Posts: 10
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    BUMP.....I'm interested to say what everyone says as well.
  • bree1609
    bree1609 Posts: 136
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    I'm a little confused. Wouldn't you add the calories for total calories burned? I'm interested in what others have to say, too. I'm thinking about getting a heart rate monitor.
  • gillleeman
    gillleeman Posts: 397 Member
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    Yes, I take them off my workout time. I burn 1.4 calories per minute normally so I deduct that off each time.
  • surlydave
    surlydave Posts: 512 Member
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    Yes, I take them off my workout time. I burn 1.4 calories per minute normally so I deduct that off each time.

    I believe this is the answer others will give you, and if they do, I have another question... what do you consider to be the "end" of the workout? I would think it would be when your heart rate returns to your resting heart rate, or something close. For me this could be awhile after I have stopped actually exerting myself.
  • bellanean
    bellanean Posts: 220
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    Yes, I take them off my workout time. I burn 1.4 calories per minute normally so I deduct that off each time.

    I believe this is the answer others will give you, and if they do, I have another question... what do you consider to be the "end" of the workout? I would think it would be when your heart rate returns to your resting heart rate, or something close. For me this could be awhile after I have stopped actually exerting myself.

    This is when I stop counting my calories. If im still at 85% of my heart rate when I step off the machine I dont stop my watch. I usually stop it when it hits about 50-60%.
  • H_82
    H_82 Posts: 418 Member
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    Just my two cents... After I'm done working out, I let my HR get back down somewhat (which doesn't take long), maybe a minute? Then I stop the clock.
    I don't log my cleaning & all the other minor stuff... Just my actual workouts. That's just me though.
  • JustAnotherBob
    JustAnotherBob Posts: 33
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    Am I missing something here? When you calculated your basic caloric needs (age, activity, etc) didn't that also include calories burned by moving, breathing, normal daily activities, etc? Then you calculated how much weight you wanted to lose over a particular period of time and didn't the calculator then reduce your daily caloric intake to produce those results? Adding exercise routines (and calories burned) to me simply means I can increase my calorie intake and still maintain the desired weight loss.

    I was sure I was correct until I read this thread - now I must admit to a little confusion. (oh, and I turn off my HRM after my heart rate approached "normal" and then register the results of the workout)
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,396 Member
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    I just log what my HRM says and don't do math BUT I also don't eat back all my exercise calories. I stop counting for a particular workout when the activity is over, my heart rate has usually dropped enough by the time I'm finished cooling down. I also only count actually exercising not daily household activities (except the day I did yardwork for 4 hours in the 95 degree Florida heat!).
  • KZOsMommy
    KZOsMommy Posts: 854 Member
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    I don't do math from my HRM either. I log what it says and I too wait til my heart rate is almost normal which does not take long anymore. I do log my major cleaning day (once a week) since I do clean for a few hours and I log my yard work since that too takes a few hours and my level is set at sedentary.

    I have to say I am confused about taking calories off what the heart rate monitor says???
  • laurae
    laurae Posts: 115 Member
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    Thank you for all your thoughts. I have noticed that the pre-set calories burned when I log in an exercise are always less than what my heart rate monitor says. I tend to do a 45 - 60 min workout each morning, and I have decided to just subtract 100 calories from what my heart rate monitor says to account for what I would have burned doing daily activity for that time. I would rather err on the side of eating too few calories than too many.
  • clearwaterfin
    clearwaterfin Posts: 18 Member
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    I do the same w/ my HRM...I log just my workouts and then keep it on until my heartrate returns back to normal then I shut it off. my heartrate is still up there when I get off the machine so I keep it on until I feel I'm back to pre-workout mode.

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