HRM's calories burned w/ medications

samrockrocks

Hello everyone! I was reading a similar topic on another post, but I cannot find it now so I'm just posting my own! I just bought a heart rate monitor a couple weeks ago and it seems to be working just fine to me. After reading other posts, I'm starting to think otherwise. I have been doing Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home dvd which, for those of you unfamiliar, is not just walking. It's a combination of simple steps and each mile is 5 mph. Anyways, my HRM says that I burn about 700 calories doing 3 miles in 36 minutes. If you enter in the 5mph walking on MFP it gives a much lower reading.

Here's my dilemma- I'm on asthma medications that elevate my heart rate. My resting heart rate is generally 90. When I initially begin exercising, my heart rate jumps up, but it levels out soon enough. I've been reading that because of the medications, my HRM isn't accurately reading the calories I've burned.

What am I supposed to record then? How the hell am I supposed to know how many calories I AM burning?? I don't want to record less calories than I have and eat under my net calories, but I also don't want to record more calories than I have burned and eat over my net calories!!

Thanks for reading and I hope someone can help!

Also- I'm 22 years old, 5'7'' and currently 146 lbs.

sunshine79

I'm no professional but 700 cals in 36 mins seems extremely high. I'm 5ft 5ins and 150lbs & I have a HRM and even on one of my toughest workouts I only burn a maximum of 600 cals in an hr. Assuming you've entered all your details correctly into your HRM I would assume that your medication may be causing an unusually high heart rate. I would go with the lower calculation just to be safe :flowerforyou:

samrockrocks

do you think the fact that i have 28% body fat contributes at all? i know the HRM doesn't calculate that, but still?

samrockrocks

this probably got lost in all the updates.. could someone please give his/her input!?

samrockrocks

oh come on guys!!

c7eat2live

I cant say anything about the meds...I do have a HRM and im 5'8 and 160. with moderate-intense workouts I almost never burn over 600 cals an hour (or 10/min) and my HR gets to be at the peak of 172 (I have pushed to 180, but thats seriously hard work for me) I like to keep it over 140 in cardio and have spikes in classes and weight training in the 160s. dont know if that helps...

samrockrocks

i know that 700 calories burning sounds like a lot.. but i don't know what i should record because the MFP recommendation sounds too low !