Heart Rate Monitoring and Calories Burned

LaurenRoseMD

Who here uses a heart rate monitor with continuous monitoring? Also, how many calories does your HRM say that you burn on average in a 1 hour period of just sitting and watching TV or something comparable? 24 hour period including all of your normal activities?

I am just curious because my new heart rate monitor has continuous heart rate monitoring based on the chest electrodes and I programmed it with my height (5'10''), weight (380 lbs.), gender (female), and age (24). In just the last 2 hours it says that I have burned almost 600 calories...and I am just sitting.
I listened to my heart with my stethoscope for 10 minutes and watched the monitor for accuracy and it's spot on. My average heart rate for the last 2 hours is 78 bpm, and I am just sitting here typing, watching TV, and twirling my feet around. Could that 600 in 2 hours be right? I just don't see it. Based on my gender, age, weight, height, estimated VO2 Max (36 ml/kg/min), and heart rate average I should have burned about 390 calories...not 600. Thoughts????

melissatacker

I have a BodyMedia Fit which I wear 23 1/2 hours a day, I only take it off to shower. It say I burn about 2 calories every minute while resting and just watching tv...so the average would be around 120 calories an hour without any activity

fink21061

It all depends on your rate and your pulse. Someone heavier will burn more calories sitting still. I only use mine for workouts.

PaulC9554

Might be worth checking it again, 600 for 2hrs seems a tad high. I've just sat for 1 hr with my HRM on and it has shown 176 cals burned. Male 55, 6' 1", 308Lbs

wolfchild59

Normal HRM's aren't meant to monitor regular activity. They are designed to only accurately track calories burned when your heart rate is elevated during times of vigorous activity/exercise. So I wouldn't trust anything it says outside of when it's worn during a workout. If you want to track your normal daily caloric burn during all times then you should look into a BodyMedia Fit kind of device since that's what they were designed to do.