Did getting an HRM bring about a change in your habits?

Nigel99

I bought my HRM (Polar FT4) about a week into my weight loss/exercise initiative. After reading so many posts about them, and thinking that I really wanted to know exactly what I was burning with my cardio, snow shoveling, drumming, etc.; as opposed to "guessing" via online averages and database reports. I knew my Xbox Your Shape game was definitely reporting my calories burned on the low side, and once I started using the HRM, I discovered it was off by a lot more than I thought.

I didn't have a lot of habits to change since I bought the HRM so early on, but it is definitely really good to see exactly what I am burning while working out, and doing other activities.

iamhealingmyself

It didn't change my eating habit as I had MFP for that for monitoring. However, my exercising was definitely affected. I can't lie to myself anymore that I was going as hard as I possibly could. Now my HRM gives me a true reading of how hard I am working and whether or not I am hitting my target zone. It holds me accountable.

Agreed - the machines are way off and sometimes you just feel more tired and even if your huffing and puffing you might only be at 130....that's one of the downsides to building endurance. It takes longer/harder to get that rate up! I have one and love it only because I can strap it on and go and not worry about how much I burn or what I'm doing. I've also been to a point where I've said "oh... I can do 30 more calories" to get to the next 100, which is usually missed so I push myself further to another milestone I wouldn't have done without seeing the numbers. I like that I can also get an idea of what different rates "feel like" in my chest and head.

I got a Polar FT4 from D I C K's Sporting Goods end of February for about $95 with tax. Oh... now that i think about it I have a $10 rebate to fill out too!!

ETA:word filter blocks out the store name lol

iamhealingmyself

Can someone give me some suggestions on brands with a chest strap to look into?

Polar FT4 has a strap, easy to use (needs to be moistened first though or it doesn't register!) the strap can be washed and entire unit can be used while swimming or doing water aerobics so that's a plus! Reasonable too - avg price I found on/offline was about $80 before taxes and/or shipping.

dawnna76

I have the ft4, I found out that MFP was over estimating how many calories I burned and because of that I was eating to much and it had made my weight loss plateau. I was eating just enough to not gain but more than I need to comepensate the exercise and I wasnt losing anything.

LG61820

My HRM keeps me honest about my workouts. No lying to myself that I worked really hard today. . . my effort shows in my calorie burn. I have a Polar F4 and find it very motivating. I don't want to do a DVD workout and find that I burned less calories this time than the last time I did it.

I don't think it's necessary to be successful. However, I know that I need frequent motivation and that is provided by MFP and my HRM.

daphne_gets_fit

I would say that it definitely changed my eating and work out habits, because after a while you kinda know what you are going to burn depending on what exercise you are gonna do, so if you work out in the evening you can kinda compensate during the day to make sure you eat enough knowing about what you are going to burn that evening.

Flyntiggr

It has kept me honest about my calorie burns - which in the end impacts what i eat. A bigger thing for me has been seeing the change in my HR over time. Since I've lost 20 pounds and gotten more cardio strength, it takes so much more effort to get my HR where I need it. My perceived effort is much higher than the readout, so I know my heart is healthier!