New Balance HRT fit - seems high

suzannekatherine

I'm so confused. I just bought a New Balance HRT Fit wrist strap heart monitor yesterday for about $50. I tested it at reast and it seemed to be working okay (figured matched with my BMR guestimate on here). But then I took it out today to my usual work out (figure skating) and for an hour and 10 minutes, checking my heart rate while moving about 5 times during that session (mostly stayed in the 150s), it says I burned 860 calories! MFP estimates about 450 for General ice skating.

I've been having trouble getting my weight to budge even slightly, lately. I wonder, now, if I have maybe not been eating back ENOUGH calories and throwing my body into starvation. I don't feel like that's the case but maybe?

How trustworthy is a heart monitor of this type? I am guestimating down 60 calories, since that is how much I would presumably burn laying in bed. But even still.

I just find this really hard to believe. Please somebody reassure me that it's true.

kellyscomeback

I have the N4 and I really like it. It has been close to and double some MFP exercises. You need to remember that MFP doesn't know your true HR and how hard you do & don't push yourself but the HRM tracks all of that. I trust my NB N4 over MFP.

Sugarchef

I got the same HRM for Christmas and it has to be way overestimating calories burned! After a lot of research my Honey got me a Sportsline Duo HRM for my birthday last week. I'm going to use it at my kickboxing class tonight for the first time. We'll see. I"m feeling a lot better about this one

robertf57

I don't know that particular device; but, there is a preference to chest strap HRM and it should record hear rate data continuously. Sound like a pretty high burn rate to me......

megrrt

I was looking at that yesterday. If you find out I would love to know! I almost bought it.
Good luck.

suzannekatherine

It just kind of blows my mind. Considering some days I go for 3 hours. But....I'm guessing today I pushed harder because I was motivated by the measurement and I probably don't move as much on the longer sessions.
Thanks!

suzannekatherine

I don't know that particular device; but, there is a preference to chest strap HRM and it should record hear rate data continuously. Sound like a pretty high burn rate to me......

Is there a formula for heart rate to calorie burn? Yeah, I figured continuous would be better. I didn't notice until I got it home that it wasn't.

roxiedo

I have the N4 wtih chest strap and it is very consistent. MFP can be low - it is just a guess. I am happy with my N4

Arlex

Yeah, I just tried mine out for the first time and it seemed high, but not that high. Part of the inacuracy is that it's doing a calculation without knowing your VO2max.
You can estimate that using this:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/vo2max-calculator.aspx
and then use this:
http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm
to give yourself another independent estimate of how many calories you burned based on your average heart rate during the workout. I wound up using an average between the two as an estimate, which is really what any heart monitor you can comfortably work out in is anyway.

dad106

If it does not have a chest strap then it will not be accurate in the slightest.

I highly suggest you swap it out if you can.. Polar really is the best brand out there.

Maple669

I have a Timex Ironman with the chest strap...and after doing an hour of yoga/pilates class....it says i burned like 450 calories. I worked hard....but that honestly seemed high to me! I don't know....I work out on a machine that accurate tracks my heart rate with just my fingers (cross checking with my HRM)...and the calories THAT machine estimates i burn (after entering my age and weight) are also like 30% lower than my HRM...i don't know if i trust that HRM!?

dad106

I have a Timex Ironman with the chest strap...and after doing an hour of yoga/pilates class....it says i burned like 450 calories. I worked hard....but that honestly seemed high to me! I don't know....I work out on a machine that accurate tracks my heart rate with just my fingers (cross checking with my HRM)...and the calories THAT machine estimates i burn (after entering my age and weight) are also like 30% lower than my HRM...i don't know if i trust that HRM!?

Don't trust the Timex... it's crap. Reason why is TImex's don't ask for anything besides weight and age.. and since males burn more then females, and you can't set gender, it's assuming you are a male and thus giving you the calorie burn of a male.

Like I told OP, junk it and the new balance and get a Polar.. they are the best brand for a reason.