walking TEST: HRM vs. MFP cals burned ANSWERS?

sarah307

Hey! Sorry everyone for all my crazy posts about my new HRM haha. But.. I decided to test it out today. HRM vs MFP cals burned.

I have a Polar FT4 and all my settings are put in correctly. I did my pulse manually and I found margin of error was only +/- 10 bpm or very correct.

My Information:
Resting Heart Rate = 100-140 (very high, i know)
*My HRM gave me a target range of 130-170 beats per min.

HERE ARE MY RESULTS!!!!

Heart Rate Monitor:
walked/jogged total time:
30 minutes (only 3 mins and 30 seconds were jogging time)
Calories burned:
322 cals (according to HRM)
Avg HR during my walk: 176 bpm
MAX HR during my walk: 208 bpm
*So, since I was OVER my target HR most of the time.... I was in my target zone for 11:02 minutes.

NOW...

MyFitnessPal says... (for me)

30 minutes Walking at 3.5 mph, brisk pace burns:
106 calories
*This is what I would normally log my exercise before getting my HRM.
OR
30 minutes Walking 4.0 mph, very brisk pace burns:
139 calories

*****HRM: 322 calories, MFP: 139 calories. (uhhh, can we say big difference?)*****

MY QUESTIONS:
*Which one is correct?
*How should I log this in my exercise?
*Is my HRM completely off or what?
*What am I doing wrong???

This cannot be accurate.
please help me THANKS EVERYONE. you guys are great

Flyntiggr

Wow - your HR is really high - like not normal high, IMO. There is another member on here that had similar readouts from her HRM. Can I suggest that you reach out to her, as she might have some input for you. Her HR and calories burned were way outta the ballpark. Your resting HR should be in the 60-70 range.

her username is irishgal44

sarah307

Thanks for your reply! Yeah, I know my HR is way too high. I am taking a medication for ADHD that makes it high like that. I am probably going to call me doctor today.

Thank you SO MUCH for her user name. I am going to search and message her as soon as I get done writing back to you!

absie107

Can I suggest something? Don't worry so much about exact calories. i know that might sound rude, i'm not trying to be, but you're honestly never going to know EXACTLY how many calories your body is utilizing every single day. It varies, and the way a calorie is burned in a lab is different than how it is metabolized in the body - metabolism depends on macronutrient composition.

Exercising is really really great for you so I'm not suggesting you not do it, and a heart rate monitor is great for making sure you're pushing yourself. It makes you strong inside and out, helping your heart and your bones and keeping you sane when you're stressed.

Read this: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/02/25/the-science-of-fat-loss-why-a-calorie-isnt-always-a-calorie/

It's a little lengthy, but it might help you out.

sarah307

Can I suggest something? Don't worry so much about exact calories. i know that might sound rude, i'm not trying to be, but you're honestly never going to know EXACTLY how many calories your body is utilizing every single day. It varies, and the way a calorie is burned in a lab is different than how it is metabolized in the body - metabolism depends on macronutrient composition.

Exercising is really really great for you so I'm not suggesting you not do it, and a heart rate monitor is great for making sure you're pushing yourself. It makes you strong inside and out, helping your heart and your bones and keeping you sane when you're stressed.

Read this: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/02/25/the-science-of-fat-loss-why-a-calorie-isnt-always-a-calorie/

It's a little lengthy, but it might help you out.

Thanks, and yeah i agree and understand all of that.
Just wanted to know if it was my heart that was being crazy or my HRM possibly having a defect or something like that. and also wondering what to log my exercise as. (since I eat back all my exercise cals)

Flyntiggr

Can I suggest something? Don't worry so much about exact calories. i know that might sound rude, i'm not trying to be, but you're honestly never going to know EXACTLY how many calories your body is utilizing every single day. It varies, and the way a calorie is burned in a lab is different than how it is metabolized in the body - metabolism depends on macronutrient composition.

While I agree that calorie counting isn't an exact science, it is integral to the MFP program. Since the site adds your exercise calories back into your intake for the day, being as informed as possible is VERY important to me. Is my HRM monitor 100% correct? Likely not, but it is closer than random Web site values that don't take ME into account. The HRM uses more bits of data about the user as well as their HR to calculate the calories burned, so it is the best information available...

sarah307

Can I suggest something? Don't worry so much about exact calories. i know that might sound rude, i'm not trying to be, but you're honestly never going to know EXACTLY how many calories your body is utilizing every single day. It varies, and the way a calorie is burned in a lab is different than how it is metabolized in the body - metabolism depends on macronutrient composition.

While I agree that calorie counting isn't an exact science, it is integral to the MFP program. Since the site adds your exercise calories back into your intake for the day, being as informed as possible is VERY important to me. Is my HRM monitor 100% correct? Likely not, but it is closer than random Web site values that don't take ME into account. The HRM uses more bits of data about the user as well as their HR to calculate the calories burned, so it is the best information available...

Yes, thank you for explaining that better than me I understand it's not exactly correct.. a margin of error of like 10-50 calories burned doesn't bother me..but when its 322 to 139. i'd like to know which to log.

irishgal44

I got your message and finally able to read this - sooooo sorry. I didn't have a laptop and couldn't respond very well with my phone.

Feel free to add me as a friend and then go into my blogs and you will be able to read what I went through - sounds exactly like what I've gone through. Even the high bpm is the same! I was diagnosed with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. Had many tests done and recently went for a second opinion from another specialist and found the same thing. You can google it, etc, but what it is, is just a fancy name for your heart not being appropriate during exercise. Mine never is high unless I do something sudden (like stand up quick, run up stairs, exercise).

As for cals burned and what you log, etc. I found out through trial and error, that eating all the cals back from my HRM were just making me plateau. I was eating too much. I finally just decided to go off what MFP says. It's harder to lose weight with IST, since I could do the same basic activities (like cleaning) as someone else and burn 3x the amount of cals...and if I go off MFP, I will lose for a few weeks, but eventually my body wants calories - I think I go into starvation mode and I quit losing for weeks. But if I eat a lot, like what my HRM says, I gain or maintain. It's VERY frustrating but I refuse to give up!

Lastly - I thought about geting rid of my HRM, but I find it now to be a good tool to keep track of minutes of exercise and just making sure I'm not running for very long periods of time at 200+ bpm. I told my cardiologist I dont' want to fall over dead after a race...he reassured me I won't. Still, when it gets up there, I slow down until it goes to the 190's at least. So keeping it was nice for me since I can watch what my heart is doing. Cardiologist says exercise will help and decrease it....totally disagree with that! 3-4 miles a day, 5 times a week for 3 years hasn't helped...

Good luck and hope you figure it out and that it's just your meds! Either way, I would call a dr and get a holter monitor for 48 hours to make sure all is ok. :flowerforyou: