polar heart rate monitor stingy with calories

jessazimmerman

My polar FT7 is saying I am using way fewer calories than my old timex for the same duration and average heart rate? What's going on? Anyone have ideas? The only difference I can see is that the polar has my age as one of the settings, and the timex didn't. Would that explain it?

aippolito1

It just might. Did you input your height, weight, sex also?

bunchesonothing

They all use different calculations/equations based on the input from your body. It can't actually measure calorie burn. It estimates it based on your biofeedback.

sarah307

polar HRMs are more accurate

yeabby

My polar FT7 is saying I am using way fewer calories than my old timex for the same duration and average heart rate? What's going on? Anyone have ideas? The only difference I can see is that the polar has my age as one of the settings, and the timex didn't. Would that explain it?

FT7 has age as a setting and it has you do the fitness test when you first get it. I also had a Timex previous to the Polar. My guess is that the Polar is more accurate. I also don't know how long it was between the two. If you went a while between using the Timex and starting with Polar you may have become more fit. The more fit you are the less calories you burn.

bunchesonothing

http://www.livestrong.com/article/490909-the-accuracy-of-calories-burned-in-polar-heart-rate-monitors/

jessazimmerman

yes, but that's the same in both. The timex doesn't ask for age. it's hard to believe that would explain a 300 calorie difference...