Beware of calories burned...

alf1163

I was using one of those stepper machines today at the gym, the one from Life Fitness. I told me I burned 404 calories in 30 minutes. Yeah, right!! I wear a HRM and I burned about half less than that!!!! This particular machine asks you to enter your weight but it does not ask you to enter your age. So if you are eating your exercise calories and do not wear a HRM, beware!!!! You might be eating more than what you should to see results. I recommend that you use a machine that asks you for your weight and age or better yet purchase a HRM. You can also rely on the MFP database to calculate how many calories you burned. Hope this helps anyone. :flowerforyou:

alf1163

I was using one of those stepper machines today at the gym, the one from Life Fitness. I told me I burned 404 calories in 30 minutes. Yeah, right!! I wear a HRM and I burned about half less than that!!!! This particular machine asks you to enter your weight but it does not ask you to enter your age. So if you are eating your exercise calories and do not wear a HRM, beware!!!! You might be eating more than what you should to see results. I recommend that you use a machine that asks you for your weight and age or better yet purchase a HRM. You can also rely on the MFP database to calculate how many calories you burned. Hope this helps anyone. :flowerforyou:

lovedbyGod2

very interesting!

Biggestloserfan

I have noticed this with most of the machines that you use in the gyms. It will either overestimate or underestimate the calories you burn. I mostly use a HRM or like right now I don't have one so I rely on the database and make sure that I take the lower average just to be on the safe side of things.

lulubar

Thanks for sharing this good information I hadn't even THOUGHT of the machines being incorrect.... hhmmmmmmm Guess I'll be looking for a HRM!!!

HealthyIn09

This is the exact same reason why I purchased my HRM. My elliptical tells me how many calories I was burning, I didn't think that it was entirely accurate. When I got my HRM boy was I surprised! Best investment I ever did.

slieber

I think you've just sealed my decision. I wasn't sure about buying a HRM but will now. The ellipticals I use at the gym by and large are consistent with each other, but when I used a really new one on a cruise last month, it said I'd burned half the calories in the same amount of time. I found that odd (although the tension on that one was different to the ones I use at my local gym - at the same levels that I use at the gym, so that may have something to do with it).

PedalHound

Another important key when considering eating ones exercise calories is that you do burn some of those cals whether you're exercising or not. If you have a HRM make sure you take a reading for, say, 30 minutes when you're just sitting watching a show or something quite sedentary. If you do 30 minutes, see how many cals you are said to have burned, divide that by 3 and you'll have an average number of calories for every 10 minutes. Around 15 to 30 is a fairly average range. Then when you work out make sure you subtract the resting cals before deciding how many you have to eat If you do a lot of working out or burn a lot of calories you may be over-eating this way too!

For example (my current numbers):

30 minutes resting HRM measurement = 57 cals
divided by 3 = 19 cals every 10 mins

work out for 50 mins and burn 450 cals
50 divided by 10 = 5
5 x 19 = 95
450 cals - 95 resting cals = 355 actual work out cals (extra calories to consume)

This actually did make a difference to me when I started subtracting my resting cals before entering it in my spreadsheet.

astarte09

ooh really.. That could be part of my problem.

PedalHound

a hrm was my best investment in this process!! I have a Polar F6

LightenUp_Caro

a hrm was my best investment in this process!! I have a Polar F6

AGREED!!! I LOVE my F6!

astarte09

ok now i use the elliptical with the hrm in the handles. Are those more accurate??

MisoSoup79

what about the machines that have HR sensors and display your heart rate on them? Do you think those are accurate? I always pick those machines out at the gym because I knew that without a heart rate, the other equipment would be less reliable... but the ones with the built in HRM should be better, right?

cmriverside

a hrm was my best investment in this process!! I have a Polar F6

PH - My F6 uses the calories burned for the exercise.....how did you come up with the other calc? Maybe I don't want to know. TMI :laugh: More to obsess over.

Mangoaddict

I need a polar f6. I just saw one on overstock.com for 116 bucks.

michelleisfit

When I use the stair climber at my gym with my polar heart rate monitor I burn almost 400 calories in 30 minutes. I step between 6 and 7 floors per minute and I'm 151lbs. I also add spurts of stepping really fast like 8 floors a minute for intervals.
I have never thought about subtracting my resting heart rate calories or however you want to word it. That is a great idea!

arewethereyet

a hrm was my best investment in this process!! I have a Polar F6

AGREED!!! I LOVE my F6!

def the best investment!
I just logged my ellip cals.
MFP gave me 338
Ellip gave me 388
HRM-230!!
( I have to wonder if it actually reduces the total by your RHR)

arewethereyet

a hrm was my best investment in this process!! I have a Polar F6

PH - My F6 uses the calories burned for the exercise.....how did you come up with the other calc? Maybe I don't want to know. TMI :laugh: More to obsess over.

I just use the cals on my HRM. Like you said, enough out there to obsess over!! I figure the cals they give me on MFP are low to begin with!

I am working for those cals, I am eatin those cals!!:bigsmile:

cmriverside

a hrm was my best investment in this process!! I have a Polar F6

AGREED!!! I LOVE my F6!

def the best investment!
I just logged my ellip cals.
MFP gave me 338
Ellip gave me 388
HRM-230!!
( I have to wonder if it actually reduces the total by your RHR)

IT DOES! I'm sure of it. When you use your HRM on the computerized Elipticalls at the gym, the machine "picks up" your transmitter and you will be reading the HRM and the Elip with the exact same numbers.. You'll notice that same machine that gave you 388 cal, will give you 230 with your transmitter on! The elip can't adjust for your Fitness Level! It took me forever to figure that out.

Help songbyrd. I'm gonna PM this to her.

berrypatchdesigns

Where can I buy a hrm?

Wolfena

I would absolutely NEVER trust the calorie readings on ANY machine!! An HRM is definitely the way to go IMO too (although also not 100% accurate, as nothing really can be)

Even the estimates you get from online calorie counters seem to be more accurate than the exercise machines.

alf1163

what about the machines that have HR sensors and display your heart rate on them? Do you think those are accurate? I always pick those machines out at the gym because I knew that without a heart rate, the other equipment would be less reliable... but the ones with the built in HRM should be better, right?

They are only more accurate if you can enter your age. The one I used today also had the sensors and my hands were on them the whole time. The HR readout had the same exact HR on my HRM, that was no problem. The problem was that the calorie estimation was way off from my Polar's calorie estimation. Those machines are usually preset for let's say a 180lb male...just an example. I am no expert but I have read that to be more accurate you do need to enter at least your weight and age. :flowerforyou:

abillings9

I agree. Even my elliptical at home doesn't calculate cals right. I bought a HRM at Walmart for $30 and it's great!

jhacker

I checked ****'s Sporting Goods today and the F6 is $109 with free shipping! You can go to amazon.com or ebay too!

LuckyLeprechaun

can you guys tell me about the HRMs? I have been watching Ebay and I think I want to get one, but I don't know much about them. How come some of them have a chest strap and some look like they are just a watch-shaped device? Where does the chest strap wrap around? I am kinda busty, it seems like it would be uncomfortable, do you wrap it around the ribcage or??? Help me:sad: The F6 which everyone seems to advocate looks like it is just a watch-loking thing, it doesn't show a chest strap on any of the ebay listings I have seen. Advice?

alf1163

If I'm not mistaken all the Polars have a chest strap. The chest strap goes right under your breasts. It really does not bother you but it might take some people some time to get used to. I had bought a couple before, a Timex and another one I cant remember the brands trying to save $ and they were a pain to use....so I got me a Polar F4. It works for me!! :flowerforyou:

get_fit2009

If I'm not mistaken all the Polars have a chest strap. The chest strap goes right under your breasts. It really does not bother you but it might take some people some time to get used to. I had bought a couple before, a Timex and another one I cant remember the brands trying to save $ and they were a pain to use....so I got me a Polar F4. It works for me!! :flowerforyou:

I got the F6 and it's been great. I would rather have the chest strap and know that I am being more accurate than the ones that are just a wrist watch alone. It sits right where the elastic from a sports bra sits anyway, so the feeling wasn't hard to get used to, just getting it ON took a while the first couple times (one side kept coming undone as soon as I got the other side situated), but now it's just part of my daily workout attire.

cmriverside

can you guys tell me about the HRMs? I have been watching Ebay and I think I want to get one, but I don't know much about them. How come some of them have a chest strap and some look like they are just a watch-shaped device? Where does the chest strap wrap around? I am kinda busty, it seems like it would be uncomfortable, do you wrap it around the ribcage or??? Help me:sad: The F6 which everyone seems to advocate looks like it is just a watch-looking thing, it doesn't show a chest strap on any of the ebay listings I have seen. Advice?

F6 has the chest strap. You really want the ones with the strap for accurate HR. You won't even notice you are wearing it, the watch and strap even goes int the pool and the shower, no problem. Go to Amazon.com, look at all the Polars, compare features, read the reviews from people who bought them.
Just type Polar in the search box on amazon.

Be careful on ebay (and amazon) that you get the F6 strap, they do need Batteries replaced at the factory, so some people sell them without the strap WHICH YOU NEED. (and they rip you off by charging a couple dollars less so you think it's a deal) The straps are $50 (approx) by themselves - new. Also the straps come in different sizes. Check sizes on the amazon site or go to Polar.com for sizing.

msujdak

I love my HRM! My husband bought it for my for our anniversary 4 years ago and I can't live without either one!

cmriverside

what about the machines that have HR sensors and display your heart rate on them? Do you think those are accurate? I always pick those machines out at the gym because I knew that without a heart rate, the other equipment would be less reliable... but the ones with the built in HRM should be better, right?

They are only more accurate if you can enter your age. The one I used today also had the sensors and my hands were on them the whole time. The HR readout had the same exact HR on my HRM, that was no problem. The problem was that the calorie estimation was way off from my Polar's calorie estimation. Those machines are usually preset for let's say a 180lb male...just an example. I am no expert but I have read that to be more accurate you do need to enter at least your weight and age. :flowerforyou:

The HRM will transmit to the machine so the numbers you are reading are actually YOUR actual HR. You don't even need to hold the sensors. And the sensors don't always work, even on the newer machines. Nothing more annoying than wiping down the machine, entering all your stats, starting the workout and then five minutes, ten minutes in - finding out the sensors kinda/sorta work. Then you have to move to another machine and begin again.:noway:

gmpearse

Another important key when considering eating ones exercise calories is that you do burn some of those cals whether you're exercising or not. If you have a HRM make sure you take a reading for, say, 30 minutes when you're just sitting watching a show or something quite sedentary. If you do 30 minutes, see how many cals you are said to have burned, divide that by 3 and you'll have an average number of calories for every 10 minutes. Around 15 to 30 is a fairly average range. Then when you work out make sure you subtract the resting cals before deciding how many you have to eat If you do a lot of working out or burn a lot of calories you may be over-eating this way too!

For example (my current numbers):

30 minutes resting HRM measurement = 57 cals
divided by 3 = 19 cals every 10 mins

work out for 50 mins and burn 450 cals
50 divided by 10 = 5
5 x 19 = 95
450 cals - 95 resting cals = 355 actual work out cals (extra calories to consume)

This actually did make a difference to me when I started subtracting my resting cals before entering it in my spreadsheet.

I found this very helpful and interesting. Thanks for pointing it out.