VO2max and figuring calories burned

Stacyanne324

My HRM isn't very accurate with calories burned because it doesn't ask my gender or age (so therefore wildly overestimates). To work around this I am using it to tell me my average HR during each workout and using an online calculator with my specific info to get a better estimate of what I burned. On the calculator it asks for my VO2max and says if I don't know it to leave it blank. I have read other places that you shouldn't leave it blank because it will overestimate. I am trying to figure out an easy way to calculate it and one site calculated it by asking my resting HR and my age and gave me the number 9. Another site said to find my max HR by subtracting my age from 200, mulitply that by 15 and divide by my resting HR to get my VO2max and that gave me 27.

So, when I do my online calculator for the workout I just did (48 minutes at avg HR of 161) leaving it blank says I burne 510 calories, putting 9 says I burned 397, and putting 27 says I burned 476. I am a 37 year old female, 5'11" and 172 pounds, who is very new to exercise and I have a fairly rapid resting HR (around 100).

Which one would you use to enter on MFP? I don't want to cheat myself calories but I also don't want to overeat. Better to err on the most conservative number? I'm set to 1 1/2 pounds a week weight loss. I dropped 4 pounds the first 8 days but now I've been stuck at 172 for a few days.

dad106

MFP doesn't use VO2Max.. Only age, weight, height and gender.

Google VO2max tests.. there are tests that you can do at home to figure it out. I know one is the cooper 12 minute run test.. so if you have access to treadmill, that would be one to try.

I had my trainer figure mine out.. the higher end Polar HRM's have a feature that does it for you.

Stacyanne324

MFP doesn't use VO2Max.. Only age, weight, height and gender.

.

Thanks! I meant for entering the amount of calories burned on that workout on my MFP diary. I think I'm going to go with the lower calorie burn just in case and see how I do with that.

dad106

MFP doesn't use VO2Max.. Only age, weight, height and gender.

.

Thanks! I meant for entering the amount of calories burned on that workout on my MFP diary. I think I'm going to go with the lower calorie burn just in case and see how I do with that.

At this point, I'd ditch online calculators and just use MFP.. it's prob. safer until you can get a better HRM.

You don't have to eat all your calories back like people say if you don't want.. and can play around to find out whats right for you.

bert16

Here's a list of tests to determine your VO2 max (about midway down the page):

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/vo2max.htm

This site has a lot of info on VO2 max, in general. Hope it helps!