Total wake up cal...(HRM)

gudiiya

OMG...I got a Polar FT7 HRM and used it for the first time ever doing what I love...Elliptical... 42 min ...and these are the stats:

MFP said 712 cals burned

Ellipitical Machine said 500 cals burned

And drum rolll.....

HRM said I only burned 250 cals --- ONLY????

Now wonder I have not been losing weight all this time...seesh! I swear by it now!

porffor

Thanks for posting this! Truly.
I log my calories burned on MFP but only eat a quarter of them if anything - this proves that I'm right to be sceptical.

Well done on your burn - even if it is 1/3rd what you thought it was, you still earnt it!

BobbyMorgan

So Funny that you just posted this. I came across this article that talks about those lying Cardio machines.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/exercise-calorie-counters-work/story?id=9966500#.Tyr2jFyXTIK

joanie152

I am more apt to believe the Elliptical Machine. I am usually on the Treadmill for 43 mins and both my HRM and the treadmill come to about 500 calories.

I suspect that your settings on the HRM need to be set up correctly. Try resetting the hrm.

bikermike5094

I ran across the same thing with my polar ft7 right after christmas. about 200 cal less on the hrm than the machine.

lunamare

If I'm questioning the results of my HRM I throw the AVG HR into an online calculator and see what it kicks back for my calories burned. Sometimes it's nice to get that second opinion.

gudiiya

I set my HRM just today with the perfect stats...

gudiiya

I am more apt to believe the Elliptical Machine. I am usually on the Treadmill for 43 mins and both my HRM and the treadmill come to about 500 calories.

I suspect that your settings on the HRM need to be set up correctly. Try resetting the hrm.

I set my HRM just today with the perfect stats...

catdoc1

The "truth" is probably somewhere in the middle of all those numbers.

alexis510

Your HRM is probably more (but maybe not exactly) accurate because the numbers are tailored to your body (ie height, weight, age, gender, etc.). Cardio machines don't always include all those variables in their calculations, so they just give you a generic # of calories.

HalloweenGirl7

I had the same wake-up call.
I did 35 min on the elliptical and burned 186 calories according to the HRM.
Mine was set accurately too.
Of course, though I was really exerting myself (for my fitness level) I was only on level 1 the whole time.
I did use the arms.
But, there is the "after burn" to be happy about.
Raising the metabolic rate burns more calories per hour for awhile afterwards.
I'd still like to know though...
So confusing.

Bombbombgo

This might be a dumb question, but how does the hrm know how many calories we burn? I just got a new one, with a chest strap, and it said I burned 1256 by jogging four miles at only 6mph and a half hour of strength training. Thats way more than even mfp would credit that. Didn't seem super accurate but settings are correct.

Also, does fat burn stop or slow down when we get into cardio zone? I like to work out and push myself,hard, but am I sabotaging myself by not staying in the "far burning" zone?

liroez29

This is good to know! I am getting ready to buy a HRM because I think MFP is over estimating what I am burning. Thanks for sharing!

liroez29

This might be a dumb question, but how does the hrm know how many calories we burn? I just got a new one, with a chest strap, and it said I burned 1256 by jogging four miles at only 6mph and a half hour of strength training. Thats way more than even mfp would credit that. Didn't seem super accurate but settings are correct.

Also, does fat burn stop or slow down when we get into cardio zone? I like to work out and push myself,hard, but am I sabotaging myself by not staying in the "far burning" zone?

I don't have an answer for you, I just wanted to tell you awesome job with the workouts! 6 mph is fantastic! I am only going 5pm, I have gone up to 6mph but I can only do it for a minute or two..lol You Rock!

Bombbombgo

Omg... Thnk you! And 109 lbs? That's crazy amazing! YOU rock!

liroez29

Omg... Thnk you! And 109 lbs? That's crazy amazing! YOU rock!

Well, thank you too! :blushing:

lunamare

HRM use a calculation to determine the calories that you burned. This site has the calc at the bottom

http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

basically they take your age, weight, female/male, VO2 Max , AVG HR and length of workout and can calculate how many calories you burned during the workout. That's the link that I use to double check mine.

eliz_in_pink

Bingo! This is why I ONLY use my HRM now, no matter if I feel like I worked harder than what those calories burned says! :blushing:

lambertj

I will be using my new Polar HRM tonight for the first time and your post is exactly what I have been afraid of. I usually do the stairmaster and the treadmill and I do punch in my weight so i'm hoping it's close but i will be so bummed if I'm only actually burning 1/2 the calories i thought I was.

kmparasram

I am having the exact opposite problem. My HRM always tells me I burn on average about 200 calories more than any machine or what MFP says. I am so confused. My heart rate while working out ranges anywhere from 161-185. I usually maintain the 170ish range while keeping a steady pace. Any tips or advice as to the correct amount burned would be helpful!!

erickirb

Are you sure the stats are correct. 250 cals in 42 min is less than 6 cals/min, which is quite low unless you are 5' 100 lbs.

Did you enter your weight in KG's as lbs on the watch, that would make it think you are 2.2 times lighter than you are and weight is probably the biggest factor in calories burned.)

erickirb

I am having the exact opposite problem. My HRM always tells me I burn on average about 200 calories more than any machine or what MFP says. I am so confused. My heart rate while working out ranges anywhere from 161-185. I usually maintain the 170ish range while keeping a steady pace. Any tips or advice as to the correct amount burned would be helpful!!

What brand HRM? Polar and Garmin seem to be the most accurate. Try double checking your burn on these 2 sites, if you HRM is much higher it is probably over estimating:
http://www.gersic.com/calories/index.php?daAge=32&daRHR=52&daAHR=148&daMinutes=27&daSeconds=0&Submit=Submit&action=1
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

sandy729

Yeah...My personal trainer help me set my HRM profile and it's about 200-300 cal difference from the gym machines.

erickirb

HRM use a calculation to determine the calories that you burned. This site has the calc at the bottom

http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

basically they take your age, weight, female/male, VO2 Max , AVG HR and length of workout and can calculate how many calories you burned during the workout. That's the link that I use to double check mine.

I do have a huge issue with this calc for one reason, if you don't know your V02 Max and use 0, it gives the same answer as if you chose 60ish, which is really high. The few times I mentioned this site I urged the user to enter 35 to 40 in the V02 Max to give you a more realistic burn.

CallmeSbo

OMG...I got a Polar FT7 HRM and used it for the first time ever doing what I love...Elliptical... 42 min ...and these are the stats:

MFP said 712 cals burned

Ellipitical Machine said 500 cals burned

And drum rolll.....

HRM said I only burned 250 cals --- ONLY????

Now wonder I have not been losing weight all this time...seesh! I swear by it now!

Thank you for posting this. This is EXACTLY why i do not believe in eating back calories you not even sure you have burn. This past week end there was another post about how Polar is NOT accurate for women. So your REAL burned calories could even be less. The Polar HRM overestimates numbers too :-(

runbyme

Thank you so much for your post! I bought and started using a HRM a couple weeks ago and my calorie expenditure is a lot less than what MFP calculated! Even though I think my heart is going to explode and my face is beat red...my heart rate really isn't that high! Mine has a chest strap also so I know that it's continuously monitoring my heart rate!
Good luck to you and your weight loss and fitness journey!

kmparasram

I am having the exact opposite problem. My HRM always tells me I burn on average about 200 calories more than any machine or what MFP says. I am so confused. My heart rate while working out ranges anywhere from 161-185. I usually maintain the 170ish range while keeping a steady pace. Any tips or advice as to the correct amount burned would be helpful!!

What brand HRM? Polar and Garmin seem to be the most accurate. Try double checking your burn on these 2 sites, if you HRM is much higher it is probably over estimating:
http://www.gersic.com/calories/index.php?daAge=32&daRHR=52&daAHR=148&daMinutes=27&daSeconds=0&Submit=Submit&action=1
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

Thanks for the website link! I had a feeling it was overestimating so I normally shave off 200 calories from the overall estimate. However the 2 sites gave me different estimated calories burned, but I always like to use the lower amount burned as to remind myself to stay in "check" with my food intake. I have been told by trainers before that it takes a serious workout for my heart rate to get going, but I am just surprised about how many calories I can truly burn when I push myself!

jadedone

I am having the exact opposite problem. My HRM always tells me I burn on average about 200 calories more than any machine or what MFP says. I am so confused. My heart rate while working out ranges anywhere from 161-185. I usually maintain the 170ish range while keeping a steady pace. Any tips or advice as to the correct amount burned would be helpful!!

That's keeping your heart rate pretty high. Believe the HRM.

CyberEd312

I have a Polar FT60 HRM

Another thing to consider is what HR zone you are exercising in???

TRAINING ZONES
Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.

Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.

If I am on the Elliptical and stay in zone 1 over the course of an hour there is a big difference in calories burned:

Precor Elliptical: 970ish calories burned
Polar FT60 HRM: 700ish calories burned

Now if I am at 80% of my HR or in the Anaerobic Zone for that same hour:

Precor Ellitpical: 1100ish calories burned
Polar FT60 HRM: 1170ish calories burned

Now on the treadmill the 2 are pretty much spot on (within 60-80 calories....... This is just from my own experiences, don't know if it applies to anyone else but thought I would share......

erickirb

I am having the exact opposite problem. My HRM always tells me I burn on average about 200 calories more than any machine or what MFP says. I am so confused. My heart rate while working out ranges anywhere from 161-185. I usually maintain the 170ish range while keeping a steady pace. Any tips or advice as to the correct amount burned would be helpful!!

That's keeping your heart rate pretty high. Believe the HRM.

The issue might be that your actual max HR may be higher than the calculation in the HRM, the HRM assumes you are working at X % of a calculated max, but if your Max HR is actually higher your % of max would be lower. You may want to look into having your max HR tested to see if it is higher than 220-your age.

techigirl78

Funny, I got my Polar HRM and found out I was underestimating a lot. The only thing I overestimated was zumba. Estimated 800 by myself, but HRM usually shows 600-700. Otherwise, I was usually much further over on HRM then MFP.