HRM says I burn HEAPS - is this bad?

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  • Bettsy_A
    Bettsy_A Posts: 81 Member
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    Ladies, lets just loose the weight. I use a lot of energy when I walk because I need oxygen on occasions. My heart pumps a lot and if it tells me I am burning calories that will be great, otherwise I just do the best I can. God Bless and hope we all reach our goals.:smile:

    haha hear hear! I'll second that :)
  • glowbuggy
    glowbuggy Posts: 50 Member
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    What HRM's do you all have? I just got one for my birthday, but it only counts cals when its counting my steps. I am thinking I am going to take it back, but dont know what kind to get...

    Suggestions w/o paying both my arms and my legs????
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    I subtract what my BMR would be for the length of time i worked out from what my HRM says. About 80 calories an hourish is what I take off from the total of my HRM.
  • Chloe_Chaos_
    Chloe_Chaos_ Posts: 150 Member
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    PS: my HRM is a new balance N4 and I love it. Has the chest strap and everything. My Mom as the Polar FT4 which is also amazing. Both are $70-$100 depending on where you buy them.
  • Mom0fTwo
    Mom0fTwo Posts: 326 Member
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    Do you know how much your body naturally burns per hour? Don't you need to subtract that from your hourly total or else you're counting calories already figured into your MFP goal?


    I have a friend that wears hers all day and has been doing so for about a month cause she was always hungry/ tired, apparently with breast feeding and exercise and daily mom routines she burns some where around 2500-3500 cals a day which is crazy so now she tries to keep her deficit at 500 cals or less, i have considered getting one cause being a mom i know i do a lot but there are also a lot of days i barely do anything, just curious myself really lol
  • tinksmommy2006
    tinksmommy2006 Posts: 575
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    Do you know how much your body naturally burns per hour? Don't you need to subtract that from your hourly total or else you're counting calories already figured into your MFP goal?

    If she is only using it during work out times...no you do not subtract.
  • Bettsy_A
    Bettsy_A Posts: 81 Member
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    What HRM's do you all have? I just got one for my birthday, but it only counts cals when its counting my steps. I am thinking I am going to take it back, but dont know what kind to get...

    Suggestions w/o paying both my arms and my legs????

    My one is one that comes in watch form alongside a chest strap with a little sensor on it. I think the steps one is a sort of pedometer or something :P
    I got one after saving over a few weeks, all I can suggest :P Keep those arms and legs heheh
  • Cal28
    Cal28 Posts: 514 Member
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    Suggestions w/o paying both my arms and my legs????

    I have a Polar FT60 which on the current exchange rate for us was pretty cheap from Amazon.com.
    However lots of people have the basic model the FT4 which is also meant to be pretty good. x
  • AmandaCaswell1982
    AmandaCaswell1982 Posts: 170 Member
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    It depends on the TYPE of activity- from what I've read, if your activity is purely cardio (running, walking, etc) it's pretty accurate (well, depending on the type of HRM) But for strength training, it's not. For example, I have always logged the circuit training I do and burn usually 500 or so calories an hour. Walking/jogging 3 miles for an hour was about 200ish. With my new HRM it says the circuit training is 250ish and the walking/jogging is 470ish cals. It balances out mostly for me, and I am just logging my HRM readings (as another poster said, consistency!)
  • juliep1974
    juliep1974 Posts: 222 Member
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    MFP underestimated my burn for most activities too so it does happen. If you are at all worried about the amount it says you are burning, there are a couple websites that will calculate calories based on your sex, weight and average heart rate so you can compare what they say vs what your HRM says. The HRM is the best estimate though.
  • AmandaCaswell1982
    AmandaCaswell1982 Posts: 170 Member
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    Suggestions w/o paying both my arms and my legs????

    I have a Polar FT60 which on the current exchange rate for us was pretty cheap from Amazon.com.
    However lots of people have the basic model the FT4 which is also meant to be pretty good. x

    I just got the FT4 and I really like it! it was approx $93 at Target.
  • ChrisWag
    ChrisWag Posts: 169
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    I find that it varies, like on my elliptical the machine says I burn WAY more than the HRM says, and when I walk or run, the HRM says WAY more than MFP. I tend to believe the HRM if it is one that you tell age, height, weight etc too, it knows how hard your heart is working.
  • tlynnweb
    tlynnweb Posts: 201 Member
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    Just make sure your monitor is set up for YOUR height, weight, age, etc. If you haven't set that up, it will not be accurate! Do not subtract anything if you are just wearing it when working out~
  • Bettsy_A
    Bettsy_A Posts: 81 Member
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    It depends on the TYPE of activity- from what I've read, if your activity is purely cardio (running, walking, etc) it's pretty accurate (well, depending on the type of HRM) But for strength training, it's not. For example, I have always logged the circuit training I do and burn usually 500 or so calories an hour. Walking/jogging 3 miles for an hour was about 200ish. With my new HRM it says the circuit training is 250ish and the walking/jogging is 470ish cals. It balances out mostly for me, and I am just logging my HRM readings (as another poster said, consistency!)

    Ah, so as long as it isn't varying insanely doing the same activity, it should be pretty spot on? Cheers for the advice :)
  • Bettsy_A
    Bettsy_A Posts: 81 Member
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    Just make sure your monitor is set up for YOUR height, weight, age, etc. If you haven't set that up, it will not be accurate! Do not subtract anything if you are just wearing it when working out~

    Okiedokie :) That was all set up! Like when I get a new phone, I have to personalise it as soon as it's out of the box haha
  • Cal28
    Cal28 Posts: 514 Member
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    I just got the FT4 and I really like it! it was approx $93 at Target.

    (Sorry for this Amanda) For the lady who was looking for one - its $66 on Amazon.com x
  • Cal28
    Cal28 Posts: 514 Member
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    Okiedokie :) That was all set up! Like when I get a new phone, I have to personalise it as soon as it's out of the box haha

    Lol new 'toys' are great :smile:
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    My HRM, a Timex, said I was burning lots of calories, too. I had the correct settings for my weight, etc. I decided to stop using it and just go by the database.
  • kunibob
    kunibob Posts: 608 Member
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    Mine is usually under the MFP database, but sometimes it reads higher, too. I figure that so long as my weight is doing what I want and I'm not constantly feeling underfed, I'll trust my HRM.
  • CrystalFlury
    CrystalFlury Posts: 400 Member
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    Well, depending on the HRM this may or may not be true. Assuming you did your research and bought a reliable device there's a good chance it's correct. MFP doesn't account for what your heart rate was during certain intensities of your workout. If you're pushing yourself to hold a higher heart rate most of the time then chances are yeah, you're burning more calories. I wouldn't worry, keep a log of your Max HR and Average HR just so you know what your body tends to do during specific activities. Also, this will let you know if something crazy is going on with your monitor. I noticed when my battery was getting low on my monitor it would throw out numbers that were insanely high, example: Max HR 232!!

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