HRM question

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CrochetGator
CrochetGator Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently bought a HRM with a chest strap. It is a Polar brand, but I can't remember the model. My question is, is this accurate? I think it is, but when I try to keep track of my calories burned at work (a factory where I am constantly on my feet and moving, carrying 15lbs) I end up with nearly 1600 calories burned in an 8 hr work day....... ? I don't know.

Amanda

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,124 Member
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    Polar HRMs are not made to track daily activity.

    They are designed to track sustained Aerobic activity. To track all-day calorie burns, you need a BodyBugg or similar device.

    Here, this is really helpful:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
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    If its hard work that seems reasonable (200 cals an hour) but what I would do is find out your TDEE on sedentary and figure out what you would normally burn in that 8 hrs and subtract that from the 1600 calories since its such a big chunk of time.
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
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    Polar HRMs are not made to track daily activity.

    They are designed to track sustained Aerobic activity. To track all-day calorie burns, you need a BodyBugg or similar device.

    Here, this is really helpful:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

    ^this for sure would give you a more accurate answer
  • Tourney3p0
    Tourney3p0 Posts: 290 Member
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    You can approximate carrying around 15 pounds by just adding 15 pounds to your weight. I don't know your weight, but it looks like 8 hours of walking at 2.5 mph would be around 1900 calories. Another calculator might give a completely different number. But let's just assume for now that the number given to you by your HRM is accurate.

    Since I also don't know your height, I can only give a rough estimate on your BMR. Let's say it's 1728. That comes out to 1.2 calories per minute. So whether you're at work or laying in a hospital in a bed in a coma, you're burning at least 1728 calories in 24 hours. That comes out to 1.2 calories per minute. Over an 8 hour shift, that's 576 calories your HRM was going to pick up no matter what you were doing. You therefore only "earned" about 1600-576, or 1000 calories.

    That said, the previous advice about it not really being an "all day" tool is accurate. I would still think 1000 calories is a fairly close ballpark if you stay moving the whole time.

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