GoWear Fit vs. HRM - Anybody know anything about this?

mskellyw

So I've been trying to decide if I want to invest in a heart rate monitor, but I recently read something about the GoWear Fit and for the price, it seems like that might be the way to go. Has anyone ever used one? How did you like it?

If you haven't heard of it, it's a device that tracks all the calories you've burned for the entire day, the time you've exercised, the steps you've taken, even how efficiently you're sleeping. The only drawback I'm seeing is that you can't wear it while swimming. The website is http://www.gowearfit.com/.

There is a monthly fee involved, so I'd love to hear some opinions on it before I commit to paying for it for the next year!

adopt4

It's not worth it in the long run. Want to know how many calories you burn in a day? Wear an HRM for an hour, multiply by the number of hours you're awake. You dont' need to redo that until you've lost a significant amount of weight or increased your stamina a lot. You don't need to know how many calories while you sleep, either, or if you do feel you need to, wear an HRM for an hour nap... Once you know those numbers, you're done. What you need to know is what you burn while exercising, so you wear your HRM for exercise, take that number minus the number of calories you'd have spent if you did your normal daily routine. MFP's numbers are pretty good too, for your lifestyle. What is different is how much you burn during exercise. THAT is the number that is important and that's the number that can be radically different from one person to the next.

mskellyw

Unfortunately, using the HRM like you described wouldn't give me a very accurate picture of the calories I'm burning. My activity level varies pretty dramatically from day to day. Some days I walk to school / work, some days I drive. When I do walk I'm never sure how far away I'll have to park (up to a half mile), so sometimes I'm racing to class, sometimes I'm taking a nice leisurely stroll. On some days at work I'm on the computer all day at work, on others I'm building crates and running up and down the stairs. Also, I live in a really hot climate, so I know I'm burning more calories walking on days that it's 110 vs 85 evenings.

Does anybody have any actual experience with the GoWear Fit?

MacMadame

The HRM is more accurate. You can wear it all day and night, if you want to, even though it's not a typical use. But it works just fine. Also, a really good HRM can be gotten for around $100. The Go Wear Fit is more than that and requires a monthly subscription to be useful.

visiologist

I have a hard time believing that a simple heart monitor measuring pulse only can measure calories burned on a minute-by-minute basis as accurately as a device like the GoWear that measures pulse, skin temperature, skin heat flux and motion. The darn things are expensive, but there have been many people using those devices (or the BodyBugg) who say they have developed a real sense of how to keep their metabolism running high as a result.

Mike

Delphi

Well I have a GoWearFit and in my personal opinion, it is well worth the investment and it has been spot on for me and my calculations for weight loss. At the end of the day, weight loss comes by creating a calorie deficit. With the GoWearFit, I can do that accurately and predict progress. It has been an essential tool for me in my journey and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I can adjust my calorie intake by monitoring my progress. I love this device and swear by it. Kudos to those that take the journey without one, but for me, I needed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt what I was burning and now I know and the weight is falling off accordingly. Thumbs up for me.

SHBoss1673

I have a hard time believing that a simple heart monitor measuring pulse only can measure calories burned on a minute-by-minute basis as accurately as a device like the GoWear that measures pulse, skin temperature, skin heat flux and motion. The darn things are expensive, but there have been many people using those devices (or the BodyBugg) who say they have developed a real sense of how to keep their metabolism running high as a result.

Mike

If you have an accurate VO2max, Heart Rate plus VO2Max (plus weight, height, age, and sex) is an accepted way to measure calories burned. And it's been proven accurate by numerous laboratory tests to within 2% if you have an accurate VO2Max.

It takes a specific, known quantity of oxygen to burn a calorie, if you know how much oxygen that person has coming in, and how often the Heart pumps the oxygen around the system there is a specific formula to determine the calories burned. It's not quite as accurate as lab equipment, but if given accurate numbers it's usually within 2%.

I'm not going to sit there and say an HRM with a Chest strap is more accurate then a GoWearFit, I don't know if it is, but either way, you're going to get an accurate view of your daily calorie burn. Plus, you can wear a Polar with the chest strap in the shower, which is a bonus. They're quite comfortable actually, I have done full days wearing mine to see what my daily metabolic rate is. ends up I'm about 100 cals lower then what most calculations have me at. Which I found slightly surprising.

visiologist

If you have an accurate VO2max, Heart Rate plus VO2Max (plus weight, height, age, and sex) is an accepted way to measure calories burned. And it's been proven accurate by numerous laboratory tests to within 2% if you have an accurate VO2Max.

Aren't the only Polar models with the capability to input VO2 max about as expensive as the GoWear? Plus you have to have a VO2 max test test done, which is around $150 if you can find a place near you that does it. VO2 Max testing might be pretty difficult, especially for someone who is not an athlete and has a fair amount of extra weight to lose.

I'm sure you're probably right SHBoss, but I'm just saying: it's not as simple as you're making it sound!

Mike

SHBoss1673

If you have an accurate VO2max, Heart Rate plus VO2Max (plus weight, height, age, and sex) is an accepted way to measure calories burned. And it's been proven accurate by numerous laboratory tests to within 2% if you have an accurate VO2Max.

Aren't the only Polar models with the capability to input VO2 max about as expensive as the GoFit? Plus you have to have a VO2 max test test done, which is around $150 if you can find a place near you that does it. VO2 Max testing might be pretty difficult, especially for someone who is not an athlete and has a fair amount of extra weight to lose.

I'm sure you're probably right SHBoss, but I'm just saying: it's not as simple as you're making it sound!

Mike

Nah, you can get an F6 on ebay for 85 bucks, and you can do a VO2Max test yourself. Here's a decent site that gives lots of different VO2 max tests

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

it's not perfect, but it should get you as close as you need for this type of calculation.

FYI the cooper chart is the one many medical places go by.

vrdz3215

If you have an accurate VO2max, Heart Rate plus VO2Max (plus weight, height, age, and sex) is an accepted way to measure calories burned. And it's been proven accurate by numerous laboratory tests to within 2% if you have an accurate VO2Max.

Aren't the only Polar models with the capability to input VO2 max about as expensive as the GoFit? Plus you have to have a VO2 max test test done, which is around $150 if you can find a place near you that does it. VO2 Max testing might be pretty difficult, especially for someone who is not an athlete and has a fair amount of extra weight to lose.

I'm sure you're probably right SHBoss, but I'm just saying: it's not as simple as you're making it sound!

Mike

vrdz3215

does anyone know what the difference between the Polar F4 and Polar F6 is besides the price difference?

visiologist

Can you actually input VO2 max into an F6 and it will give you constant calories burned based on that? I didn't see that feature in a product description.

visiologist

does anyone know what the difference between the Polar F4 and Polar F6 is besides the price difference?

I know the F6 uses an encoded signal from the chest strap that prevents the signals other HRMs close to you from interfering. The F4 does not. Not sure if there are other differences.

Mike

mamapea

plus, you can wear the HRM swimming

SHBoss1673

does anyone know what the difference between the Polar F4 and Polar F6 is besides the price difference?

I know the F6 uses an encoded signal from the chest strap that prevents the signals other HRMs close to you from interfering. The F4 does not. Not sure if there are other differences.

Mike

Couple of fancy stuff the F6 adds, nothing vital, like the coded transmitter and such ...etc. I'm not sure if the F4 uses VO2max, I'll check...... doesn't look like it. At least it doesn't mention it in the Manual.

visiologist

Can you actually input VO2 max into an F6 and it will give you constant calories burned based on that? I didn't see that feature in a product description.

Oh I can see that it can - that is pretty cool. I believe though that the GoWear will give you a rate, like maybe a "calories burned/minute" rate so you can actually tell what is happening right NOW with your burn rate. It seems to me that would be very valuable to someone trying to learn how to maximize their metabolism.

Mike

SHBoss1673

Can you actually input VO2 max into an F6 and it will give you constant calories burned based on that? I didn't see that feature in a product description.

Oh I can see that it can - that is pretty cool. I believe though that the GoWear will give you a rate, like maybe a "calories burned/minute" rate so you can actually tell what is happening right NOW with your burn rate. It seems to me that would be very valuable to someone trying to learn how to maximize their metabolism.

Mike

Don't get me wrong, I think the GoWear is a great product, would love to have one. And for someone who is interested in minute by minute calorie burn, it's cool. My thing is, I pretty much already know what I burn and am good with numbers, so I'm pretty good with knowing where my best HR is.

So for me, it's not really a good value, but if you can afford it (I saw one for about 160) and can afford the 7 bucks a month for the fee, it's totally worth it.

Since I'm a runner though, I'd rather save and get the Polar RS300sd, cuz it's designed for running, it has a pace meter, and some other really cool running related stuff (it's 250 bucks, but it's soooo worth it, I plan on getting it for my birthday in september)

MacMadame

I have a hard time believing that a simple heart monitor measuring pulse only can measure calories burned on a minute-by-minute basis as accurately as a device like the GoWear that measures pulse, skin temperature, skin heat flux and motion.

But the GoWear doesn't measure pulse. As it says on the website "The GoWear fit armband contains multiple sensors that measure motion, body heat, skin temperature, and conductivity." Nothing in there about heart rate.

I know people who have these and they all love them while they keep up their subscription. But they all end up letting their subscription lapse which limits their usefulness. I guess it's kind of like a gym membership -- everyone is gung-ho in the beginning.... :laugh:

adopt4

Unfortunately, using the HRM like you described wouldn't give me a very accurate picture of the calories I'm burning. My activity level varies pretty dramatically from day to day. Some days I walk to school / work, some days I drive. When I do walk I'm never sure how far away I'll have to park (up to a half mile), so sometimes I'm racing to class, sometimes I'm taking a nice leisurely stroll. On some days at work I'm on the computer all day at work, on others I'm building crates and running up and down the stairs. Also, I live in a really hot climate, so I know I'm burning more calories walking on days that it's 110 vs 85 evenings.

Does anybody have any actual experience with the GoWear Fit?

Well then in your situation, it might be worth the extra $$. For people with more routine day to day stuff, it's probably not worth it, you can get a good HRM for $40 that has MOST of the features of the Polar F6. (I have a Timex one.)

I can also see this being useful when you are down to the end of your weight loss journey and you are trying to maximize the weight loss as much as possible by working on your metabolism.

visiologist

I have a hard time believing that a simple heart monitor measuring pulse only can measure calories burned on a minute-by-minute basis as accurately as a device like the GoWear that measures pulse, skin temperature, skin heat flux and motion.

But the GoWear doesn't measure pulse. As it says on the website "The GoWear fit armband contains multiple sensors that measure motion, body heat, skin temperature, and conductivity." Nothing in there about heart rate.

I know people who have these and they all love them while they keep up their subscription. But they all end up letting their subscription lapse which limits their usefulness. I guess it's kind of like a gym membership -- everyone is gung-ho in the beginning.... :laugh:

Oops, you're right. I read up on this though and their reason for not including a pulse sensor makes sense: many factors increase heart rate that will not increase calorie burn, or at least not proportionally. Examples are prescription drugs, caffeine and anxiety.

I'm sure you're right about people letting their prescription lapse. The way I see it is this - you should have a definable goal for body composition change. Once you reach that goal, there is no reason to keep paying for the monthly subscription. Just put the device in your sock drawer. If you fall off the wagon later, pull it out and re-activate your account.

Obviously, people need to decide for themselves if the potential benefit of this device is worth the cost. But it's just like a gym membership in a way: one person may pay monthly for one of those and only visit the place once or twice in the beginning. But another may go 3-6 times per week and get his/her money's worth. Which person are you?

Mike

MacMadame

I read up on this though and their reason for not including a pulse sensor makes sense: many factors increase heart rate that will not increase calorie burn, or at least not proportionally. Examples are prescription drugs, caffeine and anxiety.

Well that's a nice marketing spin, but it doesn't mention all the things that throw off the measurements it does take. :laugh: For example, if you exercise when it's very hot out, it can under-count your calories because the skin temperature measurement is off. If you ride a motorcycle, it will over-count your calories because of the vibrations.

To be totally accurate, you should use as many data points as you can. There is no reason not to throw pulse into the mix except that the design of the thing makes it difficult (because it's on your arm). I'm guessing they could have added a chest strap and receiver but chose not to to keep it simple and/or to keep the costs down.

I also don't think it's *that* mysterious what your body is burning and what you can eat that we really need all these gadgets. They are a nice to have and I use my HRM for other things, like race pacing, so I'm glad I have one, but I don't get too caught up in the calorie calculations.

I figure when I want to stop losing, I'll up my calories by 100 at at time until I stop. No gadgets necessary. :happy: If you want to be a bit more scientific, you can get your RMR tested at some gyms or doctor's offices and I might do that for fun. That will give me a range based on how active I am that I can play with. But in the end, I'm going to go by what is on the scale and how my clothes fit and not what a gadget says.