Can I Get Round Buying A Heart Rate Monitor??

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Replies

  • imnotyourpal
    imnotyourpal Posts: 162 Member
    So, I felt exactly like you, so I spent money I didn't have on one. Guess what.....it can't possibly be right. It estimates SO low. My girlfriend who is probably 70 pounds lighter than I am, gets the same calorie burn that I do when I'm dripping with sweat and she looks like she just stepped off the runway! WTF? (love ya, Shannon!)

    Also, now I'm lifting more, and you can't use one for lifting because they (supposedly) overestimate. So yeah, I wasted all of this money for nothing. Save your money, doll.

    the more fit you become the less calories you burn.

    Which is precisely why I should be burning MORE than her, no?
  • jacquagirl
    jacquagirl Posts: 5
    I was in the same predicament and decided against it, when I learned that it only really accurate when it applies to exclusively cardio workouts -- versus the heavy circuit training workouts I do, which involve a lot of squatting, lunging with weights. I just estimate with MFP and it seems to work okay!

    I've lost 70 pounds and kept it off for 15 years -- just trying to lose 5-10 pounds that crept up on me recently - only saying this to show that I have had weight loss success! It's only recently that I considered using a heart rate monitor for exercise. I used to do weight watchers and had a lot of success with that, but I've been using MFP for about a month to help me lose this 5 - 10 lbs and it's good too.
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 751 Member
    I jut go the Polar FT7 yesterday and already swear by it! It's not necessary to have one, but it is an added addtional for tracking. If you do get a HRM make sure you get a good one, cheap is not best. I purchased a cheap one 3 times and returned them the next day because they didn't work correctly! Also, make sure it has a chest strap for more accurate reading.
  • rodakowe
    rodakowe Posts: 20
    I am beginning to feel like I am the only human being left on the planet that is extremely into working out/ controlling my weight that DOESN’T own a Heart Rate Monitor. I am 5’ 116lbs, and anything (machine, website calculator, ext) that ‘estimates’ my calories burned is completely out there. I do not want to ‘fool’ myself. I WANT to know exactly what I am burning….but is there any way to do this without buying a HRM?? I would if I could, but I don’t have a penny to my name, or anticipate funds any time in the near future. Are there EZ ways to monitor your HR and/or figure out a better estimate of what I am burning…….or am I doomed to dream about a HRM until Christmas when I can talk someone into getting me one?! :)

    I don't have one, I might ask for one for my birthday in a few months. But I really wanted to know how much I was burning during Insanity. So i found this formula on livestrong and it calculates how many calories you burn based on how long and how high your heart rate is. So when I was on a water break during insanity i would take my heart rate for 15 seconds 3-5 times during the workout. Then at the end i would average them together and put it into the formula and it seems pretty accurate to me!

    [(-20.4022 + (.4472 x heart rate in beats per minute) + (.1263 x weight in kilograms) + (.074 x age)] / 4.184.

    Once you get the number multiply it by how many minutes you worked out! It seems complicated but it really isn't

    to get your weight in kilograms divide your weight in pounds by 2.2
  • 2012asv
    2012asv Posts: 702 Member
    Is knowing the number of calories your burning going to change how much you work out? If you can only dedicate a certain amount of time to your workouts than I wouldn't worry about getting one... but if your goals are specific to how many calories you're burning than it "would" be a good idea.

    Also, I've seen HRM's that don't cost an arm & leg. When I bought mine, I had a coupon from a sports store nearby- which saved me ~$10. Not a lot but every bit counts. And, there are places where you can buy second hand equipment for much less.

    Good luck!
  • sl1ngsh0t
    sl1ngsh0t Posts: 326 Member
    I don't have a HRM....yet. I'm sure I'll buy one at some point.
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    I never got one and work out almost every day. I can't stand wearing a watch and I think it would annoy me.
    I managed to lose 10 lbs without one. I'm only 5ft 1, 125 so I don't feel the need to be obsessive about every
    single last calorie.
  • PLUMSGRL
    PLUMSGRL Posts: 1,134 Member
    Try this:

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

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