I still haven't gotten an answer regarding HRM and BMR

Brent_J

If I'm counting calories, and using a Heart Rate Monitor to determine calorie burn during exercise, how do consider the fact that my BMR (basal metabolic rate) calculation already includes a base number of calories per hour?

For example:

Let's say my BMR states that I burn about 2400 calories per day just by existing. That works out to about 100 calories per hour. It's probably more when I'm awake and fewer when I'm asleep, but it's a decent estimate.

Then I put on a heart rate monitor and go for a jog for an hour. At the end the HRM states that I burned 400 calories. Yeah! Sort of. I can't just add 400 calories to my total burn for the day, because my total burn is already taking into account the 100 per hour that I was going to burn whether I exercised or not.

Should I subtract off 100 calories per hour from any output generated by my Heart Rate Monitor? If I just write down 400 calories burned into my log aren't I counting that 100 calories twice? Once in my basic calculation, and once in my exercise log?

I just sat here at the computer for half an hour and my HRM says I burned 95 calories. Well I'm obviously not going to enter that as exercise.

Help! I'm so confused!

AmyRhubarb

Some people subtract the BMR calories, some don't. Personally, I never have - too many things to count already. I log all my food, I log my exercise and calories burned during exercise according to my HRM. The weight & fat are coming off, so it's working this way for me.