HR monitor experiment, I will try this for 4 weeks and post
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raqueluz
Posts: 8 Member
I'm stuck on a plateau and can't seem to lose the last 20 pounds, so I've decided to try an experiment. Since the whole concept of losing weight is calories in and calories out, I'm going to figure out how many calories I truly burn throughtout the day vs. the calories I eat.
To do this I'm going to wear my HR monitor all day, from the time I wake up unitl I go to sleep and see how many calories I burn in a day doing regular activities. At the end of the day the calories I've burnt should be more than the calories I've eaten, so in other words I have to end up with negative calories everyday. The amount of neg calories depends on how much weight I want to lose a week and since I want to lose 2lbs a week, I have to be negative -1000 calories everyday in order to accomplish this. Here is an example:
8am - start the HR monitor and wear all day
10pm - by the end of the day if the monitor says I've burned 1500 calories in the day and I've eaten 1200 calories, that means that I'm negative -300, since I want to be -1000, I need to workout and burn 700 calories and that will put me in the -1000. Now this all depends on how many calories I've burned in the day, some days I might have burned more by the end of the day cause maybe I was more active, so I would just adjust my numbers. Another example:
I wear the monitor all day, and that day I ran a lot of errands, cleaned the house, etc. At the end of the day the monitor says I've burned 2000 calories, and again I've only eaten 1200, then I'm negative -800, which means I have to workout to burn only 200 more calories to be in the -1000. If I do this continuously for 4 weeks I should've lost 8lbs. Numbers and math don't lie.
I will do this experiment and will post my results weekly. Now, this has to be done with a HR monitor with a strap, NOT the strapless, because the strap takes your HR continuously and that will give you an accurate reading of your whole day.
I started today and so far I've burned 1394 calories, ate 1351, still have 3 more hours to burn what I need before I go to sleep. Keep in mind that depending on your weight (I'm 155) your body burns about 100 cals/hour just by doing your normal activities. So you have to create a deficit in order to lose weight.
if any body wants to try it let me know so we can share ideas or if you don't understand it, I will gladly explain it.
To do this I'm going to wear my HR monitor all day, from the time I wake up unitl I go to sleep and see how many calories I burn in a day doing regular activities. At the end of the day the calories I've burnt should be more than the calories I've eaten, so in other words I have to end up with negative calories everyday. The amount of neg calories depends on how much weight I want to lose a week and since I want to lose 2lbs a week, I have to be negative -1000 calories everyday in order to accomplish this. Here is an example:
8am - start the HR monitor and wear all day
10pm - by the end of the day if the monitor says I've burned 1500 calories in the day and I've eaten 1200 calories, that means that I'm negative -300, since I want to be -1000, I need to workout and burn 700 calories and that will put me in the -1000. Now this all depends on how many calories I've burned in the day, some days I might have burned more by the end of the day cause maybe I was more active, so I would just adjust my numbers. Another example:
I wear the monitor all day, and that day I ran a lot of errands, cleaned the house, etc. At the end of the day the monitor says I've burned 2000 calories, and again I've only eaten 1200, then I'm negative -800, which means I have to workout to burn only 200 more calories to be in the -1000. If I do this continuously for 4 weeks I should've lost 8lbs. Numbers and math don't lie.
I will do this experiment and will post my results weekly. Now, this has to be done with a HR monitor with a strap, NOT the strapless, because the strap takes your HR continuously and that will give you an accurate reading of your whole day.
I started today and so far I've burned 1394 calories, ate 1351, still have 3 more hours to burn what I need before I go to sleep. Keep in mind that depending on your weight (I'm 155) your body burns about 100 cals/hour just by doing your normal activities. So you have to create a deficit in order to lose weight.
if any body wants to try it let me know so we can share ideas or if you don't understand it, I will gladly explain it.
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Replies
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Makes sense to me. The only wildcard I see is one's metabolism. Math & numbers don't lie, but your metabolism & physical makeup might not want to cooperate with that theory. Regardless, I'm really interested to see how this experiment goes for you. In the meanwhile, repeat the following Zen Weightloss chant: "There is no plateau"0
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The only flaw I see with this is that it takes calories for your organs to function, and I don't think those calories will show up on the HRM. So you would probably be burning more calories than the HRM says, but I'm not sure by how much.
...but maybe I'm wrong...0 -
I'm definately interested in this and want to follow you on this experiment. I'm sure at one point I'll hit a plateau myself so I'm very intrigued to see if this works!0
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To clarify on the metabolism, as I said numbers don't lie and your metabolism means how many calories your body is burning just by living, people with higher metabolism burn more calories in an hour than people with lower metabolism. Which brings me to answer the second post, calorie burning is linked to Hear Rate, the higher your hear beats the more calories you burn, that's why when you have done a strenous exercise they say your metabolism stays high for hours, it just means that your heart beats faster for that time and you burn more calories. The more fit you get, the lower your heart beats at rest that's why you need to increase your exercise in order to lose weight. So in other words the HR monitor should be accurate because everything is based on your Heart Rate.0
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I will also be interested to see the outcome of this experiment. Please keep me posted.0
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I went to the store tonight to look at heart rate monitors for kind of the same reason as you....I want to see how many calories my body burns in a regular day.
I am at my goal weight, but am curious how you do with this.
Good luck!!0 -
Ok to all the followers of this experiment, I will start a blog tonight and will try to post my readings daily and details of how is going. I will also post my weight as I weigh myself throught the experiment. If this works then it will be prove the theory "calories in, calories out"! ;-)0
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What type of HRM do you have?, I'm not happy with mine. I have been struggling with this myself and wondering....I wore mine the other morning to see how many I burn doing chores, I mucked stalls, dumped buckets, carried water, and took the dog for a small walk aroung the field and it said I only burned 13 calories, this was after about 40 minutes of outdoor activity. I know it isn't reading right, it is usually a third under what the elliptical says...I'm ready to invest in one that is more accurate, but there are so many to choose from.....:sad:0
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13 calories after doing chores for 40 minutes??? that definitely doesn't sound right. I got a Polar one, the FS4 and it seems to be working pretty accurately, so far since I put i on this morning, I've burned 1660 calories throughout the day and I haven't worked out yet, so that sounds about right. Look at the Polar ones, they are very reliable.0
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This is a wonderful idea!!! Thank you for coming up with it. I to will join you but I cannot afford the HRM until next week. Im curious to see how many cals i burn in a day prior to exercising. I hit a plateau as well. I cannot shed these last 10 pounds!! I have been stuck at 169 since november!! I have started going commando style on my body exercising atleast 800-1300 cals per day and that does not include any of my normal activity. I have lost inches so my workouts are not in vain. But i will try almost anything to tip the scale. Cheers to you and good luck! :drinker:0
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Hi, i am just waiting for my new polar F6 to be delivered (this morning :happy: )
Once i get to grips with how to use it i will be joining you in this, it's a great idea :happy:
Jax0 -
I got a Polar F4 for Christmas and just started using it. I'm interested in how your experiment plays out. Maybe I'll try it along with you too! Good luck!!! :drinker:0
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Ok everybody, I officially started today with the experiment and created a blog where I will post my results as I go along.
If you want to follow me on this experiment add me as friend so you can know whenever I post a blog entry. Good luck to me and to finding out the truth!.......LOL!0 -
I have a HRM question if anyone is out there. I have a Polar F4 and I think I've set it up correctly (just got it for Christmas). I put it on at 8:20 this morning. It's now 7pm and I'm showing over 2500 calories burned. I don't have a very active work day and I haven't even exercised yet. I ate around1600 calories today, so I'm already at a 900 calorie deficit. Is that possible??? Am I not doing this right? Seems off someow... Any input would be helpful
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I have a HRM question if anyone is out there. I have a Polar F4 and I think I've set it up correctly (just got it for Christmas). I put it on at 8:20 this morning. It's now 7pm and I'm showing over 2500 calories burned. I don't have a very active work day and I haven't even exercised yet. I ate around1600 calories today, so I'm already at a 900 calorie deficit. Is that possible??? Am I not doing this right? Seems off someow... Any input would be helpful
Since you asked, the answer is "no"--it is not possible. HRMs are not really set up to accurately track daily caloric expenditure. Doesn't stop people from trying, but the numbers don't really mean anything.0 -
"Since you asked, the answer is "no"--it is not possible. HRMs are not really set up to accurately track daily caloric expenditure. Doesn't stop people from trying, but the numbers don't really mean anything."
Thank you. That just didn't seem right. Granted, I've only done this for a few days (wearing the hrm all day), but when I think about how I've eaten today and the fact that I'm on a rest day and still have a 1000 calorie deficit, it just doesn't seem right. Especially when I consider that I was losing an average of about 1.5 lbs a week over the summer and was seriously kicking my butt to do it. Sitting on the couch, it just doesn't seem possible. :laugh: However, I am curious to see how raqueluz's experiment goes. I still hope it's a success! :drinker:0
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