FT7 calories recorded question

jehanegray

Started using my new FT7 this week and it consistently gives me significantly lower calories burned than the treadmill or elliptical machines I use at the gym.
Which is right and what should I use to track calories in/out? (per treadmill this morning, I burned 426 cal; FT7 recorded 286).
Am I doing something wrong?

guardian419

Most HRM (FT7 included) are much more accurate than a piece of exercise equipment. They all run off of equations, but a HRM is more accurate due to reading your HR, not just doing general number crunching based on height/weight.

General rule of thumb is - trust the HRM.

letjog

heart rate monitor much more accurate. i'd still knock 50 off that number though to ensure you don't overeat

guardian419

/\ that as well... I always knock off like 10% of a calorie burn just to give a cushion between inaccuracy in logging, HRM inaccuracy, etc etc.

dreilingda

In general, the FT7 will be more accurate. You didn't state it, but I'm going to guess that your treadmill workout was less than half an hour and consisted of light to moderate steady state cardio (deep breathing but not out of breath most of the time). If you are relatively young (<40) and are not an athelete, I would say the FT7 is pretty accurate. Check to ensure that all of the settings are correct on the watch; height, weight, gender, etc. If by some stretch you know what your max hr is, overwrite that esitamed value as well.

Also, make sure to subtract your BMR for the time period you were exercising before recording the burned calories or else you woild be doubling up on calories you would have burned just sitting around anyway. It's tough to burn a lot of calories, eh?

Brandon74

I have the FT7 too, and if you put in your information when you set it up, it should be accurate over the exercise equipment. My HRM wasn't matching up to the exercise equipment calorie burn either; I was actually burning more calories than the eliptical was saying.

jehanegray

Thanks everyone for your responses!
I will go with the HRM reading then. Don't like the subtracting the BMR from the reading suggestion though.....LOL
Yikes, a lot harder than I thought to burn calories!!!!!

omma_to_3

Most HRM (FT7 included) are much more accurate than a piece of exercise equipment. They all run off of equations, but a HRM is more accurate due to reading your HR, not just doing general number crunching based on height/weight.

General rule of thumb is - trust the HRM.

This.

When I was less in shape, my FT7 showed a much higher burn than my treadmill. But now that I'm smaller and more fit, it's much, much closer.

omma_to_3

Thanks everyone for your responses!
I will go with the HRM reading then. Don't like the subtracting the BMR from the reading suggestion though.....LOL
Yikes, a lot harder than I thought to burn calories!!!!!

I do subtract my BMR. But I didn't for a long time. The closer you get to goal, the more relevant it becomes. I have no idea how big you are, or how far from your goal you are.

omma_to_3

In general, the FT7 will be more accurate. You didn't state it, but I'm going to guess that your treadmill workout was less than half an hour and consisted of light to moderate steady state cardio (deep breathing but not out of breath most of the time). If you are relatively young (<40) and are not an athelete, I would say the FT7 is pretty accurate. Check to ensure that all of the settings are correct on the watch; height, weight, gender, etc. If by some stretch you know what your max hr is, overwrite that esitamed value as well.

Also, make sure to subtract your BMR for the time period you were exercising before recording the burned calories or else you woild be doubling up on calories you would have burned just sitting around anyway. It's tough to burn a lot of calories, eh?

Good point about the max HR! My max is around 202, but the watch uses the formulas that put mine at 183! Big difference.

You have to remember to routinely update your weight on the watch too. My personal preference is every time I hit a new tens value in my weight, I lower it 10 lbs. For example, if I weighed 179, I would set my weight in my HRM to 170. Then I leave it there until I hit 169 and then I lower it to 160. I have to change it less often that way, and I'm typically underestimating my burn ever so slightly.