HRM estimating calories burned too high? Help!!

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shytrevoak
shytrevoak Posts: 95 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I just got a sportline sx HRM watch and chest strap about a week ago. I love it, after I finally figured the thing out. But now I'm wondering if it is telling me that my calories burned are way too high. Here's my problem.

I have a higher heart rate than other people. I always have since I was little. It runs in my family (female side). I'm not extremely over weight, trying to lose about 20 lbs after pregnancy. I'm active. My normal HR ranges from 78-85. Used to be in 90s before I started exercising more in the last few months.

My HRM allows me to put in age, sex, height, weight. I feel it is accurately showing my HR, but when I exercise, it can range from 140-150 while fast pace walking, all the way up to 180-190 when biking and running. Now of course your going to tell me I'm crazy and that's not right since I'm at my MHR and should feel like I want to die. But I don't. I have a high heart rate as it is. I think it's saying that I have an 'average" heart rate and when it goes that high (which is probably only about 70% MHR for me, it's reading around 90). So my calorie burn is much higher.

Should I try getting a different one? One that will allow me to do a fit test?? I'm frustrated. I know I'm not burning so much. But it says I am. Any advice??

Replies

  • Andie122
    Andie122 Posts: 36 Member
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    Hey!

    I had the same problem with my Timex HRM (I have a similar heart rate problem - very very high while exercising). It even allowed a fit test, which I did and entered my range, but it still had me burning WAY more calories than I could possibly have been burning. And at the time, I was just accepting the calorie burn because I wanted it to be right, and eating it back, which is why I slowed waaayyyyy down in loss for a while.

    Maybe what you can do is enter what it says that you burned in your diary but only eat back a portion of calories burned (like 50%). If you start losing weight too quickly, eat back a higher portion; if you start slowing down, eat a lower portion. What do you think?

    AB
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    You can't set your max HR with that monitor? My max HR is around 200 - 204, not the 183 the calculations tell me. My Polar FT7 allows me to change this value.
  • shytrevoak
    shytrevoak Posts: 95 Member
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    I wish it did let me input my heart rates. But it doesn't. I think I'm just going to have to wait until I can afford an expensive one that does everything I need it to. This one doesn't. Sad :(

    And ya AB, I guess I could do it that way. I just hate not knowing what I'm burning. It's totally messing with my weight loss. Driving me nuts!!! lol Poo.

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