College Kid = super poor but I want a Heart Rate Monitor

MartialPanda

Hey everyone!

So I would really love for someone to steer me in the direction of a GOOD heart rate monitor but on the slightly cheaper end. Yes I do realized if i buy the $150 heart rate monitor i'm getting the best thing I could get right now but I have also not paid for anything that expensive sans car payments.....so it's exactly feasible. I am looking for something that will calculate me TDEE and give me an accurate count of how much when I'm rest and when I'm exercising. I do martial arts and and I hit the gym so i'm fairly active.
my goal is get a much more accurate reading of what i'm doing so I eat the correct amount of calories.

ANY help will super appreciated. Help me out MFP buddies!

MartialPanda

BUMP!

MartialPanda

One more try

Azdak

Here is the honest truth: a device that will "calculate my TDEE and give me an accurate count of how much when I'm rest and when I'm exercising. " does not exist.

For someone struggling with a budget, I don't think there is a compelling need to buy an HRM to track calories. They are not accurate enough to justify the expense. The only reason I can think of would be to use heart rate training as a way to focus you workouts, in which case any cheap model would do, since they all measure heart rate.

You are better off choosing a fixed calorie intake and sticking to it, with modest additions on days that you work out more heavily. Your TDEE is likely in the 2000 cals/day range (at least), so, with exercise, you could pick a 1500-1800 calorie/day target for intake and then adjust from there as need be.

HRMs, machine readings, and database tables are not accurate enough to rely on for precise measurements of activity calories, especially in a case like yours where you are not really looking to drop huge amounts of weight and you need a certain amount of energy intake to fuel your workouts.

AnnaVee84

There was a great sale at Target on the Polar FT 7 a few months ago, for $40, don't know if you can find em anymore.... Maybe Check either online, rei garage sale??, or eBay, you might find some good deals, ESP with holidays coming. But don't go with a model that doesn't have a chest strap, spend a few extra bucks for more reliable gadget!

sailorbacon

There was a great sale at Target on the Polar FT 7 a few months ago, for $40, don't know if you can find em anymore.... Maybe Check either online, rei garage sale??, or eBay, you might find some good deals, ESP with holidays coming. But don't go with a model that doesn't have a chest strap, spend a few extra bucks for more reliable gadget!

I just ordered that from Amazon for $70. I got it today. I like it so far. But as a poor college kid, I wish they had gone for 30 bucks cheaper now, haha. This was a luxury buy. :laugh:

Bob314159

I suggest you read this to see the limitations of HRM - at a minimum read

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/hrms-cannot-count-calories-during-strength-training-17698

LaurenAOK

I got my HRM from Walmart, it is not Polar brand and I forget what brand it is. It was pretty cheap ($30? $40? I can't remember) and it came with a chest strap and seems very accurate. I only use it for exercise though, I don't use it to calculate my TDEE and stuff. I am very happy with it and glad I didn't go for a more expensive model (I'm a broke college kid too)!