Heart Rate/Calorie monitor question

karebear22776
karebear22776 Posts: 92 Member
My hubby got me one of these contraptions for my birthday because I've been dying to get one. I've used it 4 times now and I LOVE it!!! My only question is for those that have these, do you find you burn less calories than the amount that MFP says in the same time frame?

Replies

  • cherll
    cherll Posts: 33 Member
    I don't have one yet but I sure think that the calories they say I burn on here seems high to me.
  • cubbie_girl
    cubbie_girl Posts: 99 Member
    Yes. It's also usually off from what my watch would read if I just used it for the same run. (My watch syncs with my HRM.) I think (I'm not an expert here so I could be wrong), with out the HRM the calculation comes from an estimate based on the exercise and your weight. It doesn't know what fitness level you're already at or what your body is actually doing. When you use the HRM, it uses your heart rate as a tool to estimate how hard your heart is actually having to work to figure out how much energy you are exerting, thus basing your calories burned off your weight, the exercise being performed AND you're own level of energy.... again, no expert, but that's what I tell myself when I see big differences.
  • bellabijou
    bellabijou Posts: 82 Member
    Yes. As mentioned, here there is no basis for the calorie burn the MFP gives you, its a generally estimate. With your HRM it is calculated with your age, weight, and your actual heart rate. I LOVE mine, I find it so motivational when I am at the gym!
  • karebear22776
    karebear22776 Posts: 92 Member
    Thanks guys. I think its good maybe that mine is calculating lower...just another way I guess to be conservative on what Im estimating.
  • bellabijou
    bellabijou Posts: 82 Member
    Also, keep in mind, if it is your hubby's HRM, then it will be set up for his body weight/height/age etc, not yours. That could change things...
  • jc1231
    jc1231 Posts: 67
    I see a lot of people talking about HRMs. I do not have one but am intrigued enough to look into it. For those that do have an HRM, what brand/model do you use?
  • cubbie_girl
    cubbie_girl Posts: 99 Member
    I see a lot of people talking about HRMs. I do not have one but am intrigued enough to look into it. For those that do have an HRM, what brand/model do you use?

    I have a Garmin Forerunner 110 - the watch with HRM. I LOVE it! A bunch of us here got hooked on the Garmin after one person bought one and started talking about it. The basic model of what I have is the 10 but I hated how the watch was boxy looking. My 110 is the next step up, then there's the 210, 410 and 610. A couple of my friends have the 410 but they are serious runners and I didn't want to spend that much money just yet. I can always upgrade the watch later and not have to buy the HRM again, since they all work with each other. It's also a runner's watch, so it tracks my distance, pace and laps, as well as my calories burned and HR. And when I plug it in to my computer, all my information is saved on the GarminConnect site and I can see my improvement in fancy graphs. If you want something for multi-sports or specific for something else, the Garmin site can recommend a different one for you too.

    (Edit: By here, I mean deployed with me, not on MFP.)
  • bellabijou
    bellabijou Posts: 82 Member
    I have a Polar FT4 and i LOVE it. I did a ton of research before buying it and I was not dissapointed at all!