Recommended gear..?

myfrogs11

New to a lot of this, except eating, I can eat like a BOSS! But what types of things would you all recommend? HRM? Fitbit/Body Media type thing? I currently do no exercise, but have New Rules and am reading that through before getting started.

Basically I'm tired of being clueless and "hoping" to lose weight after cutting calories a few days. I do actually own a food scale.

Guess I don't understand the difference between a HRM and Fitbit and do they work together or what....?

heybales

HRM is for steady state (HR the same for 2-5 min) aerobic exercise if using for calorie burn estimate.

Non-steady state and anaerobic it's inflated calorie burn - so intervals and lifting and routines constantly with changing HR levels.

FitBit type stuff is good at your all day burns, basing that on your BMR when slow or non-moving, and calculated pace and weight when moving, which can be very good estimate if exercise fits well with steps or walking type stuff - walking, jogging, ect. Obviously not bike, rowing, elliptical a bit, some classes, ect.

So depends on your exercise if 2 are best or one is enough.

But this method doesn't require any of that, though it can help if it's valid estimate.

Otherwise you are selecting an activity level that includes planned and average exercise for the week, and averaging it out over the week, and eating the same amount daily. That takes care of small inaccuracies.

Or use the spreadsheet.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones