Calorie counters??

amberlitaaa
amberlitaaa Posts: 81
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I've seen a lot of people with heart rate moniters that track calories burned. How accurate are these? Are they worth buying, especially if I do exercise outside of the gym as well, so I can't track it on a machine?

Anyone use them, and like them? :smile: If so how much did you pay for it, and what brand is it/features does it have?

Replies

  • Dani_wants_to_be_fit
    Dani_wants_to_be_fit Posts: 550 Member
    I'm looking to buy once since I have heard so many people praise them. The only thing is the price. A lot of the cheaper ones don't work so well (at least I've been told) but if you pay or get lucky with a good brand they are very accurate. Even the cheaper ones are more accurate than mfp's estimates.
  • porcelain_doll
    porcelain_doll Posts: 1,005 Member
    YES - it is totally worth it!!! I paid $75 for my Polar FT7 on heartratemonitorsusa.com. Local stores sold the same model for $30 more.

    MFP's exercise database typically over-estimates calories burned during workouts. Not to mention, your exertion during each workout will make a big difference as well, and only a HRM can accurately measure that. It is absolutely worth the money and I will say that I've been losing consistently ever since I started wearing one back in June.

    You can read about all of its features here:

    http://www.heartratemonitorsusa.com/polar-ft7.html
  • mstclair03
    mstclair03 Posts: 151
    Definitely get one with a chest strap, not the ones where you push a little button on your wrist. I tried the button one, and it just didn't seem right, so I splurged on my Suunto, and LOVE it. Big upfront cost, but totally worth it. Plus it's a neat looking watch, too. Mine was around $65 (on sale). You can usually find good deals on Amazon or wherever. You'll find a lot of people on this site swear by their Polar Brand HRMs.
  • Masterdo
    Masterdo Posts: 331 Member
    +/- 20% is the off the shelf accuracy for most models. Accuracy is much better on classic cardio activities, as opposed to circuit-type training, where your heart rate rises but not necessarily associated with increased breathing intensity.

    For those same activities (running, walking, biking, swimming), if you can reliably measure your time and distance (and therefore average speed) you'll find that the difference between MFP values and HRM values are really small. For other activites, both MFP and HRM are probably not very reliable, but a good estimate for sure.

    Over 4 hours bike rides, the value difference is often under 100, which is quite great.

    I was really excited about Polar brand at first, but went for a Garmin in the end. I like the GPS and open source technology rather than proprietary with Polar, makes it easier to link accesories to it, and use really nice applications online, like GarminConnect or Training Peaks.

    Good luck if you plan on buying one, it's definitely a great tool to have :)
  • Bondgirlforever
    Bondgirlforever Posts: 64 Member
    This is the one I got, there are newer models now but I love this one! And, it comes with a chest strap...

    http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Heart-Rate-Monitor-Watch/dp/B003PQBU9Q/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1344024049&sr=8-5&keywords=womens+polar+heart+rate+monitor

    I don't use the calorie counters on the machines as they were never right for me.

    Keep in mind that all calorie counters are not 100% accurate, but the best ones are the ones with chest straps!

    The next one I get will most likely be a Garmin or another Polar once this one dies.
  • amberlitaaa
    amberlitaaa Posts: 81
    Awesome! Thanks for the input everyone! :flowerforyou:
  • fitQueenbeast
    fitQueenbeast Posts: 298
    I agree with you about the monitors. However, in my experience the database exercise calculations have been wayyyy low when compared to my heart rate monitor. That was one of the best investments I have ever made.

    Erica
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