Heart Rate Monitor Question

narrington77
narrington77 Posts: 98 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I finally got a heart rate monitor, and i was super excited to see how many calories i actually burned for things i was already doing, especially for fear that i was under performing and that MFP was overestimating.

Well i noticed that it seems to be calculating my calories burned at a higher rate than i estimated before... i know in the past i would try to low ball my exercises just for fear that i wasn't burning as much as i thought. I don't eat back my calories, so would it be safe to assume the HRM is more accurate than MFPs calculations? Especially since some of my work outs consist of intervals and calculating that was a little confusing on here?

Replies

  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    Yes, it will be more accurate than MFP for sure.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    What HRM did you get? I'm assuming it walked you through setting it up with your weight, height, ect? My HRM(Timex Ironman for the time being) has always been right and way better than what MFP comes up with since it's for me and takes into account my age, height, weight and the fact that I'm wearing it, I feel like it's the best thing
  • cristeberga
    cristeberga Posts: 251 Member
    I need help with this, too. I ran a 6K on Sunday and the HRM registered 500 calories as opposed to 240 on MFP and 248 on my iPod Nano, so I was bummed out. I didn't know which one to trust, so I went with the average from both MFP and the HRM.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    Even a good HRM only makes educated guesses.
  • narrington77
    narrington77 Posts: 98 Member
    Right.. and this was my concern @ wellbert... it does have my height weight sex and calculates my pulse and activity, but the difference was almost shocking... i have a scosche myTrek... after so long just going with MFP or other generic activity calculators and low balling, seeing what could actually be a more accurate or higher calorie burn just freaks me out i guess.
  • Lina4Lina
    Lina4Lina Posts: 712 Member
    A HRM that takes your pulse is generally not recommended because they are more inaccurate than a chest strap HRM. They are both guesses but the guesses based on your pulse tend to be further off.
  • narrington77
    narrington77 Posts: 98 Member
    what's the difference? just so i understand.
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    what's the difference? just so i understand.

    To what? a HRM with a chest strap and one without? The only HRM worth buying (in my mind at least) is one with a chest strap so you get the most accurate number.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    the HRM is definitely more accurate than the MFP calculations.
  • narrington77
    narrington77 Posts: 98 Member
    i see. well thank you guys for the info.. much clearer now
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