BodyMediaFit vs. HRM

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beckywilkeherbst
beckywilkeherbst Posts: 140 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Thoughts ... BodyMedia says on the half hour walk I took with my kids tonight I burned 141 calories. My sportline HRM said 75...It was a light walk with burst of energy when I chased the baby or gave him a piggyback. What do I go by?

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  • jennyrowell
    jennyrowell Posts: 24 Member
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    Does your HRM have a chest strap?
  • beckywilkeherbst
    beckywilkeherbst Posts: 140 Member
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    yes it does.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    I always go off my bodymedia fit

    But it always gives me a much lower reading than my HRM
  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
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    I go by my Body Media, and it tends to give me a lower reading than my HRM.
  • arcticfox04
    arcticfox04 Posts: 1,011 Member
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    Normally I go by HRM but I use Endomondo to calculate the calories.
  • chicadejmu
    chicadejmu Posts: 171 Member
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    I'd bet bodymedia. That doesn't sound like enough calories burned based on the amount of time.
  • ChrisGoldn
    ChrisGoldn Posts: 473 Member
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    I'd go with the BodyMediaFit... Your HRM may not be calibrated correctly.
  • Kristie18
    Kristie18 Posts: 332 Member
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    I probably would go with bodymedia. That way even if it is low, you will be safe. Mine seems to give me about the same as my HRM did before it died.
  • this1bigdog
    this1bigdog Posts: 350 Member
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    seems low..but I would use the HRM if ya have to the right info in it..and you didn't have any Zero HB moments from lack of moisture on the chest strap!...hard to tell

    better to be under than over...
    bad = eat back calories you didn't burn
    Good = not eat the calories you did burn
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Probably somewhere in between. But also, HRMs aren't really made to properly calculate caloric burn for activities when your heart rate is below about 125-130. When I'm just walking, my heart rate barely breaks 100. If I'm walking, say, 4mph, which is faster than what I'd consider a "brisk" walk, I'll get up around 115.

    So it's probable that your HRM didn't calculate 100% correctly, but also possible that extra arm swinging, wearing the BMF lower than usual, or warm weather made the BMF number jump higher than it should be, since that seems pretty high for just a walk.

    Personally, I take a half an hour walk each day at work and it's not something I record, it's just a way for me to get out of the office and refocus for a bit. I only record dedicated exercise that I'm doing specifically as a workout with an elevated heart rate.
  • beckywilkeherbst
    beckywilkeherbst Posts: 140 Member
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    Thanks all. I didn't do it to record it. I did it because i just got the BMF and wanted to see how close the two were in their estimated calorie burn. Obviously they were quite different.
    I can say that on my walk I was picking up by 45 pound 3 year old and swinging him. At one point I was carrying him for a few minutes. For a few minutes I was giving him a piggy back ride and another few minutes I had him on my shoulders. I was trying to make the most out of a slow walk.
    SO what I gather here is that some say go off the HRM and some say go off the BMF. :-) You guys/girl don't help a girl...lol...I would like to go off the suggestion of the lowest one but I really just want the MOST ACCURATE one.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    Based on your last comment of swinging around and the picking up and putting down of your son that you may have skewed the BMF results with that. Since the BMF uses movements recorded from the accelerometer the excess arm movements can up the calories burned. I get that sometimes when the hubby and I are swinging my niece around when we have playdates with her.
  • beckywilkeherbst
    beckywilkeherbst Posts: 140 Member
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    wow, didnt realize that it could be skewed that badly. i mean what really is the point if I cant live a normal life doing normal things, right? what's that say if i do the dishes or fold laundry or anything else. further, how does the step coutner work then if arm movements trigger it, by sitting here typing or doing stationary activities using my arms (like laundry) wouldnt that count a step? ugh! disgusted!
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I've never had it count standing or sitting around as steps taken. And I don't get any weird or unusual spikes when I do laundry, the dishes, or other household chores. But swinging my arms around while holding a small child is a much larger gesture than when I'm doing laundry or the dishes. I don't tend to twirl my clothes in the air or juggle my dishes or anything like that. ;)

    A good note is also to check how you're wearing it on your arm. If you think of the idea of a record, where the outside is spinning much faster than the inside due to it having to make a larger revolution that the center (same reason the inside of a carousel feels slower than the outside) then look at your arm and the BMF. The lower down on your arm it is the more likely it is to pick up movements due to the natural movement of your arms. You hand/wrist moves in larger arcs than your upper arm throughout the day. So the lower the BMF, the higher your calorie burn is going to be. So make sure you keep it nice and high on your arm to always ensure the most accurate readings.

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