Hear Rate Monitor??

Janelle173
Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am looking into buying a heart rate monitor. i can get a polar ft4 in silver or purple (eyeing the purple haha) and just wondering for any people out there who are not new to HRMs if they have used it, like it, anything i should know before purchasing it...

I am ignorant to such technology. But, am more into knowing how many calories i am burning lately...would like an accurate number.

can you wear it all day and it tell you how many calories you burned?

Replies

  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    bump-come on people, please help me out here! lol i am a noob!
  • lina011
    lina011 Posts: 427 Member
    i have a polar RS300X and yeh there alright, ( ive gone through 3 different ones already due to numerous problems this one so far has been great , i personally would not wear mine all day maybe a bodybugg or those other ones they talk about on here would be better for tracking all day calorie burn.
  • FitTchr
    FitTchr Posts: 15
    I am looking into buying a heart rate monitor. i can get a polar ft4 in silver or purple (eyeing the purple haha) and just wondering for any people out there who are not new to HRMs if they have used it, like it, anything i should know before purchasing it...

    I am ignorant to such technology. But, am more into knowing how many calories i am burning lately...would like an accurate number.

    can you wear it all day and it tell you how many calories you burned?

    I LOVE mine and it is the reason I lost my first 40 pounds 4 years ago! I have the Polar F4 and it has more than enough features for me...even when I'm training for a run. The added features are features I probably would never use...as my phone supplements most of it when I run (GPS, etc.). I also tried the Fitbit and the BodyBugg....not nearly as effective for me as the heartrate monitor. Good luck!
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    Thank you ladies! :) went ahead and ordered a purple one. :) found a good deal for one on amazon. and my boyfriend got it for me for my bday! :)
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    I am looking into buying a heart rate monitor. i can get a polar ft4 in silver or purple (eyeing the purple haha) and just wondering for any people out there who are not new to HRMs if they have used it, like it, anything i should know before purchasing it...

    I am ignorant to such technology. But, am more into knowing how many calories i am burning lately...would like an accurate number.

    can you wear it all day and it tell you how many calories you burned?

    I LOVE mine and it is the reason I lost my first 40 pounds 4 years ago! I have the Polar F4 and it has more than enough features for me...even when I'm training for a run. The added features are features I probably would never use...as my phone supplements most of it when I run (GPS, etc.). I also tried the Fitbit and the BodyBugg....not nearly as effective for me as the heartrate monitor. Good luck!

    How exactly did it help you lose the 40 lbs? Is it because it gave you a more accurate calorie burn from your work outs? or you were able to understand your target heart rate? did you wear yours all day?

    When I set up my profile on here and it asked me my lifestyle, like sedentary, slightly active, active, very active and so on, i wasn't sure what to pick, so i picked sedentary. but i do have an 8 month old, have an internship two days a week, and classes on a major campus two days a week...i don't personally know any people that are sedentary with an 8 month old. haha.

    Anyways, I upped mine to the next level up, i think...but i wonder if i should or shouldn't have...are you supposed to consider you work outs in there as well? and if you do, do you then not count your exercise for the day as added calories?

    and will a heart rate monitor affect all this? haha
  • hannahbushell1
    hannahbushell1 Posts: 4 Member
    I have the Polar FT4 and I am really confused if I should use the calories burned from the HRM or from here.. For example, I jogged 20 minutes today and my HRM said I burned 217 calories, but myfitnesspal said I burned 95... Then when I do an hour of Wii Fit, my HRM can say between 400-500 calories burned, but myfitnesspal says around 200 calories burned. What do I go by? The HRM seems to be very generous especially when I hear people saying myfitnesspal is generous with calories burned??
  • kadinlucas
    kadinlucas Posts: 77 Member
    I checked the entries for jogging under Exercise. 20minutes on the slowest jog rate, 5mph gave 200 calories. So I don't know how you are getting myfitnesspal to give you 95.
    Wii fit I have no idea.
  • hannahbushell1
    hannahbushell1 Posts: 4 Member
    Maybe you burn more as a male? I'm not overweight at all, just trying to lose the couple kilos I put on during study this year. I'm 59kg and 166cm, maybe that's why it's different? I enter jogging at 4mph as I'm pretty slow.
  • FitTchr
    FitTchr Posts: 15
    I am looking into buying a heart rate monitor. i can get a polar ft4 in silver or purple (eyeing the purple haha) and just wondering for any people out there who are not new to HRMs if they have used it, like it, anything i should know before purchasing it...

    I am ignorant to such technology. But, am more into knowing how many calories i am burning lately...would like an accurate number.

    can you wear it all day and it tell you how many calories you burned?

    I LOVE mine and it is the reason I lost my first 40 pounds 4 years ago! I have the Polar F4 and it has more than enough features for me...even when I'm training for a run. The added features are features I probably would never use...as my phone supplements most of it when I run (GPS, etc.). I also tried the Fitbit and the BodyBugg....not nearly as effective for me as the heartrate monitor. Good luck!

    How exactly did it help you lose the 40 lbs? Is it because it gave you a more accurate calorie burn from your work outs? or you were able to understand your target heart rate? did you wear yours all day?

    When I set up my profile on here and it asked me my lifestyle, like sedentary, slightly active, active, very active and so on, i wasn't sure what to pick, so i picked sedentary. but i do have an 8 month old, have an internship two days a week, and classes on a major campus two days a week...i don't personally know any people that are sedentary with an 8 month old. haha.

    Anyways, I upped mine to the next level up, i think...but i wonder if i should or shouldn't have...are you supposed to consider you work outs in there as well? and if you do, do you then not count your exercise for the day as added calories?

    and will a heart rate monitor affect all this? haha

    My children's pediatrician recommended it for me-- she wears hers all the time (and she's hot). Here's how it helped me:

    1. It did give me a more accurate estimation of my daily expenditure. I did wear it all day for the first couple of days to help me see what my typical expenditure was. It's not a perfect estimate-- but a lot closer than any of the other methods I have. I found that despite my large stature (5'11"), I don't burn as much as most of the online calculators said. After a few days of wearing it all day-- I was able to average what my typical day was. It also allowed me to gather my resting heart rate-- which I needed for my training for my runs. Note-- I also had to replace batteries after 6 months of use (not a big deal...but just FYI-- it was a whopping $2).
    2. For exercise, I used to think that if I wasn't panting, then I wasn't really working all that hard. It helped me learn that if I kept my heartrate in a range for fat burning...I would burn calories without dying. I started enjoying my walks/jogs because I wasn't light headed and near death when I was done.
    3. I could exercise until I met a specific calorie goal instead of a time goal...so if my goal was 500 calories, I could work out lighter for longer, or harder for shorter until I met that goal...it made my workouts more flexible in terms of the amount of energy I had. In fact, some evenings when I haven't had time to officially "work out"-- I wear it and hop and skip around while I do my typical night chores (dinner, backpacks, etc.) so that I keep my heart rate up. My kids thinks it hilarious of me to skip around the kitchen and house at night-- but we have fun with it and it's a way to get in some calorie burn within the limits of my busy life.
    4. It motivated me to see my resting heart rate improving. Means my heart was getting healthier...and being a single mom of 3-- that's what my weight loss journey was about-- getting healthier!
    5. Now it is helping me improve my running times...I am training for speed and use it to see what zone my heart rate is in while pushing myself.

    It has been an invaluable tool for me....and now I'm down 40-- have about 15 more to go before I am content! Good luck!
  • FitTchr
    FitTchr Posts: 15
    I have the Polar FT4 and I am really confused if I should use the calories burned from the HRM or from here.. For example, I jogged 20 minutes today and my HRM said I burned 217 calories, but myfitnesspal said I burned 95... Then when I do an hour of Wii Fit, my HRM can say between 400-500 calories burned, but myfitnesspal says around 200 calories burned. What do I go by? The HRM seems to be very generous especially when I hear people saying myfitnesspal is generous with calories burned??

    I'd go with the heart rate monitor because it is using the most specific information related to you, as opposed to a generalization for the average person. A larger person will typically burn way more calories at an activity than someone who is smaller (specifically because they have less weight to move around)...also, men do typically burn more calories for the same activity as women-- has to do with the difference in our bodies, which heart rate monitors try to account for when we program them. I've had great success using my heart rate monitor as a weight loss tool.
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,479 Member
    I have the Polar FT7 and love it!
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
    I love my FT4. I'm not into technology so I find most things tech related difficult. The FT4 is simple to set up, use and understand. It helps motivate me. Instead of working out for X amount of time, I can set a calorie goal and work out until I meet it :).

    Oh and no, you can't wear it all day for an accurate calories burned. In fact, it's not good at tracking calories burned during weight training. From what I understand it's best suited to track calories burned during cardio exercises.
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    I am looking into buying a heart rate monitor. i can get a polar ft4 in silver or purple (eyeing the purple haha) and just wondering for any people out there who are not new to HRMs if they have used it, like it, anything i should know before purchasing it...

    I am ignorant to such technology. But, am more into knowing how many calories i am burning lately...would like an accurate number.

    can you wear it all day and it tell you how many calories you burned?

    I LOVE mine and it is the reason I lost my first 40 pounds 4 years ago! I have the Polar F4 and it has more than enough features for me...even when I'm training for a run. The added features are features I probably would never use...as my phone supplements most of it when I run (GPS, etc.). I also tried the Fitbit and the BodyBugg....not nearly as effective for me as the heartrate monitor. Good luck!

    How exactly did it help you lose the 40 lbs? Is it because it gave you a more accurate calorie burn from your work outs? or you were able to understand your target heart rate? did you wear yours all day?

    When I set up my profile on here and it asked me my lifestyle, like sedentary, slightly active, active, very active and so on, i wasn't sure what to pick, so i picked sedentary. but i do have an 8 month old, have an internship two days a week, and classes on a major campus two days a week...i don't personally know any people that are sedentary with an 8 month old. haha.

    Anyways, I upped mine to the next level up, i think...but i wonder if i should or shouldn't have...are you supposed to consider you work outs in there as well? and if you do, do you then not count your exercise for the day as added calories?

    and will a heart rate monitor affect all this? haha

    My children's pediatrician recommended it for me-- she wears hers all the time (and she's hot). Here's how it helped me:

    1. It did give me a more accurate estimation of my daily expenditure. I did wear it all day for the first couple of days to help me see what my typical expenditure was. It's not a perfect estimate-- but a lot closer than any of the other methods I have. I found that despite my large stature (5'11"), I don't burn as much as most of the online calculators said. After a few days of wearing it all day-- I was able to average what my typical day was. It also allowed me to gather my resting heart rate-- which I needed for my training for my runs. Note-- I also had to replace batteries after 6 months of use (not a big deal...but just FYI-- it was a whopping $2).
    2. For exercise, I used to think that if I wasn't panting, then I wasn't really working all that hard. It helped me learn that if I kept my heartrate in a range for fat burning...I would burn calories without dying. I started enjoying my walks/jogs because I wasn't light headed and near death when I was done.
    3. I could exercise until I met a specific calorie goal instead of a time goal...so if my goal was 500 calories, I could work out lighter for longer, or harder for shorter until I met that goal...it made my workouts more flexible in terms of the amount of energy I had. In fact, some evenings when I haven't had time to officially "work out"-- I wear it and hop and skip around while I do my typical night chores (dinner, backpacks, etc.) so that I keep my heart rate up. My kids thinks it hilarious of me to skip around the kitchen and house at night-- but we have fun with it and it's a way to get in some calorie burn within the limits of my busy life.
    4. It motivated me to see my resting heart rate improving. Means my heart was getting healthier...and being a single mom of 3-- that's what my weight loss journey was about-- getting healthier!
    5. Now it is helping me improve my running times...I am training for speed and use it to see what zone my heart rate is in while pushing myself.

    It has been an invaluable tool for me....and now I'm down 40-- have about 15 more to go before I am content! Good luck!

    Thank you SO MUCH for this information!!! That is so helpful and I can not wait to get it in the mail!! :)
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    Thank you Natalie for your take on things as well! :)
  • FightingFox
    FightingFox Posts: 44
    I have the Polar FT4 and I am really confused if I should use the calories burned from the HRM or from here.. For example, I jogged 20 minutes today and my HRM said I burned 217 calories, but myfitnesspal said I burned 95... Then when I do an hour of Wii Fit, my HRM can say between 400-500 calories burned, but myfitnesspal says around 200 calories burned. What do I go by? The HRM seems to be very generous especially when I hear people saying myfitnesspal is generous with calories burned??
  • FightingFox
    FightingFox Posts: 44
    oops not sure how to use the quote feature! I am a fitness instructor, have students that use heart rate monitors, and I myself use one (though mine is older and doesn't have a calorie count feature). I know with the nice ones you can input your information, age, weight, activity level, etc. but sometimes when people come to me beaming and show me their monitor that says they burned anywhere from 900-1200 calories in a fitness class like Spinning or RIPPED (which I teach) I smile, congratulate and encourage them, but inside I am wondering if that could be right. I got to lots of trainings and they never claim that people will burn these huge #s of calories, usually the numbers the companies who create these programs claim 450-600 as the max burn for the class. heck had a guy (average size, build) who showed me his monitor after an hour long RIPPED class and it said 1936 calories!!! Things like this make me skeptical of the HR monitors.
  • Sandi2524
    Sandi2524 Posts: 6 Member
    I am looking into buying a heart rate monitor. i can get a polar ft4 in silver or purple (eyeing the purple haha) and just wondering for any people out there who are not new to HRMs if they have used it, like it, anything i should know before purchasing it...

    I am ignorant to such technology. But, am more into knowing how many calories i am burning lately...would like an accurate number.

    can you wear it all day and it tell you how many calories you burned? I have a HRM from Reebok, it also has a chest strap to accurately count . it works great.
  • phock
    phock Posts: 16 Member
    Hey Janelle,

    I have had a few Polars, a Garmin and now I also have a Body Media Link (see a post of mine comparing the link)

    there are a few things to consider:

    Are you using the chest strap while on an elliptical or treadmill? This equipment is mostly polar capable.

    If not, consider a bluetooth chest strap and link it with your cellphone. It makes for a quite affordable gps enabled HRM le using endomondo.

    Generally speaking, Polar is the way to go. If you are looking to use your HRM for caloric expendature, Make sure the unit can be adjusted for your body type, and various other metrics - my Polar uses a computed VO2 max. My garmin uses a series of activity levels. Body Media Link seems to build a personal data base and adjusts to me.

    Generally speaking: The garmin seems to be the most accuarte right now, as it aligns with some VO2 max testing and Lactate Threshold testing I have had done locally. My first Polar was garbage as far as calorie count. I had numbers in the 1000's for an hour workout. The garmin registered 500-ish for the same spinning class. The FT40 I have is closer - will read close to 550 when the garmin reads close to 500, and the Body Media Link now reads close to the polar (started out way higher).
  • FightingFox
    FightingFox Posts: 44
    Thanks, phock, I was always suspect of an hour long workout being in the thousands. Another gal came to me sooo proud of her 1111 calorie burn in a 1 hour Spinning class. Dude, I am an instructor, I not only do the workout but yell all the way through (reqiring even more O2 & effort = high HR) and I don't even come close to putting up those numbers. i have a Bodyfit HRM, I probably wouldn't have chose it for myself, I would have got a polar that is compatible with the equipment in our gym, but the HRM was a gift.
  • tbtravels
    tbtravels Posts: 43 Member
    I am looking into buying a heart rate monitor. i can get a polar ft4 in silver or purple (eyeing the purple haha) and just wondering for any people out there who are not new to HRMs if they have used it, like it, anything i should know before purchasing it...

    I am ignorant to such technology. But, am more into knowing how many calories i am burning lately...would like an accurate number.

    can you wear it all day and it tell you how many calories you burned?


    This is awesome. I love my HRM and it's definitely helped me become a better runner. I love the ideas here!!

    I LOVE mine and it is the reason I lost my first 40 pounds 4 years ago! I have the Polar F4 and it has more than enough features for me...even when I'm training for a run. The added features are features I probably would never use...as my phone supplements most of it when I run (GPS, etc.). I also tried the Fitbit and the BodyBugg....not nearly as effective for me as the heartrate monitor. Good luck!

    How exactly did it help you lose the 40 lbs? Is it because it gave you a more accurate calorie burn from your work outs? or you were able to understand your target heart rate? did you wear yours all day?

    When I set up my profile on here and it asked me my lifestyle, like sedentary, slightly active, active, very active and so on, i wasn't sure what to pick, so i picked sedentary. but i do have an 8 month old, have an internship two days a week, and classes on a major campus two days a week...i don't personally know any people that are sedentary with an 8 month old. haha.

    Anyways, I upped mine to the next level up, i think...but i wonder if i should or shouldn't have...are you supposed to consider you work outs in there as well? and if you do, do you then not count your exercise for the day as added calories?

    and will a heart rate monitor affect all this? haha

    My children's pediatrician recommended it for me-- she wears hers all the time (and she's hot). Here's how it helped me:

    1. It did give me a more accurate estimation of my daily expenditure. I did wear it all day for the first couple of days to help me see what my typical expenditure was. It's not a perfect estimate-- but a lot closer than any of the other methods I have. I found that despite my large stature (5'11"), I don't burn as much as most of the online calculators said. After a few days of wearing it all day-- I was able to average what my typical day was. It also allowed me to gather my resting heart rate-- which I needed for my training for my runs. Note-- I also had to replace batteries after 6 months of use (not a big deal...but just FYI-- it was a whopping $2).
    2. For exercise, I used to think that if I wasn't panting, then I wasn't really working all that hard. It helped me learn that if I kept my heartrate in a range for fat burning...I would burn calories without dying. I started enjoying my walks/jogs because I wasn't light headed and near death when I was done.
    3. I could exercise until I met a specific calorie goal instead of a time goal...so if my goal was 500 calories, I could work out lighter for longer, or harder for shorter until I met that goal...it made my workouts more flexible in terms of the amount of energy I had. In fact, some evenings when I haven't had time to officially "work out"-- I wear it and hop and skip around while I do my typical night chores (dinner, backpacks, etc.) so that I keep my heart rate up. My kids thinks it hilarious of me to skip around the kitchen and house at night-- but we have fun with it and it's a way to get in some calorie burn within the limits of my busy life.
    4. It motivated me to see my resting heart rate improving. Means my heart was getting healthier...and being a single mom of 3-- that's what my weight loss journey was about-- getting healthier!
    5. Now it is helping me improve my running times...I am training for speed and use it to see what zone my heart rate is in while pushing myself.

    It has been an invaluable tool for me....and now I'm down 40-- have about 15 more to go before I am content! Good luck!

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