We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

HRM estimating calories burned too high? Help!!

shytrevoak
shytrevoak Posts: 95 Member
edited January 5 in Fitness and Exercise
I just got a sportline sx HRM watch and chest strap about a week ago. I love it, after I finally figured the thing out. But now I'm wondering if it is telling me that my calories burned are way too high. Here's my problem.

I have a higher heart rate than other people. I always have since I was little. It runs in my family (female side). I'm not extremely over weight, trying to lose about 20 lbs after pregnancy. I'm active. My normal HR ranges from 78-85. Used to be in 90s before I started exercising more in the last few months.

My HRM allows me to put in age, sex, height, weight. I feel it is accurately showing my HR, but when I exercise, it can range from 140-150 while fast pace walking, all the way up to 180-190 when biking and running. Now of course your going to tell me I'm crazy and that's not right since I'm at my MHR and should feel like I want to die. But I don't. I have a high heart rate as it is. I think it's saying that I have an 'average" heart rate and when it goes that high (which is probably only about 70% MHR for me, it's reading around 90). So my calorie burn is much higher.

Should I try getting a different one? One that will allow me to do a fit test?? I'm frustrated. I know I'm not burning so much. But it says I am. Any advice??

Replies

  • Andie122
    Andie122 Posts: 36 Member
    Hey!

    I had the same problem with my Timex HRM (I have a similar heart rate problem - very very high while exercising). It even allowed a fit test, which I did and entered my range, but it still had me burning WAY more calories than I could possibly have been burning. And at the time, I was just accepting the calorie burn because I wanted it to be right, and eating it back, which is why I slowed waaayyyyy down in loss for a while.

    Maybe what you can do is enter what it says that you burned in your diary but only eat back a portion of calories burned (like 50%). If you start losing weight too quickly, eat back a higher portion; if you start slowing down, eat a lower portion. What do you think?

    AB
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    You can't set your max HR with that monitor? My max HR is around 200 - 204, not the 183 the calculations tell me. My Polar FT7 allows me to change this value.
  • shytrevoak
    shytrevoak Posts: 95 Member
    I wish it did let me input my heart rates. But it doesn't. I think I'm just going to have to wait until I can afford an expensive one that does everything I need it to. This one doesn't. Sad :(

    And ya AB, I guess I could do it that way. I just hate not knowing what I'm burning. It's totally messing with my weight loss. Driving me nuts!!! lol Poo.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories