heart rate watch is saying more calories burned then mfp?

angel101netta
angel101netta Posts: 152 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
HI everyone i have a garmin fr 70 and its saying im burning 320 calories doing aerobics. On my fitness pal its telling me 50 calories lower.
The reason i wanted a heart rate watch is to track my calorires cause i have heard my fitness pal estimates too high, but im getting the oposite with my heart rate watch that track calories.
What would you suggest, going by my watch or my fitness pal? Thanks in advance :)

Replies

  • wtfdit74
    wtfdit74 Posts: 1
    Your Heart rate monitor is more accurate as it is actually working from your heart rate.
  • IndigoFlowers
    IndigoFlowers Posts: 221 Member
    I always just go by what my heart rate monitor tells me!
  • Lrdoflamancha
    Lrdoflamancha Posts: 1,280 Member
    If the Garmin has a chest strap go with the Garmin. If no chest strap, then go with which one is lower.
  • Ivyzmama
    Ivyzmama Posts: 108 Member
    Your heart rate monitor is telling you how many calories you burned during that time. MFP tells you how many extra calories you burned during the exercise, above what you would have burned just by being awake. Let's say that at your weight, you burn 80 calories an hour just by being alive. Let's say that your exercise made you burn an extra 400 calories an hour. MFP will tell you that you burned an extra 400 calories. Your heart rate monitor will tell you that you burned 480 calories because the heart rate monitor is including the calories you burn just by being alive.

    There are times when a heart rate monitor will be more accurate than MFP because you may exercise harder, or not as hard, as the average MFP calculation. But you would have to know your base calorie burn - what you burn simply by being alive - and subtract that before you put the total calories burned into MFP. In the end, I don't think people need to track that closely; the scale, how their clothes fit and their energy level will tell them how they are doing over time.
  • angel101netta
    angel101netta Posts: 152 Member
    thanks heaps guys for your help really aprreciate it. I wear a chest strap too :)
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
    Your heart rate monitor is telling you how many calories you burned during that time. MFP tells you how many extra calories you burned during the exercise, above what you would have burned just by being awake. Let's say that at your weight, you burn 80 calories an hour just by being alive. Let's say that your exercise made you burn an extra 400 calories an hour. MFP will tell you that you burned an extra 400 calories. Your heart rate monitor will tell you that you burned 480 calories because the heart rate monitor is including the calories you burn just by being alive.

    There are times when a heart rate monitor will be more accurate than MFP because you may exercise harder, or not as hard, as the average MFP calculation. But you would have to know your base calorie burn - what you burn simply by being alive - and subtract that before you put the total calories burned into MFP. In the end, I don't think people need to track that closely; the scale, how their clothes fit and their energy level will tell them how they are doing over time.


    This.
  • Arleigh7
    Arleigh7 Posts: 150 Member
    One Note..have you gone through the Setup on your Heart Rate Monitor? Meaning did you tell it your weight, age, sex, etc?

    It uses weight and sex to figure out the calories. So if it has you as a male that weighs allot more then you do it will over estimate your caloires.

    Yes it drives it off of your HR but weight and sex are a big part of the equation.

    Hope this helps.
  • PhoenixStrikes
    PhoenixStrikes Posts: 587 Member
    Your heart rate monitor is telling you how many calories you burned during that time. MFP tells you how many extra calories you burned during the exercise, above what you would have burned just by being awake. Let's say that at your weight, you burn 80 calories an hour just by being alive. Let's say that your exercise made you burn an extra 400 calories an hour. MFP will tell you that you burned an extra 400 calories. Your heart rate monitor will tell you that you burned 480 calories because the heart rate monitor is including the calories you burn just by being alive.

    There are times when a heart rate monitor will be more accurate than MFP because you may exercise harder, or not as hard, as the average MFP calculation. But you would have to know your base calorie burn - what you burn simply by being alive - and subtract that before you put the total calories burned into MFP. In the end, I don't think people need to track that closely; the scale, how their clothes fit and their energy level will tell them how they are doing over time.

    This!

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