heart rate monitor???

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bluiz13
bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
okay i read the great blog by a member and i have searched the board messages to get member's opinions on the body bug and the HR monitor and what kind etc....

anyway, i need opinions not facts LOL...
if i'm eating my calories as per MFP and i'm exercising and logging the calories based on MFP and my runkeeper program and what i find on the internet for "averages" and am losing weight - do i need to spend the money on a HR monitor and/or the body bug???? do i really NEED to know what i burn sitting at my office typing? walking to the bathroom??? making a salad? carrying my daughter up to bed???

i love the idea of a machine telling me exactly how much i NEED to burn to have the deficit (as i understand it from biggest loser show), but do i really NEED it or the HR monitor for that matter if im moving my *kitten* regardless at least 5 times a week anyway.....

just need opinions - for you guys to tell me what to do lol - not facts anymore :)

Replies

  • Precious_Nissa
    Precious_Nissa Posts: 416
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    I dont worry with heart monitors because I feel as long as i'm being honest about my foods and calories and working off, then it'll shed off as i work it off....
  • stacy_rihel
    stacy_rihel Posts: 47
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    Good points! I say if your losing and your confident in what your doing, don't spend the extra money. Use it for something fun :happy:
  • MisdemeanorM
    MisdemeanorM Posts: 3,493 Member
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    Need... no. Probably not, but it is a very helpful tool. I finally 2 Christmases ago asked for a Polar and got one (I got it for $75 too because I got it wholesale from one of the gym staff who is a dealer - so ask around). I LOVE it. I use it all the time. For the machines my HRM says about 1/2 to 1/3 the cals the machine was telling me I burned, and for classes I now pretty much can estimate what I burned, but only because I have trained myself to know / recognize my levels by my HRM for the past year, but my #s do not really match the site averages.

    One thing that was surprising to me though was that I did have a higher base rate than I though I did - by about 500 calories. So wearing it for a couple days to figure that out was very useful. Plus, I like to wear it for things like working in the garden, walking the dogs, etc - I'm all about immediate result stats / numbers etc. :)
  • lucifa73
    lucifa73 Posts: 110
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    I think it depends what kind of person you are. If tracking facts and figures motivates you more then it might help keep the focus. In which case go for it (perhaps ask for one or money towards one for a birthday or other gift?)

    If you're not likely to take much notice of it day in day out and its just a case of 'they've got one so I want one' save the money towards a treat for a milestone cos you're obviously doing great without it!
  • tcac
    tcac Posts: 211 Member
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    I am going to invest in a HRM becuse I follow MFP calories guidlines, exercise, drink my water and I am going to set a record for the slowest weight loss ever. I want it just to see what am I doing wrong. It has to be in estimating calories burned. That is just my opion but feeling kinda desperate about scale not moving at all.
  • ktmunchie
    ktmunchie Posts: 35
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    Mine helps motivate me. I love seeing how many calories I burned in each workout!! It makes me keep going, and work harder to burn more calories. :)
  • tammytoeller1
    tammytoeller1 Posts: 12
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    I recently got the gowearfit which is the bodybugg just called a different name for non 24 hour members. I got it as I hit a plaeutu and couldn't get over it went from 175 to 150 and just kept struggling with the last 15 I need to lose (just FYI I go to the gym 6 days a week and never go over my calories, I found out with the gowear I wasn't nearly eating enough caories for what I am burning). I am finally starting to lose the last bit with the help of the gowear I can see what I am burning and gadge what I am eating better. So I would say until you hit a roadblock you can't get over keep doing what you are doing since it is working =)
  • melbhall
    melbhall Posts: 519
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    I would say (as others have said) if you are getting great results without one you may not need one. My weight loss is very slow moving so I bought a heart rate monitor. I learned that MFP overestimated my calories burned by almost 100 on some activites. For me, it's motivation to keep working out when I see what I actually burn, but I do not wear it during everyday activies. Just do whatever you feel is necessary. If you're okay without having one, don't spend the money!
  • melbhall
    melbhall Posts: 519
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    I am going to invest in a HRM becuse I follow MFP calories guidlines, exercise, drink my water and I am going to set a record for the slowest weight loss ever. I want it just to see what am I doing wrong. It has to be in estimating calories burned. That is just my opion but feeling kinda desperate about scale not moving at all.

    I get the award for slowest progress too! I bought a HRM and discovered MFP did overestimate my burn, so I'm very glad I bought it! Hope it helps you too!
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I'm all about numbers, I think it's one of the reason that calorie counting has worked so well for me. I like to know EXACTLY what I'm burning so I can plan EXACTLY how much to eat, and so on. It helps me keep things straight in my head (I'm an engineer, so I think in numbers and math) and I've had much success with my HRM. I was overestimating on some activities and underestimating on others, so it was nice to get an accurate reading. It's up to you to decide if it would be a useful tool, for me it has been.
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    Mine helps motivate me. I love seeing how many calories I burned in each workout!! It makes me keep going, and work harder to burn more calories. :)

    It's the exact same with me!! It's kind of fun. I can't wait to see the calories burned and fat percentage and all that.


    Anyways.... You're not really supposed to wear your heart monitor while making salads and sitting at your desk, etc. They're designed for exercise, not daily activity. Even though I don't eat back my exercise calories, it's probably useful to a lot of other MFP users who really do need to know how much they burned. MFP overestimates my calories.
  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
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    when i was saying sitting at my desk or making a salad lol i was referring to the body bug which i understood that you were to wear all the time (ie: biggest loser contestants) not the heart rate monitor, which i understand you only wear will exercising or doing active activity :)
  • inguvap
    inguvap Posts: 85 Member
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    bluiz13, at one point, you will hit the plateau and then you can take the extra steps to boost the weight loss. If I were you, as long as you are losing on a weekly basis, do not change your routine. I bought a heart rate monitor a couple of years ago and used it eagerly for all of five days. Once I had an idea of my heart rate with different activities, I thought that wearing it is not needed. I still use it every month or two far a day or so and I always keep it in my gym bag just in case but IMHO, I can live without it.
    padma.
  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
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    thanks everyone for the suggestions and opinions....i honestly think right now i'm doing okay without it...i guess we'll see how i do when i get closer to my birthday in october...then maybe i'll ask for it to kick the a*s out of my last "few" pounds :)
    cause i'm getting this sh** done by the end of this year lol...no more waiting....

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