Need help with calories burned...

shortie_sarah
shortie_sarah Posts: 177 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all! So I have a heart rate monitor to help measure my calories burned. Well I take the average heart rate it gives me and plug it into a calculator online to get my calories burned. I have been walking daily for about 1.8 miles and it takes me about 28-30 minutes. Well I've been getting the result of about 300 calories burned with an average heart rate of 158-160. I just feel like that's a lot of calories for only 30 minutes. I know I'm getting a good workout. I can feel it, but I just don't want to assume 300 when in reality it's a lot less. Please help.

*Note- my HRM is supposed to measure my calories burned for the duration of the exercise but I do not trust that at all. That tells me 550-600 calories burned so that's why I take my average heart rate and plug it into an online calculator.

Replies

  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    I plug my average heart rate into an online calculator too. For me, a 30 minute walk at a fairly brisk pace usually burns around 115 calories, with my heart rate usually between 110 and 120 bpm. Of course, you have to take into consideration that I'm short and have stumpy legs! But if your heart rate is really up near 150-160 for you whole 1/2 hour walk, you could be burning those higher calories. I usually underestimate my calories burned just to be 'safe'.
  • shortie_sarah
    shortie_sarah Posts: 177 Member
    I'm short too. I'm only 5 feet. I am taking a prescribed medication as well which I think raises my heart rate.. So that may be a contributing factor.
  • wnbrice
    wnbrice Posts: 244 Member
    I would find 2-3 different calculators for calories burned and see which ones are the closest to each other and/or average them out and use that number.

    Make sure that they ask for your height and gender at a minimum.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    I would find 2-3 different calculators for calories burned and see which ones are the closest to each other and/or average them out and use that number.

    Make sure that they ask for your height and gender at a minimum.


    All the calculators I've found on line always come out exactly the same. They all ask for age, weight, and gender. I've never seen one that asked for height, but it makes sense.
  • shortie_sarah
    shortie_sarah Posts: 177 Member
    Yeah, they are all the same. Age, height, weight, gender, avg heart rate, and duration of activity.
  • wnbrice
    wnbrice Posts: 244 Member
    Sorry, my HRM tells me my calories so I dont know about the online calculators.
  • David1406
    David1406 Posts: 63
    I tend to ignore 'exercise calories' anyway because, as you all say, it's difficult to know what's right and what's wrong...different methods seem to give very conflicting results. So I stick to my 1200 goal, and any 'exercise calories'..whatever they may be..are just a bonus.
  • healthyeating555
    healthyeating555 Posts: 115
    walk for about an hour a day which is 3 miles then hit the treadmill for another hour which will burn even more and dont worry about heart rate monitors and that other garbage and you will lose weight

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