HRM or MFP???

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Lindsay7360
Lindsay7360 Posts: 99
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey MFP!

Here's the deal. I just played an hour and 55 minutes of softball tonight. I wore my Heart Rate Monitor while doing so.

So, my HRM says I burned 1,378 calories in 115 minutes and MFP says I burned 926... so which am I supposed to "believe"?

I do think my HRM is off because 1378 seems WAAAAY high.

I'm 213, 5'5".

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

And also, there is NO WAY I can eat all of those exercise calories still tonight, it's 9:20pm my time... I don't HAVE to, right?

Replies

  • deckerp
    deckerp Posts: 4,365 Member
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    I think they're both estimates. You could record the average of the two. You don't need to eat your calories tonight, no. It shouldn't hurt anything to do that once in a while. It's when you make a habit of not eating your exercise that things can get out of whack.

    Hope you had fun.
  • Lucindaq
    Lucindaq Posts: 25
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    I would go with the lower amount of calories burned and I don't think you HAVE to eat all those calories. It will just help you lose more weight.
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
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    number one- you should never force yourself to eat when you aren't hungry. that is not a healthy eating habit at all.

    number two- i would actually go with the worn heart rate monitor because it knows how much you exerted yourself vs MFP which is just an average estimate.

    number three- maybe add a mid morning snack tomorrow, like a yogurt-banana smoothie, that will make up some of those calories that you worked off tonight?
  • Clew
    Clew Posts: 910 Member
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    I would go with the HRM too ... is it one with a strap? Those are pretty accurate as they follow your own body cues. The MFP database is an average, but generalized.

    As others said, you don't have to eat if you aren't hungry - but I bet you'll be extra hungry tomorrow :)

    Great workout, friend!
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Hey MFP!

    Here's the deal. I just played an hour and 55 minutes of softball tonight. I wore my Heart Rate Monitor while doing so.

    So, my HRM says I burned 1,378 calories in 115 minutes and MFP says I burned 926... so which am I supposed to "believe"?

    I do think my HRM is off because 1378 seems WAAAAY high.

    I'm 213, 5'5".

    Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

    And also, there is NO WAY I can eat all of those exercise calories still tonight, it's 9:20pm my time... I don't HAVE to, right?
    Maybe reset up your HRM and see if where you want it, it might be off on something and you can check it out so next time you can be sure it's accurate :) I think an HRM is far more accurate than a website would be BUT an HRM is still not going to be right on perfect but it should be pretty close. If you feel yours is WAY too high, you might just need to tweek it a bit to make sure the settings are correct like I shared. :) Good luck!
  • summerblunden
    summerblunden Posts: 184 Member
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    Here is the thing about HRM. They record the calories burned just from living as well, not from exercising. That is why I think it is dishonest to wear your HRM all day, and record those calories, because MFP has already estimated those calories. When I first got mine in the mail, I burned 22 calories in 5 minutes of sitting on the couch. I obviously don't get to log that. I also don't get to log walking around at work, going to the grocery store, etc etc. I COULD wear my HRM for all of that and know what cal I had burned, but it doesn't matter.
    So in that, softball is a primarily sedentary sport, except when you're actually making a play, or batting. You might want to wear your HRM while hanging around the house for 115 minutes and see what it says you burn. The difference is then what softball actually burned for you.
    I ONLY wear mine while exercising, not while warming up or cooling down. I figure that is the best way to get actual calories burned from exercise.
  • Lindsay7360
    Lindsay7360 Posts: 99
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    Thanks all, for your input! I do agree that once I can enter MyZone into my HRM, it will be more accurate, however, I JUST got it, so I'm just going on the "average" heart rate.

    This may be a dumb question, but I figure I might as well ask... what is an "average range" heart rate for a 25 year old female, 213 pounds...? My HRM says 117-135. I'm clueless though... anyone else know?

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