So confused

Recently I purchased a HRM I have been concerned with how high my heart rate is so last night i wore it to bed to see what my average heart rate while sleeping is. It wasnt too unreasonable 78. However it says that i burned 1700 calories in 10 hours while sleeping (wasnt sleeping 10 hours but in bed). Now i only eat 1700 calories a day so that go me thinking. If while sleeping i burned everything i intaked during the day then all my waking hours should be my deficit. Now i am completely confused wether i should be eating more or what. If i am burning roughly 4000 calories a day doing nothing than how am i so overweight.
I do exercise and watch my diet now that i have started my new lifestyle (still working on the food) however for all the years i didnt if i was burning that high i would have been having to eats massive amounts of food to gain what i have. (which i didnt - i ate unhealhty but i was mostly a 1 meal kind of girl.
If anyone can kindly help out and clear out my confusion that would be great.
28 year old female. 5'5 roughly 260 pounds
I have lost 28 pounds since Feb however the majority of that was when i started at 1200 calories which i realized was unrealistic.

Thanks in advanced
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Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I stopped reading at "wore it to bed"

    HRMs are not meant to be used that way. Monitoring your average HR is fine, but calorie burns during non-steady state exercise will be wildly inaccurate.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    HRMs are not meant to be worn for long periods of time.
  • boarderstu
    boarderstu Posts: 31
    I stopped reading at "wore it to bed"
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    If you want something you can wear all the time to track your calorie burn, look into getting a fitbit. I have one and I love it. Plus it syncs with MFP so when you track exercise on here it'll add to your fitbit calories. Then you can learn how much you actually burn all day!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    To track calories burned over the course of time you should use something like a Fit Bit or Body Media device. They are designed to be worn all day and night and will give you reports of average calories burned per day, sleep patterns, etc. and mosts sync with MFP as well. I have a Body Media and it has been a huge help in understanding my calorie burn and needs.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    I'd say more than likely you need to eat more than 1200 calories is a day.

    Also you have a kinky wild side.... just saying.
  • meadowsmummy
    meadowsmummy Posts: 108
    As i stated its new i have been using it at different times just too see how my body reacts to different things.
    I figured by doing this i could figure out my BMR (it might not be the right way to do it) but obviously i need help figuring out how to best get results for me or else i wouldnt have tried this "experiment". I can use calculators online obviously like everyone else but if my heart rate is different then the average person my results would vary.

    If anyone can add something that may help me it would be great.

    Thanks,
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    A heart rate monitor is meant to do just that monitor your heart rate. It can sometimes, during steady state cardio activity, measure calories burned also, but that is not its intended purpose. Like someone said try a fitbit for an estmiate of calories burned throughout the day.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    Your heart rate is not the only reason you lose weight. It is figured by a very large complicated blend of factors. HRM are a good tool to estimate your burn while your HR is INCREASED significantly above your average resting rate. When your HR goes up significantly, then the HRM is assuming that you are working your muscles and other organs hard as well.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    As i stated its new i have been using it at different times just too see how my body reacts to different things.
    I figured by doing this i could figure out my BMR (it might not be the right way to do it) but obviously i need help figuring out how to best get results for me or else i wouldnt have tried this "experiment". I can use calculators online obviously like everyone else but if my heart rate is different then the average person my results would vary.

    If anyone can add something that may help me it would be great.

    Thanks,

    A HRM will not help you figure out your BMR unfortunately. Unfortunately, other than getting tested in a lab it's very hard to figure out your true BMR. That's why we have so many calculators to give estimations. Again, you can figure out your TDEE (BMR + the extra calories you burn with daily activities) by using a device like a fitbit. A HRM will not be accurate in figuring this out.

    I'd say for now just work with calculators, that's what most of us do. Then play around with your numbers as needed. It might take you a couple of months to figure out what works for you. I wish this was a more exact science, but sadly it isn't :ohwell:
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,654 Member
    As i stated its new i have been using it at different times just too see how my body reacts to different things.
    I figured by doing this i could figure out my BMR (it might not be the right way to do it) but obviously i need help figuring out how to best get results for me or else i wouldnt have tried this "experiment". I can use calculators online obviously like everyone else but if my heart rate is different then the average person my results would vary.

    If anyone can add something that may help me it would be great.

    Thanks,

    I have a very high resting HR as well, and unfortunately it does NOT result in a higher BMR.
    At your weight, you would do better to figure your BMR using the Katch-Mcardle calculator which takes your BF% into account.
    Here is a good link

    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    But even then, calculators only give you an average based on other people around your weight, height, age, BF%.
    Your actual BMR can be higher or lower. Only thru accurate logging and time tracking your progress, can you figure out what your TDEE is (maintenance level calories), which is really the only number you actually need to figure your deficit.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    As i stated its new i have been using it at different times just too see how my body reacts to different things.
    I figured by doing this i could figure out my BMR (it might not be the right way to do it) but obviously i need help figuring out how to best get results for me or else i wouldnt have tried this "experiment". I can use calculators online obviously like everyone else but if my heart rate is different then the average person my results would vary.

    If anyone can add something that may help me it would be great.

    Thanks,

    ok, what exactly do you want me to tell you? PM me the exact text, I'll post it here and we can all go on about our business.

    Add something helpful??? There's been plenty of helpful advice... most of which is the idea that HRMs aren't good for anything other than steady state cardio. If you want something for other purposes, look into something like a bodymedia or a fitbit.

    But that's all been said already, and apparently not what you want to hear...
  • meadowsmummy
    meadowsmummy Posts: 108
    Thank you all for your advice its not that i didnt not want to accept it..i did not realize that the HRM only accurately measures during active state. I was using it throughout the night as an experiment to see what my resting heartrate was just because while i was active i couldnt get an accurate reading i have a toddler and every time i tried resting to get a reading i would hear "mommy come here, mommy do this".
    Then someone suggested if i my calories were that high during rest there is something not adding up. As per my title i am confused
    So i just calculated my tdee-25% and it is 2158 .
    Maybe i need to increase my calories again.
  • Mefanie
    Mefanie Posts: 10 Member
    No need to be rude, sport. I think that if you can't say something in a nice manner, then you should keep your thoughts to yourself.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    No need to be rude, sport. I think that if you can't say something in a nice manner, then you should keep your thoughts to yourself.

    Nice is relative.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    No need to be rude, sport. I think that if you can't say something in a nice manner, then you should keep your thoughts to yourself.

    Why would one keep their thoughts to themselves when the original poster is continually asking the same question?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,318 Member
    Thank you all for your advice its not that i didnt not want to accept it..i did not realize that the HRM only accurately measures during active state. I was using it throughout the night as an experiment to see what my resting heartrate was just because while i was active i couldnt get an accurate reading i have a toddler and every time i tried resting to get a reading i would hear "mommy come here, mommy do this".
    Then someone suggested if i my calories were that high during rest there is something not adding up. As per my title i am confused
    So i just calculated my tdee-25% and it is 2158 .
    Maybe i need to increase my calories again.

    Let's uncomplicate this for you.

    You have about 80ish pounds to lose.

    You can have a very large deficit at that weight. (More than 25% off TDEE is fine at this point.) You bought a HRM, you may as well use it for your Exercise cals, not much use for it if you are using the TDEE minus 25%.

    Keep it Simple. Use the site here to calculate. Those TDEE minus a percentage calculators work a lot better when you are closer to Goal Weight. You are a bit outside the effective parameters right now due to your weight. Use MFP.

    Set your Goals here at "Lose two pounds a week" (for now - not forever).

    Set your Activity level to Lightly Active or the next step up - You have a child, you are NOT Sedentary.

    Just eat the amount this site gives you, add back in the Exercise calories only by using your HRM.

    Every time this site says, "Do you want to recalculate" (due to weight loss) Say, Yes. Your calories will be adjusted for you.

    WHEN you hit plateau of a month, then reevaluate. At that time, lower your Goal to "Lose one pound a week."

    Rinse and repeat.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,318 Member
    Your heart rate is high because of your weight. The most important thing right now is to get the weight off. Your heart rate will go down when it doesn't have to work so hard.
  • Mefanie
    Mefanie Posts: 10 Member
    Meadowsmummy, I think you should talk to your doctor about your concerns with your heartrate. And, utilize your community resources to get nutritional guidance. Even a one-time consultation with a nutritionist can help you evaluate where you are and how you are going to move forward to your goals. Or, I used one of the many free calulators mentioned in another post. Fitness magazine has some great ones on-line. They are not completely accurate as another member posted, but they are helpful for you to establish some sort of baseline. And, with regard to food, I know was gulilty of being a white liar when it came to the foods I was putting in my body. It has taken me years to finally admit that my idea of a healthy diet was not correct. Remember Atkins? At a quick glance, it made people believe that you could eat hamburgers and lose weight. A hamburger may have proetin in it, but also has a lot of fat and calories. And, what about those chicken wings- protein, but lots of fat. This year I had a few health scares that woke me up. With the help of my doctor and MFP, I have started to look at the value of the things I am putting into my body. And, everyone's needs are different. Hard core runners or weight lifters are going to need more calories than the average office desk jockey. Get personal guidance tailored to you by a professional to start instead of guessing or self-diagnosing. Best wishes!
  • meadowsmummy
    meadowsmummy Posts: 108

    Let's uncomplicate this for you.

    You have about 80ish pounds to lose.

    You can have a very large deficit at that weight. (More than 25% off TDEE is fine at this point.) You bought a HRM, you may as well use it for your Exercise cals, not much use for it if you are using the TDEE minus 25%.

    Keep it Simple. Use the site here to calculate. Those TDEE minus a percentage calculators work a lot better when you are closer to Goal Weight. You are a bit outside the effective parameters right now due to your weight. Use MFP.

    Set your Goals here at "Lose two pounds a week" (for now - not forever).

    Set your Activity level to Lightly Active or the next step up - You have a child, you are NOT Sedentary.

    Just eat the amount this site gives you, add back in the Exercise calories only by using your HRM.

    Every time this site says, "Do you want to recalculate" (due to weight loss) Say, Yes. Your calories will be adjusted for you.

    WHEN you hit plateau of a month, then reevaluate. At that time, lower your Goal to "Lose one pound a week."

    Rinse and repeat.


    Thank you!