Calories burned throughout the day

Schann7
Schann7 Posts: 218
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello :)

I am currently awaiting the arrival of my first HRM. I purchased it online last night (Friday night) so now I have to wait all weekend just for the thing to be posted (hate that!). Anyway...

I was wondering if I wore it for 1 day, from when I woke up until when I went to bed, just going about my day without any incidental exercise, what amount of calories would I eat according to the number the HRM shows I have burned? As in, 500 less than what it shows?

Or, do you think it is better to just use an online calculator to figure out what I should be eating and then eat back what I have burned through working out?

The reason I ask is because I did try eating at TDEE - 20% for a few weeks, and I didn't see any losses, but slowly gained a bit, so I am trying to figure out the right amount for me to be eating.

I'm just trying to get my head around all of this, so I apologise if this is a silly question!

Thanks to anyone who has any advice for me :)

Replies

  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Bump :)
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    HRM's are really only meant for steady state cardio.

    Some things you might want to read:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1044313-this-is-why-hrms-have-limited-use-for-tracking-calories
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Thanks :) The one I purchased online said "all day long calorie counter" in the functions, so now I am wondering if it will be any good!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    It will count calories all day but they'll be wrong. If you wear it "just around" it will give you hugely exaggerated numbers if it's a true HRM. The algorithms just aren't set up for normal activity.
  • jenncaroon
    jenncaroon Posts: 91
    I feel a little silly admitting this but since you brought up this use of the hrm I will tell you I wore mine to bed for 2 nights this week out of curiosity. I know, get a life! It read 2000 calories and 1950 calories for about 10 hrs of sleep. Interestingly, the second night my high heart rate was 240...no lie! my average both nights was around 42. I don't believe I burned that many cals sleeping. This morning I burned 726 cals. running at a 10min per mile pace for 63 mins. My hrm is a New Balance with a chest strap no VO2 function so I don't know how accurate it is but it gives me something to work with and it is consistent.
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Wow, that's a lot of calories for one night!

    So, I should only trust the calories it estimates burned when I am doing cardio?
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    I got burns n my heart rate monitor very consistent with online calculators, including MFP, for running, walking, and elliptical. I`ve never seen an all day function on a HRM. So I got a body media fit activity tracker. I`m still trying to decide if it is accurate! I think all these things are somewhat of an estimate. But they are tools that can help us be more exact.
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    If you want to figure out what you burn on a daily basis, I would recommend a Fitbit or something similar. I only use my HRM (as recommended) for cardio workouts. I've had my Fitbit for a few months and the calorie burns for my cardio seem to now be consistent on both devices but the Fitbit has not let me down when it comes to my overall progress and achieving my goals.
  • Schann7
    Schann7 Posts: 218
    Oh ok :) Thank you!

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