Stupid heart rate monitor!!
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dimplz1965
Posts: 105 Member
I have a Polar FT7. I've had it for many years and used it on and off, but more recently I have been using it consistently, that is when it works! I've changed the batteries, I've washed and line-dried the strap, I rince it out every time I use it. I have it tight against my chest and I've soaked the parts we are supposed to soak before I work out. It still will not grab my heart rate and I have to fiddle around with it forever before I can start to work, and then sometimes it tells me my HR is 210. I know that's NOT right! I'm ready to ditch this stupid thing. I want something better, but what's better? I've been looking at the BodyMedia Fit and the Jawbone UP24 (I think one company bought out the other). Anybody have something that they LOVE and wouldn't have been able to lose weight without out? I'm a tech person, don't have an Iphone (yet), but have a Motorola Atrix, but I think that doesn't work wireless with some things. Thanks for any info anybody can give me!
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If you've used a HRM consistently, then you should have a pretty good perception of exertion. If you know you want to be at 80% of HRM, do you remember how that felt? Get to that perceived exertion and you're going to be very, very close to your goal.0
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HRMs aren't super useful anyway if you're trying to get calorie burn out of them. The Bodymedia Fit has that big stupid strap you have to wear on your arm all the time, and it doesn't measure heart rate anyway.
I strongly recommend the Fitbit One. It has proven extremely accurate for me over the long term and it's very unobtrusive.0 -
HRMs aren't super useful anyway if you're trying to get calorie burn out of them. The Bodymedia Fit has that big stupid strap you have to wear on your arm all the time, and it doesn't measure heart rate anyway.
I strongly recommend the Fitbit One. It has proven extremely accurate for me over the long term and it's very unobtrusive.
This. I got a Fitbit Flex in my stocking for Christmas. I haven't looked at my HRM since.0 -
What a silly statement. For steady state cardio they are very useful and pretty accurate as these things go. They are a tool like everything else used correctly and for the activities can be indispensable. Fitbits and the like are great tools for monitoring your daily activity but not everybody wants or needs to do that. Just as HRMs are not accurate for weights Fitbits and the like can be temperamental on certain activities. Cycling is one that always comes upHRMs aren't super useful anyway if you're trying to get calorie burn out of them.
As for the OPs problem. You say it's a many years old? It could just be at the end of it's useful life.0 -
What a silly statement. For steady state cardio they are very useful and pretty accurate as these things go. There a tool like everything else used correctly and for the activities can be indispensable. Fitbits and the like are great tools for monitoring your daily activity but not everybody wants or needs to do that. Just as HRMs are not accurate for weights Fitbits and the like can be temperamental on certain activities. Cycling is one that always comes upHRMs aren't super useful anyway if you're trying to get calorie burn out of them.
As for the OPs problem. You say it's a many years old? It could just be at the end of it's useful life.
While I agree with your steady state cardio comment- I don't agree with your "indispensable" comment.
I've been working out/competing/doing whatever for YEARS without one. They are simply NOT a requirement. learn to take your own pulse- feel your body and you don't have rely on toys to do it for you. I know what my perceived rate of exertion is- I don't need a machine to tell me that.
yes they are helpful- but no they are not needed.0 -
HRMs aren't super useful anyway if you're trying to get calorie burn out of them. The Bodymedia Fit has that big stupid strap you have to wear on your arm all the time, and it doesn't measure heart rate anyway.
I strongly recommend the Fitbit One. It has proven extremely accurate for me over the long term and it's very unobtrusive.
Why do you say they're not useful to get a calorie burn out of them?0 -
For what do you use your HRM? If you are athlete looking to perform in certain heart rate ranges, then an HRM is useful (but not indispensable - there are other methods), and I'd replace it.
If you are just a dieter figuring out your TDEE, then HRMs are awkward at best and useless at worst. They are simply not designed for calculating calorie burns. That's just a marketing ploy for the manufacturers to penetrate the mainstream market. There is not a linear relationship between heart rate and calorie burn.
If you are just looking to tailor your dietary intake to your daily burn, I'll second the above recommendations for the Fitbit. It's easier to use, less obtrusive, and useful for more than just steady-state cardio.0 -
I used my FT4 for a year straight pretty much every day at least once a day, with rinsing after each use and washing twice a week. After the first year, I noticed it was not working properly. I first tried a new battery in the watch; that didn't work. I ended up buying a new strap (around $20-$30) off of Amazon and wah-lah, it started working fine again. I got that advice from the message boards here on MFP, by the way. I've also been using a FitBit One for a year, which I love but it's an addiction. I lost mine a few weeks ago and within two days I had to go buy another because I was too hyper without it- I "needed" to know how many steps I take a day. Anyway, I would try a new strap before giving up on your Polar HRM. Even though I'm addicted to the FitBit, I had greater weight loss success with only deducting HRM calories burned.0
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I used my FT4 for a year straight pretty much every day at least once a day, with rinsing after each use and washing twice a week. After the first year, I noticed it was not working properly. I first tried a new battery in the watch; that didn't work. I ended up buying a new strap (around $20-$30) off of Amazon and wah-lah, it started working fine again. I got that advice from the message boards here on MFP, by the way. I've also been using a FitBit One for a year, which I love but it's an addiction. I lost mine a few weeks ago and within two days I had to go buy another because I was too hyper without it- I "needed" to know how many steps I take a day. Anyway, I would try a new strap before giving up on your Polar HRM. Even though I'm addicted to the FitBit, I had greater weight loss success with only deducting HRM calories burned.
Don't buy a new Fitbit if you lose it! Contact customer service and they'll send you a new one. They are awesome.0 -
HRMs aren't super useful anyway if you're trying to get calorie burn out of them. The Bodymedia Fit has that big stupid strap you have to wear on your arm all the time, and it doesn't measure heart rate anyway.
I strongly recommend the Fitbit One. It has proven extremely accurate for me over the long term and it's very unobtrusive.
Why do you say they're not useful to get a calorie burn out of them?
Doug pretty much answered it, but let me explain a little more.
There exists a linear relationship between heart rate and calorie burn BUT with two major caveats:
1) It exists ONLY during steady-state cardio (think road cycling, running, etc). The relationship between heart rate and calorie burn breaks down completely if you're doing anything interval-based, strength-based, etc.
2) The relationship between them hinges on a variable that most people don't know and changes over time (VO2max). There IS a linear relationship between oxygen consumption and calorie burn. The HRMs try to estimate oxygen consumption, and therefore calorie burn, by using heart rate as a proxy. The problem is that you don't know your VO2max unless you get it tested wearing a mask that measure CO2 production. The other problem is that your body gets better at delivering oxygen over time, so your heart has to pump less to deliver the same oxygen to support the same calorie burn. So you get the phenomenon where your HRM will tell you in March that you burned 20% fewer calories on an identical bike ride to one you rode in January even though you burned the same number of calories. Your VO2max simply dropped.0 -
I got rid of my FitBit Ultra because is wasn't very good at tracking my calorie burn (I lift). I've had SEVERAL drawn out issues w/ Polar items - FT7, F4, Bluetooth+. BUT.... I now have a Polar Loop & H7. Loop is like Flex/Force/UP but SYNCs to the H7 HRM to track that. Only issue I have w/ the Loop - NO ANDROID app yet. Supposedly coming around March, so we'll see
I also use a BodyMedia Link - yes it's big, yes you wear on your arm, but it works pretty well (I did have an issue w/ mine and after talking w/ BM they replaced the unit - new one works great!).
Epson has one coming that looks interesting, but it all comes down to WHAT are you looking for, what other pieces of equipment do you want it to play with (iPhone/Android/PC/MAC) and how much do you want to cough up on the item.
AND... also take into consideration how YOU treat your stuff - I'm hard on electronic, rings, watches, etc. I break them, lose them, etc. The FitBit Ultra nearly got washed several times, lost twice and you had to "sync" it w/ the base to get the info online. Yes the newer versions they offer are wireless / Bluetooth and sync w/ phones. But not everything does - like my Loop - no APP for Android (yet).
Another thing - some pieces require a MONTHLY service, IE: Bodymedia requires a year/2-yr PAID plan in addition to the band. So plan on that.0 -
HRMs aren't super useful anyway if you're trying to get calorie burn out of them. The Bodymedia Fit has that big stupid strap you have to wear on your arm all the time, and it doesn't measure heart rate anyway.
I strongly recommend the Fitbit One. It has proven extremely accurate for me over the long term and it's very unobtrusive.
Why do you say they're not useful to get a calorie burn out of them?
Doug pretty much answered it, but let me explain a little more.
There exists a linear relationship between heart rate and calorie burn BUT with two major caveats:
1) It exists ONLY during steady-state cardio (think road cycling, running, etc). The relationship between heart rate and calorie burn breaks down completely if you're doing anything interval-based, strength-based, etc.
2) The relationship between them hinges on a variable that most people don't know and changes over time (VO2max). There IS a linear relationship between oxygen consumption and calorie burn. The HRMs try to estimate oxygen consumption, and therefore calorie burn, by using heart rate as a proxy. The problem is that you don't know your VO2max unless you get it tested wearing a mask that measure CO2 production. The other problem is that your body gets better at delivering oxygen over time, so your heart has to pump less to deliver the same oxygen to support the same calorie burn. So you get the phenomenon where your HRM will tell you in March that you burned 20% fewer calories on an identical bike ride to one you rode in January even though you burned the same number of calories. Your VO2max simply dropped.
Ahh, thanks for the explanation!0 -
The contacts between the strap and the transmitter (the little metal clips) could be corroding. Sweat has a lot of salt in it, and what will oxidize the metal. Take some vinegar and scrub them down. Rinse it well after and that could help get it working again.
For what it's worth: I have a Polar HRM that I've been using multiple times every week for over 7 years, I've never put it in the wash. It does occasionally act up, but it's frequently because i didn't soak the strap enough, the batteries are running low, or the contacts are corroding. Every time it goes wonky, I always manage to get it going again without issue.
I also have no idea how a fitbit can be accurate when doing something like cycling.0 -
Some of us are just techies that like these kind of things, so I get where you are coming from. I had similar problems with my old strap after a couple of years of use. I never did figure it out and couldn't be bothered to get tech support from Polar. I do wash mine daily before putting it on, so maybe it was corroded as chivalry suggests. I ended up upgrading to a bluetooth strap so I can sync with my ipod and now the loop too.
The best I could figure out with the fitbit and loop type devices is they are tracking your wrist movement. Using your wrist movement and your personal stats it estimates your calories with some math. I can't imagine they are incredibly accurate, but I find it useful to have the estimate of my average daily activity. I do not use it to change my daily eating habits.0 -
Some of us are just techies that like these kind of things, so I get where you are coming from. I had similar problems with my old strap after a couple of years of use. I never did figure it out and couldn't be bothered to get tech support from Polar. I do wash mine daily before putting it on, so maybe it was corroded as chivalry suggests. I ended up upgrading to a bluetooth strap so I can sync with my ipod and now the loop too.
The best I could figure out with the fitbit and loop type devices is they are tracking your wrist movement. Using your wrist movement and your personal stats it estimates your calories with some math. I can't imagine they are incredibly accurate, but I find it useful to have the estimate of my average daily activity. I do not use it to change my daily eating habits.
Just FYI, I use a Fitbit One (which attaches to the waist, not the wrist). I calculated estimated calorie burn over the past year or so using calorie intake and weight change, then compared this number to the Fitbit "calories burned" number. The Fitbit value was within about 1% of the calculated value. So.... they can be pretty accurate. A few people on MFP did the same thing with similar results. I was impressed.0 -
Thanks everybody. And I know, it comes down to just exercising so many minutes a day and eating less. I get that. I'm not looking for anything magical, and I appreciate ALL the posts. Great insight on a lot of things. I just have to remember this: eat to live, not live to eat!
Have a greay day everyone! 0
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