Question about HRM's

JG762
JG762 Posts: 571 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This should be a pretty simple question...
Is there any reason for me to get a HRM if I'm not eating back my calories?
Maybe it's an oversimplification to ask the question or maybe I just don't understand what else a HRM can do for me. In reading through a bunch of the HRM questions it seems that lots of people are worried about how many calories they burn so they can figure out what they can/should eat, since I'm not eating back calories what will a HRM do for me?
What am I missing???
TIA

Replies

  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    No need for one if you are doing the TDEE method (which it sounds like you are).

    I never used my HRM for weight loss. I used it to train for running and racing.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    No need for one if you are doing the TDEE method (which it sounds like you are).

    I never used my HRM for weight loss. I used it to train for running and racing.

    I'll second that.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
    I don't know TDEE from the man in the moon! LoL

    I'm just trying to eat better and cut out the crap and get off my *kitten* and move around. I'll never be a runner/jogger because of some serious knee issues so I'm just trying to be healthier overall.
  • morethanthis0
    morethanthis0 Posts: 260 Member
    I tried out my new hrm today, I got it because I wanted to make sure the calories mfp says I burn is close to accurate. But the hrm I got didn't quite workout soooo I may return it. I will never be a runner either!
  • duffypratt
    duffypratt Posts: 21
    Heart rate monitors are good if you do any kind of endurance exercise, and you want to make sure that you are staying in the fat burning zone. Also very good for doing things like training your anaerobic threshold. If all you are doing with the monitor is trying to get a more accurate count of the number of calories you are burning, and you aren't going to eat those calories, then it's kind of pointless - unless you are trying to gauge the accuracy of the CICO model.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I can't even remember the last time I used my HRM. I use TDEE so I don't worry about exercise calories.

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/


    Also so many people are using their HRM for things it isn't at all accurate for - all day wearing, weight training, etc... So it's really just pointless.
  • florentinovillaro
    florentinovillaro Posts: 342 Member
    If you want to maximize your burn on ANY type of exercise, then yes, the HRM is for you to keep you in the correct (and safe) zone. I'm about being efficient so I try to get as much calories burned as I possibly can in the least amount of time. Not being lazy, just leading a busy schedule 7 days per week.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
    Thanks everybody for all of the great responses!
    Obviously I'm pretty new here and sometimes all of the info and terms can be somewhat overwhelming, I'm certainly not opposed to throwing some money at a problem but I don't want to just waste it. I almost ordered one a seek ago but decided to hold off, after seeing the responses here I'm glad I did.
    Thanks again!
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    I like my HRM but it is not an essential tool to my weight loss. On any day, I give my self permission to eat back my exercise calories, so that if I'm hungry I can eat. However, most days I don't eat them back. I have so much to lose, that the I want the extra deficit. I know that I cannot continue that indefinitely, when I hit a plateau I will start eating some of my exercise calories. I wanted a more accurate measure of the calories burned during cardio so that when I do eat back my exercise calories I don't eat back too many.

    I also use it to help maximize my workout, if my heart rate isn't up to the zone I want, then I find a way to increase the intensity. If it is too high, then I lay off some. Of course I can usually tell its too high by the huffin' and puffin' :)
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,847 Member
    I got one just to see if I was still alive. At my age you never know lol.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,179 Member
    I have one, so I can see exactly how many calories I burned.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    If you factor your activity into your TDEE, you don't really need to use a HRM unless you have specific HR goals during cardio. I personally prefer to determine my TDEE as sedentary and to add my exercises in manually, as you get a bit more accuracy this way and I'm not 100% consistent in my routine week to week. You just need to understand that HRM's aren't really accurate for weight training or HIIT cardio, so just focus on using them to estimate your steady state cardio burns.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    If you are just buying one to track calories, I would say no. Despite the belief in HRMs around here that borders on religious fervor, they aren't that accurate. For training purposes (the original purpose of an HRM) they might have some value, if you know how to use them, and what the numbers mean.

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