Which is accurate???

PrettyLittleLiar79
PrettyLittleLiar79 Posts: 189
in Fitness and Exercise
So I just bought a new HRM.....the PolarFT4. I did the elliptical last night and it gave me a reading of 345 calories burned, but the machine said 565, and MFP calculated 485. My HRM was synched to the elliptical, so I am not sure.

Can anyone give me any advice?? :frown:

Replies

  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    The HRM.
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    Yup, I'd go with HRM. 345. MFP and machines generally (for most people) overestimate calorie burns.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Absolutely the Heart Rate Monitor
  • jlederman71
    jlederman71 Posts: 47 Member
    The HRM.... I got one for Christmas.. was a real eye opener to how many calories I actually burn. It was kind of depressing at first... but allows you to know whats actually going on during your cardio session. Made me realize I need to change things up a bit to burn more calories.
    Good Luck!
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    Your HRM is the accurate one. Machines are never 100% accurate.
  • flekkur
    flekkur Posts: 2 Member
    You should trust the HRM. I have been using my Polar RCX5 and it is much more accurate than the machines at the gym. I have been logging calories and using my HRM for a month now and the results are amazing. This is my best month since I started a healthier lifestyle 12 months ago.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The HRM is the most accurate, but still an estimate...I'd actually knock off about 20% from that just to account for the calories you would have otherwise burned just sitting on your *kitten*. Fact is, we really don't burn that much with deliberate exercise which is why it is so inefficient to use for creating a calorie deficit...it's much more efficient to create that deficit with your diet which is what MFP does and why you eat back exercise calories with MFP...your deficit is all built into the calorie goal.

    How many minutes did you do? Another way you can do a reasonableness test is to assume a burn factor of 5 calories per minute for basically what would amount to a moderately paced walk and 10 calories per minute for an exercise being performed at a level of effort to where you could not hold a conversation...and then of course, anything in between. When I do an elliptical I usually give myself a factor of about 8 for my intensity level.

    Bottom line is you want to be conservative.
  • fitfan11
    fitfan11 Posts: 544 Member
    My bet is on the HRM. I have a Polar and it is pretty accurate. It will sync to cardio machines with the Polar logo.

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