HRM Vs Fitbit

pelleld
pelleld Posts: 363 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
After maintaining my weight loss for a couple of years I've put a few pounds back on. I am trying to use the TDEE method to take them back off. I haven't got on the scale yet but I feel good about my eating. I exercise Mon - Fri at a gym, about 1/2 hour cardio and 1/2 hour on the weight machines. When the weather cooperates I occasionally run (about 2 to 3 miles a couple times per week). I am also very active, particularly in the Spring/Summer as I am an avid gardener. I had been using my HRM to track my burns and eat back the calories. With the TDEE method I'm not doing that. When I drop these few pounds I want to go into maintenance again but this time have a good feel for what my real caloric needs are. Would the Fitbit be a better tool for me to use? I'm thinking that if I know more accurately what I burn on a normal/regular basis it will be easier for me to figure my maintenance calories. Last time it felt like a big guessing game and I really struggled.

Any comments/suggestions about which tool would better meet my needs? HRM or Fitbit? TIA :)

Replies

  • seanie1965
    seanie1965 Posts: 12 Member
    Hi

    This article will help re HRM 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

    So it is only really going to help with your half hour cardio. It will probably be more accurate than Fitbit's calculation based on movement.

    However, the fitbit is probably more convenient and over such a short space of time the difference between the two may not matter that much

    Hope that helps
  • mamabanana
    mamabanana Posts: 62 Member
    following...
  • nuttyfamily
    nuttyfamily Posts: 3,394 Member
    The fitbit is good for getting you moving more through out the day but it isn't accurate for calorie burn as it truly doesn't know the effort put in by a person.

    HRM is only good for your cardio.

    To be honest, you have to play around with the calories to see where your maintenance range. TDEE and MFP are just guesstimates.

    I set mine at TDEE maintenance and give it two weeks to see how it goes. If I am gaining, then I lower it. If I am losing, then I raise it and then give it a few more weeks.

    Finding the maintenance range is hard. I've been more or less maintaining a 50 pound loss for ten years.
  • pelleld
    pelleld Posts: 363 Member
    The fitbit is good for getting you moving more through out the day but it isn't accurate for calorie burn as it truly doesn't know the effort put in by a person.

    HRM is only good for your cardio.

    To be honest, you have to play around with the calories to see where your maintenance range. TDEE and MFP are just guesstimates.

    I set mine at TDEE maintenance and give it two weeks to see how it goes. If I am gaining, then I lower it. If I am losing, then I raise it and then give it a few more weeks.

    Finding the maintenance range is hard. I've been more or less maintaining a 50 pound loss for ten years.

    What method to calculate your TDEE did you use? There are multiple calculators out there and there are big differences in the results.
  • adora85
    adora85 Posts: 33 Member
    I have both a Fitbit and a HRM.

    The fitbit is good for tracking your steps, water intake, and overall movement for the day. Mine even "talks" (displays words on the screen) when I have been sitting for too long, so that makes me get up and move. Its a good way to measure calories for jogging, running, walking and Zumba only. It also calculates those calories that you dont really realize you're burning (for me, its when I turn on music and dance around my apartment for like an hour because I secretly want to be Beyonce, and all of a sudden I have burned an additional 100-150 calories...)

    However, if you are doing any kind of weight lifting, yoga or circuit training fitbit is NOT a good way to gauge your calorie burn. For Example, when I do J. Michaels Ripped in 30, which is mainly circuit training, my fitbit calculates 180 calories for a 30 minute workout. But my heart rate monitor calculates anywhere between 304-374 calories, because your heart rate is way up there despite lack of cardio due to the weightlifting.

    If you are a walker, runner, or jogger, Fitbit will work well for you, but if you are a more well rounded exerciser, you should invest in a HRM. I have a Polar HRM and its amazing.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member

    However, if you are doing any kind of weight lifting, yoga or circuit training fitbit is NOT a good way to gauge your calorie burn. For Example, when I do J. Michaels Ripped in 30, which is mainly circuit training, my fitbit calculates 180 calories for a 30 minute workout. But my heart rate monitor calculates anywhere between 304-374 calories, because your heart rate is way up there despite lack of cardio due to the weightlifting.

    If you are a walker, runner, or jogger, Fitbit will work well for you, but if you are a more well rounded exerciser, you should invest in a HRM. I have a Polar HRM and its amazing.
    HRM s are NOT accurate for weight lifting they are only designed for steady state cardio. HAve a look at Polars website it explains it there
  • LSeales
    LSeales Posts: 54 Member
    Bump for reference
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The fitbit is good for getting you moving more through out the day but it isn't accurate for calorie burn as it truly doesn't know the effort put in by a person.

    HRM is only good for your cardio.

    To be honest, you have to play around with the calories to see where your maintenance range. TDEE and MFP are just guesstimates.

    I set mine at TDEE maintenance and give it two weeks to see how it goes. If I am gaining, then I lower it. If I am losing, then I raise it and then give it a few more weeks.

    Finding the maintenance range is hard. I've been more or less maintaining a 50 pound loss for ten years.

    What method to calculate your TDEE did you use? There are multiple calculators out there and there are big differences in the results.

    The differences between calculators shouldn't be that substantial if you're using the same inputs...and really, these calculators are just good starting points. I don't have a TDEE of what any of these calculators gave me, I've adjusted mine according to my actual results but these calculators were a good starting point for me.

    Likewise, the fitbit is going to be an estimate...and a reasonably good one for your day to day kind of stuff...but most definitely just an estimate. A HRM is really only relatively accurate for calorie burn during a steady state aerobic event.

    The best thing you could do is log meticulously...if you're losing about 1 Lb per week as a general trend then you know your maintenance calories are about 500 calories more than you're currently eating...if you're losing about 1/2 Lb per week as a general trend then you know your maintenance number is about 250 calories more than you are eating, etc.

    There's really no getting around the trial and error aspect of this stuff unfortunately. The good news is that when you go into maintenance, if you are monitoring your weight and being mindful of how your clothes are fitting, etc it is pretty easy to make small adjustments here and there early on to compensate without going full blown diet again.
  • pelleld
    pelleld Posts: 363 Member
    Thanks all! To clarify....I already have a HRM, Polar FT4. I'm trying to decide if a fitbit would be better for me once I am back in maintenance.

    Also, the calculators for TDEE do vary greatly. I used the same inputs at 8 different calculator sites and got results as low as 1693 and as high as 1959. To me that is a big difference. I took an average of the 8 results and then reduced by approx. 25% to get a number to start with for weight loss. I'm going to see how that works for a while and then adjust as necessary. I understand that it is trial and error.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Thanks all! To clarify....I already have a HRM, Polar FT4. I'm trying to decide if a fitbit would be better for me once I am back in maintenance.

    Also, the calculators for TDEE do vary greatly. I used the same inputs at 8 different calculator sites and got results as low as 1693 and as high as 1959. To me that is a big difference. I took an average of the 8 results and then reduced by approx. 25% to get a number to start with for weight loss. I'm going to see how that works for a while and then adjust as necessary. I understand that it is trial and error.

    Are you sure that they all use the TDEE method? I can't imagine 1693 being TDEE for anyone who is even remotely active...NEAT maybe, but not TDEE.

    The biggest difference I've seen for myself is between the IIFYM calculator and Scooby calculator but that is because of the descriptors...these are necessarily vague so you have to play around with them. You also have to make allowance for your day to day stuff even though most of those descriptors don't mention that stuff...for example, exercise wise I'm probably lightly active...but with all my other crap I'm really moderately active on most TDEE calculators. There's nothing lightly active about chasing around a 2 and 4 y.o. and being the household chef...plus all of my exercise.
  • pelleld
    pelleld Posts: 363 Member
    Thanks all! To clarify....I already have a HRM, Polar FT4. I'm trying to decide if a fitbit would be better for me once I am back in maintenance.

    Also, the calculators for TDEE do vary greatly. I used the same inputs at 8 different calculator sites and got results as low as 1693 and as high as 1959. To me that is a big difference. I took an average of the 8 results and then reduced by approx. 25% to get a number to start with for weight loss. I'm going to see how that works for a while and then adjust as necessary. I understand that it is trial and error.

    Are you sure that they all use the TDEE method? I can't imagine 1693 being TDEE for anyone who is even remotely active...NEAT maybe, but not TDEE.

    The biggest difference I've seen for myself is between the IIFYM calculator and Scooby calculator but that is because of the descriptors...these are necessarily vague so you have to play around with them. You also have to make allowance for your day to day stuff even though most of those descriptors don't mention that stuff...for example, exercise wise I'm probably lightly active...but with all my other crap I'm really moderately active on most TDEE calculators. There's nothing lightly active about chasing around a 2 and 4 y.o. and being the household chef...plus all of my exercise.

    The 1693 came from the IIFYM site, using the Mifflin St Jeor. Scooby gave me 1942. I am a 50 y/o female, 5'3" tall and weighed 125 last I checked. I exercise 5 days per week at the gym so that's what I selected for that option. My lowest weight was 115, which I maintained for a while, then hit 118 and stayed there a couple of years. Looking to get back to 118 to 120, though its really hard for me to give up on the 115 goal :(

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