Too Many Calories? Too Few?

therealkat
therealkat Posts: 53 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So here's a thing. I decided to wear my HRM for a full day where I am doing normal activities. No workout, normal day at work, etc. I am at 11 hours in and have reached 1470 calories burned. If you add in the average for my body type in sleep of 500 and the fact that I still have six hours of wakefulness... And my daily calories are set at 1500... Am I too low?

Just thought I would gather some thoughts, since I have plateaued a little. It seems I am burning around 135 calories per hour, so in my 17 hours of being awake, I'd burn around 2200 and then if you figure in sleep, that's 2700. On a day with no exercise, if I am eating 1400-1500 per day, am I way off or should I have never confused myself with this little experiment? :P

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    HRM calorie estimations are based on a known relationship between VO2 max and HR during steady state cardio activity. it is not accurate at all for low intensity activity. You will get an overinflated estimation.

    ETA
    "The linear HR vs. VO2 relationship applies to moderate-intensity activity but is nearly a flat slope during low-intensity activity, resulting in a low correlation between HR and EE (Energy Expenditure) during sedentary and low-intensity activities. "

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn
  • therealkat
    therealkat Posts: 53 Member
    WHEW. Ok. I was panicking a little that I was WAY under!
  • Yagisama
    Yagisama Posts: 595 Member
    I was just telling someone that HRM might not give the most accurate values for squats and that it's suited for higher intensity steady state activities. :smile:
  • Smokey705
    Smokey705 Posts: 35 Member
    HRM calorie estimations are based on a known relationship between VO2 max and HR during steady state cardio activity. it is not accurate at all for low intensity activity. You will get an overinflated estimation.

    ETA
    "The linear HR vs. VO2 relationship applies to moderate-intensity activity but is nearly a flat slope during low-intensity activity, resulting in a low correlation between HR and EE (Energy Expenditure) during sedentary and low-intensity activities. "

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/773451-is-my-hrm-giving-me-incorrect-calorie-burn

    This^^ HRM only measures your heartbeat. Then depending on model it is just put into calculations against know cardio like running, biking and info that you input like VO2 max and such. Some models are better than others at this but it is all just guesses.

    You should only wear it doing cardio as that is what it is designed for. Now even with the cardio results you get most models list GROSS caloires burned. But if your inputing calorie burned into MFP or to use with diet then you really should be putting net calories burned in.

    This may explain it better than me >> http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/articles/net-versus-gross-calorie-burn.aspx


    Also just because it says you burned 2000 calories NET or GROSS calories don't go eating a 2000 calorie pizza as you need to remember that they are just estimates. I also don't eat extra calories for exercise but that is because I have lots of weight to lose.

    I don't trust the MFP calculations or my Garmin HRM, and as such I usually take 1/3 off the Gross number my gamin gives me. Then I know that the number I input is fairly accurate.

    But that is just my opinion I am no expert.

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