heart rate monitor

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harborside24
harborside24 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi y'all!

I recently purchased a heart rate monitor to better track my calories burned, as I was not convinced that the methods I was using were accurate. Today I walked half the distance that I usually walk, and the HRM calculated my calories = to what I normally burn going twice as far. Has my iPod been that off re: calories burned? Now I'm worried that the HRM is not accurate, though I really doubt that's the case. It may explain why I have been at a plateau with the weight loss. I may not have been eating enough to replace the calories. Does anyone have any thoughts on this they'd like to share?

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  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    A HRM wouldn't be accurate for just a walk as your heart rate isn't continually elevated, unless maybe you're power walking?

    Does it have a chest strap? If not then it would be even less accurate.

    How far are you walking and how many calories are you normally eating back for that walk?
  • buzzcockgirl
    buzzcockgirl Posts: 260 Member
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    I have a heart rate monitor as well- and ( In my opinion) you definitely need a chest strap to get a more accurate reading. I always feel that my burn rates are higher than I *think* they should be (700 cals for a 60 minute high intensity cardio workout)... but to err on the side of caution, I always subtract 10% of the reading. So I record it as 630 cals burned.
    I do have to say though-- I was wearing it the other day on the treadmill at the gym (they have really nice ones!) and the treadmill was spot on with what it said my heart rate was (per my HRM) and they were within 10 cals of each other-- the treadmill saying I had burned 250, my HRM 258. So... they should be pretty accurate--- at least more so than the calculators on here. Cross check what it says to a website that tracks burned cals-- like this one: http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc

    Good luck!
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
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    buzzcockgirl, thanks for the link. it seems to be more accurate to me than some others.
  • harborside24
    harborside24 Posts: 5 Member
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    Yes, it has the chest strap. And when I walk, it is by no means leisurely...ha! I walk for exercise and typically go between 3.5 and 4 mph for 4 miles. I'm very lucky, as we have a park right across the street with walking trails specifically for exercising.
  • harborside24
    harborside24 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks! Yes, mine has a chest strap. On alternate days I work out at Curves and am on the endurance program there. So I can't wait to go tomorrow and compare the HRM calories burned to the Smart program calories when I'm finished. Very interesting about your HRM and the treadmill. I may very well find out the same thing at Curves. Thanks for responding.

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