Heart Rate Monitor and Body Fat Measure

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Gallen88
Gallen88 Posts: 171 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all! I need a good heart rate monitor. I would rather not have the one with the chest strap but it doesnt seem like i have many options. Do you all have any recommendations? Again, i would LOVE one without the chest strap but if i must then ok.

Also, I don't step on the scale. It's depressing, its discouraging, and I know that it's a mix between body fat and muscle so I am just not a fan of it. I know i will have to step on it at some point but I want to measure my body fat right now.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a great tool to measure body fat?

Replies

  • Gallen88
    Gallen88 Posts: 171 Member
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    anybody?
  • TannunisFred
    TannunisFred Posts: 17 Member
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    Amazon sells a BMI monitor that isn't too expensive.

    http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Monitor-model-HBF-306C-Black/dp/B000FYZMYK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412029460&sr=8-1&keywords=bmi+calculator

    This might be what you are looking for.

    And there are a few heart rate monitors you can get that go on wrist. Fitbit is the one I am familiar with...

    http://www.amazon.com/Fitbit-Wireless-Activity-Sleep-Wristband/dp/B00BGO0Q9O/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1412029560&sr=1-1&keywords=fitbit

    See if those work for you...
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    I use a Taylor body fat scale. I've had it for years and it's still going. Not sure about the new models but I'm satisfied with mine.
  • harmonmt
    harmonmt Posts: 10 Member
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    I use the Mio Alpha heart rate monitor that you wear on your wrist and have been happy with it. It connects to the apps on my phone and my Garmin watch and seems to be as accurate as the chest strap I used before I got the Alpha.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    The heart rate monitors without chest straps are not very accurate. I have a Polar FT4 that I like.

    The electric body fat meters are also very inaccurate. Mine tells me I'm 36% (and I'm not). What about using a tape measure?
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,370 Member
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    FitBit isn't a HRM, it's an activity tracker, but that said it's a brilliant tool for making sure you're aiming for the right amount of calories per day rather than just for the hour or so you're exercising. A HRM is only going to be any good for cardio sessions rather than day long use and I think you need the chest strap if you want it to be picking up your heart rate accurately. Some of the cheap HRMs give a wildly inaccurate calorie burn. Unless you're heavily into training I'd recommend a FitBit One or Zip (more reliable than the bracelets which would give you steps for standing still hanging up washing etc)
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    The heart rate monitors without chest straps are not very accurate. I have a Polar FT4 that I like.

    The electric body fat meters are also very inaccurate. Mine tells me I'm 36% (and I'm not). What about using a tape measure?

    Both of these are correct. My electric body fat measure says 36% too! I'm around 22% in reality.
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    I have a polar rcx5. Its a training computer which uses Heart Rate as one of its inputs. to get an accurate reading as far as I'm aware you are stuck with the chest straps unfortunately the others seem hit and miss. I'll also suggest if at all possible you get over your weight phobia. At the end of a day the scale just shows us what reality is. Reality can be looked at as depressing or it can be looked at as it is just the truth. If we decide to move forward, look forward, then the weight is just going to be a piece of our history. The thing is that for Heart rate monitors to really do their cleaver tricks they need to know your weight. Without knowing this it won't be able to predict your calorie burn, monitor your health improvements or work out how much load you are putting on yourself :-) Good luck
  • davert123
    davert123 Posts: 1,568 Member
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    ps electronic % fat monitors are generally a random number generator :-( They measure loads of other factors other than fat such as skin moisture, body water content etc and all these all are variable and therefore affect the number of the screen.
  • twkelly
    twkelly Posts: 91 Member
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    Both are not correct, sorry.

    The MIO Alpha and MIO Link are both worn on the wrist and are very accurate. They use the same technology that hospitals use in the finger clip.
  • Gallen88
    Gallen88 Posts: 171 Member
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    Thanks!
  • IanG186
    IanG186 Posts: 6 Member
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    I have had the Mio Link since they released it. I cycle and didn't get on with chest strap so I was waiting for it to be released. I can't swear how accurate it is but it sure does seem to track my heart rate in relation to how hard I seem to be pushing the bike along. Combined with cyclemeter on my iPhone it has motivated me like nothing ever has before to get fitter and lose weight. Only problem I have with it is there appears to be no way to get it to tell me how much charge it has left via the iPhone. The Mio alpha may be better for that as it has a display.
  • feather144
    feather144 Posts: 4 Member
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    I have a Polar FT4. I wear the chest strap right underneath my bra and honestly I forget it's even there, it's that comfortable. The interface is easy to use. I can't workout without it anymore, it's a great motivational tool to push myself to give my best everyday. I definitely recommend it! I bought mine off Amazon a few months ago after doing some research, the overwhelmingly positive reviews and reasonable price convinced me to go for it - definitely consider it money well spent. :)
  • mtpage04
    mtpage04 Posts: 41 Member
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    A caliper will measure body fat accurately. It is not electronic, but you may need someone to help with measuring. There are three points on the body to measure. For women, those are the back of the arm (tricep), just above the iliac crest midway from the navel and the middle of the quadricep. As for HRM, I also use Polar F4.

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