NEW HRM User and disappointed with Cal burns

ShellyBrew
ShellyBrew Posts: 823
edited September 23 in Fitness and Exercise
So I just got the Polar FT7 HRM last week and no matter what exercise I do it is only showing that I am burning 200-300 cals for 60+ minutes of intense exercise (this includes hill intervals on TM; Kettlebell classes; intense circuit workouts with a trainer) I am so dissapointed with what the HRM is showing as my calorie burns....I keep an eye on my heart rate and it is up there (140-160 range)....I am not a small girl so can't believe I am not burning more calories....I knew the calorie burns on this site (and on machines) can by overinflated but by that much!!!!

I have seen so many go on and on about how they love their HRMs and I am not so luving mine right now....I have checked it and reset it and yes all my settings are right...aarrrgggg

Replies

  • bethann1976
    bethann1976 Posts: 49
    I was a bit shocked at first, too, to see that my HRM tells me I'm approx 20% below what the machines at the gym always say.
  • dino_morgan
    dino_morgan Posts: 57 Member
    I have a bowflex HRM, and I was disappointed too. I'm so glad to know the truth though. Don't let it get you down! :)
  • R4z0r4Mm0
    R4z0r4Mm0 Posts: 131
    You've lost 43lb without the HRM - what made you get one now?

    Whatever you were doing before is obviously working.

    I don't have an answer unfortunately - but interested to see what others here will say as I'm always curious about the over inflated calories machines and calculators give - keep up the good work!!!
  • pyro13g
    pyro13g Posts: 1,127 Member
    Make sure you entered your info into the monitor correctly. Also realize that the burns are relative to those stats. Your calorie burn is a small part of the big picture.
  • alliecore
    alliecore Posts: 446 Member
    I'm no expert by any means, but that doesn't sound too far off compared to mine (I have the FT4). When I jog on the treadmill my HR averages in the 170's and last night I burned 600 in just under an hour. I really don't have anything to offer beyond that comparison...other than that I'm impressed that your heart rate stays in the 140's to 160's during cardio! I have a long way to go! :)
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    At your weight, you would burn 650-700 calories in 1hr walking 3 mph on on treadmill (not holding on handrails). So that's a benchmark.

    There are two primary areas to look at: fit/contact of the chest strap and setup.
  • bpayne78
    bpayne78 Posts: 249 Member
    There are two primary areas to look at: fit/contact of the chest strap and setup.

    ^What he said.....If your chest strap isn't in constant contact, then your numbers will be off. I have one of the older Polar F6 and still love it. I make my strap as tight as I can and I kind of stick it under my sport bra strap to make sure there's a good connection. I think I remember reading somewhere to moisten the contacts slightly but I never really do that (but check your manual).
  • onvacation
    onvacation Posts: 24 Member
    I think they are pretty accurate, much more so than the equipment in the gym or this stie. It does suck, but more more realistic to realize it take more than an hour to burn off that cookie! I was watching Dr Oz the other day and he was showing how long it would take to burn off all these different treats that all were 350 calories. Depending on what kind of workout etc it took anywhere from 50 mins to 90 mins. So that is a gage I guess.

    Hey but now you know and can make the necessary adjustment. You are still doing great girl! Keep it up!
  • ShellyBrew
    ShellyBrew Posts: 823
    Thanks for all the insight and suggestions :flowerforyou:
    I'll be sure to check my settings and make sure the strap is nice and tight.

    I know I have made good progress in the weight loss but it has taken a long time (over a year) to get this first #40 off; I am hoping to bump it up alittle this year so got the HRM to give me a more accurate picture.
  • JulianDaley
    JulianDaley Posts: 13 Member
    At your weight, you would burn 650-700 calories in 1hr walking 3 mph on on treadmill (not holding on handrails). So that's a benchmark.
    This figure seems at odds with the METS tables; are METS no longer considered accurate?

    The METS tables (and MFP) give walking at 3mph on the flat at 3.3 kcal/kg/hr. So for a 276lb individual (125kg) that is 412 kcal in an hour. Can you explain where the 650-700 figure comes from? I'm worried that I've misunderstood something :embarassed:

    Thanks (and keep up the good work myth-busting, I love your posts on this site!),
    Julian.
  • jane77
    jane77 Posts: 489
    Thanks for all the insight and suggestions :flowerforyou:
    I'll be sure to check my settings and make sure the strap is nice and tight.

    I know I have made good progress in the weight loss but it has taken a long time (over a year) to get this first #40 off; I am hoping to bump it up alittle this year so got the HRM to give me a more accurate picture.
    Is a year really that long? I bet you didnt put on 40 lbs in one year. You've done a great job be proud and just keep working at it. If we do it to fast its just a diet and we all know they dont work. BE PROUD. And that HRM is really close I'm at the other end just bought one that is way to high (timex) so it might look like a lot but if I eat that all back we all know what would happen....Polar seem to match must web cal. Keep working and thank your body.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    At your weight, you would burn 650-700 calories in 1hr walking 3 mph on on treadmill (not holding on handrails). So that's a benchmark.
    This figure seems at odds with the METS tables; are METS no longer considered accurate?

    The METS tables (and MFP) give walking at 3mph on the flat at 3.3 kcal/kg/hr. So for a 276lb individual (125kg) that is 412 kcal in an hour. Can you explain where the 650-700 figure comes from? I'm worried that I've misunderstood something :embarassed:

    Thanks (and keep up the good work myth-busting, I love your posts on this site!),
    Julian.

    Now I can't remember the details, so I can only assume it was bad arithmetic, since I did it in my head. Thanks for pointing it out. Your numbers are correct.
  • kangababy
    kangababy Posts: 187 Member
    I have a HRM and I have always worn it. It has never matched what any of the machines at the gym says. I have always read that they are overinflated by at least 20% because they can't really tell how hard you are working.

    however, I have noticed that here lately I have been having alot of problems with mine. It won't pick up my HRM alot nad I have to stop it and start it to get it to work and sometimes it just stops working all together. I seem to have this problem after I have had one for a year or two. I am 5'3" and currently weigh 184..When I do intense Cardio (Insanity or something along those lines) I burn about 1 calorie a min.. If I get on the ellipitcal and do just one of the machine programs for 30 mins it is between 200-250 calorioes.. When lifting weights for 30 it is normally 200 or less.. i have foudn though this week when using the TRX I burned just as many as if I was doing Insanity!

    Every now and then check you heart rate yourself and compare it to what the HRM says. Last night whiel doing Insanity I looked down and my HRM said 128.... in the middle of Insanity.. Yeah so I took a count and my HR was really between 180-190 so if it is recording it wrong your calories
  • vhuber
    vhuber Posts: 8,779 Member
    Make sure you wet the contact areas on the chest strap before putting on, wear it reasonably tight and if you are getting low HR or funky readings it is more than likely the battery! I had my F11 only 2 months and had to change the bettery, and no I did NOT send it to Polar to have fixed (or have any specialist tech) just my hubby! Make sure you have the O ring in right and all is good! ALSO make SURE you program it right by following the manual! You have done great, keep at it!
  • ShellyBrew
    ShellyBrew Posts: 823
    Thanks again all....I am still tweaking and trying to figure it all out.

    I am 5'3", 276 lbs and 42yo....yesterday I did 45 min of light yoga and the HRM said 100 cal; then I did 50min on the treadmill at 3.0 with an alternating grade of 1-6% and I got 200 cal...seems I would have more if yoga gave me 100 in the same amount of time.

    Today I had an intense cardio session with my personal trainer HR 140-160 for 45min and I only burned 272...the HRM is brand new but who says how long it has been laying around as I got it from a friend who never used it...maybe I do need a battery. I have reset it per the manual and will work on tightening the strap.

    I am not going to let this control me...just trying to figure it out!

    It took be 20+ years to put on all this weight so #40 off in one year is amazing to me (first time I started a year lighter instead of heavier) then the prior year....now I am just greedy and want to lose the next #40 alittle quicker...

    Thanks again for all the support and suggestions :)
  • pandafoo
    pandafoo Posts: 367 Member
    i wonder it if could be a transmitter issue - the part that snaps onto the strap. I recently got a new chest strap and from the 1st try, it was either not reading or in the 220s. my personal trainer switched the transmitter out with his, and then it worked fine. maybe you can ask a trainer at your gym to borrow his/her transmitter, just to see if you get a different reading.

    no matter what, don't let the HRM readings discourage you! keep doing what you're doing, and be consistent with your exercise. your efforts will pay off! :)
  • HW2Hottie
    HW2Hottie Posts: 100
    Make sure that you wet the strap and WASH the strap only in the washer, it will tell you how in the book. Mine did this to me as well and this was the thing that worked. You are supposed to wash the strap after every 5th use or so to keep the transmitters in it working well. Hope this helps. Oh and NO fabric softener.
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    Those readings sound completely off. I agree with checking the battery and the transmitter (you can probably order a new one from polar I'd call them and see) you do have to wet the strap and wear it tight.


    I bought my polar about 7 months ago and it seems to be good so far. I burn way more than what MFP or machines estimate me at. If I keep my HR between 130-170 I can burn 500-700 calories in one hour doing zumba, treadmill, P90X, whatever.

    I even burned 100 calories doing 45 min of stretching.....as in my hr was at 68 - 75 the whole time and it was like I was doing nothing.

    good luck.....I hope you can get it working for you......and congrats on your loss so far!!!
  • cutmd
    cutmd Posts: 1,168 Member
    I agree that something is off. I weigh 120 and burn about 500 cals an hour with my heart rate around 155. Definitely check your own pulse. Here is a nice calorie calculator you can compare it to, i have found it to be pretty accurate

    http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/
  • cgwhite
    cgwhite Posts: 8 Member
    Hello everyone, I have just bought a Zephyr HxM strap to use with "Sportstracklive" on my Android phone. The beauty of "Sportstracklive" is that it uses the Karvonen method of determining calorie burn during excercise.

    This method requires you to measure your "Resting Heart Rate RHR". Do this in bed in the morning before you get up. Your partner / wife will think you are completely crazy. And then your "Maximum Heart Rate MHR". This you will find more difficult to measure but the best route is to use the standard formula of 220 - your age. This is very close for most people. The system then sets up zones for "Rest" "Warm Up" "Fat Burn" "Aerobic" "Anaerobic" and finally "Redline".

    When you use the app it then works out how long you have been in each zone and calculates your calorie burn from that infomation. Be aware that it is only in the "Fat Burn" and "Aerobic" zones that you get max, 85% calorie burn from Fat. The other zones burn less fat. This therefore gives you the correct zones to work out in.

    You have to also remember, and most people forget this, that the figures you get from a HRM INCLUDE part of your RMR, (Resting Metabolic Rate). i.e. There will be approximately 150 calories per hour that will be there just from being alive. (Depending on you weight etc.)

    One of the amazing things I have found out is the amount of calories that I burn from just playing a round of Golf. Somewhere near 1500 for a 4 hour round. Most of that comes in the Resting / Warm up zones.

    I would also recommend getting a pedometer. You will be amazed how many miles you walk around in a day and again how many calories this burns.

    Just for your interest, I am 52, weigh 200 lbs with 16% fat, (measured by calipers) so a lean body mass of 168. At 6 foot this makes me overweight on the BMI scale but "Lean" on fat. I am going skiing with my son, 23 fit as fiddle and working in a ski resort for the winter, so decided I ought to loose weight. I will be 184 pounds by the middle of March!

    Great website BTW, really enjoy the fact that there are UK foods in the database and even more so that it is free.

    Regards,

    Chris.
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