Should I buy a calorie counting watch?

proverbs31chick
proverbs31chick Posts: 485 Member
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
I have heard about the polar watch(forgive me if I am saying that wrong) is that a more accurate reading of how many calories I am burning, than what the machines at the gym tell us. Also when I am doing strength training, I don't know how many calories I am burning.

Replies

  • AlissaPT
    AlissaPT Posts: 65 Member
    I believe you're talking about a heart rate monitor, and they are more accurate than machines at the gym. There are a lot of different models, depending on what you're looking for and how much you want to spend, but you definitely need to get one with a chest strap if you want it to be accurate. That is what measures your heart rate and sends it to the "watch." Do your research and decide if it's an expense you want right now. I love my Polar FT40.
  • dmisom79
    dmisom79 Posts: 112
    I say definitely. I'm in the market for a polar ft4 or ft40 right now myself. I want to know exactly how many calories i'm burning doing my stairs every day.
  • bullmastifflover
    bullmastifflover Posts: 128 Member
    Bought myself a FT4 from Best Buy back in November...I'm very happy with it. From the research I did, Polar was consistently highly recommended.
  • redtulips
    redtulips Posts: 31 Member
    you definetly should, i just had one and it is such a motivation as it keeps bleeping telling you to move harder and faster and of course how much cals u burnt ., i loved it.
  • proverbs31chick
    proverbs31chick Posts: 485 Member
    Oh so they are a little pricey, well if its more accurate then the machine then its worth the investment. So the one with the chest strap is the best one to get, I hope it doesn't look akward. I especially want one, since I am starting a workout dvd, and I most def want to know how many calories I am burning. How in the world does that thing figure out how many calories you are burning?
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
    I have a Polar FT7 and love it. I had to go through a setup to enter in my personal stats. There's a unit on the chest strap that monitors your heart while you exercise. It takes that plus your stats and it give you cals burned.
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
    Why do you need the chest strap? I've seen some watches at Wal-mart that are supposed to monitor your heart rate via the pulse on your wrist. I'm not sure about their quality, but I was curious if these worked at all or if they're just a big rip off?

    Shannon
  • outersoul
    outersoul Posts: 711
    Why do you need the chest strap? I've seen some watches at Wal-mart that are supposed to monitor your heart rate via the pulse on your wrist. I'm not sure about their quality, but I was curious if these worked at all or if they're just a big rip off?

    Shannon

    This is purely a guess, but I would think it's more accurate the closer it is to your hear. Again...just a guess. I did a bunch of research and Polar seemed to get the best reviews.
  • synchrohobbit
    synchrohobbit Posts: 58 Member
    You can also try this website, which essentially estimates calories burned from your height, weight, average heart rate, AND VO2 max. The latter can be guesstimated by performing some simple trials, but most average people are between 35 and 40. This way you don't have to wear anything or buy something expensive, but still get an accurate estimate.
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
    What website are you referring to? I didn't see one listed.

    Miss Fry
  • AlissaPT
    AlissaPT Posts: 65 Member
    So the one with the chest strap is the best one to get, I hope it doesn't look akward.

    You can't see the strap at all under your clothes - it is basically under the elastic of your sportsbra, just under "the girls." It takes a couple workouts to get the tightness right. Too tight, you can't breathe, too loose and it falls down. The straps are supposed to be much more accurate than the wrist only watches, as it reads heart impulses as opposed to your radial pulse.
  • synchrohobbit
    synchrohobbit Posts: 58 Member
    Forgot to paste it!

    http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate/
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