how many of you use a heart rate monitor?

carolynmittens
carolynmittens Posts: 344
edited September 24 in Health and Weight Loss
have you noticed if you tend to burn more or less calories than this site (or the machines at the gym for that matter) estimates?

Replies

  • MaryDreamer
    MaryDreamer Posts: 439
    Burns less cals than this site, about the same as the gym machines for me.
  • dawnkitchen
    dawnkitchen Posts: 161
    I'm in the minority and burn more than MFP and machines estimate, according to my HRM.
  • WrenLynn
    WrenLynn Posts: 213
    I definitely burn less than the site and machines.
  • I burn less then this site. The gym machines are 90% accurate if they are the type that you input weight/age/gender but if they are another type then they are always off.
  • Smithhart
    Smithhart Posts: 5 Member
    I just use a good pedometer.
  • Sherri71
    Sherri71 Posts: 208 Member
    I use a Suunto M5 heart rate monitor and LOVE it! It is the only way you can get an accurate burn.
  • elvb
    elvb Posts: 423 Member
    Depends on the exercise but for the most part I burn more than what MFP says.
  • nolasaints
    nolasaints Posts: 32 Member
    I burn less on the HRM than both this site and the machines.
  • Briacha
    Briacha Posts: 160 Member
    I dont have a HRM and today I rode my bike 15.2 miles, approx 23-26 mph for 35 minutes. I input my weight and calories burned on the machine said 996. MFP said 568.
  • PegasusDeb
    PegasusDeb Posts: 665 Member
    How do you get the cal info from your HRM? Mine, which for some reason is no longer working, but only had the beats. Do you guys have something different? Should I be shopping for a new one?
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    I use a polar ft7 - the numbers vary according to the exercise. Most forms of walking are almost on par, elliptical and AMT / Arc machines, stationary bikes I am always below the MFP database (sometimes severely so) (ex. Aerobic stepping, 90 minutes with HRM - 750 cals, the database says 1150!) and always about 150-200 cals below my gym machines - but to be fair, at the gym, I don't program the machines to my weight, age, etc. since I do manual intervals, and the option to input this information only seems to work when choosing a pre-existing 'program'
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I always enter my age and weight into the machines I use. My HRM always gives me lower readings than the machines, sometimes the difference is substantial (most noticably with the ellipitical).

    Against MFP, sometimes my HRM is lower (again, with the elliptical), sometimes it's negligably close (like with the stationary bike, but the options for stationary bike are pretty vague on MFP, so I can actually almost always find an option that's close to my actual burn, before I override it with my HRM calories) and sometimes it's higher (only with the treadmill).

    But, with the treadmill, I find that MFP is closer if I don't use much of an incline, but as soon as the incline starts going above 2.0, the difference gets larger and larger (with MFP being low compared to the burn my HRM says.)

    Edit - to say that I use a Polar FT4 HRM.
  • Kristie18
    Kristie18 Posts: 332 Member
    I used mine on the treadmill the other day and it was about 140 less on my HRM then the treadmill. No wonder all the time I was thinking I burned 300, I wasn't losing that much
  • calmmomw3minimeez
    calmmomw3minimeez Posts: 499 Member
    I have the exact same problem! I just bought my HRM about 4 days ago...it gives me my bpm, hr zone, and my timing, but I have yet to see an actual 'calories burned' amount which was my reason for buying it in the first place. I've been thinking about getting a pedometer but I would like to know if I'm doing something wrong(or NOT doing something right), or what? It's a Series A HRM...please help!:sad: :grumble:
  • KerrWal
    KerrWal Posts: 10
    I use an equation from Livestrong.com to calculate my cals burned based off of my heart rate. I still use the HRM but the cals on that have been off from this calculation... I trust this more than the HRM though... The calculation is:

    (.4472 x Heart Rate - .05741 x Weight - .074 x Age - 20.4022) x Time (Length of workout)/ 4.184 = Cals Burned
  • Aylilth
    Aylilth Posts: 125
    I have a Polar F7 and love it!!!

    I find that what MFP was saying was high for me.
This discussion has been closed.