HRM or not?

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MichelleMcWain
MichelleMcWain Posts: 66 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I have been on here for about a month now. I have a LOT of weight to lose but have been doing pretty good so far. Do you think it would be a good investment to get a heart rate monitor? Or stick to using the MFP estimated calories? Also, maybe this is a stupid question but what do they do? Count the calories you burn?? How do you wear them? Are they big enough for a bigger person? All these questions.. maybe I should stick to just using MFP?

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  • Crystals422
    Crystals422 Posts: 382 Member
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    Yes, get one. I have the Polar FT4. There is a chest strap as well as a watch. I do not even notice that I am wearing the chest strap. The ellpitcal at the gym gives me 60 more calories than my hrm and the bike gives me less so it is great knowing what I actually did burn. It is also great for classes as well as exercise outside of a gym.
  • Jenn070608
    Jenn070608 Posts: 206 Member
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    I have a Polar HRM and I love it!!! Best invest I have made in my weight loss journey. But be careful what you buy. Make sure it is one with a strap. Do some research online. But I am sure you will find that the Polar is the best option.
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
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    get one---these burns that MFP gives are way off---you could be eating too mnay calories to compensate for it.
  • WinKitty
    WinKitty Posts: 119
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    I bought one about 10 days ago and it was kind of a higher end one, but it. is. worth. every. penny.

    It monitors your heartrate, in BPM or as a percentage. this is helpful for me because I know how intensely I'm working. I keep my HR at 85%. If I go above that for more than a few minutes, I get fatigued and cannot finish my workouts. So I know JUST how hard to push myself, no more or less. YES! IT COUNTS CALORIES! I just posted this as a status update earlier today:

    "Wanna know why my Polar FT60 HRM is the best thing that has happened to my workouts? Because the Wii Fit said that my 1 hour session burned 506 calories. My Polar said, "Nuh-uh...you pushed yourself, and worked your *kitten* off for an hour--on a video game--and you don't deserve to be short-changed like that. I should know. I counted every one of your heartbeats."

    Explanation: I Wii Fit for the majority of my exercise. For my 1 hour session, the wii said I burned 506 calories. MFP said about what the wii said, but my HRM gave me a FAR more accurate reading of 877 calories burned!

    Also, I don't know how much you'd be willing to spend for one, but the one I have has a chest strap (a must!) and it fits around my chest (just below my boobs) comfortably (I have maybe a 46" chest and that's not at full length of the strap). It's a wide, elastic, adjustable band. Also, the watch part fits on my wrist with room to spare (my wrist is about 7 3/4 "). I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to get every bit of the effort they put into their workout, OUT of their workout in info. It has several other features that I use, too, but those are the ones you're looking for. It cost $170 on Amazon, but there are different models of the Polar brand that won't break the bank. I can't speak on any other HRM. Good luck with your decision!

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