FitBit? body bug? I need an HRM!

I have the Garmin Vivofit, and it was not calculating the burn well at all. It was very low, as I do a lot of Cardio as well. It didn't take into account that 1 hour of elliptical is NOT the same as a 1 hour walk. So, I got the heart rate monitor chest strap that goes with, and now it is MUCH more accurate.

Irishfaerie86 wrote: »

..... I can't be sure how many calories I'm burning

Given what you've said about your training, any method of assessing your calorie expenditure is going to be a general approximation. So the point becomes about having something that whilst inaccurate is going to be reasonably consistently inaccurate so that you can accommodate that error in your logging process.

I feel like if I had a fitbit or bodybug I hear so much about

I think it's worth recognising that each of these things has benefits and disbenefits, and how you use them depends on your lifestyle and constraints.

An HRM will approximate calorie expenditure by using HR as a proxy. That requires that you're working in a way that makes an HR proxy meaningful. That means working aerobically, between 40 and 85% of maximum heart rate, and consistently, so no rapid shifts, spikes or dips in HR.

For me, as a runner, I can be reasonably confident in the calorie expenditure from my HRM if I go for a long steady paced run. If I go out and do an intervals session where I have long (3-5 by 1km fast) intervals, then it's less accurate but still close. If I go out and do sprint intervals (10 by 400 metre very fast) then it's less accurate again.

Cardio DVDs aren't really appropriate for an HRM, as you've got lots of variation in HR.

Fitbit, bodybugg etc are essentially pedometers. They're approximating based on a step count. So if you're doing something else that it'll think is a step, but isn't then the approximation is inaccurate. Then you have to think about how that inaccuracy plays into your day. If you do 20000 steps per day then a half our DVD workout isn't going to inject much error. If you only do 5000 steps per day then it's going to have more of a significant effect.

If you just stick with the web approximations, then at least you have some consistency in those approximations. If you eat back everything that you log and you're not losing at your target loss rate, then it's over-estimating expenditure. Ease back on your refuelling. If you're losing faster, then it's under-estimating.

Fairly regularly on here you'll see people agonising about the numbers, but you have to appreciate that they're all approximations, we have to track the trend and account for that, rather than getting hung up on the day to day variations.

Fitbit has new products coming out that include a HRM feature - but not yet. Polar Loop is an activity tracker that can be paired with a Polar HRM for more accurate burn info during cardio.

A HRM does not give accurate all day burn info. From what I understand BodyBugg/Body Media is the only device that comes close. All the activity trackers can do at best is estimate during non-cardio, and estimate (if there is no HRM feature) during cardio. But a tracker can still be a useful tool. As with all else, you have to do a little trial & error to see how it works for you.

Research the brands, think about what features you want. Its not a one size fits all item.

I've had almost all of them- the Garmin Vivofit has been my fave by far. I would hold off... word is Microsoft is releasing a Fit band next week that is supposed to be amazing.

I have both a Fitbit One and a Zephyr HRM with a chest strap (Heart bra?). The Zephyr will connect (via Bluetooth 3.0) to just about any phone. As for programs that go with the HRM, I use Digifit ($5 add-on for HRM related functions and fitness tests). Both Endomondo and Runtastic also directly connect to the HRM and can sync directly through MFP (those two programs are also free but have some add-ons/enhancements that are inexpensive add-ons) and there are certain features that I like on each of those programs, but Digifit is my "go to program" for nearly all of my data needs.

My Fitbit does a lot of things like tracking sleep, activity, steps and for normal activities like walking about, walking on a treadmill, etc. it does a good job. AND it can detect when I am running and give its own estimate of calorie expenditure and distance. But even though it has a pressure based altimeter on board, it can't detect when I'm carrying stuff, or a pack, or otherwise exerting in a way that is outside it's own motion sensors and whatever weight and height data I give it.

For running, hiking (particularly with a pack) or something like very energetic walking, I use my HRM and it's estimate of calorie expenditure (which it does automatically sync with both MFP and Fitbit).

So, why Digifit? It's the tests (part of that purchase. If you have an iPhone, the purchase can be a couple of dollars more for a few additional features). There are some basic and advanced walking tests (Rockport) as well as a couple of advanced running test such as the Cooper 12-minute running test and the CP-30 (Critical Power) test.

I have used the CP-30 test to determine all sorts of things. It does require you to measure your resting heart rate and it requires you to perform a maximum sustainable cardio output for 30 minutes. I have always used it for running but other sustainable cardio exercises like biking can also be used. I either run this test on a track or on a known flat course where I can run at a sustained pace. Of course your weight, age, sex are also part of the equation and must be current and up to date.

The two keys are maximum and sustainable output. If you go out too fast, you'll naturally slow down because you can't sustain the pace (that will show up in your maximum heart rate). If you go out too slow or run so slow that you aren't putting out maximal sustained output your heart rate won't come all the way up to its maximum sustainable level. Note: the standard medical disclaimers apply and are part of the app acknowledgement each time you do the test. It is not an easy test.

The output includes an estimate of your maximum heart rate (in my case, the 220-age is SO WRONG), the lactate threshold HR (approximately 85% of your maximum HR but more nominally the average heart rate during the last 10 minutes of the test), and the 5 customized heart rate training zones and an estimate of your VO2 max. Test to test, your measured maximum heart rate won't change much. What does change as you become more fit is your resting heart rate and your average heart rate during various phases of the test. It also assesses your fitness based upon how much your heart rate recovers during a two minute recovery at the end of the test.

I've used the training zone data from Digifit and transferred those to other programs that allow me to customize the HR zones. But for 99% of my training, I use Digifit.

Digifit gives you access to the equations that it uses for calorie expenditure, VO2 max (for both Cooper Running Test and CP-30 Test; they are different equations), and the source. So, it isn't some big secret.

Why an HRM in addition to my Fitbit? Well, I realized that there some things that Fitbit and other monitors like it did not do well. Second, I noticed as I became more fit, my heart rate was dropping through 60 bpm.

I've just run a marathon and, although my body is still recovering from the strain of running my fastest pace yet and my body is still recovering, my resting heart rate is about 45-48 bpm. Maybe the new Fitbit monitors might be able to account for this.