HRM Question

suzykitty
suzykitty Posts: 12 Member
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
I just bought an inexpensive HRM from Walmart. I was so excited to finally see an accurate calorie count for my workouts. I went for a walk last night and it seemed to sync with MFP pretty well. This morning I did a pretty high intensity (for me) workout on my elliptical. The elliptical said I burned 231 calories in 20 minutes, the HRM (which does not have a chest strap) only said 71 calories! It only counts calories in the pedometer mode, so it thinks I walked for 20 minutes and does not account for the varied degrees of intensity (resistance) during my workout.

Should I put out the money and purchase a better HRM or am I just being too hopeful about my calorie burn?

Thanks everyone
Susan

Replies

  • daisy89
    daisy89 Posts: 151 Member
    I would say yes. I purchased a Polar FT7 a couple of weeks ago, and I have not regretted it.

    It has a chest strap which allows it to accurately monitor your heart rate, it shows you on the watch interface all of your stats as you're burning them.

    I really don't know how I managed without my Polar, it's seriously changed my workouts.

    I also wore it all day long once, to get a rough estimate of how many calories I burn in a day (without working out). It's not 1500, like MFP suggested, it's 2,000!

    So, with those tools I've really been able to get in some quality work outs, and accurately know how much I'm burning.

    Hope this has helped. =]
  • juliapurpletoes
    juliapurpletoes Posts: 951 Member
    definitely!

    I have the Polar FT4.....it was on sale for about $70. Check in your sporting goods stores. they oftern run non-advertised sales.

    Chest strap will make all the difference!
  • cfmusgrove
    cfmusgrove Posts: 46 Member
    I second that on the Polar FT7!! I love mine! I got one on ebay for about $85, but they retail at about $100-$120.
  • Sharonbed4d
    Sharonbed4d Posts: 163
    Getting a good quality HRM is so worth it! I have the Polar FT4 which is not too terribly expensive and I love it!
  • SammyLynn010
    SammyLynn010 Posts: 293 Member
    Well, I invested in a HRM with a chest strap and I love it. I thought about just getting the watch one but it seemed to be less accurate than the chest ones when I read online and asked on here about them. I really wanted mine for things like Zumba, when it can be soo subjective to each person how many calories you are burning.

    If you have the money and REALLY care about exact calories... I would do it. They are durable and last a while. So why not??
  • dd_salas
    dd_salas Posts: 57 Member
    I just bought a Polar FT4 and it was the best $100 I every spent. Read my blog - the machines at the gym were OVER reporting my calories burned on my cardio by, like 20 percent, not to mention that I had no clue how much I was burning when I do my strength training. The Polar FT4 also has a chest strap. I purchased mine on eBay. You can search for New products on there - it'll save you about $20 or so vs retail. Hey, $20 is $20. =) Good luck!!!
  • Kelleinna
    Kelleinna Posts: 160
    I'll just agree with what everyone is saying about getting one with a chest strap. I have a Polar FT4. MFP was way overestimating my calorie burn as well, and if I had tried to eat back all those exercise calories I probably would have ended up GAINING weight... lol.
  • suzykitty
    suzykitty Posts: 12 Member
    Thanks everyone. I will return the one I bought and find a Polar. Have a great weekend!
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