Heart rate and HRM

raincloud · January 2009

I LOVE my New Polar 4 and all, but I am not understanding a few things and was hoping you could help me

In the past hour, of sitting here on the computer, I took my heart rate and all that so it could tell me how much I burned in the hour. With an average of 81 (high of 95 bpm) it said I have burned 136 calories in that hour......

What?!?! So that's like 3,264 calories burned in a day if I were to just be sitting (I am sure sleeping is less, but still). It doesn't make sense to me!!!!

So, that is 68 calories for 1/2 hour, and so when I burn 300 calories in the gym for 1/2 hour I need to only eat 232 extra calories?

I cannot imagine that people with higher heart rates (let's say 90) burn more calories on a daily basis than people with lower heart rates (60's)....

What about when I am in my target of 127-167? That is only about 37 to 77 bmp higher than my resting, while someone with 60 bpm average resting has a 67 to 107 bmp higher heart rate for their target. Is that still ok?

So, how does this work? Do you know what I am saying?

I think I need sleep. LOL. :noway:

raincloud · January 2009

I LOVE my New Polar 4 and all, but I am not understanding a few things and was hoping you could help me

In the past hour, of sitting here on the computer, I took my heart rate and all that so it could tell me how much I burned in the hour. With an average of 81 (high of 95 bpm) it said I have burned 136 calories in that hour......

What?!?! So that's like 3,264 calories burned in a day if I were to just be sitting (I am sure sleeping is less, but still). It doesn't make sense to me!!!!

So, that is 68 calories for 1/2 hour, and so when I burn 300 calories in the gym for 1/2 hour I need to only eat 232 extra calories?

I cannot imagine that people with higher heart rates (let's say 90) burn more calories on a daily basis than people with lower heart rates (60's)....

What about when I am in my target of 127-167? That is only about 37 to 77 bmp higher than my resting, while someone with 60 bpm average resting has a 67 to 107 bmp higher heart rate for their target. Is that still ok?

So, how does this work? Do you know what I am saying?

I think I need sleep. LOL. :noway:

PolarQueen · January 2009

I don't have the answer you are looking for. But I would like to see what everybody says.
Good question.

hearts3134 · January 2009

Sorry, no idea either. I'm looking into getting the HRM and I'd like to know too.

Help us please!

gsschulte · January 2009

are you able to make that your base line? i run just under 60bpm at rest so it may be thinking that you are actually working out.

may_marie · January 2009

i like your question and would like to see a good answer to this !!

i have noticed that too, one day i wore my hrm for a whole 24h just to see, and it turned out that i burned abour 2800 cal. (without workout), i was wondering if that meant my maintain calories should be that much but then i realized that because i was basicly eating about 2800 cals a day and that took me up too 220 lbs, so it couldnt be that.

maybe songbird is around later :laugh:

Nonibug · January 2009

Im wondering the same thing...I wore my HRM (also a Polar F4) yesterday for most of the day while shopping, etc. but nothing extremely exertive and it said for around 8 hrs I burned like 1200 cals. HOPE so lol, but is it so...?

arewethereyet · January 2009

I do reduce my workout calories by my normal 90 cals a minute for sitting.

You have also got to keep in mind that your body is used to the work you do. I dont add exercise for dishes, garbage or laundry. But when I work like yesterday scrubbing the house, I put that in as my exercise for the day. I burned 700 extra cals yesterday.

I have tested and when I am sitting, doing nothing I am at 75-80....laying down 55-65......just standing up 90-95...So this shows how important it is for us to move. I think it is Dr Oz who said, walk to your coworkers desk instead of emailing. Now I know why.

I am goign to go to a nutritionist to find out what I should be eating. I agree that I must burn 2800 cals a day just doing my everyday stuff. I wonder if going to 1200 is way too low.

:flowerforyou:

repoman · January 2009

This is a fascinating topic. I'd love to see an expert in the field address this question. I don't have a definitive answer, but I'd like to add a couple of points.

According to Wikipedia, BMR is defined as "the amount of energy expended while at rest in a neutrally temperate environment, in the post-absorptive state (meaning that the digestive system is inactive, which requires about twelve hours of fasting in humans)."

So seemingly even the act of eating increases that. figure. It therefore seems reasonable to me that, without formally working out, one's calorie count can exceed the calculated BMR just by performing normal daily activity.

The amount of fat you burn is not linear in terms of the number of calories consumed vs burned. There are many factors that can influence fat burn, such as not eating enough and inducing 'starvation mode', hormonal imbalances, muscle recovery post-workout, being sick, consuming non-optimal ratios of fat/protein/carbs etc.

Annika · January 2009

Just bumping this as I'd like to see what the answer is too

Annika · January 2009

Bumping again

I still want to know :happy:

rogers8702 · January 2009

BUMP........i am interested also.

i usually take off 80 calories per hour so if my HRM reads 330 i only eat the extra 250. i just have a $40 hrm from wal-mart, but i dont see much difference in any of the polars, i am thinking about buying a polar but weighing the options at this time.

lolakey · January 2009

I remember reading somewhere** that the monitors are only accurate on calories when HR is over 100 BPM.

**I can't find the article so I might be totally making that up. Can someone else find out?

tresa1234 · January 2009

We should keep bumping this until Songbyrdsweet notices it. I have the same issues because of a high resting heart rate ... I think I might be getting too high readings on calories with my HRM.

miasuperstar · January 2009

Very curious indeed. My resting heart rate is just below average (65) and when I've worn my HM all day not counting sleep I burnt like 2000 cal. That's waht the "average daily allowance" on packaging is i think, so it seemed normal. And so maye 2500-2800 isn't so strange if your resting HR is higher. thoughi imagine it gets to be way low while we sleep. I actually thought my daily calories would be higher because this includes normal day activities where i bike to and from school and walk my dog twice a day and have a moderatley active job- not at the desk. However, I do think that our resting heart rate is actually lower than it is say when your sitting at a computer. It is suggested that you take your HR first thing in the AM before you get out of bed for several days and then average those values. Interesting questions......

miasuperstar · January 2009

I cannot imagine that people with higher heart rates (let's say 90) burn more calories on a daily basis than people with lower heart rates (60's)....

What about when I am in my target of 127-167? That is only about 37 to 77 bmp higher than my resting, while someone with 60 bpm average resting has a 67 to 107 bmp higher heart rate for their target. Is that still ok?

So, how does this work? Do you know what I am saying?

I think I need sleep. LOL. :noway:
[/quote]

I've heard that the more fit you are the harder it is to burn more calories, right? and generally the lower your resting HR? So someone with a 60 bpm resting HR will have to work harder to get into that high calorie burning zone. More confusing still is why the more fit you are the higher your metabolism is during the day even though you may have lowered your resting HR as you've become more fit. AARG!

tresa1234 · January 2009

bump

Annika · January 2009

bump

lolakey · January 2009

Interesting discussion on this topic.

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-burned-polar-hrm-ft120640

Heart rate and HRM

Replies

Categories