personal HRM vs treadmill HRM

jbrown78
jbrown78 Posts: 78 Member
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
I just bought a Timex HRM and when compared to the one built in to the treadmill at the gym it was almost 300 calorie difference! has anyone else noticed this? I want to eat most of my exercise calories but I am unsure what to do? I have not been losing much weight and I wonder if this is why? ie starvation mode?

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
    I notice a huge difference btween my Polar and what the machine says.
  • Losing2Live69
    Losing2Live69 Posts: 743 Member
    Does your HRM have a chest strap?
  • maddiecrist
    maddiecrist Posts: 2
    I rely more on my personal Polar HRM than the treadmill. Even with the treadmills that sync up with my HRM, there's always a big gap in the end between my watch transmitter and the treadmill. I think the personal one is more accurate for me because I've put in my height and weight, which the treadmill doesn't ask for.
  • birdlover97111
    birdlover97111 Posts: 346 Member
    I just bought a Timex HRM and when compared to the one built in to the treadmill at the gym it was almost 300 calorie difference! has anyone else noticed this? I want to eat most of my exercise calories but I am unsure what to do? I have not been losing much weight and I wonder if this is why? ie starvation mode?

    Is the machine under or over what your Timex HRM says..??
  • cibolodave
    cibolodave Posts: 45
    i tend to go with the personal HRM. I dont trust something that 10,000 people use in a day 8-)
  • JMYGA
    JMYGA Posts: 26
    i tend to go with the personal HRM. I dont trust something that 10,000 people use in a day 8-)

    I don't trust anything that's just using what it picks up from your grip.
  • jbrown78
    jbrown78 Posts: 78 Member
    My watch is much more than the treadmill. 768 compared to 388. there is no chest strap. I was thinking of taking a calorie total of about 1/2 way between the two!?! But if the watch one is closer to reality that would explain why i am so hungry all the time.
  • ItsMeLori
    ItsMeLori Posts: 346
    I have a Polar w/chest strap and an Healthrider treadmill w/IFit and my HRM tells me about 30 calories more then the Treadmill depending on the distance or speed
  • cibolodave
    cibolodave Posts: 45
    true 8-)
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    I put my weight into the treadmill the one at my gym allows me to I have used my HRM when using the tread mill they seem to sync together so now I just wear my chest strap and put my weight into the treadmill and do it that way they are the same for me. Id go by hrm
  • LauraMarie37
    LauraMarie37 Posts: 283 Member
    From what I've read, a HRM that doesn't use a chest strap (so both your watch and the hand grips from the treadmill) is not going to be accurate. I would take your HRM number, the gym's HRM number, and what the MFP database gives you at the speed you were running, and use the average. Then you'll know in the future if your HRM is going to skew either too high or too low.
  • webdiva1
    webdiva1 Posts: 326 Member
    Oh, yeah. First time I used my Polar F4, there was a 300+ difference between by HRM and what MFP said ... and the HRM was the lower of the two (much to my dismay).

    Lots of reasons for that when you think about it: every person is different ... people who have lots to lose burn calories at a considerably different rate than do those with fewer pounds to lose ... a personal monitor, especially one with a chest strap, is *bound* to be more accurate than a machine ... and I figure MFPs algorithms and calculations pretty much have to include some averages. :)

    Over time, as I've gotten more fit, I've seen the numbers between my HRM and MFP get closer. Regardless, though: my HRM is my guide, period.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Return the TImex and get a Polar. Honestly, Timex's are awful when it comes to calorie counts and way over estimate. I had a TImex once and it told me the same thing yours is telling you... So I returned mine and got a Polar FT7 and I'm much happier.
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