Cheap HRM

martymum
martymum Posts: 413 Member
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi

I apologise in advance for another hrm question but I did use the search for an hour and couldn't find an answer. My hubby got me a hrm from amazon. It was a cheaper one but does have a chest strap.

It doesn't measure cals burned just average and max heart rate during workout. I have used 2 websites

http://www.triathlontrainingblog.com/calculators/calories-burned-calculator-based-on-average-heart-rate

http://www.braydenwm.com/calburn.htm

To calculate cals burned. The 2 websites gave the same cals burned and it was a lot higher than mfps estimate. This surprised me as I has read mfp over estimates cals burned.

I am 40 and 181lbs. The hrm doesn't have facilities for inputing age, sex etc.

For example 53 mins of vigorous cleaning was 304 (vox of 0)with the websites, but mfp puts it at 218 cals.

I am only at the beginning of my journey and at 5 ft 3 classed as obese and am not eating my exercise cals back at present but as I get closer to my goal I will want to. I will be getting a polar for xmas/birthday (drag of having a b'day in december) but until then I wondered if anyone has advice over which is likely to be more acurate??

I hope I am not wasting my time with my hrm and I do wet the sensors. I input my resting as 79 and max as 180.

Sorry for the ramble and thanks for any help and advice.

martyxxx

Replies

  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    I am still new with my hrm only had it a month and I love it. I have the Polar FT7 and I am able to insert height , weight and age. It also calculates calories burned and fat burned. I find my hrm calorie counter is under what mfp calorie counter is.my resting heart rate is 73 and my max has been 180. Definitely need one with a chest strap. Not sure which one you have but definitely putting a little money into it doesn't hurt mine was $80 from heartratemonitor.com. Good luck.
  • BrentGetsFit
    BrentGetsFit Posts: 878 Member
    Calorie counting in an inexact science so until you get your Polar (I have an FT4 and love it) just average those 2 sites and MFP together and use that for your burn. Worst thing to do is overestimate your burn. Good luck :)
  • paulaercksn
    paulaercksn Posts: 29 Member
    I don't really have an answer for you, but... I have also looked at the first website you mentioned before. It tells you to put in a VO2 max of 35 if you don't know yours. That will change the number of calories it says you burn. I tried it for the workout I just completed and with a VO2 max of 0 the calories burned where much higher than with a VO2 max of 35. Try that. That may be more accurate.
  • richardzaccone
    richardzaccone Posts: 13 Member
    When researching my HRM purchase, I read where you are NOT supposed to wet your hrm chest strap sensors with tap water but use a sensor gel, saliva or allow your body to sweat and to create its own contact. Tap water has minerals, etc that can create incorrect readings.
  • apage126
    apage126 Posts: 6
    I've had the same experience. I just bought a New Balance HRM that was around $70...thought it should be a decent one for that price. I've just used it once, but it calculated my calories burned higher than MFP and my treadmill. It was puzzling to me since everything else I had read was about MFP calories burned being too high.
  • iwillsoonbeslim
    iwillsoonbeslim Posts: 283
    Does it let you input your weight?
  • apage126
    apage126 Posts: 6
    Mine allows the input of age, gender, height, and weight. And I did wet the chest strap sensors with saliva, as per the instructions... Still the calories burned were higher than MFP???

    Maybe I should go back to using the MFP numbers so I don't end up going over my calories.
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
    Does it let you input your weight?


    no it doesn't

    martyxxx

    ps just done day 1 and 2 of 30DS...mfp says 498 cals for 45 mins but hrm with website and vox of 35 says 413...so have gone with the lower number.

    Guess the type of activity matters too.

    thanks for the responses everyone : )

    martyxxx
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