Has anyone tried this with a heart rate monitor

Options
woo1324
woo1324 Posts: 168 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay so today im going to wear my heart rate monitor for a full 24 hours and record the calories im hoping it will give me a look into the calories that i burn in just my day to day life while looking after the kids cleaning up etc and im interested to see how close it comes to my bmr , im also planning to wear it to bed ,,, because im not sure how long the watch will time for im going to record my cals every 6 hours and then start it again

has anyone else done this ,,, do you think its accurate? im hoping it is id love a more accurate number to work with when im working out how much im burning and needing to eat each day

Replies

  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    Options
    I have heard several times that it is grossly inaccurate when used that way, although I can't say for sure why. Just try it and see how it comes out.
  • Fayve
    Fayve Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    I have heard several people that this is extremely inaccurate as well. Have fun though :P
  • W0zzie
    W0zzie Posts: 262 Member
    Options
    Yup - heresay but I also have read over and over they are grossly inaccurate used in that way. You really need something like a "body bug" i think it is for getting burn or heart rate over an extended period.
  • CaptainMFP
    CaptainMFP Posts: 440 Member
    Options
    HRMs relate HR to oxygen consumption which, during cardiac exercise, is quite accurate as oxygen burn is the best measure of calories burned. The problem with using HR to determine calories at very low (daily routine activities that keep HR below the fat burn zone) or very high (approaching max HR) is that in these circumstances muscle processing of energy will be done anaerobically (i.e. without oxygen). As this inefficient form of processing cellular energy is independent of oxygen it does not correlate at all with HR. Thus, HRMs are also have questionable accuracy for monitoring calorie burn during strength training which is an inherently anaerobic activity. In addition, factors unrelated to calorie burn will affect HR more so outside of the cardiac exercise range, adding to the inaccuracy.

    Don't get me wrong. I use a HRM for all my cardio to (1) monitor my HR and (2) monitor my calories during my cardio. HRMs are the most accurate reading of calories burned you will get during cardio exercise without hooking yourself up to a machine to monitor oxygen consumption. But they are much less accurate outside of this context.

    Still, it can't hurt as an experiment. It would be interesting to see after a full 24 hours (including sleeping) how close the calorie burn comes to calorie burns predicted for daily activity from a BMR calculator.
  • stubbysticks
    stubbysticks Posts: 1,275 Member
    Options
    If you're looking for a more accurate 24 hr reading you should consider a Bodybugg or Bodymedia Fit. I personally wear the latter & have heard it has a more user-friendly web interface. The biggest turnoff is the initial cost ($180-$200) plus there is a monthly subscription after the first 6 or 12 months. It's only $6.95 though & I find that the data I get from it is worth every penny because I just like to know stuff.
  • lynheff
    lynheff Posts: 393 Member
    Options
    Hard to say how accurate it is unless you have lab values--02 burn, metabolic rate etc. Heart rate is one indicator but even just your weight and age won't make it super accurate since it also depends on your basal rate. I don't count my exercise calories because these devices are so erratic. I just took the exercise calories as a bonus.

Categories