HRM's, how much do they help?

In my case I bought an HRM and have used it for some of my exercises, just to see if I'm using as much calories as MFP states, and have found that the information in MFP tallys pretty well with the information my HRM is giving out. Thus now I usually just put in the exercise type and time in MFP and I'm happy to accept the figures it says. So I suppose I should question the expense of spending £60 on the HRM just for peace of mind. Of course other people are different so it might be useful to borrow an HRM just to see if you're figures agree as well. My HRM actually usually says I've burned more calories than MFP states but if I subtract the 150-200 cals an hour I would have used had I sat on my bum instead of exercising then the MFP figure is about right.

The HRM has shown how high my resting heart rate is (usually 80-100 bpm) and when I exercise it climbs very quickly to 160-190 bpm, this does worry me.

It has helped me b/c it motivates me during my workout. I can see if my heartrate is 'in the zone' or if I need to push harder, and I can see how many calories I've already burned during the workout (which can motivate me to work harder or longer to burn more). I was not struggling with the weightless before I got it, but I had a hard time motivating myself to workout. I could 'see' what I was accomplishing with my food intake by logging my calories, but I couldn't really 'see' what I was accomplishing by working out before getting the HRM. I like having numbers in front of me to compare. Yes I would have eventually 'seen' the results of working out throug changes in my body, but I like having a way to know how my work is paying off *right then*, and that's what my HRM does for me. :-)

I really like my Polar HRM that I use. That being said, it's only a tool and I don't take what it says as gospel. I use mine to more or less get a general idea of what I'm burning, but I know that it's not 100% accurate. Depending on the activity, it's either really really close to what MFP says or way, way off.

I'll take the HRM reading over MFP because it's actually measuring my heart rate the entire time I'm working out (with a chest strap) so I feel that it's probably more accurate than MFP's numbers. *shrugs*

Well said! I agree 100%!

It doesn't make losing weight easier. But it can definitely add an incentive or motivation to do more physical activity, if you can see the output right there in front of you. To me, it's more fun! For example, if I know the calorie count of a treat I would like to have, my HRM will let me know how much longer I need to walk or run or workout to burn off that treat. It's very convenient. :-)

I know tracking exercise calories is a big deal around here, but I don't think it's necessary. The reason is that most people's activity is pretty consistent on a weekly basis. All that's really needed is to stay consistent with your calories, and adjust them if you're not losing weight.

Tools like that may be useful for those whose activity varies greatly, but for most, it's unnecessary nit-picking.

I do a lot of areobics, zumba and jogging. It helps me keep my calories in check with types of exercises because they are hard to estimate

I know tracking exercise calories is a big deal around here, but I don't think it's necessary. The reason is that most people's activity is pretty consistent on a weekly basis. All that's really needed is to stay consistent with your calories, and adjust them if you're not losing weight.

Tools like that may be useful for those whose activity varies greatly, but for most, it's unnecessary nit-picking.

that's pretty much been my view, which is why i asked this question, I don't think I can justify the $65 on something that isn't going to have a real impact on my weight loss.

If you're struggling with weight loss, simply eat a little less, or add a little more activity, or both.

If you are just thinking about a HRM for tracking calories, burned, then I would not do it. They are nice for that reason, but I think the real purpose should be used as a tool for exercise. I find that mine helps me push harder, but also no when to back off (as if being dizzy and nauseous isn't enough of a clue). I find that most websites will underestimate calories burned for a particular exercise, so it probably wouldn't help your weight loss since by sticking to a website's guess, then you will probably eat a little less. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I do LOVE my HRM monitor, however, because it encourages me to push harder - I love seeing 800 calories burned in 90 minutes or whatever. I hope this helps!

I know tracking exercise calories is a big deal around here, but I don't think it's necessary. The reason is that most people's activity is pretty consistent on a weekly basis. All that's really needed is to stay consistent with your calories, and adjust them if you're not losing weight.

Tools like that may be useful for those whose activity varies greatly, but for most, it's unnecessary nit-picking.

Dude, no offense. I'm not trying to start an argument with you, but I have serious issues with this post.

First, you've stated your opinion: "I don't think it's necessary to track exercise calories". OK, that's cool.

Then you added your basis: "most people's activity is pretty consistent on a weekly basis." Wow, amazing insight into the human population! Impressive. I noted that you didn't say "dieters", or "Americans", or "MFP users", etc. You said "people".

Then you added a qualification: "Tools like that may be useful for those whose activity varies greatly." The minority of the human population, I'm inferring from your post.

You have an amazing premise. For a 31 year old guy with a photo of a person with good abs, and not much else to lend credibility to your statement, its hard to take what you say with more than "a grain of salt".

Having said that, most Registered Dietitians would probably agree with you. That is generally their approach. Please understand that keeping track of exercise calories provides ancillary benefits. Just like keeping a food diary, tracking calories expended give the MFP user a tangible measurement of what he/she is doing daily/weekly/yearly. How much.

I will agree with your statement, "All that's really needed is to stay consistent with your calories, and adjust them if you're not losing weight." IF YOUR ONLY GOAL FOR BEING HERE IS TO LOSE WEIGHT. But this website/app/tool is not called "MyDietPal".

Now your basis. Dude, come on. Weak. Sorry. Most people? Really?!?

Now to the OP and others who may be interested. An HRM is a great tool for fitness. You don't HAVE to have one to lose weight. It is the best tool to assess your body's response to the moment-to-moment changes in your physical activity. People often wonder how much and in which intensities they should train to gain maximum benefit. The simplest means of determining this is to listen to your own body. Heart rate based training gives clear guidance on how to train to reach your individual goals, based on your personal heart rate and heart rate variability.

Here is a little bit of information about the benefits of using an HRM:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/solpwr/view/heart-rate-the-window-inside-the-body-163402

Finally, if your goal in being here is too just look fantastic, AND YOU ARE GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED TO LOW BODY FAT, you could probably forego using an HRM completely. If your goal is to look really good, you could probably go without one.

If you would like to really quantify your exercise efforts in the best way possible, an HRM is the best tool to do that. If you want insight into whether you are over-training or under-training, HRM is the best for that. If you are active in a sport such as running or cycling or cross country skiing or hiking or climbing or football or soccer or *insert active sport here*, an HRM is a great tool to find out if you can improve in your sport.

If you have (or at some point in the future will) become more focused on your fitness or your athletic performance as opposed to your obesity or external appearance, I would recommend using an HRM, without a doubt.

I know tracking exercise calories is a big deal around here, but I don't think it's necessary. The reason is that most people's activity is pretty consistent on a weekly basis. All that's really needed is to stay consistent with your calories, and adjust them if you're not losing weight.

Tools like that may be useful for those whose activity varies greatly, but for most, it's unnecessary nit-picking.

Dude, no offense. I'm not trying to start an argument with you, but I have serious issues with this post.

First, you've stated your opinion: "I don't think it's necessary to track exercise calories". OK, that's cool.

Then you added your basis: "most people's activity is pretty consistent on a weekly basis." Wow, amazing insight into the human population! Impressive. I noted that you didn't say "dieters", or "Americans", or "MFP users", etc. You said "people".

Then you added a qualification: "Tools like that may be useful for those whose activity varies greatly." The minority of the human population, I'm inferring from your post.

You have an amazing premise. For a 31 year old guy with a photo of a person with good abs, and not much else to lend credibility to your statement, its hard to take what you say with more than "a grain of salt".

Having said that, most Registered Dietitians would probably agree with you. That is generally their approach. Please understand that keeping track of exercise calories provides ancillary benefits. Just like keeping a food diary, tracking calories expended give the MFP user a tangible measurement of what he/she is doing daily/weekly/yearly. How much.

I will agree with your statement, "All that's really needed is to stay consistent with your calories, and adjust them if you're not losing weight." IF YOUR ONLY GOAL FOR BEING HERE IS TO LOSE WEIGHT. But this website/app/tool is not called "MyDietPal".

Now your basis. Dude, come on. Weak. Sorry. Most people? Really?!?

Now to the OP and others who may be interested. An HRM is a great tool for fitness. You don't HAVE to have one to lose weight. It is the best tool to assess your body's response to the moment-to-moment changes in your physical activity. People often wonder how much and in which intensities they should train to gain maximum benefit. The simplest means of determining this is to listen to your own body. Heart rate based training gives clear guidance on how to train to reach your individual goals, based on your personal heart rate and heart rate variability.

Here is a little bit of information about the benefits of using an HRM:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/solpwr/view/heart-rate-the-window-inside-the-body-163402

Finally, if your goal in being here is too just look fantastic, AND YOU ARE GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED TO LOW BODY FAT, you could probably forego using an HRM completely. If your goal is to look really good, you could probably go without one.

If you would like to really quantify your exercise efforts in the best way possible, an HRM is the best tool to do that. If you want insight into whether you are over-training or under-training, HRM is the best for that. If you are active in a sport such as running or cycling or cross country skiing or hiking or climbing or football or soccer or *insert active sport here*, an HRM is a great tool to find out if you can improve in your sport.

If you have (or at some point in the future will) become more focused on your fitness or your athletic performance as opposed to your obesity or external appearance, I would recommend using an HRM, without a doubt.

I stand by my statement. A generalization, sure, but I think it holds true. Most regular folks looking to improve their fitness have a set workout routine, i.e. "45 minutes on the elliptical 3x per week, weight lifting 2x per week," or whatever. The calorie burn is going to be roughly the same. Once you know where you are, trying to track the exact calories burned is unnecessary nitpicking This kind of nitpicking is what leaves a lot of people frustrated.

Now, if you're training specifically to maximize improvements endurance capacity, then a HRM is a valuable tool. If you're one of those people whose calorie burn varies greatly, then it's a valuable tool. If it just helps keep you motivated, then it's a valuable tool. However, again, most people around here are just trying to drop a few pounds.

I'm not sure if your "GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED TO LOW BODY FAT" comment was directed at me or not. If it was, you're WAY off base.

I'm glad you are so self impressed that you can make a blanket statement about the rest of us and think we give a *kitten* what you think.

I'm just stating my opinion like everyone else around here. It goes without saying that people are free to take it or leave it.

And the "blanket statement" I made was correct. Look at the threads on the front page of each forum. Lost of stuff about weight loss, not a whole lot about shaving a few seconds off of one's 5k time.

I think my HRM was one of the best investments I've made in my weight loss journey. I like being able to see what I'm burning. I've also found that, for me, my HRM is much more accurate than MFP. Previously, MFP was estimating calories burned that were 300 - 400 off! For someone who eats back some of my exercise calories, that was a big game changer when I stopped using MFP for my calories burned and began to go by for HRM. It's worth the money!