Just received my Polar FT4

I got the FT4 for xmas -- and I LOVE IT !! I am mad at myself that I did not get one sooner -- It motivates me to see the calories burning away, and so glad now that I know the right amount of calories being burned, because you will see, it is not the same as the machines in the gym !!
Good Luck -- hope you like it as much as me !! :flowerforyou:

I'm thinking about buying the Polar FT4. Does it tell you how many miles you've walked? Thanks to anyone who answers!

I don't think it has a pedometer on it, I think there are some that would though.

I received my Polar FT4 yesterday through the post. I will be trying it out tomorrow. I had received money for my birthday a little while back and used it to buy the HRM.

I could not believe how damn easy it was to set-up and use, what a breath of fresh air!!

So many things nowadays almost require the person that is going to use the object to have a degree in Physics LOL.

I have a degree in Physics and I still have to call tech support on way too many things. I agree about the Polar though , I got a FT7 and it was pretty much unwrap , strap on , and go to work . I have had mine a couple of weeks and it's great . Enjoy !

Just got my FT4 over the weekend.

I had a strapless Mia Drive one before (which aren't able to give a continuous reading) and the FT4 gives a much lower reading. The FT4 reading is also quite a bit lower than the treadmill's calorie burn estimate, which is a one-size-fits-all number.

Thankfully, I never gave myself all the calories that the treadmill or MIA HRM gave to me, so I feel much more confident that I'm getting an accurate number with the FT4.

The nice thing about a continuous HRM with a strap is that you can monitor it as you have different levels of exertion, which is hard to figure with MFP's numbers. So, I may start out at 4.5 mph and end at 6.2 mph and have a cool down and know basically what I've burned, according to my height and weight.

Question for you all: Were you under or over estimating the amount of calories you were burning? Anyone compared theirs to myfitnesspals values?

The only problem is that the fact that an HRMs numbers are different from MFP numbers is not evidence that the HRM numbers are more accurate.

In many cases they will be, but only because many of the MFP listings are so vague. For some activities, esp walking on a treadmill, MFP numbers will be the most accurate.

Yes this , the HRM takes into account more individual variables and monitors you during the entire burn . MFP is an average of , I am guessing , data input from several users with HRM monitoring . No two people even with exactly the same weight , height , age , sex , etc. will have the same burn doing the same exercise . There will be variation in conditioning , technique , etc. (This is my opinion and you are welcome to make it yours !)

I have been wanting one and all of your positive reviews is making me want one even more! Where did you all order yours? I have read reviews, etc. on Amazon, but just haven't bought one yet.

I bought mine on Amazon, it arrived within a few days and that was over the Christmas period too!

Bought both of mine on eBay.

Question for you all: Were you under or over estimating the amount of calories you were burning? Anyone compared theirs to myfitnesspals values?

I just got a Polar FT60 about 2 weeks ago. Some of the stuff the HRM gives me significantly higher numbers than MFP (some of my 'active' yoga classes are 100-200 calories higher than MFP's number, and no, I don't do hot yoga). Some things the HRM gives me a much lower number (other yoga classes, basic calisthenics, etc). In general the trend is higher with the HRM though.

Got my Polar FT7 in the mail on Saturday... wearing it as a watch now and hitting the gym in 2 hours at lunch to try it out.

Be cautious with the myth about the so-called fat burning zone. Read this from Active.com

http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/The-Myth-of-the-Fat-burning-Zone.htm

In order to maximize the use - you will need to read about HR training. There are several good books - so take advantage of the public library.

Also, make sure you rinse off your strap after use. The deposit of minerals (mainly sodium) can lead to erroneous readings. Polar is a very sturdy brand, but make sure you read the section on how to care for your monitor - in particular the chest strap.

I would be very cautious with the calorie burn also. I have a F-11 (didcontinued model) and the "Fit-test" set my VO2 like I was Lance Armstong and not an overweight middle-aged woman. The calorie calculation went up about 33%. I manually re-set it to an average VO2 and the calorie burn was more realistic.

Let your weight-loss be your guide as you get to know your HRM....

I got a Polar FT7 for Christmas and love it. At the time, it was only a $10 difference from the FT4 so I opted for the more "sophisticated" model, but truthfully I probably won't ever use it to its full extent. I've been using it when I play the Just Dance Wii games. It has been very helpful and has definitely encouraged me to exercise longer because now those 350+ calories burned look so much more impressive than 200+. I have noticed that some days my rate of calorie burn is higher than others -- it depends on the mixture of songs that I do and how much downtime there is between them -- like when my daughters just can't decide on which song they want to do next. It looks like most of my exercise sessions are in the 6.7 cal/min range. The MFP "Aerobic Modern Dance" entry (which I had been using) comes to 5.7 cal/min in my diary. Not too far off for me. I haven't used it for other activities yet.