Heart Rate Monitor - any suggestions

Polar FT7 all the way! I only endorse that model because it's the only one that I own out of the Polar HRM series.

As for zones, yes it is true that you will burn fat in all of them. The "fat burning" zone is intended for those who do not want to lose muscle mass in the process. I tend to stay in the "fat burning" zone for 30 of the 40 minutes of my entire cardio and that has done me wonders with keeping on the most muscle I'm willing while losing as much weight as possible.

What kinds of workouts are you doing? For that much exercise, you're prob. not eating enough.. 1400 calories is not enough to sustain 7 days of exercise for 1-2 hrs a day.

If you're not already, start strength training.. that I found makes the biggest difference in weight loss to me.

Also incorporate some rest days.. Your body needs time to repair it's self. If you don't give it adequate rest and repair time, then nothing is really going to happen.

You also only have 20 pounds to lose.. which means it is going to come off quite slow. Try for a pound or even half a pound a week loss and see what happens.

My final edit: I took a look at your diary and while you are eating 1400-1500 calories, you are only netting like 800-900 calories after exercise.. which is nothing! You're body is prob. holding on to everything for dear life... so eat more!

love my Garmin.

I got the Polar FT60 after a good deal of research and comparing models, features and reviews. Amazon.com seemed to have the best prices also.
Good luck.

If you have been exercising well for a long period of time with not much loss, you may have to look more closely at what you are eating ,make sure you get enough calories and increase your protein.

:drinker: I had a personal trainer last year and He explain to me is to find your HR at the rest mode... My was showing at rest mode (laid down before getting out of bed) was too high, I needed to work out and find my "smart HR" (personalize target heart rate-THR) to burn fat effectively - THR is 60-80% of your maximum heart rate. You will calculate your THR by adding your lower heart rate plus your higher heart rate then the result divide it by 2 e.g. LHR=120 HRT=160 THR = (120+160)/2= 140.... so to be able to burn fat effectively I need to work out at that level of my THR.... e.g. I start walking when I get to the level of 140 in HR monitor is when I start timing so if I can walk at that pace in the HR of 140 per 30 Minutes, is a lot more effective if I walk for 2 hrs with less effort.
The other way is the "predictable" High HR:

WOMEN: 226-your age = age-adjusted Max HR
MEN: 220-your age = age-adjusted Max HR

I am 44 yrs old so 226-44=182 is my High limit HR.

A target zone is a heart rate range that guides your workout by keeping your intensity level between an upper and lower heart rate limit. There are various target zones that are suggested for an individual to follow that correspond with a specific exercise goal. IE: Improved Fitness Zone 70-80% of Max Heart Rate.

Ideal For Benefit Desired Intensity Level (% Maximum heart rate)
Light Exercise Maintain Healthy Heart/Get Fit 50% - 60%
Weight Management Lose Weight/ Burn Fat 60% - 70%
Aerobic Base Building Increase Stamina Aerobic Endurance 70% - 80%
Optimal Conditioning Maintain Excellent Fitness Condition 80% - 90%
Elite Athlete Maintain Superb Athletic Condition 90% - 100%

:flowerforyou: Select which level of condition represents your current physical condition and locate the Lower and Upper Heart Rate Zones for your age from the Target Heart Rate Chart.

Any reason why you need a HRM?
Unless you need to restrict your max HR for medical reasons, I don't know why people spend their money on them. People don't know what to do with the data. If you're running and your HRM reads 175, what do you do with that info? They often limit your performance by keeping you from straying outside of your comfort level.
Just my $.02

It also takes four weeks of eating a higher calorie amount to figure out if it works or not.. You can't just do it for a day, go oh I gained weight so it must not work. When you eat a low amount of calories for a while and suddenly start fueling your body properly, it's going to hang on to everything it's got until it stabilizes and realizes that the food isn't going anywhere. Once that happens, the weight that you gain will go away as fast as it came on.

I also again recommend taking a rest day.. If you are not giving you're body a chance to recover, then the muscles will always be holding on to water, which will make the scale higher when it's really not.

bump

I keep hearing great brands about he Polar. I suggest getting on Amazon and doing a search so you can see product reviews for many different brands. I'm shopping for one as well...Polar is consistently the highest rated.

Don't know if this will help you any but...........Here is a link that was posted in another thread with a lot of information on HRM's. Also, I would suggest getting one with a chest strap as they are better to calculate an accurate HR.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

I purchased a Polar FT40 last year from heartratemonitorsusa dot com to replace my old Polar (which didn't calculate calories burned) and I the FT40.

You can search the internet for specials and lowest prices if you are shopping for any HRM on sites like heart rate monitors usa, Amazon, sporting stores, ebay, etc.

Also, search for online codes so that you can take advantage of any additional savings

I got a Polar FT7 for xmas and am madly in love with it! The absolute ONLY con i have is that i have a small ribcage and now that the strap is worn in, it's slipping down on me. I'm hoping they make smaller ones