Total wake up cal...(HRM)

So Funny that you just posted this. I came across this article that talks about those lying Cardio machines.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/exercise-calorie-counters-work/story?id=9966500#.Tyr2jFyXTIK

I ran across the same thing with my polar ft7 right after christmas. about 200 cal less on the hrm than the machine.

The "truth" is probably somewhere in the middle of all those numbers.

I had the same wake-up call.
I did 35 min on the elliptical and burned 186 calories according to the HRM.
Mine was set accurately too.
Of course, though I was really exerting myself (for my fitness level) I was only on level 1 the whole time.
I did use the arms.
But, there is the "after burn" to be happy about.
Raising the metabolic rate burns more calories per hour for awhile afterwards.
I'd still like to know though...
So confusing.

This is good to know! I am getting ready to buy a HRM because I think MFP is over estimating what I am burning. Thanks for sharing!

Omg... Thnk you! And 109 lbs? That's crazy amazing! YOU rock!

HRM use a calculation to determine the calories that you burned. This site has the calc at the bottom

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

basically they take your age, weight, female/male, VO2 Max , AVG HR and length of workout and can calculate how many calories you burned during the workout. That's the link that I use to double check mine.

I will be using my new Polar HRM tonight for the first time and your post is exactly what I have been afraid of. I usually do the stairmaster and the treadmill and I do punch in my weight so i'm hoping it's close but i will be so bummed if I'm only actually burning 1/2 the calories i thought I was.

Are you sure the stats are correct. 250 cals in 42 min is less than 6 cals/min, which is quite low unless you are 5' 100 lbs.

Did you enter your weight in KG's as lbs on the watch, that would make it think you are 2.2 times lighter than you are and weight is probably the biggest factor in calories burned.)

Yeah...My personal trainer help me set my HRM profile and it's about 200-300 cal difference from the gym machines.

OMG...I got a Polar FT7 HRM and used it for the first time ever doing what I love...Elliptical... 42 min ...and these are the stats:

MFP said 712 cals burned

Ellipitical Machine said 500 cals burned

And drum rolll.....

HRM said I only burned 250 cals --- ONLY????

Now wonder I have not been losing weight all this time...seesh! I swear by it now!

Thank you for posting this. This is EXACTLY why i do not believe in eating back calories you not even sure you have burn. This past week end there was another post about how Polar is NOT accurate for women. So your REAL burned calories could even be less. The Polar HRM overestimates numbers too :-(

I am having the exact opposite problem. My HRM always tells me I burn on average about 200 calories more than any machine or what MFP says. I am so confused. My heart rate while working out ranges anywhere from 161-185. I usually maintain the 170ish range while keeping a steady pace. Any tips or advice as to the correct amount burned would be helpful!!

What brand HRM? Polar and Garmin seem to be the most accurate. Try double checking your burn on these 2 sites, if you HRM is much higher it is probably over estimating:
http://www.gersic.com/calories/index.php?daAge=32&daRHR=52&daAHR=148&daMinutes=27&daSeconds=0&Submit=Submit&action=1
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

Thanks for the website link! I had a feeling it was overestimating so I normally shave off 200 calories from the overall estimate. However the 2 sites gave me different estimated calories burned, but I always like to use the lower amount burned as to remind myself to stay in "check" with my food intake. I have been told by trainers before that it takes a serious workout for my heart rate to get going, but I am just surprised about how many calories I can truly burn when I push myself!

I have a Polar FT60 HRM

Another thing to consider is what HR zone you are exercising in???

TRAINING ZONES
Healthy Heart Zone (Warm up) --- 50 - 60% of maximum heart rate: The easiest zone and probably the best zone for people just starting a fitness program. It can also be used as a warm up for more serious walkers. This zone has been shown to help decrease body fat, blood pressure and cholesterol. It also decreases the risk of degenerative diseases and has a low risk of injury. 85% of calories burned in this zone are fats!

Fitness Zone (Fat Burning) --- 60 - 70% of maximum heart rate: This zone provides the same benefits as the healthy heart zone, but is more intense and burns more total calories. The percent of fat calories is still 85%.
Aerobic Zone (Endurance Training) --- 70 - 80% of maximum heart rate: The aerobic zone will improve your cardiovascular and respiratory system AND increase the size and strength of your heart. This is the preferred zone if you are training for an endurance event. More calories are burned with 50% from fat.

Anaerobic Zone (Performance Training) --- 80 - 90% of maximum heart rate: Benefits of this zone include an improved VO2 maximum (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus an improved cardiorespiratory system, and a higher lactate tolerance ability which means your endurance will improve and you'll be able to fight fatigue better. This is a high intensity zone burning more calories, 15 % from fat.

Red Line (Maximum Effort) --- 90 - 100% of maximum heart rate: Although this zone burns the highest number of calories, it is very intense. Most people can only stay in this zone for short periods. You should only train in this zone if you are in very good shape and have been cleared by a physician to do so.

If I am on the Elliptical and stay in zone 1 over the course of an hour there is a big difference in calories burned:

Precor Elliptical: 970ish calories burned
Polar FT60 HRM: 700ish calories burned

Now if I am at 80% of my HR or in the Anaerobic Zone for that same hour:

Precor Ellitpical: 1100ish calories burned
Polar FT60 HRM: 1170ish calories burned

Now on the treadmill the 2 are pretty much spot on (within 60-80 calories....... This is just from my own experiences, don't know if it applies to anyone else but thought I would share......

Funny, I got my Polar HRM and found out I was underestimating a lot. The only thing I overestimated was zumba. Estimated 800 by myself, but HRM usually shows 600-700. Otherwise, I was usually much further over on HRM then MFP.