HRM overestimating cals?

Lolli1986
Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, I was just wondering...

Is resting heart rate used by HRMs in determining cals burned?

My resting heart rate was initially set to 68bpm, but it has dropped to 54bpm.

...

I am curious because I ran my HRM for about 4 hours while sleeping last night, and burned 250 cals, average heart rate 53 (rest HR was still set as 68). Presume I am in a coma, times this by 6 and it suggests my BMR would be 1500cals. Katch-McArdle says my BMR would be 1380.

That is quite close, I know, just trying to figure out what I up with my metabolism, as I tend to maintain on 1500 cals, which is pure crazytown, I know.

Replies

  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    anyone know?
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    does your HRM have the option to do a fit test?
    if so, you should do that every few months or so

    also you're less active when you're asleep than when you are awake, so you'd obviously burn more than 1500 calories a day when you're awake and moving around
  • goron59
    goron59 Posts: 890 Member
    I recalibrate my FT40 with a fitness test every couple of months to avoid this. And of course update my weight in it every week.

    It does depend on your HRM model though. Which is it?
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    it's a suunto M4.

    so it might take both my current fitness level and my rest heart rate into account to calculate cals burned?

    oh and it does have a fitness test, which i have not done yet.
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    Hi, I was just wondering...

    Is resting heart rate used by HRMs in determining cals burned?

    My resting heart rate was initially set to 68bpm, but it has dropped to 54bpm.

    ...

    I am curious because I ran my HRM for about 4 hours while sleeping last night, and burned 250 cals, average heart rate 53 (rest HR was still set as 68). Presume I am in a coma, times this by 6 and it suggests my BMR would be 1500cals. Katch-McArdle says my BMR would be 1380.

    That is quite close, I know, just trying to figure out what I up with my metabolism, as I tend to maintain on 1500 cals, which is pure crazytown, I know.

    HRM's are not designed to use while sleeping. a Bodyfit Media/Bodybugg are.
  • dreamshadows
    dreamshadows Posts: 734 Member
    Hi, I was just wondering...

    Is resting heart rate used by HRMs in determining cals burned?

    My resting heart rate was initially set to 68bpm, but it has dropped to 54bpm.

    ...

    I am curious because I ran my HRM for about 4 hours while sleeping last night, and burned 250 cals, average heart rate 53 (rest HR was still set as 68). Presume I am in a coma, times this by 6 and it suggests my BMR would be 1500cals. Katch-McArdle says my BMR would be 1380.

    That is quite close, I know, just trying to figure out what I up with my metabolism, as I tend to maintain on 1500 cals, which is pure crazytown, I know.

    HRM's are not designed to use while sleeping. a Bodyfit Media/Bodybugg are.

    I use a data recorder with my HRM so it can be used while asleep. I get some nice graphs of my heart rate. I'm looking for the formulas to estimate the calories burned to graph that too.
    My guess is that is what the bodyfit/bugg do, but I've not played with them.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Hi, I was just wondering...

    Is resting heart rate used by HRMs in determining cals burned?

    My resting heart rate was initially set to 68bpm, but it has dropped to 54bpm.

    ...

    I am curious because I ran my HRM for about 4 hours while sleeping last night, and burned 250 cals, average heart rate 53 (rest HR was still set as 68). Presume I am in a coma, times this by 6 and it suggests my BMR would be 1500cals. Katch-McArdle says my BMR would be 1380.

    That is quite close, I know, just trying to figure out what I up with my metabolism, as I tend to maintain on 1500 cals, which is pure crazytown, I know.

    HRM's are not designed to use while sleeping. a Bodyfit Media/Bodybugg are.

    Exactly...Any number you get while at rest, is a crap shoot.

    HRM calorie counting forumlas are meant to use elevated heart rate.. not resting. How HRM's work is they take all your info(age, weight, height, gender and Vo2max) and Max heart rate, and heart rate during exercise.. the heart rate during exercise translates into a percentage of Max heart rate. From there the HRM feeds that percentage into a formula, and spits out a calorie burn.
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    ...okay, even though I have the answer I need, I have to ask:

    If the HRM uses continuous heart rate to calculate cals burned, why can't it be used at rest? Is it because they use 'zones' in their formulas, and rest is not in one of those zones?

    (I just like to know how stuff works. And I like to measure stuff. I may have to get one of these Bodybuggs - thanks for the info).
  • debgcook
    debgcook Posts: 64
    I felt like you did too. Until someone told me I had to update my weight on it each time or each week in order to get the correct Calorie burn. After I learn that and started updating my weight on it when I weigh in, my calorie burn was doing what it was supposed to. It takes a while to get it right. Now I love it!
  • amyy902
    amyy902 Posts: 290 Member
    you can use them at rest, but theres zero point. based on averages if youre not doing anything you'll burn about 1.1calories per minute. comparing my hrm answer to this its pretty much on the dot, (its less than this because i am smaller than average sized). just use your hrm when youre doing exercise because youre wasting the battery lollllllllliiiii!!!! :D

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