Trust HMR calories?

Sk8_in_Japan
Sk8_in_Japan Posts: 23
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone :)

I really don't know what to trust regarding calories counting...

Like, when my HMR says I burnt 1200 kcal for 2 hours of bike riding, MFP hardly goes over 800. That's a big gap!
So, basically I work out the average of the two, but...I don't wanna be over-estimating.

Do you have some tips about that?

Replies

  • lwoods34
    lwoods34 Posts: 302 Member
    What kind of hrm do you have? I had a timex that was apparently overestimating how many calories I was burning so I bought a polar ft7 which appears to be more accurate but remember nothing is ever 100%....it's an estimation.
  • Sk8_in_Japan
    Sk8_in_Japan Posts: 23
    What kind of hrm do you have? I had a timex that was apparently overestimating how many calories I was burning so I bought a polar ft7 which appears to be more accurate but remember nothing is ever 100%....it's an estimation.

    Mine is from Decathlon. Not an expensive one.
    So you'd follow MFP estimation?
    ^-^ thanks for that
  • lwoods34
    lwoods34 Posts: 302 Member
    I've never heard of that one before. I would probably invest in a polar hrm to see what the difference is between the two because even Mfp overestimates calories burned so you could possibly be burning somewhere in the middle. Maybe be conversative and subtract 200-250 calories from the total that your hrm is giving you. Or subtract the difference between what Mfp says and what your hrm says. I would rather be more conservative and overestimate and then eat too many calories
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Hey everyone :)

    I really don't know what to trust regarding calories counting...

    Like, when my HMR says I burnt 1200 kcal for 2 hours of bike riding, MFP hardly goes over 800. That's a big gap!
    So, basically I work out the average of the two, but...I don't wanna be over-estimating.

    Do you have some tips about that?

    400 calories a day is less than a pound a week. If you're doing that ride once a week, you won't notice the difference. Enjoy the extra calories as a reward for doing something good for yourself, or skip them if you don't feel you need them. Be sure you have about 100 calories halfway through that 2-mile ride to keep the glycogen stores up and the ride vigorous and enjoyable, and of course hydration is important.

    If you're just starting out cycling, overfeeding is probably better than underfeeding because you want to feed your recovery to keep cycling pleasant and enjoyable. If you've been cycling for a while, you and your body are probably on pretty good speaking terms by now, try the 800 to start out, then see how you feel. If your recovery isn't what it needs to be, eat more.

    I burn on the order of 900 calories an hour on my bike according to MFP, but I also do a vigorous 15 mile commute (and I'm 6'3" and over 200 pounds, so your numbers will be different). 400-600 an hour sounds about right if you are smaller and doing a more leisurely ride.

    I eat most of them back daily. I'm still losing weight. More importantly, I'm feeling good about my rides, with no lasting fatigue and a good-feeling recovery with just that sweet, sweet muscle ache that tells me I didn't keep any calories prisoner on my war against the commute.
  • Pete_Mann
    Pete_Mann Posts: 94
    I have noticed my HRM going wild sometimes and putting my heart-rate up way higher than it actually is (showing 220 when i am actually like half that.) When it does that, the calories burned goes wild.

    That being said, I have noticed that I get three different readings: HRM, Machine, and MFP.

    The HRM is lower than the machine if i am at high resistance on an elliptical, but higher if I am just on a run on a treadmill. While MFP can be higher or lower, I believe its based off an average of what everyone puts in that category.

    What I usually do is take the lower of the two: HRM or Machine.
  • Sk8_in_Japan
    Sk8_in_Japan Posts: 23
    Thanks for your answers guys! That's awesome, I love MFP ^_^
    Yeh, maybe I should lower a little bit the number written on HRM. I think it's quite accurate for heart rate thus.
    But I really have the feeling that if I wear it the whole day it will say I burnt like 5000 calories, haha!
    I love eating so that would be great but... yea...
    Today is my 10th day on MFP and I lost almost 2 pounds, so I guess what I do right now is working! Let's go on!
    Thank you for all your answers, it's a big help!
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
    If your heart rate monitor has a strap, definitely go with that. If not, I really don't know enough about the accuracy to give you an answer but I'd still probably go with the hrm!
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