HRM's, calories, equipment! OH my!

cindylou617
cindylou617 Posts: 51 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok forgive me, but this is weighing on my brain and I am sure t's been discussed a bazillion times. Can someone help?
Thanks!

I have a question... about HR and calories.
MFP's calorie values are different than the piece of equipment's value for calories.
Which one is right and how does HR figure into that?

Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    If it's for aerobic activities, your HRM is likeley more accurate. Not true for strength training. This assumes it was all set up right with your age, weight etc.
  • cindylou617
    cindylou617 Posts: 51 Member
    If it's for aerobic activities, your HRM is likeley more accurate. Not true for strength training. This assumes it was all set up right with your age, weight etc.

    So a HRM tracks calories as well then?
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    If it's for aerobic activities, your HRM is likeley more accurate. Not true for strength training. This assumes it was all set up right with your age, weight etc.

    So a HRM tracks calories as well then?

    Most if not al HRM's do... and like the other poster said, they must be set up correctly.

    Polar is one of the best.. TImex, one of the worst when it comes to estimaing calories burned.
  • cindylou617
    cindylou617 Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks for the quick replies! I think maybe this might explain the difference between my @$$ and the numbers on MFP.
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 751 Member
    The HRM is going to be your best bet. I purchased at Polar FT7 a few weeks ago & I love it! The calculations are much differnt than the machine or MFP. If you are going to purchase one make sure it has a chest strap, as the reading will be more accurate. I had a cheaper one that you had to keep touching to get an accurate count of calories burned, but it was frustrating having to do that in the midst of a full blown run!
  • brooke0206
    brooke0206 Posts: 255 Member
    If you HRM has a chest strap it will be way more accurate than just the watch type... And I agree Polar is amazing! I always have to remember to check the weight that was input into my HRM everytime I use it because when I forget then my calorie burn isnt as accurate being that the weight wasnt correct.
  • cindylou617
    cindylou617 Posts: 51 Member
    The HRM is going to be your best bet. I purchased at Polar FT7 a few weeks ago & I love it! The calculations are much differnt than the machine or MFP. If you are going to purchase one make sure it has a chest strap, as the reading will be more accurate. I had a cheaper one that you had to keep touching to get an accurate count of calories burned, but it was frustrating having to do that in the midst of a full blown run!
    That's the one I JUST put on my birthday wishlist!

    How is the chest strap? Easy to use, place, etc?
  • gsager
    gsager Posts: 977 Member
    Ok forgive me, but this is weighing on my brain and I am sure t's been discussed a bazillion times. Can someone help?
    Thanks!

    I have a question... about HR and calories.
    MFP's calorie values are different than the piece of equipment's value for calories.
    Which one is right and how does HR figure into that?

    HRM
  • MorgaineFey
    MorgaineFey Posts: 8 Member
    I love the timex one that I have! It is fairly stylish and I wear it a lot to remind me to work out.


    Strap placement can be annoying if you have bigger boobs, but you get the hang of what feels best.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_nr_i_1?rh=k:ironman+triathalon,i:watches&keywords=ironman+triathalon&ie=UTF8&qid=1337284091#/ref=sr_pg_1?rh=k:ironman+triathalon,n:377110011&keywords=ironman+triathalon&ie=UTF8&qid=1337284133
  • maryb2374
    maryb2374 Posts: 137 Member
    The HRM is going to be your best bet. I purchased at Polar FT7 a few weeks ago & I love it! The calculations are much differnt than the machine or MFP. If you are going to purchase one make sure it has a chest strap, as the reading will be more accurate. I had a cheaper one that you had to keep touching to get an accurate count of calories burned, but it was frustrating having to do that in the midst of a full blown run!

    I just got this type a couple weeks ago and I also love it.
  • maryb2374
    maryb2374 Posts: 137 Member
    The HRM is going to be your best bet. I purchased at Polar FT7 a few weeks ago & I love it! The calculations are much differnt than the machine or MFP. If you are going to purchase one make sure it has a chest strap, as the reading will be more accurate. I had a cheaper one that you had to keep touching to get an accurate count of calories burned, but it was frustrating having to do that in the midst of a full blown run!
    That's the one I JUST put on my birthday wishlist!

    How is the chest strap? Easy to use, place, etc?

    I know you didn't quote me but I have the FT7 and the chest strap is very comfy. The first day it felt a little weird but now I don't even notice I'm wearing it.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Heart rate monitors don't track calories, they estimate them. It's based on the assumption that calorie burns and heart rate are linearly correlated, which is only true for steady state cardio. They then use their proprietary formula to estimate calories from the average heart rate during exercise. They are great for cardio if you are doing steady state cardio and you aren't on any kind of medications (heart, blood pressure, asthma, allergies, etc.) or use caffeine that will effect the heart rate regardless of activity. If you are doing a HIIT workout, circuit training, other forms of intervals, weight training, or sprints, however, a heart rate monitor can't get anywhere near an accurate estimate of calories burned. That's why we were taught about METs in my bachelors program in exercise physiology. From what I can gather, MFP uses a form of the METs system for estimating calories burned, so if you don't want to do the math of the METs system, then you can use MFP for estimates on your non-steady state activities.

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