Heart Rate Monitor or Smart Phone? Which helps more?

Hard to tell, really.
They have their ups and downs (as I'm sure you know). I use a HRM for cross country training and it really helps me because I know if I'm running too fast, slow, etc. just by how high my heart rate is. It also gives a very accurate calories burned measurement.
I'd say, if you're more of an impulse eater and you're more likely to eat something without knowing the calorie intake and not excersize it off, get the smart phone. I'd say, from my personal experience though, the HRM is way more useful.
Good luck and congrats on the weight loss.

I have thought about buying a HRM, but decided against spending the money. I work for a cardiologist who is also heavily into fitness & running (has done the Boston Marathon a couple of times). I asked him a few months back about HRM for a beginner runner (me) & he told me not to waste my money. I was finding success at pacing myself just fine. So I vote for the smart phone. I have one that uses virgin mobil and love, love, love it. The apps are awsome & I down loaded a c25k & MFP app I use all the time. I actually graduated from c25K, but still use it as I love the music I have on it.

apps on a smartphone are so much help with miles/minutes walking or running, food logging,etc. There is a great (free) app (Fooducate) that grades your foods (scan or type in). Restaurant nutrition app (free) gives info from almost anywhere

Thanks for sharing

Smart phone. I recommend an HTC phone, personally. Or an iPhone. I would have one but they're not available on my carrier. I say smartphone because it helps with a lot more than just weight loss. I rely on mine to make healthy food choices though. Or you can use the internet on it to see the healthiest options at a certain place without fiddling through MFP entries. Things like that.

Smart phone and it's not even close. A smart phone, whether Android or iPhone, does so many things well while a HRM only does one thing....and doesn't even do that one thing well.

On my DroidX, I have an app that: tracks my runs and records my speed and distance then saves them to google maps, all my music and podcasts that I use to get thru my workouts, MFP (of course!), an app to log all my lifting sessions and lets me know when to go heavier, an indoor cycling app that I use to create my own spinning class when the room isn't in use by an instructor, an FM radio app, an HIIT timer, an app for my gym so I know when the classes are and who the instructors are, and my alarm so I get my butt out of bed to hit the gym every morning. There are a ton of others that I don't need that others would find useful. Couch 2 5k apps, yoga apps, stiup/core apps, 100 pushups/chinups/squat apps, etc.

And you can get a HRM chest strap that will sync via bluetooth to your smart phone, if you must have one. But if HRMs really did what people on this site believe they do, the manufacturers would call them CBMs or Calories Burned Monitors. There's a reason they call them HRMs instead.

I haved relied heavily on my Iphone. I log in everything that goes in my mouth at the time that I eat it. If I had to pick one it would be the Iphone.


Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Nutrition Facts For Foods

Smartphone. I had my iphone from the beginning of my time on MFP and only got my HRM in January. I love logging my foods as I go so I don't forget anything, and yes, checking things before I eat them. I exercise right with or without a HRM but eating right is easier with a smartphone.

Smartphone with ANT+ chip. Then get an ANT+ HRM chest strap from Garmin, Timex, Suunto, etc. You can also use other ANT+ accessories such as a foot pod, bike cadence sensor, weighing scale, etc.

I think a lot of Sony-Ericsson Phones (Active, Ray, Xperia Pro Mini, etc) and a few from HTC have ANT+ chips. The SE Active is especially meant for active people as it is waterproof and dustproof and comes with an arm strap.

I love my smartphone.. I have a droid and I use the MFP app alot--as well as on my PC.... I also just bought a HRM--Polar FT4 and really like it.. but for your 1st investment I think you would get more out of the smartphone

I would personally chose the smartphone. I don't have a HRM, but do have the iPhone. As many already said, there are TONS of free apps that you can choose from; fitness, nutrition, C25K ... just so many.

You can check out the apps if you download iTunes (free) and you can browse around the apps and have yourself a look.

Whatever you choose, have fun with your new purchase!!

With a smart phone, you can get a blue tooth chest strap to track your heart rate on the phone. Then you get a HRM plus all the stuff a smart phone is capable of.

Smart phone. You can get all kinds of fitness apps, too. I have an HTC Android, but I'm seriously drooling over the biking apps on iPhone. Cadence and speed sensor kits! Crazy!

I use the app on my iPad, my android, and the computer. I think I love the iPad version the best, and I would assume that the iPhone is pretty much the same. A little more capability than android, although android was just improved.

I also use mapmyride for my bike rides on my phone - available on iphone or android as well.

Honestly, mapmyride gives me similar calorie counts to what my HRM does, unless it's super windy or I'm fighting extra hard for some reason (lack of energy, sick, etc.) Maybe invest in an FT4 and a $100 iphone? If you shop online I think I saw the FT4 for like $50.

I have an HTC EVO 4g and a Zephyr HxM HRM syncs via bluetooth to my Endomondo Pro app. Keeps all my workout data in one place. You can also store your music on your phone's micro sd card and have an all in one per say.

Congrats on winning the competition and on your weight loss! Awesome!

Tough decision on the phone or HRM, I rely heavily on both!

But after giving it some thought, I would say the HRM - you can use it for all your workouts, and while the ability to look up food choices on the go is very handy, it's something that you could eventually nail down as you discover what foods are better than others, best choices at restaurants, etc - whereas the HRM is a tool you'd keep using, as your calorie burns will change from workout to workout and as you continue to be more fit!

So I'd go for the HRM!

^^^I agree completely with this! I use both religiously, but if I had to live without the app on my phone, I could do it. I'd be pretty sad without my HRM, though.