HRM sabotage

pondwater41
pondwater41 Posts: 23
in Fitness and Exercise
When I decided to start my journey into being healthy, I purchased a HRM. I chose a sportsline model from Walmart, mostly because of costs. I didn't want to invest a lot of money into something that might end up in a yard sale.

I've read the MFP boards and many articles on how HRM's are the most accurate (better than the monitor on your favorite workout machine; and also the fact that mfp was overly generous with it's calorie burn database). With that being said, I lost approx 11 lbs and 15 overall inches in the first 2 months of honestly tracking food intake and exercise. But for the last two months, I've been a plateau. The same 2 lbs go off, then come back, etc. etc... I couldn't figure out why.

Trying everything... lowering caloric intake, upping calories, calorie cycling; Staying within all macros (6 out of 7 days a week); eating back 90% of exercise calories (as indicated by the HRM).

Then I purchased a new HRM. After researching, I opted for the Polar FT40. and lo and behold, the Polar reads that I burn 1/2 (yes, that right 1/2) the calories for the same exercise that the cheapa** sportsline model reported.

I can't believe it!! So all those exercise calories that I was eating back, I hadn't actually earned. I wasn't truely under my daily intakes. Makes sense now. Now that I'm better educated on HRM and true calories burned, maybe now I can break through this plateau.

Replies

  • twinmama1987
    twinmama1987 Posts: 566 Member
    I had the same one!! lol. I would use it ... it would say I burned 700 cals doing a workout for 40 minutes... totally wrong!
    I bought a BodyBugg and it says I burn about 270 calories doing a 40 minute workout. Im rather short, w. 14 lbs to go... I just dont burn a lot of calories, just the way my body is. But i couldnt believe how much it OVER estimated.
  • knk1553
    knk1553 Posts: 438 Member
    I got lucky with getting a polar my first time around, sometimes I still question my calorie burns on it, but then when I see how drenched in sweat I am and how exhausted I am it makes sense.

    Glad you got a new good one and hopefully you can get through your plateau!
  • PaulaAW
    PaulaAW Posts: 27 Member
    WTG! I am another fan of Polar, that and my Fitbit. Keep up the good work!
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    i bought a polar, and it's way different than the estimate on mfp.
  • jacquerd
    jacquerd Posts: 121 Member
    A couple of other things to consider...you are getting more fit, so you will burn less calories as you go along. Try not to be married to the scale. Over a six month period, I lost ZERO pounds, but two sizes. :) So, measure your inches as well. Glad you went Polar. I love mine!! Good luck!
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    Yeah with the cheaper models you can't input specifics so the calorie burn is off. I ran into the same issue and bought a polar as well. Although I was still losing eating more calories, so I upped my cals anyway lol.
  • patchesgizmo
    patchesgizmo Posts: 244 Member
    wow - I bought the polar ft4 first time out, but have found that I don't think it is accurate for me as I am on atenalol and that keeps my heart rate low. I have a very hard time getting a heart beat over 105 and getting to 105 I am pushing so hard I am ready to drop.
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 751 Member
    I purchased that sportsline one.. took it back two days later!! I LOVE Wal-mart, but they are NOT the place to buy a good HRM! You need to spend more to get a better quality. Polar is a great brand, I have the FT7 and have no complaints.

    Think about it as if you were buying a car. Do you want a Pinto or a Lexus?.. spend the money!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I've learned that HRMs are not a place to scrimp.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    I have the same problem. My watch tracks my heartrate perfectly, but it way overestimates my calorie burn.
  • CharlieBarleyMom
    CharlieBarleyMom Posts: 727 Member
    I bought the Polar FT4 first and found that, at least the one that I had, was inaccurate for me. It gave me the same calorie burn for walking my dog around the 1/4 mile field (at a normal walking rate with natural stops here and there) as it did for 8 minutes of Jillian's 30 Day Shred Level 1. And that was when I first started Jillian and was not nearly in Jillian-shape (still not!).

    When I bought a replacement I got a Timex something or other and the calorie burn is HIGH! Fortunately there are web-based calculators and the watch still calculates my average heart rate and the number of minutes I worked out (and actually the number of minutes I was in my target rate too!). So after every workout I plug the numbers into a web-calculator.

    It works for me and at least then I didn't spend hundreds of dollars (or even $100) on a fitness watch. I'm not saying they're not worth it, it just wasn't monetarily feasible for me so it helps to have conversion calculators available for when we have to buy less accurate equipment.

    There are others that say "doesn't matter the cost, this is your health" - sure... I agree for the most part. But, it really does matter the cost if you have to buy less nutritious food that month because of the expense.
  • AmyLRed
    AmyLRed Posts: 856 Member
    wow - I bought the polar ft4 first time out, but have found that I don't think it is accurate for me as I am on atenalol and that keeps my heart rate low. I have a very hard time getting a heart beat over 105 and getting to 105 I am pushing so hard I am ready to drop.

    Have you programmed the HRM to you? it should do the "fitness test" and initial set up which checks your initial HR as a way of finding what your max should be. If your max is calculated correctly, it should be in there at 110 or 120 or something not too far from the 105 you are spiking at. If so, i would think that it is giving you an accurate reading.
  • TurningBackTheHandsOfTime
    TurningBackTheHandsOfTime Posts: 47 Member
    In some things you actually do get what you pay for, HRM's fit this model some are worthless as real tools for tracking, Polar is a probably the most reliable for the money, they are reasonably priced and accurate. If you think about it this is basically a medical device that has a specific task to accomplish that requires pretty precise measurement.... I don't think you can do that on the cheap.

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