Validity of Heart Rate Monitors

[photocrazed]

Ok, my hubby got me a heart rate monitor wrist watch for Christmas. I really like it but am a little skeptical about the read out. It can calculate calories burned, duration of exercise, etc etc. But what I want to know is if I can seriously count on the # of calories burned based on my heart rate. I touch the button almost every minute or two to try to keep an update monitor of my hr, but can these devices bloat the actual numbers?

Anyone have an experience with them?

 

[maleficent]

I don't think any monitor of calories is going to be 100 percent accurate... just like i don't think any nutrition calculator is going to be 100 percent accurate -it's close enoughs ...

If you're using a HRM in a public place, make sure that yours has the feature that it reads only your chest strap - otherwise you could be picking up someone else's heart rate info... (Not all the Polar's come with that feature....)

I'd use it for intensity and to measure your heart rate and monitor improvements in your heart rate recovery time - the calorie burn - whatever.. really.. it might be right, but if it registers 1000 calories - does that m ake it ok for you to go out for a 1000 calorie treat? consider the calories a bonus

 

[photocrazed]

I don't think any monitor of calories is going to be 100 percent accurate... just like i don't think any nutrition calculator is going to be 100 percent accurate -it's close enoughs ...

If you're using a HRM in a public place, make sure that yours has the feature that it reads only your chest strap - otherwise you could be picking up someone else's heart rate info... (Not all the Polar's come with that feature....)

I'd use it for intensity and to measure your heart rate and monitor improvements in your heart rate recovery time - the calorie burn - whatever.. really.. it might be right, but if it registers 1000 calories - does that m ake it ok for you to go out for a 1000 calorie treat? consider the calories a bonus

Mine doesn't have the chest strap with it, so it only gets the input when I touch the button every few minutes. Today's Calorie count said 1011 with 65 minutes of cardio-- and there is no way I want to go out and have an extra caloric treat because of it, but I also want to make sure I'm fueling my body enough. I don't want to be consuming 1200-1400 calories per day and burning 700-1000 extra w/cardio and stall my weight loss.. actually can that happen? I guess I need to freshen up a little on all this stuff.

The last body composition analysis I had said my RMR was 1597.

 

[maleficent]

What were the heart rate readings on it?

On mine - the higher the heart rate goes the higher the calories burned are... but lower fat percentage...

So your heart rate monitor doesn't keep a running tally of what range you're in? - How does it figure calories burned if it's not keeping a running tally of your heart rate?

 

[photocrazed]

What were the heart rate readings on it?

On mine - the higher the heart rate goes the higher the calories burned are... but lower fat percentage...

So your heart rate monitor doesn't keep a running tally of what range you're in? - How does it figure calories burned if it's not keeping a running tally of your heart rate?

I touch the button every minute or so or when I think my intensity is increasing or decreasing more. I try to touch it often throughout the workout. It will beep twice to let me know if I'm out of range either too low or too high and once if I'm between 65% and 85% above or below that and it's double beeps.

I was between 80 and 92% most of the hour with the exception of my walking time during the running/walking periods.

I guess it calculates the calories burned on the heart rate the most recent time I touch the button, hence the reason I touch it often.

I really need to decrease to burn fat though. I have so much more fat to burn.