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Heart Rate Monitor/Calorie Counter Question

Sarah5200Sarah5200 member
500 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
in Getting in Shape
So, I bought a heart rate monitor today that monitors calories burned based on your heart rate, and I'm just wondering about the accuracy of these devices?

I am doing C25K and am in week two, so in the 29 minutes that I did the program it said that I burned 418 calories. That just seems like a lot to me - does it seem right to other people? I don't really know much about how to calculate what you burn, thus buying the monitor. I don't know if you need specific info about me to determine if that's right, but I am 5'2" and weigh 198 lbs. My heart rate was up at 180 bpm while I was running and between 135 and 145 while I was walking.

Help? Thoughts? :) All is appreciated.
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Re: Heart Rate Monitor/Calorie Counter Question

  • J&K10910J&K10910 member
    10000 Comments Fourth Anniversary 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    That does seem pretty high.  is it a monitor with a chest strap?  If not, that's the problem.  The ones without a chest strap aren't accurate at all.  If there IS a chest strap...sometimes treadmills can interfere with them, iPods, cell phones, etc.  Was it near any of those things?

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  • entropicbeautyentropicbeauty member
    2500 Comments Fourth Anniversary 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    If you were getting up to 180 bpm frequently, I can see how you might burn over 400 calories...have you looked up reviews of your specific heart rate monitor? I would do that, the reviews tend to include whether the monitor was accurate for the user.
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  • dogsandfrogsdogsandfrogs member
    100 Comments 5 Love Its
    It's accuracy depends on the model and what information you had to program into it (like height, weight, age, etc), as well as if it uses a chest strap as PP mentioned.  The ones that don't use a chest strap are as effective as a bag of doo-doo in my opinion.

    That being said, with the high heart rate and the weight you're starting at I can see how you could hit the 300/350 calorie range in that amount of time as well.  I'd say the number it gave you is too high, but I don't think it's overshot too badly.
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  • Sarah5200Sarah5200 member
    500 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    edited February 2012
    Thanks for your help ladies.

    Also, turns out I'm a bit of a dummy.

    There's this whole age and gender part that you need to set that I just bypassed, so it assumed I was a 30 year old man. HAHA! Could have caused some sort of error. It is a watch, not a chest strap, so I understand now that that could be the problem as well, but I do know that it measures my HR accurately, I did a few tests on it where I measured myself and checked it against the watch.

    I'm going to have to try it again and see what it says I burned for calories next time, perhaps it will be more accurate.

    The reviews I've read on it don't say much about the calorie accuracy, but they do mention that the HR monitor is accurate. Also that it could crap out on me in the next few weeks, lol. I'll let you know what it says tomorrow!!

    Thanks again!
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  • Elle1036Elle1036 member
    5000 Comments Fifth Anniversary 25 Love Its Name Dropper
    Yeah, setting it for the right age and gender will help some.

    Also, keep in mind that HRM calorie counts include the calories you would have burned during that time anyway, even if you didn't exercise.

    Like, if you wear your HRM all day, at the end of the day it will tell you that you burned 1500 or however many calories even if you didn't work out at all.  So the calorie count you get from your HRM will typically be higher than you expect, since it's not counting just the extra.  I hope that makes sense.  I don't think I explained it very well.  I'm still half-asleep today.
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  • Sarah5200Sarah5200 member
    500 Comments Name Dropper First Anniversary
    It does make sense! I also wondered about that, because I had a nap and when I woke up I had burned another 60 calories, lol.
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  • dogsandfrogsdogsandfrogs member
    100 Comments 5 Love Its
    Ha, yeah, a 30 year old man will burn calories differently.  I hope it works well for you now that you have that straightened out!
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