calories and my polar heart rate monitor - Page 2

bluebandana457 · 03-06-2008, 09:54 PM

this is going to sound silly but i got one and cant figure out how to use it. i did the basic setup but never got it to read my hr? i have the f6

kacy · 09-23-2009, 06:14 AM

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I did a search and this was the most relevant to my question.

So I've worn my HRM to see how many calories I'm burning in a day. My resting heart rate is in the 40's, my heart rate throughout the day pretty much lives in the 60's (when I'm not working out). Heart rate is one of the many factors that influences Resting Metabolic Rate but it would seem to be a pretty small part of the equation since the actual physical test for RMR is VO2 and neither Harris-Benedict or Katch-McCardle equations use it as a variable at all. HRM and the BodyBugg thing would seem to be basing their calorie counts on heart rate.

Long story shorter-- is it reasonable to assume my HRM is UNDERestimating my TDEE since my heart rate is so low??

I'd love the scientific answer to this but also any opinions/thoughts-- I'm just kind of a nerd and like the numbers. I'm actually considering forking out $60 to have my RMR determined by the VO2-thing.

summertown74 · 09-23-2009, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kacy

Long story shorter-- is it reasonable to assume my HRM is UNDERestimating my TDEE since my heart rate is so low??

Hi kacy! My opinion is that since your resting heart rate is so low, your BMR is underestimated by a bit. And actually, the whole formula is just an average anyways, so if you can afford it, and really want to know, I would get your vo2max tested. But remember that it's just a baseline--as you get fitter, your vo2max changes anyway. JMO

kacy · 09-23-2009, 11:17 AM

Thanks for the response summer! Kind of what I was thinking-- I'm curious as to how the 2 numbers would compare.

iron11 · 09-23-2009, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kacy

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I did a search and this was the most relevant to my question.

So I've worn my HRM to see how many calories I'm burning in a day. My resting heart rate is in the 40's, my heart rate throughout the day pretty much lives in the 60's (when I'm not working out). Heart rate is one of the many factors that influences Resting Metabolic Rate but it would seem to be a pretty small part of the equation since the actual physical test for RMR is VO2 and neither Harris-Benedict or Katch-McCardle equations use it as a variable at all. HRM and the BodyBugg thing would seem to be basing their calorie counts on heart rate.

Long story shorter-- is it reasonable to assume my HRM is UNDERestimating my TDEE since my heart rate is so low??

I'd love the scientific answer to this but also any opinions/thoughts-- I'm just kind of a nerd and like the numbers. I'm actually considering forking out $60 to have my RMR determined by the VO2-thing.

Hi Kacy,

I guess I'm not alone after all. My heart rate in the morning and evenings is in the 40's as well and only in the 60's during the day (sometimes the 50's). I actually did the VO2 thing and it had my RMR at about 1550 cal/day. I was actually a little leaner then too so I'm sure it's lower now. That's why I get nervous when I'm told I need to up my calories to like 2000-2200.

I always wonder if I don't burn as many calories as others do because my hr is so low. Even when I do HIIT, I can't break the low 150's. It makes me really aggravated thinking I'm busting my butt and not getting the full benefit!

summertown74 · 09-23-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iron11

Hi Kacy,

I guess I'm not alone after all. My heart rate in the morning and evenings is in the 40's as well and only in the 60's during the day (sometimes the 50's). I actually did the VO2 thing and it had my RMR at about 1550 cal/day. I was actually a little leaner then too so I'm sure it's lower now. That's why I get nervous when I'm told I need to up my calories to like 2000-2200.

I always wonder if I don't burn as many calories as others do because my hr is so low. Even when I do HIIT, I can't break the low 150's. It makes me really aggravated thinking I'm busting my butt and not getting the full benefit!

Hey kacy & iron11,
I was thinking about you today

and about how your heart rates are so low. Well, I remembered from my a&p classes that the bigger your heart is, the slower it beats, on a whole. So maybe it's all about percentage of max heart rate, not necessarily the actual beats per minute...?
Just a tidbit!

iron11 · 09-23-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by summertown74

Hey kacy & iron11,
I was thinking about you today

and about how your heart rates are so low. Well, I remembered from my a&p classes that the bigger your heart is, the slower it beats, on a whole. So maybe it's all about percentage of max heart rate, not necessarily the actual beats per minute...?
Just a tidbit!

Does that make us nice people since we have big hearts? hahaha! (dumb joke, I know)

kacy · 09-23-2009, 02:35 PM

lol-- yes ^^^this^^

Iron11-- what do the BMR calculators give you for numbers? 2000 cals for you?!? I'm more than a foot taller than you and my maintenance is 2200-2600 (per the calculators)-- it seems like a lot, I'd be a bit nervous about that too! My HR with HIIT never gets above 162 so I hear ya there. We just have freakishly large hearts with ridiculously efficient cardiovascular systems, I guess!

Summer-- thanks so much for your input! I know that having a slow HR is supposed to be a sign of an efficient heart but I've never been a runner (rephrase: I hate to run, I don't do it) and my favorite form of cardio is HIIT-- its not like I'm a marathoner!?!

iron11 · 09-23-2009, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kacy

lol-- yes ^^^this^^

Iron11-- what do the BMR calculators give you for numbers? 2000 cals for you?!? I'm more than a foot taller than you and my maintenance is 2200-2600 (per the calculators)-- it seems like a lot, I'd be a bit nervous about that too! My HR with HIIT never gets above 162 so I hear ya there. We just have freakishly large hearts with ridiculously efficient cardiovascular systems, I guess!

Summer-- thanks so much for your input! I know that having a slow HR is supposed to be a sign of an efficient heart but I've never been a runner (rephrase: I hate to run, I don't do it) and my favorite form of cardio is HIIT-- its not like I'm a marathoner!?!

Kacy,

The BMR calculators always have me around 1350 but with activity anywhere from 2000-2300. I would LOVE to be able to eat that much! I hope that one day (soon) I can train my metabolism to handle all those lovely calories and figure out how to dispose of them.

KatherineLee · 09-28-2009, 08:47 PM

I'm thinking about getting a Polar Heart Rate monitor soon, but I don't know which one to get. I'm thinking either F4, F7, or F11. My real question is has anyone needed to change the battery in the watch yet? How long is the battery life and how was the battery changing situation dealt with?

kacy · 09-29-2009, 09:34 AM

I've had one for over a year (I think I got it last summer?), its a Polar (F6, I think??) and I haven't had to change the battery yet. But I think you have to send it back to the company to keep the warranty.

lucatoth · 09-30-2009, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kacy

I've had one for over a year (I think I got it last summer?), its a Polar (F6, I think??) and I haven't had to change the battery yet. But I think you have to send it back to the company to keep the warranty.

I too had to change the battery within 8 months, guess I have been using the light function too much and going into the menu fairly lot . I am using an FT60. You can set up weekly targets, and it gives you a summary (and too it will show a trophy for the next week if you hit your target, I like that

). You can too syncronize it with the PC, and on polar's site there are various challanges you can enter, or can "compete" with your friends who are also updating their data. It has too a fitness test function to see how you improve and it adjusts your personal data accordingly (RMR/VO2), these are all estimates of course. If you just want to know your heartrate during exercise, just go for the cheapest.

How did you test your RMR and how punctual are those methods?

lucatoth · 09-30-2009, 01:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluebandana457

this is going to sound silly but i got one and cant figure out how to use it. i did the basic setup but never got it to read my hr? i have the f6

What did you do exactly?

You need to wear the stripe and make sure it is fited on you properly, there are some graphs showing in the manual. You could test the stripe (transmitter) with most cardio equipments that are compatible with POLAR in your gym, usually they are, to see if it works first place. Also, you can check it with someone who has a polar watch too. Even if you missed something during the intial setup, still it should give some data when you start. To start you need to push the middle button on the right, in the manual (F6) referred as "OK".

Polar has some online support, troubleshooting database that you could check out too at their site (polar.fi).

In case you send it back to service, send both the stripe and the watch.

kacy · 09-30-2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lucatoth

I too had to change the battery within 8 months, guess I have been using the light function too much and going into the menu fairly lot . I am using an FT60. You can set up weekly targets, and it gives you a summary (and too it will show a trophy for the next week if you hit your target, I like that

). You can too syncronize it with the PC, and on polar's site there are various challanges you can enter, or can "compete" with your friends who are also updating their data. It has too a fitness test function to see how you improve and it adjusts your personal data accordingly (RMR/VO2), these are all estimates of course. If you just want to know your heartrate during exercise, just go for the cheapest.

How did you test your RMR and how punctual are those methods?

Wow-- yours has a lot of very cool features!

I'm just basing my BMR off the calculations; I'm considering doing the RMR/VO2 testing just to see how it compares-- I can get it done at a local university. From what I understand its the "gold standard" for determining RMR.