New HR Monitor..gotta question!

chikaygo

chikaygo

Active Member
I just got a new HR monitor today...i haven't used one in several years. Before i go into my question...first, some background info.

I am a shorty (5'0") and weigh around 200lbs. So i'm a big girl..width wise at least! :) However, I've done Cathe's videos regularly in the past..when i weighed much less..and i've been doing them again since June to lose all this weight i've packed on. I'm 28 years old and have pretty good endurance despite the weight. I started back on basic step in June..and moved on from there. Today i tried low max for the first time and got through about 40 minutes of it before throwing in the towel.

So here is my question..given all that information..and the fact that the HR monitor showed me having a HR of between 165 - 180 through most of the workout, plus my weight, is it possible that the HR monitor is correct when it said i burned almost 1000 calories??!!??

I do my stepping on only a 4" step right now, though that is enough to get my heart going, obviously! I never feel like i'm gasping for air, and today i took small breathers during the intensity blasts. Still, i've never had such a high calorie burn, but the last time i used a HR monitor for Cathe i was around 140lbs.

I really like this HR monitor..it's comfortable and sleek (it's a Timex Personal Trainer with the chest strap), but i want to make sure it's accurate on the calorie burn. Thanks for any input anyone can give me!

Kay
 
Hi Kay - I'm no expert, but I think it is logical to assume that when you work out, your body weight is providing resistance, so it would make sense that you are seeing a higher calorie burn than you did when you were 140. Good luck on the weight loss. Have a good weekend!
 
Hi Kay! First off good for you, . . Lo Max may sound easy but it is not. I'm only 5 feet too, . . it is tough being short, . . it was kinda neat as a kid because I could fit into small spaces while running around and exploring but as an adult, . .it is not so cute. I have 2 heart rate monitors Garmin and Polar, . . . and I just always take the results with a grain of salt, . . .as an estimate. I don't like to get so bogged down by numbers esp numbers on the scale. I just wanted to wish you good luck! Keep us posted.
 
Thanks Janie and Lori. :) Yeah, i'm trying not to look at that number too much, but it's so difficult! :) I did find some calories burned calculators on the internet based on age/weight/avg heartrate...and the two i found said i should have burned around 500, so i guess i'll just have to see how things go with future workouts. Maybe i set something wrong in the monitor too...i got home, fiddled with it quickly and jumped into low max.

And yes, low max is hard!! Who knew you could be so exhausted without jumping around all the time? I look forward to the day i can do all 7 parts! :)

Kay
 
Hi Kay,

I have a Timex with the chest strap. I too have a high calorie burn. I've heard that the HRM with the chest strap are more accurate than those without.

Jenn
 
I'm not sure about the Timex, but with my Polar F11, the information you give it that it uses to make its calculations makes a huge difference. For instance, although I work out every day and most people think I am at a high activity level, when I told my Polar that I had a high activity level (not the highest, though) it went on a drunken bender, decided that I was an elite athlete and gave me insanely high calorie burn readings. When I changed my settings to a moderate activity level and then retested my resting heart rate (Polar uses that as the basis for all of its calculations, like the VO2 Max) my calorie burn rate made way more sense and was much lower. That was disappointing, but I trust my HRM results much more now. The Polar just has incredibly high standards when determining what a ligh level of activity is. I sincerely doubt you are burning 1000 calories, but I'm sure you are kicking butt!
 
Kay, while you HRM may not be entirely precise, I do think it's probably a pretty fair estimate of what you're burning. I went from 225 lbs to 175 lbs and I've worn a HRM the whole time. I used to have no problem burning 600-700 calories a workout, now I'm lucky to break 500 calories doing more intense workouts than before.
 
Yeah thats about right. When I was 210, 5'2" and did about 60 minutes of jog/walk intervals I would burn 1200 calories. If you don't have a check-in feel free to pop into the "new runners" not all of us are running and I personally have at least 50 more pounds to lose.

Alisha
 
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