Exercising with HR monitor

S

sandybeaches

New member
Hello,
I'm new here and not sure what I'm doing! I previously posted this message and don't think I posted in the right group, so I'm trying to post it again in this one. I want to lose about 40 lbs. I've purchased a Polar HR monitor and have been exercising 45-60 min 5 days wk. keeping my HR between 65%-85%. Burning fat is my priority and burning more cals than I consume is my plan for wt loss. I plan to incorporate a wt training routine beginning next wk. My Hr monitor also keeps track of my cal. burned. I've worn it all day a couple of days and have noticed that my cal burn for the entire day was only around 900 cal. with 400-500 being burned during my morn. exercise routine. My concern is that obviously I'm not moving/burning enough cal. throughout the rest of the day-post exercise. If I'm only burning a total of 1000 cal. per day and my total cal intake for wt loss is around 1500 cals/day., this is not a deficit which is required for wt loss. My questions for you experts are: Can I go by this cal burned number for accuracy even after my exercise-as it is keeping up with my HR all day, and if so, does this tell me that my metabolism could be very low, making it harder for me to lose the wt? What do you all recommend? Any advice or articles you could direct me to that would help explain this would be greatly appreciated. I've been navigating around this site today and can't seem to find the answers I'm looking for. Thanks in advance.
 
A heartrate monitor won't tell you all of the calories you're burning all day just by existing. It won't even accurately tell you how many calories you're burning during strenuous exercise. A good average rule is that (and this contains a lot of averages) an average person will burn about 10 calories per pound during a 24 hour period. Average doesn't mean bedridden, but it doesn't really include actual exercise (beyond walking to and from the car, around the grocery store, etc.). It includes movement, but not exercise designed to elevate the heart rate to above 65% of the maximum.

If you would really like to find out how many calories you burn by default (the resting metabolic rate) you can probably call a local gym and ask if they have a "body gem". It's a little machine you breathe into for 10 minutes and it measures your oxygen consumption. A couple of warnings: you can't exercise for 24 hours before this test (they say 8, I think, but the residual burn from a strenuous muscular work out is longer than that and it can skew your numbers) you can't eat for 8 hours before it either (so go first thing in the morning), you have to sit very still and breathe very evenly for 10 minutes (I had a hard time not coughing), it'll make you drool because you've got a tube in your mouth the whole time (keep a paper towel handy), and it'll probably cost around $50.

For me, it was worth the $50 to find out what my RMR was, so I can make sure I'm eating properly and exercising enough. If you're exercising AT ALL, I can pretty much guarantee you your RMR is higher than 900 calories a day (unless you're under 4 feet tall w/ no muscle). The two things that elevate your metabolism are food and exercise (especially muscle-building exercises). Muscle lasts longer and doesn't make you gain weight, food is necessary or your body will suppress your RMR to conserve the calories you do eat.

Let's say your RMR is 1900 calories (maybe, maybe not, this is just an example), and you're eating 1500 a day (are you sure? No extra "bites" here and there? No slightly mismeasured portions? We almost always underestimate by 15-25% even when we're trying to be accurate), and you're exercise is consuming an additional 600 calories a day (once again, just an example - this can vary wildly depending on weight, heart rate & efficiency of movement) that gives you a 1000 calorie deficit per day, which would lead to a 2 pound loss per week. Now, every time we slip up and eat the french fries, or fail to exercise, or even eat way too little (under 1200 cal as a general rule for average height women), this alters your ability to use caloires most efficiently. There are a few other variables, and for length considerations I'll have to leave them out, but the general idea is there. Eat at least 1500 cal a day (and really pay attention to that), try to stay away from processed foods (they frequently interfere with the natural digestion and nutrient absorption procedures) and remember to exercise on most days of the week and you will lose weight. It happens slowly, it's much easier to gain than lose, but it'll happen.

I hope this helps some.
 
Thanks For The Info!!!

Thanks! Great info. That is exactly what I thought but needed someone else's opinion! I'm very knowledgable about wt loss, cal exp., eating clean, muscle bldg. etc. but not as knowledgable about using a HR monitor, although I'm learning! My HR monitor does help me when I exercise. It also helps me when I wear it all day- to see how elevated my heart rate gets just doing house work, yard work, etc. compared to sitting at the computer all day! I know that any kind of movement/work is a plus to burning cals. It also help me mentally to control my eating. I know that I need to monitor my cal. intake more. This is my problem. I am exercising properly and frequently enough the hardest part is eating right. I have to get that under control. I've lost 5 lbs and kept it off for a couple of months but need to lose 35-40 more. I'm hoping these forums will help. I need to figure out now, how to get that little wt loss tracker on my posts! That seems like it would help in the motivation also. Thanks again for you info. I have lots of exploring to do here!
 
I like to use a heart rate monitor as well, but it can sometimes be misleading. There are far too many variables that go into the equation of estimated caloric expenditure.

Instead, I like to use this number as a reference point – ie. I will set a goal of at least 1,000 calories burned (according to the watch) per week. From their, I could easily add to my workouts (increase to 1300 calories a week) by either increasing the duration or intensity of my routines.

So, the caloric feature makes for a great tool to gauge weekly workload. I do this only for aerobic exercise since weight training will exaggerate caloric expenditure when based on heart rate.
 
your brain burns the most calories

Yeah, your HR monitor can't measure everything... but 900 calories on top of your basal metabolic rate is good!

Fun fact: Your Retina Pigment Epithelium (or RPE -- the tissue right under the photoreceptor cells in the eye) is the most metabolically active tissue in your body -- your brain is a close second.
 
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