I was reading the other day how you shouldn’t trust the calorie counters on cardio machines at the gym; they can be misleading, even if you enter your accurate weight and regularly have it keep up with your heart rate. I conducted a bit of an experiment this morning and wore my heart rate monitor while I worked out on the treadmill. After 42 minutes, the machine said I’d burned a whopping 540 calories. Woo!
But not so fast. My heart rate monitor says I burned 384. Which one is correct? I have to go with the lower number, but considering they are using the same information, it does make me wonder. What’s the equation and which one is correct?
Also, do I need a new heart rate monitor? Because if I had the extra $400, plus $80 a month for the subscription fee, I’d be fueling my obsessive compulsive nutrition and exercise hobbies with that fabulous Bodybugg thing The Biggest Loser participants wear. Have you seen those? Wow. (You think I’m crazy now. I’d be super nuts with one of those.)
Alas, it is just simple math for me: calories in vs. calories spent. I’m not sure I’ve got the math down perfectly, (still having a hard time figuring out what I burn on an average day without wearing the stupid monitor all day long) but I am learning more everyday from my trainer, the nutrition blogs I pour over and spending time with friends with similar interests. I am also pushing myself just about as hard as I can go in the gym and loving every second of it. Also? Learning how to eat every 3.5 hours with diligence. It speeds up my metabolism and also helps with portion control. I’m eating fewer calories than the typical 3 meals a day and don’t deal with the blood sugar highs and lows of eating large meals.
I’d love to hear your experiences with nutrition and what’s working for you.
~K