I am really curious about the resting hrm counted calories too. I have also heard the hrm is less accurate for finding bmr and more accurate for intense energy expenditure.
Actually, I did have my bmr tested when I was 21 but I fell asleep and had nightmares while the test was being done so I never really trusted the results. AND-- that was almost 18 years ago :eek:

If anyone has a study or evidence that hrms are good for resting calorie counting I'd love the reference. Right now-- going to google....;)

How big is the chest strap? Is it gonna fit someone as large as me? Sounds silly to ask BUT considering the biggest loser sells tshirts and they only go to a 3x its not that silly!

Thanks!!! I've been looking into getting a <3 rate monitor but was completely confused by all the models and what they did, etc. Your posts have really helped me!

I did wear the HRM for 24 hrs to see how many calories I was burning throughout the day. It seemed pretty low as it didn't really record my increase in heart rate from just walking. I did some research on what could the reason be for that. I guess I read that HRM are really meant for tracking your heart rate during moderate activity. And they're really about 80% accurate during activity.
So, then I went back to the Bodybugg and looking at the technology and whether it works or not. I read several white papers and the research showed different calorie monitors and their accuracy. I can't post a link yet but you can find on the internet.
I decided on the Sensewear (maker of the Bodybugg) and have had it since November. I continue to use the Polar F4 pink HRM during my training and compare it's calculations to the one's provided by the Sensewear unit. Depending on the activity, they compare relatively well. The lacking algorithms on the Sensewear is on the Elliptical trainer, I haven't tried the bike yet.
I use the Sensewear unit to ensure I get enough activty in during the week as I have a desk job and that's killing my metabolism. (I originally got the Sensewear to monitor my activity over the weekend because I was worried I wasn't getting enough activity on the weekends because I tended not to work out and take care of the boys (2 & 3-1/2)) Boy I was wrong about that! I'm way more active on the weekends and end up having to get a workout at least 500 calories a day during the week just to stay on track!!!
Overall, I think both are good tools to help you depending on what your goals are....I will continue to use both for my training!
Good Luck!!! :carrot::carrot::carrot:

The chest strap is very generous - I never had a problem with mine at the higher end of my weight range. It's made of a wide elastic band that is adjustable and has quite a bit of 'give'. My big husband has worn mine without discomfort.

I wear mine sort of under my bra... if that helps you envision where it's placed.

I have an older model polar too and the chest strap fit me at 300lbs.

I need to either get a new battery for my watch portion, or a new HRM which is why I was asking about the RHR accuracy. Didn't know if some models were better for wearing 24/7. I've only ever worn mine during exercise. I may just hold out and wait to get a Garmin 305 so I can track my running information with the HRM if I'm not going to wear it all the time anyway.

But yeah I like how the bodybugg is encouraging me to be overall active throughout the entire day. For me that was worth the price alone. You can set a "moderately active" goal and it lets you know when you've hit it. I have mine set for 2 hours. So I exercise for about an hour and try to get an extra hour in just cleaning or walking around. The built in pedometer helps too with just being another indicator of how much I'm moving around.

Otherwise you can roughly figure out the same information on your own with out the bugg using online calculators... balancing your deficit by recording your activity and comparing it with an online food log. I used myfoodiary.com to do this for the first part of my weight loss journey.

The Bugg has totally been worth it so far though!

I've had to send in my HRM for repair at least once a year. My HRM reads funny or loses the heart rate during exercise is when I first notice a problem. All the times I've sent it in, they've replaced the electrodes (band around your chest) as they've been cracked. I got a backup HRM just so I wouldn't have to be without it during the 2 weeks for repair! (And it had the same problem in only 6 months, oh well.) Be sure to keep all your receipt information! I heard that maybe there were other HRM's that were maybe more accurate than the Polar....not sure though.
Keep up the good work! :carrot::carrot::carrot: Liz

Well, my HRM seems to keep pretty good track of my heart rate. I've taken it manually by counting when it's reporting ranges of 55-85, and it seems to match pretty exactly to the display. So it seems to be pretty accurate, for me.

I know Jillian had concerns about the bodybugg catching those stationary exercise calories (spinning, etc), and liked that the Polar was less expensive. I've been happy with mine, so far.