Good HRM vs. FitBit

 So I've been looking at both a HRM with chest strap and the FitBit.  It honestly looks like the HRM would be the better bet.   I don't really worry about how much I'm moving during the day as I know my low 600-700 calories are fine.  What I really want to keep track of is how many calories I'm burning during my runs and workouts.  That makes me think the HRM would be best.  Now is there something I"m missing.  If there is please let me know because I don't have a ton of $ and I'd like to only buy once!

Thanks in advance.

It depends on  your goals.

A Fitbit is good if you want to figure out how many calories you burn a day. However, it is basically a pedometer so it's not the most accurate device for doing that. A BodyMedia FIT (aka BodyBugg) is more accurate because it measures more "stuff." Both will tell you your 'step count' and that is also something you might be interested in tracking.

A HRM is good for monitoring your heart rate during exercise. If you train by HR, it's a must. If you don't, you may get tired of it after a while but it can be useful to figure out how many calories you burn in exercise. Just be sure to get a model with a chest strap because the ones you put your finger on and it takes your pulse are wildly inaccurate.

I had HRM when I first started out. OKay, I started with a Nike+. Then the HRM. But now I never wear it because I train with RPE (Relative Perceived Exertion). The chest strap bugs too. I ended up getting a BodyMedia FIT in maintenance because knowing how many calories I burned a day became important to me. I got it over a year ago and I still wear it.

My chest strap for my Garmin, OTOH, sits in my gym bag and never gets worn. I still use the Garmin though because it tells me things like pacing and how many miles I've gone. But I don't use its calorie calculation because I haven't found it to be all that accurate. Even with the chest strap. I put my average HR into a spreadsheet and calculate my calories burned myself and that seems to be accurate. Well, I did anyway. Now I use my BodyMedia FIT for that.

 That's interesting.  Thanks so much.  I've been looking at the bodybugg as well.  It's all so confusing!  Once I reach maintenance I was thinking of going to a BodPod and seeing what my BMR is.  I"m ont sure how much that is though!  Thanks so much for taking the time to answer.

The BodPod doesn't really tell you your BMR. It guesses it based on your muscle mass and body fat. But the calories you consume change every day. That's why I like the BodyMedia FIT. 

The other thing is, if you are working on a particular sport that has metrics... like running or swimming or biking, then you really need a sports watch that tracks those things. And those all come with a HRM either built-in or optional.

 I thought the BodPod took your respiration rate and O2 use into consideration?  


I have two races planed as of now.  1 is just 3.5 miles and is an obstacle course race.  But then I have the more serious Army 10 miler in October.  So I would like to at some point to consider myself a runner.  I"m prior military and used to be pretty darned fit.  I'd like to get back to there plus some.  Ideally I'll do the Princess 1/2 marathon next Feb.  but $ might keep me from doing that.


ETA: I like the idea of a GPS/HRM.  I've been looking at the Garmin 405 and the Timex Ironman GPS.  There are so many options that I just seem to go in circles.

No, it doesn't measure how much Oxygen you use. It only measures air displacement. it's like being in a dunk tank only it uses air intead of water so you don't have to empty your lungs or get wet.

Yeah the bodpods are just for figuring out lean muscle mass vs your total body weight.

You will want to get a basal metabolic rate test.

This was a quick google search for some info on it

http://www.drbuscher.com/therapies-offered/t-basal-metabolic-rate-bmr-testing

I know there are people here who have had it done, so maybe some of them can comment on it for you.

Scott