Is this a terrible idea?

cicichirinos
cicichirinos Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Question: my biggest challenge to weight loss is that I tend to overeat in social situations, so is it a bad idea to try to burn off the additional calories I might end up consuming by compensating with exercise? Like, if I go over because of a Friday night by 500 calories, making it a point to run twice over the weekend to burn them off while not eating back any additional food. Or is it better to just accept I went over, and try to stay within my limit the next day? Or something else?

Replies

  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited April 2016
    Burning off an extra 500 over the course of two days isn't too extreme. What many people do, however, is bank calories through the week so there is more wiggle room on weekends. So eating 100 less calories a day during the week can give you 400-500 calories for weekends/social situations.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Not a bad idea at all, as long as you are not going too much over your normal exercise that you might get an overuse injury.

    Just remember, it's hard to out run a bad diet. If you go over by 500 or so you could reasonably make that up running/walking an extra 4 miles or so over the weekend (above your normal activity). It's when the extra calories from the social situation start to get up to the 800+ extra range could have trouble working them off.
  • cicichirinos
    cicichirinos Posts: 17 Member
    Good tip!! It's so hard when the limit is already so low... (1400) but I'll try!
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
    It's not horrible, but I'd be careful of setting up a unhealthy dynamic that associates exercise with "punishing" yourself for indulging.

    Exercise because it gives you extra room for food, because it improves your fitness and stamina. That's a mentally healthier approach. Different approach, similar result.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
    There's nothing wrong with exercising a bit more in order to eat more calories. Just be sure not to overestimate your calorie burns from your workout. MFP's estimates are really inflated.

    Some people also like to save up calories during the week to eat on the weekends. That works, too.

    If you do go over, don't stress over it. In the grand scheme of things, one day of being over your calorie goal is not going to make that big of a difference.

    For example, if you're eating at TDEE - 500 calories to lose a lb per week, you can eat up to 500 calories over and still be at maintenance for the day. Anything under TDEE and you still have a deficit - just not as big of one.
  • maidengirl_
    maidengirl_ Posts: 283 Member
    You don't have to overwork yourself because you ate extra one or two days. Just take it as a learning experience and move on. Overworking yourself to burn extra calories for a overage is recipe for burnout. They say you aren't supposed to have alcohol during weight loss, I still have drinks with my friends on occasion and I'm still losing weight. Best of luck.
  • Sherriediva1
    Sherriediva1 Posts: 345 Member
    edited April 2016
    maidengirl_ wrote: »
    You don't have to overwork yourself because you ate extra one or two days. Just take it as a learning experience and move on. Overworking yourself to burn extra calories for a overage is recipe for burnout. They say you aren't supposed to have alcohol during weight loss, I still have drinks with my friends on occasion and I'm still losing weight. Best of luck.

    Whoever "they" are, suck!! I'm like @maidengirl_ and still have drinks now and then. "Everything in moderation "-unknown. I tend to do a little of both. Bank a little through out the week and workout a little extra also, that way it's not too much of either ;)

Categories