Exercising for more food??

Xo_healthylc
Xo_healthylc Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I changed my weigh in day to Friday from Monday. I used to do Friday's on WW and always found it motivating to go in fresh for the weekend with a new set of calories. I base my calories on a weekly goal. So I know if I over eat one day I have to balance it out before weigh in day to lose. I have lost 12 pounds in the last four weeks so it is working for me but switching to Friday's I am wondering if anyone works out a lot during the weekend in the mornings to balance out the treats they have. Say I swim for an hour before I leave for festivities so that I can be in the negative before I even begin eating for the day. My view is I'm going to eat it whether I work out or not so might as well work out and be in the positive and not negative right. Does any of this make sense?

Replies

  • Xo_healthylc
    Xo_healthylc Posts: 77 Member
    What in the hell did I just ramble about! Haha.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    i work to my weekly goal - generally i eat 2-300 cals less Monday to Thursday so i can eat more Friday and Saturday, and sometimes Sunday if i'm doing a weekend long run as well.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Exercising for more food? Some people do this and it's fine. Anything that gets you moving is a good thing.

    But, I try to look at exercise as a lifestyle change too. I need to move more when I get to goal or I will be "dieting" forever.
  • Xo_healthylc
    Xo_healthylc Posts: 77 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    i work to my weekly goal - generally i eat 2-300 cals less Monday to Thursday so i can eat more Friday and Saturday, and sometimes Sunday if i'm doing a weekend long run as well.

    That's why I changed my day to Friday so if I do bad I can gradually make up for it throughout the week and I will know if I need to exercise more than usual I can. I just don't know if eating back all my exercise calories are the same as losing those calories through exercise.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Xo_healthylc wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    i work to my weekly goal - generally i eat 2-300 cals less Monday to Thursday so i can eat more Friday and Saturday, and sometimes Sunday if i'm doing a weekend long run as well.

    That's why I changed my day to Friday so if I do bad I can gradually make up for it throughout the week and I will know if I need to exercise more than usual I can. I just don't know if eating back all my exercise calories are the same as losing those calories through exercise.

    i don't really know what you mean? MFP is set up so you NET your calorie goal each day?
  • Xo_healthylc
    Xo_healthylc Posts: 77 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Xo_healthylc wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    i work to my weekly goal - generally i eat 2-300 cals less Monday to Thursday so i can eat more Friday and Saturday, and sometimes Sunday if i'm doing a weekend long run as well.

    That's why I changed my day to Friday so if I do bad I can gradually make up for it throughout the week and I will know if I need to exercise more than usual I can. I just don't know if eating back all my exercise calories are the same as losing those calories through exercise.

    i don't really know what you mean? MFP is set up so you NET your calorie goal each day?

    I use my net average for the week.
  • RicMackie
    RicMackie Posts: 42 Member
    Weight loss is simple, mathematically. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight. Exercise is absolutely needed for health and fitness reasons, but (in my opinion) is not really the most important thing for weight loss. But depends...how much exercise, and will you be doing this every day for the rest of your life? I ask because walking a mile burns about 100 calories for a 160 pound person. Are you going to walk a mile each day? And, 100 calories is not very many calories. Body fat is 3500 calories. So, to lose 1 pound simply by walking, a 160 pound person would have to walk about 35 miles.
    So much depends on how much you're talking about exercising, and if it's something you'd still do - every day - once you reach your goal.
    Exercise is fantastic and our bodies need it.
    But if you want to lose weight, control your portions.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
    I do not exercise to eat more calories. I do/did not even exercise to loose weight for that matter. I exercised cause I needed to, I was out of shape and horrible strength wise. I now love to exercise, it makes me feel good.

    But what ever works for you, keep doing that, since you bank calories to eat on the weekend and actually will compensate the next week for over doing it, that may work for you, but that would never work for me.

    I think the body burns fat or gainz fat, burns muscle or gainz muscle (if you are in muscle gaining criteria like lifting weights and ample protein), and water everyday.. not weekly..

  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    Be cautious, calorie burns are often inflated a bit. Say you think you burned 400 calories swimming so you decide to eat your daily goal plus those 400 extra and you only actually burned 250, you'll have a surplus.


    I prefer to view my exercise as only for fitness, I don't eat back those earned calories because I don't believe I work hard enough that my body truly needs them if that makes sense. I think the idea of purposefully exercising to eat more food is a bit like a diet and it wouldn't be sustainable for me long term. I'd always be focused on exercise to "earn" a food item which isn't the motivation I want to use. But if this works for you and you keep losing then by all means don't let anyone tell you it's wrong.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited July 2016
    I don't necessarily exercise to eat more...but it's a nice bi-product. I have regularly scheduled exercise and it has nothing to do with what I'm planning to eat or not eat...I just have a regular exercise schedule...I don't do unplanned exercise if I overeat and I don't do unplanned exercise if I anticipate overeating...that could possibly lead down a pretty dark path and a very weird relationship with food and fitness, so just be wary of that. Exercise bulimia is a very real thing.

    But yeah...I think a lot of people, at least initially, start exercising so they can eat more when they realize how paltry their calorie goals are as a sedentary person...just hopefully that mindset transitions to exercise as a part of an overall healthy lifestyle rather than exercising simply to eat or exercising in order to work off excess...
  • JAllen32
    JAllen32 Posts: 991 Member
    I used to, when I was successfully logging and working out and losing weight. lol
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I exercise both for health and to get more food. I'm not happy on the amount of calories I get without exercise. I do exercise more on weekends, both because I have more time and because meals tend to be more caloric. While exercise bulimia is a real thing, my amount of exercise and thinking about it does not rise to that level.

    MFP uses the NEAT method, and as such exercise calories are supposed to be eaten back. However, many consider the burns to be inflated and only eat a percentage, such as 50%, back.
  • thequeena47
    thequeena47 Posts: 8 Member
    Lots of good discussion.... i am just returning to mfp after a long break, but agree that exercising to eat more could be a slippery slope. i try to eat what i know i should be eating all the time, and am happy when any unplanned activity gives me a little boost and keeps me just a little closer to, or well under my intake goals for the day. It is hard enough to fit in regular fitness activities with a full time job and family committments etc. How do i track '6 trips up and down to do the laundry, mowed the lawn and cleaned the garage" in my exercise log anyway?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I absolutely exercise so I can eat more.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Yes! I run 10 miles on Saturday morning just to get those extra calories to eat back over the weekend.
  • jessicarobinson00
    jessicarobinson00 Posts: 414 Member
    Most definitely! I EARN THOSE EXTRA CALORIES!!
  • RockinTerri
    RockinTerri Posts: 499 Member
    I think it depends on how your body adjusts. I'm finding that if I have a good calorie burn workout, eating a few extra calories is fine, but I can't overdo it (at least not on a regular basis.

    Have fun with your workouts too!
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    75% of the reason I run regularly is to be able to eat more that day!

    I generally eat about 50% of the calories I burn from exercise.
  • Loves2snack
    Loves2snack Posts: 112 Member
    ABSOLUTLY! I wouldn't make it on 1300 calories a day. I just quit smoking and I'm hungry AF LOLOLOL!! N
    I got to the gym and do HIIT on the elliptical and then walk on my breaks and lunch at work. I find that it REALLY helps my attitude too!
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    I think a lot of people do that. I'm basing that statement off the fact that early mornings on big holidays (4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc) are packed at my gym. Pretty sure people are there burning calories so that they can enjoy their big holiday meals. Whatever works for you!
  • RicMackie
    RicMackie Posts: 42 Member
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    I think a lot of people do that. I'm basing that statement off the fact that early mornings on big holidays (4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc) are packed at my gym. Pretty sure people are there burning calories so that they can enjoy their big holiday meals. Whatever works for you!

    But in reality, those folks are burning off (maaaaybe) hundreds of calories while consuming thousands. Lot's of generalities, but there are lots of studies out there that show how much typical Americans (I know, I know( eat at the holidays. Then compare that to how many calories you burn even during a good workout.

    The average American can eat over 4,500 calories for a holiday gathering.
    It takes over 6 hours on the elliptical to make up for that (per MFP) - and I very much doubt that these folks are hitting that thing for 6 hours.

    http://caloriecontrol.org/stuff-the-bird-not-yourself-how-to-deal-with-the-3000-calorie-thanksgiving-meal/
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    I cardio for beer
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    RicMackie wrote: »
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    I think a lot of people do that. I'm basing that statement off the fact that early mornings on big holidays (4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc) are packed at my gym. Pretty sure people are there burning calories so that they can enjoy their big holiday meals. Whatever works for you!

    But in reality, those folks are burning off (maaaaybe) hundreds of calories while consuming thousands. Lot's of generalities, but there are lots of studies out there that show how much typical Americans (I know, I know( eat at the holidays. Then compare that to how many calories you burn even during a good workout.

    The average American can eat over 4,500 calories for a holiday gathering.
    It takes over 6 hours on the elliptical to make up for that (per MFP) - and I very much doubt that these folks are hitting that thing for 6 hours.

    http://caloriecontrol.org/stuff-the-bird-not-yourself-how-to-deal-with-the-3000-calorie-thanksgiving-meal/

    Very true. But a lot of people also end up eating less the rest of the week too. And even a 400 calories work out is better than nothing.
  • RicMackie
    RicMackie Posts: 42 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    RicMackie wrote: »
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    I think a lot of people do that. I'm basing that statement off the fact that early mornings on big holidays (4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc) are packed at my gym. Pretty sure people are there burning calories so that they can enjoy their big holiday meals. Whatever works for you!

    But in reality, those folks are burning off (maaaaybe) hundreds of calories while consuming thousands. Lot's of generalities, but there are lots of studies out there that show how much typical Americans (I know, I know( eat at the holidays. Then compare that to how many calories you burn even during a good workout.

    The average American can eat over 4,500 calories for a holiday gathering.
    It takes over 6 hours on the elliptical to make up for that (per MFP) - and I very much doubt that these folks are hitting that thing for 6 hours.

    http://caloriecontrol.org/stuff-the-bird-not-yourself-how-to-deal-with-the-3000-calorie-thanksgiving-meal/

    Very true. But a lot of people also end up eating less the rest of the week too. And even a 400 calories work out is better than nothing.

    Absolutely!!!
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    Yes of course it makes sense. That's why there are such things as Thanksgiving day races like Turkey Trot. You're already going to pig out anyway, so you might as well pre-burn the calories.

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