What the *&^%?? Why EVEN EXERCISE?

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,671 Member
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    Okay so I have a question that I been holding off on for a while because i felt it was an ignorant question. But being that I still don’t understand, I felt that someone may be able to enlighten me on the topis or somehow explain to me in such a way that I “get” it.

    Okay, so here it is : WHAT is the point of exercising, if I’m going to be forced to eat all my calories back?

    My calorie budget it 1200 a day, and I thought the point of exercising was to burn calories in an attempt to lose weight? Right?

    When I complete a workout, its like okay, now I HAVE to eat 2000 calories? Isn’t this defeating the whole purpose of me working out? Don’t I work out for the sake of the calorie deficit?

    I figure if I’m supposed to eat these calories back, then I might as well just not work out and stay under 1200 calories right? Am I missing something here?

    I have been trying to figure this out for the longest…. I understand I don’t HAVE to eat the calories back, but I just want to know why I am “supposed” to... Thanks for feedback in advance !!:smile:
    Basic math. 1200 minus say 500 calories from working out leaves you a net of 700 calories a day. Now to put it into perspective, a growing child needs about 600 calories a day to function properly and effectively. So you'd be trying to survive on the nutrition of a child. But you're an adult.
    So what will the body do? Slow it's metabolism even more and make it even more difficult to lose any body fat.

    You DON'T need to exercise to lose weight. That's what the calorie deficit is for. You exercise for fitness, enhancing your shape, getting stronger and overall health.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,671 Member
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    i thought the same. however i have never eaten them back spite what this program says try and stay under 1500 calories and exercise daily and you should be good. its done wonders for me already down 30 pounds
    You have so much more to lose though. VLCD are fine short term for people who are in the obese range.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • kazlee66
    kazlee66 Posts: 25
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    I don't eat mine back. I will only go over my budget of cals if I've exercised and i'm really hungry. otherwise I just eat what I'm due to eat. I find eating them back doesn't work for me all the time so it's never intentional for me.
    Diet is great but it's not the be all and end all eventually you need to exercise. And what would be the point of watching what you eat and losing weight but never toning what you've lost?

    I went through IIFYM.com for my cal amounts and spoke to a few PT's and Nutritionists and make my own goals on MFP. That way I go by my TDEE and don't eat back anything else.

    Good luck
  • ThriceBlessed
    ThriceBlessed Posts: 499 Member
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    Like others have said, your 1200 net calorie amount is already a deficit, so you'll still lose weight even if you eat back your exercise calories... HOWEVER... you are NOT actually being FORCED to eat them back, you just have that option. I rarely eat all of my exercise calories back... my diary is public if you want to see that... I typically eat around 1600, but there are days when it is 1200 and days when it is 1900... my burn is most often large, a total burn of around 3000 calories, but just my exercise alone accounts for 600-1200 of that burn, the rest is just my base metabolism.

    I've lost 24.4 pounds in the last 5 weeks.

    I'd rather exercise than diet alone. My experience with dieting alone is that I lose motivation, and I lose weight slowly, much more slowly than I do with exercise. Exercise also makes me stronger, gives me more energy, builds my muscle mass, helps to shape my body as I lose weight... makes me healthier... and gives me a calorie "cushion" for that occasion when I'd like to have a treat.
  • glovepuppet
    glovepuppet Posts: 1,710 Member
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    diet will make you look good.

    exercise will make you look good NAKED!

    aside from that, who wants to be skinny and unhealthy?
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Read these...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/how-detail-oriented-do-you-need-to-be.html

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/fundamental-principles-versus-minor-details.html
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
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    Exercise for ice cream :)
  • esme1983
    esme1983 Posts: 60
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    This ^^^^^^^

    But also, once you are building muscle (which will be when you reach maintenance but will be easier if you've exercised the way through your diet as you will have started to train your body) the muscle burns more calories than fat. So, you can eat more and be healthier as you live your new, slim lifestyle.

    What I'm saying is that you don't want to diet forever, and building muscle will help with that.
  • paulperryman
    paulperryman Posts: 839 Member
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    someone else probably already said but you don't need to exercise to lose weight, infact exercise can contribute to an increase in weight through water retention and muscle gain.

    A) Exercise increases your fitness which makes you healthier on the inside and increases muscle mass and makes your body more efficient thats why you exercise, also the ability to burn off body fat with diet alone is probably almost zero

    B) Exercise keeps the blood flowing, the heart rate pumping, and uses up muscles the old addage if you dont use it you will lose it.

    C) Exercise will tone your body, diet cannot do this

    IMO you shouldn't be eating 1200 for more then a very brief period unless you are obese or very overweight and have lots of fat to burn and even then it's still not adviseable. (If a doctor told you to then yeah ok) But the only thing doing that will do is force your body to hold onto every scrap of energy it can or decrease your motabolism so you dont need as much energy, and lastly you will cannibalise muscle guarenteed.

    Eat around 1600.

    lastly you don't need to eat back exercise calories you should however eat so you are holding onto atleast your Basal Metabolic Rate needs which depends on your age height and weight but on average is around 1600-1800 calories a day.

    To keep things manageable and not starve yourself too much just have half your deficit coming from food intake and the other half from exercise.

    When you log exercise into MFP it gives you calories you can eat back to keep the same weight loss you would've if you hadn't exercised and also adds back probable nutrients lost ie Protein, Fats etc. will have an increased allowance.

    Least thats my take, i'll probably get flamed but it has worked for me for 6 months now
    Eat around 1600-2000 calories with a goal of 1Kg a week

    Lastly in order to lose 1Kg a week which wont happen every week just on average over time, you need a deficit of 7000 calories a week however that deficit comes you will lose the weight but exercise will make it easier and make you look better in the end not to mention all the health benefits.
  • gogojodee
    gogojodee Posts: 1,261 Member
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    Bump.
  • Juliesparra
    Juliesparra Posts: 7
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    Cardio vascular excercise

    Mood lifter

    Toner

    Muscle strengthener


    Makes the body a more efficient fat burning machine. Ive tried EVERY shortcut known to the dieting community and in my 52nd year have had a bit of an ephiphany its diet and excercise that get the job done its really simple :)

    You can lose weight through dieting alone but OMG it is much quicker and dare I say enjoyable combining the two.

    I gained a ridiculous amount of weight following the death of my husband and daughter in a three year period... I have lost 13.5 stone! since 2007. I would always plateau without the benefit of excercise become demoralised comfort eat and so it went viscious circle. It wasnt until I purchased a bike and ear plugs to obliterate abuse I received from passing motorists ! ( No really! damned if you do damned if you dont! ) That my weight loss went into overdrive :)

    As other contributors have said in this thread you are already on a reduced calorie intake so enjoy the excercise - enjoy the extra food - enjoy the subsequent weight loss.



    Julie :)
  • mymonkeymoos
    mymonkeymoos Posts: 12
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    One of the major benefits of exercising is that by impact exercise....ie walking jogging, you are actually building bone density and making your honeycomb structure in your bones much stronger and therefore reducing your risks of osteoporosis and the like.

    Another fantastic plus is that by exercising and toning what is already there, not only will you have less squishy bits but the muscles that have been toned need more energy just to keep them happy and so in essence, if all of your muscles are toned, they would use more calories just being sat there than if you had not toned them and they were wobbly.

    So over all, if you are toned, your BMR is higher than if you are untoned therefore ultimately helping with your overall goal of weightloss......and you will feel better in yourself :wink:
  • mymonkeymoos
    mymonkeymoos Posts: 12
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    diet will make you look good.

    exercise will make you look good NAKED!

    aside from that, who wants to be skinny and unhealthy?

    I totally agree, it is totally possible to be a super skinny model and still be classed as obese as their BMI could be up towards the 30 if not already in the 30! Most models do not exercise and rely on starvation alone, but are they healthy and do you really think that they have a body to die for?

    I don't!
  • mymonkeymoos
    mymonkeymoos Posts: 12
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    Wow, we'll done Julie!

    Such tragic circumstances that led you down the path and yet here you are..........that takes courage and I applaud you :smile:
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
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    When I complete a workout, its like okay, now I HAVE to eat 2000 calories? Isn’t this defeating the whole purpose of me working out? Don’t I work out for the sake of the calorie deficit?

    Sometimes I go on long, half day hikes and burn off 2,000 calories. I eat normally when I get home and don't eat all my exercise calories back. I'm a 5'3" woman and can't eat a whole extra day's worth of food by the end of the day, especially after being outside in the summer heat. Trying to stuff my body when I genuinely can't eat would make me sick.

    I'm not going to deny myself the enjoyment of a hike because I don't want to eat a giant meal at the end. I eat my exercise calories back if I'm hungry, and if not, I don't eat them all back. I don't believe in forcing myself to eat when I don't want food -- and also don't force myself to go without food when I'm hungry.

    A lot of my exercise numbers are best guesses anyway since I don't own a Fitbit, HRM or other devices. I don't really know how fast I walk, for example.
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
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    Because eating a low-calorie diet sucks, and with exercise I can eat a normal-calorie diet and still lose weight. Also, all of the additional benefits of exercise like increased cardiovascular fitness, increased neurogenesis, lower stress level, etc.
  • Juliesparra
    Juliesparra Posts: 7
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    Its been a hard road but...

    Whenever I see someone overweight I always wonder what led them to that point....

    It is rarely as simple as they have no willpower and are lazy.

    Thankyou so much for your kind words :)

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