What's the point in exercising?

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Replies

  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Another reason is that there is some serious nutritional warfare that is going on these days.

    60% of Americans are apparently obese, with Canadians rapidly following them, along with most of the industrial world.

    People who eat whatever they want, when they want are slowly poisoning themselves, with healthcare costs easily into the tens of billions.

    The nature of food has changed as well - a chicken these days isn't the same as a chicken 50 years ago. Natural flavours mean something fake, and organic doesn't necessarily mean it's grown naturally.

    You need to be an advocate for your shopping and eating habits, and exercise is a way essentially to fight back.

    Besides, once you change your outlook regarding your health, weight and looks, doesn't your perspective of others change as well? After a month of changing my eating and exercise lifestyles, suddenly everyone around me is overweight....
    The number of obese Americans is nowhere close to 60%. Please, don't make things up.

    35% for the United States, and 26% for Canada, and both numbers have leveled off and started moving downward.

    Again, please, stop making things up and spreading unsubstantiated facts as a fear tactic. It just makes you look bad.
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    If all you care about is losing weight, just eat less. However, there plenty of additional benefits to exercise that others have already mentioned. Plus, I find it really hard to lower my calories enough to lose weight without exercising. If I exercise, I can eat more and not feel deprived, and still lose weight.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    This is a 'What did the romans do for us' conversation
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    You exercise to feel better in your own skin, and to live a full life.

    More and more research shows that a lot of the health issues we are all associating with overweight are actually diseases of inactivity. Move more, and even if it doesn't bring your weight down a whole lot, you improve your overall health status dramatically.

    With just moderate exercise -- basically, just getting up and moving around -- your blood profile improves, you handle insulin better, your heart is healthier, your cortisol levels are more normal. You learn better and remember better and sleep better.

    And all of that is independent of whether you lose any weight while doing it.
  • love2cycle
    love2cycle Posts: 448 Member
    Seriously? Exercise makes you feel good! I hear people say they hate to exercise and I just don't get it. Find something you enjoy, and do it!
  • Loulady
    Loulady Posts: 511 Member
    enhanced-buzz-1004-1377497231-6.jpg

    ↑ Dieting..............................................................................↑Exercise
  • CarolElaine25
    CarolElaine25 Posts: 102 Member
    You exercise to feel better in your own skin, and to live a full life.

    More and more research shows that a lot of the health issues we are all associating with overweight are actually diseases of inactivity. Move more, and even if it doesn't bring your weight down a whole lot, you improve your overall health status dramatically.

    With just moderate exercise -- basically, just getting up and moving around -- your blood profile improves, you handle insulin better, your heart is healthier, your cortisol levels are more normal. You learn better and remember better and sleep better.

    And all of that is independent of whether you lose any weight while doing it.
    This x1000.
  • VincitQuiSeVincit
    VincitQuiSeVincit Posts: 285 Member
    Search function /thread

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1071058-what-the-why-even-exercise?hl=benefit+of+exercise

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/967797-why-exercise-if-you-re-just-going-to-eat-the-calories-back?hl=why+exercise

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1061224-not-eating-back-calories-after-exercise?hl=why+exercise#posts-16303340

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1084038--hidden-benefit-of-exercise?hl=benefit+of+exercise#posts-16691040

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080666-do-i-have-to-exercise?hl=benefit+of+exercise&page=1#posts-16632271

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1079473-should-i-bother-exercising-if-it-makes-me-eat-more?hl=benefit+of+exercise&page=1#posts-16612600

    This. all of this.
  • hannamarie88
    hannamarie88 Posts: 231 Member
    You can lose weight by eating at a caloric deficit. But if you want to look good and not like a meat bag -- in a manner of terms -- you exercise. I need exercise to motivate me to keep on track with my healthy weight loss mission. Exercising just makes you feel good all over and you improve all your internal functions. Exercise is just good for you.

    Yeah you can lose weight without exercise, but why would you? At the caloric deficit MFP puts you at -- without exercise you will be quite hungry. MFP had me at 1370, with exercise days I was 1500-1700. I am now using the TDEE-20% method and I will never go back -- I eat more, lose weight, exercise and feel great.

    You might check out this past post if you want to learn more about calories and eating them back vs. just having them based on your fitness level:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    Good luck! This website has already changed my life in just two months!
  • Mainebikerchick
    Mainebikerchick Posts: 1,573 Member
    Maybe you should just rage quit then?







    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    You're in a weightloss mindset, not a fitness mindset. It's ok. Don't exercise. Stay weak and out of shape.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    There's no point. We've all been bamboozled. DON'T FALL FOR IT!
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    intrinsic reward.


    also to become aesthetically pleasing.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Thank you everyone for the responses. I have ever only thought of exercise as a way to loose weight. And until I started having my kids I never needed to bother with that. A very different story now. :-) So, what I get is exercise can help you TONE the muscle which makes you look better and clothes fit better. It can also help with just feeling better about oneself. And I guess an added benefit for bicycling (my exercise of choice (running is NO fun for me)) is time away from the kids and house. SCORE! LOL Seriously, thank you for help and suggestions. Some very kind words from many of you. :-) I hope I can keep this going. This is my 6th week on MFP and the 5th week of riding for exercise.
    Not to mention, you will benefit as you age from having more muscle mass....and help to avoid this:

    osteoporosis.jpg

    edited to add...find something you ENJOY doing, and it won't seem so pointless...
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    1) The people who are getting their calorie GOALs from MFP and not meeting those GOALs due to not eating back exercise calories are doing it wrong. They do not know or undertand how this tool works. They probably try to drive screws with a hammer too. You should make some allowance for estimation error which is inherent even if you're using a HRM to estimate burn...but you should be eating most of those calories back. Another issue people tend to have is underestimating consumption. They think they're eating XXXX calories but they're really eating YYYY calories. This is usually do to negligence and not weighing and measuring properly...just eyeballing portions, etc.

    2) The benefits of exercise are many. Weight loss is actually pretty low on the list really...exercise is a very in-efficient way of incorporating a calorie deficit for weight loss. In regards to weight control, it's actually much more important in maintenance than it is for losing. But...you get stronger, you preserve muscle (which makes you look asthetically better when the fat comes off), you increase bone density, heart health, helps eliminate insulin sensitivities, you just feel better in general, you have more energy, and the list goes on and on.

    Use your diet (noun) for weight control; exercise for fitness.
  • redheaddee
    redheaddee Posts: 2,005 Member
    enhanced-buzz-1004-1377497231-6.jpg

    ↑ Dieting..............................................................................↑Exercise

    Ugh. That cannot be unseen. Reported for being grody :laugh:

    Seriously that does sum it up quite nicely.
  • tworthen79
    tworthen79 Posts: 1,173 Member
    Losing weight helps you look good with clothes on, exercising makes you damn hot when naked!!
  • tofinochris
    tofinochris Posts: 5
    When you go to post a new thread, after you click the post button it should auto-search and say "there are all these threads that match the one you're posting -- are you sure you wanna post this?"

    Glad the OP posted though because I got to see all the links.
  • hkmurphy83
    hkmurphy83 Posts: 262 Member
    Caloric deficit through food equals weight loss. "Losing weight means you'll look good in clothes. Exercising means you'll look good naked."
  • AmoreCouture
    AmoreCouture Posts: 255 Member
    You build muscle when you exercise (strength train). Muscle burns calories on its own to sustain itself, and changes your whole physique. It needs more calories to thrive. Just look at fitness models, or anyone who is in shape with visible muscle definition. They aren't trying to eat super low to look like that. :)

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