Exercise to get more calories?

SlowrunnerHD

Hi I’m new on here. Age 59 and have lost 3 lb over the last 2 weeks. Is it ok to have an extra walk or cycle to gain more calories if you are not going to stay within your allowance? Thanks 😊

springlering62

How to phrase this? Hmmmmm.

I do it all the time, but I plan ahead and build the extra calories into my meal and snack plans. I pre-log, usually days in advance, and I also have a good feel for how my exercise calories will pan out.

I like to eat. A lot. Fortunately I like to move. A lot. So I always have a lot of extra calories to play with.

It’s dangerous to do it the other way around. For example, today I’m a couple hundred calories over. It would be foolhardy to rush out and do something last minute to earn those calories back.

That can beget very, very bad habits.

I may be over this evening but if you scroll through my meal plan, you’ll also see that I’m way under other days this week. It averages out.

Just know your numbers, and work within that framework, if that makes sense.

It’s OK to do once in a while, but it’s doing it often that can be a trap. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

springlering62

And btw, I started at 56, currently 61, lost 40% of my body weight. And I can darn sure betcha I run slower than you, lol. Stick with it. It’s life changing.

Corina1143

A better idea might be to have a look at what you're eating.
Most people, but not all, find protein to be the most satiating macro. Many find it helps to spread protein over the day. Maybe have a protein heavy breakfast instead of something sweet or carbs.
Potatoes are very satiating. Just without all the butter and toppings. I like mine topped with cottage cheese. But I understand if you don't. Maybe some parmesan? Or ?
Is there a particular time of day you're hungry? Maybe save some calories for a snack. Again, maybe include protein.
Just play around and you'll figure out what works for you.

SlowrunnerHD

Thank you for the encouragement springlering62 and Corina1143. As I have just started, I am sure that I will get my head around all the foods which work best for me. Very inspiring comments. I’m sure this app will become a way of life for me 😊

AnnPT77

I have maybe a slightly different spin: I agree with @springlering62 that planning the balance of calories and activity is a good thing, that being active (exercising and daily life stuff) is a good thing, and that using calories to "make up for" going over calorie goal is a Bad Plan, generally. Food is not a sin, and exercise is not a punishment. Behaving as if they are can be a foot on a slippery slope toward a dysfunctional relationship with both eating and activity.

I'd encourage you to think about creating habits - new routine patterns of eating and activity - that take you to a healthy weight with minimum suffering, and with good overall life balance intact.

Activity is fun, if you pursue fun activities (formal exercise or otherwise). Being more active raises calorie needs, plus improves health (even if no weight loss), body composition (lean vs. fat, bone integrity), mood (potentially), sleep (potentially), and functional abilities that can make daily life easier (lift stuff more easily, walk longer without fatigue, get more done around the home in less time).

So: Think new habits, habits you can continue forever to first reach your goals and then maintain them. That would be my advice.

Figure out a time budget for being more active: How much time per day/week can you be more active, while maintaining good overall life balance? (Good overall life balance = enough time and energy for family, job, home chores, satisfying social life, non-exercise hobbies, etc.).

Gradually build up activity level to spend that time budget in ways that are fun (at least tolerable/practical, and manageably challenging. Fun makes the routine more likely to stick, and the manageable challenge creates fitness improvement.

Unpleasant, exhausting exercise is counterproductive for either weight management or fitness improvement. It's OK to have a few minutes of "whew" right after activity, but it should be energizing, not fatiguing for the rest of your day(s). When the activity gets easier, increase the duration, frequency, intensity or type of activity to keep the fun and the manageable challenge always in the picture. Respect the time budget that works for you. It shouldn't be necessary to sacrifice overall life balance or satisfaction in a desperate pursuit of calorie burn or fitness.

Find new habits. Keep life balance. Food is tasty (and nourishing). Movement is fun.

P.S. I joined MFP at age 59, too - then class 1 obese. I lost from there to a healthy weight in just under a year, and have been at a healthy weight since, after around 30 previous years of overweight/obesity. I've been maintaining a healthy weight for 7+ years since, now age 68. I'm not as active as Spring upthread, but those few hundred extra calories and the improved fitness make a big positive contribution to my quality of life.

P.P.S. Any kind of movement burns more calories than sitting still, even kinds of movement you can't readily calorie-estimate. There's formal exercise, and daily life movement. Formal exercise can be the classic gym-y stuff, but needn't be. There's walking, biking, swimming, dancing, martial arts, yoga, canoeing/kayaking, frisbee, playing with grandkids, . . . gotta be some fun in there someplace, right? Then, daily life stuff. Lots of MFP-ers share their ideas about that here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1