whats the point of excercise if I eat back the calories?

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Replies

  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Funny....I dropped on average about 1 Lb per week (40 Lbs down total) as per my goals that I input to MFP...I did so using this tool properly and eating back my exercise calories (allowance made for overestimation of burn)...because that is the way this tool is designed. Eating a mere 1300 calories and going to the gym and burning off 600 - 1000 calories is a pretty friggin' horrible idea and extremely unhealthy.

    no, it's not unhealthy. you're still getting 1300 calories and you lost 40 pounds (i'm guessing in 40 weeks) which is good but imagine losing that 40 in 20 weeks or even 30

    Worst advice ever. I hope your clients don't take nutritional advice from you.

    OP, faster isn't always better and when it comes down to it, slower can be better because it allows you to learn/create good habits and set them in place and you set yourself up to be able to maintain your success.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/EdDavenport
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/trogalicious

    I'd listen to those two before the trainer dude who is setting you up on a bad road.

    I'd also recommend reading the link below reading the stickies of the Eat, Train, Progress group run by Sidesteel and Sara. They know their stuff!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
  • ihad
    ihad Posts: 7,463 Member
    exercise is also good for all the benefits many of you have listed but focusing on exercise for weight loss...

    WHY even worry about EXERCISE FOR WEIGHT LOSS if you're eating back everything you burn off? that's all im saying

    The thing is, you can focus exclusively on weight loss, but your body can't. It has nutritional, health and fitness needs that can be adversely impacted by the singleminded pursuit of rapid weight loss. Some level of balance is important, as is sustainability. Starving your way to a lower weight teaches you nothing about maintaining - the results are much less likely to last. Listen to Trog, and Ed, and the others.
  • never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    rapid weight loss is not a bad thing. the 1-2 pounds per week recommendation is false DEPENDING On how overweight you are. like i said an extremely overeweight person may lose 5-to-10 pounds their first week and as they get closer to their goals then they may lose 1-2 pounds or even less.

    Dude! Tell this to someone who lost weight very rapidly and developed gallstones as a result (me). Tell this to someone who lost hair or teeth as a result of vlcd. You're going to say that netting 700 calories per day is perfectly healthy with a straight face? I seriously fear for your clients. FASTER IS NOT BETTER.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Just to add this since someone wants to keep trying to push people to create dangerous deficits. In case you are wondering about what you should be aiming for (in regards to weekly loss)...


    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    I'm sure you will attract all the MFP people that see that shiny object you're holding out - LOSE WEIGHT FAST!!! I have been here for 17 months. My eating habits and exercise are ingrained in me now. It was a process that I needed to go through to relearn healthy habits. I guarantee that 99% of all seriously overweight people need to learn these things. If you offer them the quick fix - they will take it. But after the dust settles, they will gain the weight back.

    So how is the 1 - 2 pound a week recommendation false?
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more
    NO
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Are you being sarcastic? Please, say you are ...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Being afraid of food is not healthy...and healthy isn't just a physical thing, it is a mental thing as well. When I get to where I want to be, I want to be healthy in every sense...not at goal and neurotic.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.



    You and your absolutes clearly have no idea how MFP is set up / intended to be used. Please go back to trolling at BB.com
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.
  • AdrianBry
    AdrianBry Posts: 138 Member
    So how is the 1 - 2 pound a week recommendation false?

    it's only true depending on how close you are to your goal. a bigger person will simply lose more than a smaller person eating the same amount and doing the same exercise
  • Camera_BagintheUK
    Camera_BagintheUK Posts: 707 Member
    I kind of agree that I have to eat back those calories, the question then becomes did I gain anything in regards to loosing weight by running, swimming etc...? should just do weights until I achieve my goal?

    you'll still lose weight eating those calroies back but it really is defeating the purpose of exercising. eating back calories is simply the same thing as JUST DIETING or eating less ALONE to lose weight

    The purpose of exercise is fitness - it can help with weight loss, but that's not the only reason to do exercise! You need to do exercise to keep your heart healthy, reduce risks of all kinds of disease such as heart disease, diabetes etc, improve your mental health, help you sleep better, strengthen muscles, raise energy levels.

    Obviously doesn't protect against tunnel vision, sadly :ohwell:
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    absolute NONSENSE.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    Wow good point. Too bad there's no possible way to be healthy AND have a healthy relationship with food. :sad:
  • beachlover317
    beachlover317 Posts: 2,848 Member
    So how is the 1 - 2 pound a week recommendation false?

    it's only true depending on how close you are to your goal. a bigger person will simply lose more than a smaller person eating the same amount and doing the same exercise

    Well, I was the "bigger person" 17 months ago. I started out eating at a big deficit and losing over 3 pounds a week. Then my hair started falling out and I had NO energy anymore. Fortunately I began following some successful people on MFP and learned how to do this in a healthy way. Eating at a smaller deficit from my TDEE, lifting heavy to minimize the loss of lean body mass, and most importantly giving myself time to learn how to do this the right way.
    I've lost more weight in my life than you have years. Always fast, always gaining it back and more. Ed & trog are two people who sincerely help people without expecting anything in return. There is a BIG line of others behind them that do the same things.
    I truly hope that you rethink your method of helping people on MFP.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    Food shaming leads to eating disorders so yeah it is a miserable thing..... more so than being over weight...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    Wow good point. Too bad there's no possible way to be healthy AND have a healthy relationship with food. :sad:

    :laugh:
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    If only there was a middle ground where one could lose weight in a sustainable fashion, not have food issues, and be happy both mentally and physically.

    But hey, what do i know! I have nutella brownies as my ticker, I'm clearly not miserable enough
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    popcorn_jon_stewart.gif
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    Food shaming leads to eating disorders so yeah it is a miserable thing..... more so than being over weight...

    Well, if you're going to play the ED card...

    You know, not everyone that decides to lose weight differently than what the MFP community sanctions has, or is going to submit to, an ED.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Body composition is just as important a factor in weight loss as the number of pounds you lose.

    The amount of lean mass you have impacts how you age, your quality of life as an elderly person, and how well you get around later in life.

    Do you want to destroy your muscle mass and bone density by losing weight too rapidly? No? Then lose slowly.

    Eat your exercise calories back.
  • Hi, if you're only doing cardio you're very likely to lose muscle along with any fat loss. This will reduce your resting metabolism and you'll have a lot more trouble keeping the weight off. If you can add heavy resistance training to your routine then you'll increase your resting metabolism with the added muscle. You might weigh a little more but it'll help a lot overall if you hold on to your muscle mass.
  • Exercise should not be about calorie burns.

    I work in healthcare and exercise is about heart health and bone strength and avoiding injury...I could go on and on. I work out to build muscle to turn my body into a calorie burning machine.

    Now, I had some very wise ppl on this site tell me to stop starving myself with net 700 calories a day (thanks trogalicious!) and the next week I started losing weight and feeling alive again.

    Just stop it....Just simply stop...
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    Food shaming leads to eating disorders so yeah it is a miserable thing..... more so than being over weight...

    Well, if you're going to play the ED card...

    You know, not everyone that decides to lose weight differently than the what the MFP community sanctions has, or is going to submit to, an ED.

    He's not playing a card. He's stating a truth.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    Food shaming leads to eating disorders so yeah it is a miserable thing..... more so than being over weight...

    Well, if you're going to play the ED card...

    You know, not everyone that decides to lose weight differently than the what the MFP community sanctions has, or is going to submit to, an ED.

    He's not playing a card. He's stating a truth.

    Beat me to it.... and Thank you :flowerforyou:
  • dnsrmr
    dnsrmr Posts: 99 Member
    good idea :-)
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    never "eat back" your exercise calories UNLESS you want to lose weight slower OR if for some reason you are hungier (which happens with increased activity) but my advice is to NOT eat those calories back. If defeats the purpose of exercise.

    You should exercise to burn extra fat, calories or lose weight faster.

    You shouldn't exercise just so you can eat more

    Yes, by all means, fast weight loss is all that matters. Retaining as much lean body mass as possible isn't important at all. As long as the scale is going down quickly, who cares if you're burning up precious muscle mass??

    Dude...no. Just....no.

    You eat your exercise calories back so that you will burn primarily fat, while keeping as much muscle as possible. Plus, food is good. Stop being afraid of it.

    Just because I didn't eat back ALL my exercise calories while losing doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty.

    And LOL at your being "afraid" of food comment. I enjoy food all the time. The problem some people have is that they're not afraid ENOUGH of food.

    Considering we NEED food to live, being afraid of it would kind of make life miserable.

    Not as miserable as being overweight, but that might just be me.

    If only there was a middle ground where one could lose weight in a sustainable fashion, not have food issues, and be happy both mentally and physically.

    But hey, what do i know! I have nutella brownies as my ticker, I'm clearly not miserable enough

    Clearly we need to start brainwashing our youth to fear junk food monsters. It's the only way to repair the obesity epidemic