Whats the point of exercise?

Collier78

Hi all

MFP recommends eating back your exercise calories. If losing weight is about calories in and out, and you eat back what you burn - then in what way does exercise contribute to weight loss?

it's like some people don't even want to survive the zombie apocalypse.

They are the ones that make it easier for those of us that do....bait!

JoelleAnn78

Your replies suggest that it does not, at least in the mfp regime, contribute to weight loss at all. Which is interesting. thanks.

You are most welcome, and yes - you are 100% correct. If your goal is to look like an undernourished skunk, then, by all means, stay in the basement, eat rice cakes, and count calories.

Holy cow. I laughed out loud in my office. Awesome.

rosemary98

i want to begin exercising because i believe it will make me feel better and stronger. weight resistance exercise is especially important for bone strength in women, I've been told. but, yes, as far as pure weight loss...it is more about the diet side. But being a calorie counter isn't bad--often it can mean you are choosing foods that are lean, with plenty of vegetables to get more bang for your buck (so to speak).

freebirdfitness

this is my 'fitness' pal - not my weightloss pal. exercise is good for your health so if you want to do it, do it and if not, don't - it won't affect your weightloss.

What?!? Exercise does not affect weight loss?

If I never changed my diet because they way I eat is fine, and I started exercising I would not lose weight? That's weird because scientifically you would. If you did not eat more or less for the sake of this experiment, and you exercised, the exercise would create a deficit which is the scientific reason for weight loss. Also 1 lb of fat burns 5 cals per day and 1 lb of muscle burns 60 cals, so after a few months you are also slowly changing your daily caloric needs. So yes exercise creates an immediate deficit from cals burnt during exercise, a slow deficit from the afterburn (when your body uses calories to repair your muscles), and in the long term as well by changing your calorie needs.

Watch "How to Look Like That Guy" and during the first 18 weeks he transforms with no calorie counting, which is what I have been doing.

thekyleo

I never understood the BMR, TDEE, RMR what not. I just eat the calories MFP tells me

freebirdfitness

I never understood the BMR, TDEE, RMR what not. I just eat the calories MFP tells me

You should use google to try and gain an understanding of something before you experiment with your health.. Also knowing the science of our bodies will help make this journey easier. Here is a link to get you started:

http://theskinnyequation.blogspot.ca/p/weight-loss-calculators.html

You should never eat below bmr as that's what you need in a coma, and you can take your TDEE and do a 20% deficit for weight loss if your goal is to lose weight. But never eat below your bmr.

Edited to add note: I did not check the site, I just used google to grab a calculator for you, so I don't know if any info on that site is good, but if you need any good links about how our bodies work msg me, I have tons book marked

MinnieInMaine

Dudes, and dudess'

Thanks for your replies. Many of you seem presuppose that I wanted to know what the health benefits of exercise is, and assumed I needed convincing that exercise is a good thing. I actually exercise a lot, who wouldn't with the coming Zombi apocalypse? (I also enjoy it).

My question was more theoretical, about how exercise contributes to weight loss, as exercise seems to be the second component (diet being the first) that most everyone says is essential for weight loss. Your replies suggest that it does not, at least in the mfp regime, contribute to weight loss at all. Which is interesting. thanks.

i like how you ask a very vague question and then act all smug when we "presupposed" something.

Yeah, nice snark... Maybe be more specific next time OP?

Exercise CAN contribute to weight loss but that's just not how MFP is set up. Say you used to eat 2500 calories per day (and let's assume that's your TDEE so you maintained at that level) and didn't exercise. Then you decided to start exercising, burning about 500 calories per day, 5 days per week, creating a weekly calorie deficit of 2500 calories, meaning you'd start losing at around the rate of 0.7 pounds per week, given everything equal.

BUT the way MFP is set up is to create a calorie deficit based on how many pounds per week you said you'd like to lose, in addition to your personal stats. That way if you decide not to exercise, you can still lose weight. But if you do exercise, in order to avoid a huge unhealthy calorie deficit, you then should eat those earned calories (or at least most of them as the burn estimates are notoriously overestimated).

Or you can figure out your BMR/TDEE, percentage deficit and do a custom set up of your calories, macros, etc. That's the great thing about MFP - you have a choice of guided or custom settings.

somerisagirlsname

Exercise for fitness. Calorie count for weight loss.

RhonndaJ

What's the point of exercise?

This is a question I often ask myself, though not in the same way as the OP.

thekyleo

I never understood the BMR, TDEE, RMR what not. I just eat the calories MFP tells me

You should use google to try and gain an understanding of something before you experiment with your health.. Also knowing the science of our bodies will help make this journey easier. Here is a link to get you started:

http://theskinnyequation.blogspot.ca/p/weight-loss-calculators.html

You should never eat below bmr as that's what you need in a coma, and you can take your TDEE and do a 20% deficit for weight loss if your goal is to lose weight. But never eat below your bmr.

Edited to add note: I did not check the site, I just used google to grab a calculator for you, so I don't know if any info on that site is good, but if you need any good links about how our bodies work msg me, I have tons book marked

ok i'll give it a try and see what I come up with. i'll message you if I need anymore info

cunfewzed1

basically what everyone else has said. Exercising helps you retain muscle mass, regardless of how fat or skinny you are.

ironanimal

There is no point if your only concern is how many calories you burn through exercise.

Mborroto25

Hi all

MFP recommends eating back your exercise calories. If losing weight is about calories in and out, and you eat back what you burn - then in what way does exercise contribute to weight loss?

it's like some people don't even want to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Hi-Larious!

misschoppo

Exercise, especially resistance training, improves nutrient partitioning, improves skeletal muscle retention/growth, increases bone density, and generally makes you look sexy, increases your badassery, and does all these very good things so you should do it.

^THIS