Punishing myself with exercise in order to eat more

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  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    " just shut up, stick with TDEE -20-25% and exercise"

    yep, and be patient. Took me 10 months to lose 50 pounds but it was worth it because it won't come back now

    ^^^This! :))) Exercise is great, but constantly obsessing over it just so you don't have to feel hungry is craziness. Do it because it's good for you. Find something you like, and do it. TDEE -20% works. Just make sure you're not underloging food, or overlogging your exercise. Weigh your foods, particularly the high calorie ones, like salad dressings and peanut butter, meat, etc... I don't typically weigh veggies, if they're very low in calories, like if I have an extra 1/4 cup of lettuce, it's maybe 5 calories, so no biggie there. :) Just be patient. Stressing over your weight will only cause your body to hold onto that fat even more. Also, if you're not losing weight, you could be losing inches. Get a tape measure and use it. ;)
  • jennibear22
    jennibear22 Posts: 95 Member
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    I think you are taking in too many calories. The average woman should have 1200 per day in order to loose weight. Try lowering your caloric intake.

    This might be the worst advice I have ever read. Please don't follow this.


    Agreed!
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    I think you are taking in too many calories. The average woman should have 1200 per day in order to loose weight. Try lowering your caloric intake.

    OMG NO!!!! I'm 5'3", and I eat 1,700-2,000 calories/day, maybe more depending on my activity. Don't damage your metabolism and torture yourself listening to this! Stick with TDEE -20% ;) Lift weights, or even body weight if you must, and get your cardio in too. ;)
  • SerenaKitty
    SerenaKitty Posts: 142
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    Hi!

    When I first came here, I decided to eat my TDEE -20/25% (about 1800 calories). Then I felt that I wasn't losing quickly enough (which is ridiculous because I only did it for a week or two), and I switched to MFP's method. I've been doing it for a week, and I've been obsessing over exercise, burning 400 or more calories per day so I can eat a normal amount. I've also been eating terribly. Yes, I know that junk food is fine, but I'm actually avoiding certain foods that I normally love.

    My question is, has anyone experienced this feeling of punishing yourself with exercise to eat more calories?

    And the more obvious question: Should I just shut up, stick with TDEE -20-25% and exercise?

    Yes, I would hardly say 400 calories is "punishing yourself." ??? I eat 2100+ calories per day but I exercise about 8-12 hours per week. However, I do activities I love so it's not punishment; it's part of a lifestyle I enjoy.

    I don't think of exercise as punishment. I think of exercising as a way to eat a normal amount of food as punishment. It is just my personal experience. Being active isn't the issue, I'm just struggling with MFP's "burn so you can eat a normal amount of food". It works for lots of people, I don't doubt that. :)
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
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    Oops
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
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    I work out 5x/week and burn an average of 250-300 calories each workout. I will eat one or two of those workout calories back but not all of them.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    I think you are taking in too many calories. The average woman should have 1200 per day in order to loose weight. Try lowering your caloric intake.

    No. This is so incorrect. Please do some research because the spreading of misinformation like this is irresponsible.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,932 Member
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    there are better ways to punish yourself
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,579 Member
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    I eat more because I like to exercise.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    its not a punishment but a reward for me.

    Yeah, and I think it works for a lot of people. I really enjoy exercise, but some crazy stuff happens when I start to think of exercise as a way to eat a normal amount of food.

    Exactly. This happened to me, too. I've been sticking to TDEE for a while now and exercise is something fun again. I recommend going back to the TDEE method. :)
  • dejamos
    dejamos Posts: 53 Member
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    Yes, I would hardly say 400 calories is "punishing yourself." ??? I eat 2100+ calories per day but I exercise about 8-12 hours per week. However, I do activities I love so it's not punishment; it's part of a lifestyle I enjoy.

    I don't think of exercise as punishment. I think of exercising as a way to eat a normal amount of food as punishment. It is just my personal experience. Being active isn't the issue, I'm just struggling with MFP's "burn so you can eat a normal amount of food". It works for lots of people, I don't doubt that. :)

    That is not how I have interpreted MFP's intent. For me, it's not "burn so you can eat a normal amount of food," but "make sure you eat enough for your body to support the burn that you do." That works for me.
  • vwbug86
    vwbug86 Posts: 283 Member
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    IDK if this has been asked. But what's your activity level and weekly lose goal for MFP?
  • kittykat1994
    kittykat1994 Posts: 149 Member
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    How do you work out TDEE? I'm 188lbs and 161cm tall. MFP calculated me to each 1410 cals a day. I'm eating way healthier yes, but I am always hungry! Which does make me fall off the wagon from time to time (usually by reaching for the blimin pizza hut menu!)

    I'm sure it's a simple beginner question for you however I really need to put some work into this now as I have back problems now (and the extra weight doesn't help!)

    Thanks :)
  • SerenaKitty
    SerenaKitty Posts: 142
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    IDK if this has been asked. But what's your activity level and weekly lose goal for MFP?

    Moderately active, 1.5-2/week.

    I know that I could get a higher amount of calories from MFP if I lowered my weight loss per week goals. I'm still finding MFP's method bad for me.

    I think I'm going to go with my gut and follow the advice to go back to TDEE -20% and start enjoying exercise again.
  • kittykat1994
    kittykat1994 Posts: 149 Member
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    In reply to the person the requested a woman needs 1200 to lose weight, I disagree. I tried this once and after a week I gave up. I had no energy and felt ill (Especially as I worked a lot on my feet at the point and I used to cycle to work etc)
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    How do you work out TDEE? I'm 188lbs and 161cm tall. MFP calculated me to each 1410 cals a day. I'm eating way healthier yes, but I am always hungry! Which does make me fall off the wagon from time to time (usually by reaching for the blimin pizza hut menu!)

    I'm sure it's a simple beginner question for you however I really need to put some work into this now as I have back problems now (and the extra weight doesn't help!)

    Thanks :)
    You can calculate your TDEE at http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/. As far as working out with back problems, I have had a couple of back surgeries, and I stick to no-impact workouts like the elliptical and the arc trainer, this keeps you from jarring your back. Also if you are having back problems, run any exercise programs past your doctor first to be safe.
  • kittykat1994
    kittykat1994 Posts: 149 Member
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    How do you work out TDEE? I'm 188lbs and 161cm tall. MFP calculated me to each 1410 cals a day. I'm eating way healthier yes, but I am always hungry! Which does make me fall off the wagon from time to time (usually by reaching for the blimin pizza hut menu!)

    I'm sure it's a simple beginner question for you however I really need to put some work into this now as I have back problems now (and the extra weight doesn't help!)

    Thanks :)
    You can calculate your TDEE at http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/. As far as working out with back problems, I have had a couple of back surgeries, and I stick to no-impact workouts like the elliptical and the arc trainer, this keeps you from jarring your back. Also if you are having back problems, run any exercise programs past your doctor first to be safe.

    Thank you!
  • Stripeness
    Stripeness Posts: 511 Member
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    Part of the mental block for you is thinking of exercise as punishment. That's awful and negative and will not help you long-term.

    Diet is for weight management, whether trying to lose, increase or maintain and for nutrition.

    Exercise is for body recomposition and for general health and well-being.

    The two are pretty much unrelated. Although, many people pair them because they work together well. But, they don't have to. You can lose, gain, or maintain weight without exercise. And, you can exercise without giving two sh*ts about nutrition.

    The flaw with MFP, if you want to think of it that way, is the way they've paired the two things. For someone like you, it creates a bad relationship with dieting, in general, and sets you up for failure with exercise because you view it as punishment and a means to eat more.

    I highly recommend you go back to the TDEE method and eat, train, and progress. There is a group here by the same name, you should check them out.

    Excellent post! :drinker:

    Love this & agree!

    Also, MFP's "sedentary" setting (which is how most of us end up at 1200 cals) is incredibly low. When I bumped up the the next setting, I continued losing and have been much happier/healthier feeling. Despite being what I would call "sedentary"!

    Lastly, do try to be patient. If you were losing weight with the higher-calorie TDEE approach, why not keep doing that?

    The exercise-to-eat thing is imnsho a big gray area. I think you can have a very healthy internal bartering system (margarita for 10-miler - woohoo!) where you love both treats/exercise, or an unhealthy internal hostage situation (go run so you can have a normal dinner) where you kinda start to hate exercise and yourself for wanting to eat so much.

    It reminds me of the to weigh daily or not dilemma, and only you know which is really in your personal best interest.

    Sorry for babbling at you, and hope you find a successful solution!:flowerforyou:
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    I think you are taking in too many calories. The average woman should have 1200 per day in order to loose weight. Try lowering your caloric intake.

    Uh no. This is very wrong. Although I'm shifting to maintenance, I'm still losing on 2200 + exercise calories and many, many other women are doing the same. The 'average woman' can eat much more than 1200 and still lose.

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