Worked out four hours today

jdhcm2006

I think that working out for four hours is crazy. Why is that necessary or even desirable?

I'm just curious....why is it crazy?? I have never heard ANYONE say that exercising for any length of time is crazy. But I would love to hear your expert opinion. Sounds like you have it all together. So...tell me...what's your expert advice on losing weight and how much one should and should not execercise?

...Actually, there have been studies about exercising too much. It can lead to Exercise Bulimia, which is just as much of a disorder as any eating disorder. It can also lead to injuries and dehydration (and I've actually been hospitalized from this from over exercising).

That being said, I have played many tennis matches that are four hours and my first half marathon took me 3 and a half. I also hike for hours on weekends frequently. No one is judging, but if you are getting that defensive, you might need to ask yourself why.

And I don't eat back all my calories, but I do try to stay around the 2,000 limit if I worked out that much during the day.

I do not appreciate being called a liar...what would I have to gain by coming up here on mfp and lie?. That's foolish. When someone accuse me of lying, I see it as judging and I will speak up. I do not need the drama. That's not why I am here and if this post is going to cause this much drama...It can be taken down and I do not have to post again. Period. And I will still do just fine.

Nowhere in this response did the person call you a liar. The person just told you some legitimate information, which you can choose to use or not. There is a such thing as too much of a good thing. I've burned myself out from over exercising, I didn't end up in the hospital but I lost the will to want to work out. It took me about a month to get myself back on track. I think she and I are just trying to save you from that trouble.

If 4 hours of working out makes you happy and you can sustain it for life, then go for it. That's great, but just be knowledgeable about the possible ramifications. Good luck!

sjeannot

That'sa lot or maybe a bit too much. Even if yu did an hour pof working out, you would see results. Are you going to be consistent with doing 4 hours daily becaus eif not, that might throw your body off. Just saying and not trying to hate or act like I know becaus eI could be wrong, but, after you 4-hour workout, check your pressure to see if it is right. And what are you eating in your day to day to bneed to burn that much? Make sure you are not overkilling your body.

giggitygoo

Simple answer.

Are you hungry? Eat more.

It's that simple.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I have the same issue on my long-run days. Don't worry about it as long as you are at least meeting your base calories for the day and you're not hungry.

And I agree with other posters....I wish I had 4 hours to go on a nice long hike or something so good for you!

bwogilvie

Oh, come on, people, cut the OP some slack. She had a question: how will she lose weight if she eats back exercise calories? Has anyone even answered that??

OP: The reason to eat back exercise calories is that MFP's calorie goal already has your deficit built in. If you tell MPF, "I want to lose a pound a week," it will create a 500-calorie deficit, BEFORE exercise.

If you don't eat back exercise calories, you are increasing your deficit. In your case, you are adding an extra 847 calories to your deficit. That's quite a lot. Now, depending on how you estimated exercise calories, the number might be off. MFP's database tends to overestimate calories burned.

And if this is an occasional 4-hour workout, not a regular one, you're OK not eating back the calories. Just don't make a habit of running a super-big deficit, since it can leave you without the calories and nutrients required to keep your body healthy while losing weight.

BTW, for the skeptics, my longest workout since starting MFP in January 2013 was 8 hours and 55 minutes long. It was a 111-mile bike ride through the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, along the branches of the Westfield River, with 8,800 feet of climbing. I was in negative calories that day: I ate 3,260 calories total but burned 4,284 on my ride. I was too tired to feel very hungry. I made up for it over the next few days, though!

RadicalGrace22

i dont every really eat back my cals. Also, buy an HRM as MFP cal burns are way wrong. Also, 4 hours a day is not smart.

Just to let you know, MFP calorie burn is not "way wrong" in fact, it's not far off, especially if you are overweight 40 pounds or more. I did buy a HRM because I thought the same thing. Guess what.....MFP totals are rather accurate, in fact sometimes they are under according my HRM (and the supporting chest strap). I suppose that as I slim down, it will take more effort to burn that many calories. However, for now (60 lbs overweight) it doesn't take much effort to put me in my fat burning zone.
As far as working out 4 hours

---

YOU GO GIRL! It's easy to take a long walk to the store or ride my bike and be exercising for 4 hours. Probably not every day....but if you can, go for it.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Just to let you know, MFP calorie burn is not "way wrong" in fact, it's not far off, especially if you are overweight 40 pounds or more. I did buy a HRM because I thought the same thing. Guess what.....MFP totals are rather accurate...

Totally depends on the type of exercise though. I've tested it extensively just out of curiosity. Some things are pretty close, some are waaaaaayyy off.

MelRC117

I think that working out for four hours is crazy. Why is that necessary or even desirable?

I'm just curious....why is it crazy?? I have never heard ANYONE say that exercising for any length of time is crazy. But I would love to hear your expert opinion. Sounds like you have it all together. So...tell me...what's your expert advice on losing weight and how much one should and should not execercise?

...Actually, there have been studies about exercising too much. It can lead to Exercise Bulimia, which is just as much of a disorder as any eating disorder. It can also lead to injuries and dehydration (and I've actually been hospitalized from this from over exercising).

That being said, I have played many tennis matches that are four hours and my first half marathon took me 3 and a half. I also hike for hours on weekends frequently. No one is judging, but if you are getting that defensive, you might need to ask yourself why.

And I don't eat back all my calories, but I do try to stay around the 2,000 limit if I worked out that much during the day.

I do not appreciate being called a liar...what would I have to gain by coming up here on mfp and lie?. That's foolish. When someone accuse me of lying, I see it as judging and I will speak up. I do not need the drama. That's not why I am here and if this post is going to cause this much drama...It can be taken down and I do not have to post again. Period. And I will still do just fine.

You're acting quite hangry. I suggest you DO eat something.

michellemybelll

i don't quite get the incredulity over the 4 hour workout. i have on many many occasions worked out for 4 hours (or more) in a day. and yes, i work full time. 40+ hours/week. it's not that hard to get in a 2.5 hour run before work, then a 90 minute yoga session after work.

martinel2099

There's nothing wrong with working for four hours once in a while, just be mindful that you do not have to work out 4 hours a day to achieve results. You can't out exercise a bad diet and if you aren't measuring your food portions and calories correctly and / or over-estimate your calorie burn you're going cruising for a bruising.

Also I wouldn't want to be your legs tomorrow after four hours of constant exercise. I did heavy lifts Monday and Wednesday and walked for an hour or so on the treadmill Thursday and my legs are tired even today.

RadicalGrace22

Just to let you know, MFP calorie burn is not "way wrong" in fact, it's not far off, especially if you are overweight 40 pounds or more. I did buy a HRM because I thought the same thing. Guess what.....MFP totals are rather accurate...

Totally depends on the type of exercise though. I've tested it extensively just out of curiosity. Some things are pretty close, some are waaaaaayyy off.

Well, maybe. I have tested it too. Dancing for fun, aerobic dancing, riding my bike, walking up and down stairs, slow walking.
Just curious, what area did you find it to be way off in?

LianaG1115

I only eat back around half, I think that often the calories burnt is way overestimated.

THIS!!!!!

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

Just to let you know, MFP calorie burn is not "way wrong" in fact, it's not far off, especially if you are overweight 40 pounds or more. I did buy a HRM because I thought the same thing. Guess what.....MFP totals are rather accurate...

Totally depends on the type of exercise though. I've tested it extensively just out of curiosity. Some things are pretty close, some are waaaaaayyy off.

Well, maybe. I have tested it too. Dancing for fun, aerobic dancing, riding my bike, walking up and down stairs, slow walking.
Just curious, what area did you find it to be way off in?

Prolonged aerobic exercise was way off for me. I tested between a run app on my phone, MFP, and my Garmin with HRM. For runs over 30mins where my heart rate was consistently around 160bpm, MFP was way too generous with my calories burned. The discrepancy gets larger the longer I run. Given I'm now up to around 2 hour runs, I'm glad I figured this out fairly early on in my training.

sassyjae21

i don't quite get the incredulity over the 4 hour workout. i have on many many occasions worked out for 4 hours (or more) in a day. and yes, i work full time. 40+ hours/week. it's not that hard to get in a 2.5 hour run before work, then a 90 minute yoga session after work.

I think most people are assuming it was four hours in one session.

IronPlayground

Totals: 1,896

Your Daily Goal: 2,743

Remaining: 847

*You've earned 1,383 extra calories from exercise today

As you can see, I didn't eat all of my calories. I understand that you are suppose to eat back ALL of the calories. But I just don't understand how eating 2,743 calories could actually help me lose weight...I ate 1,896 calories. That seems to be waaay more then enough. What do you think?

There's plenty of calories there. If you're hungry, then eat. If you're not, no big deal. Doesn't sound like this is an everyday thing. So, enjoy the extra calories.

RadicalGrace22

Just to let you know, MFP calorie burn is not "way wrong" in fact, it's not far off, especially if you are overweight 40 pounds or more. I did buy a HRM because I thought the same thing. Guess what.....MFP totals are rather accurate...

Totally depends on the type of exercise though. I've tested it extensively just out of curiosity. Some things are pretty close, some are waaaaaayyy off.

Well, maybe. I have tested it too. Dancing for fun, aerobic dancing, riding my bike, walking up and down stairs, slow walking.
Just curious, what area did you find it to be way off in?

Prolonged aerobic exercise was way off for me. I tested between a run app on my phone, MFP, and my Garmin with HRM. For runs over 30mins where my heart rate was consistently around 160bpm, MFP was way too generous with my calories burned. The discrepancy gets larger the longer I run. Given I'm now up to around 2 hour runs, I'm glad I figured this out fairly early on in my training.

So, lol. Sounds like you are in pretty good shape- running for 2 hours at a time, impressive. So you found this particular area off is that correct? Like I said, it seems to be more accurate the heavier one is. I am guessing you are either at your goal or close to it as you are able to run for 2 hours at a time.
I can't even imagine doing that at this point in my journey. Is there any other area you found MFP to be way off in caloric burn?

Zekela

OP I beat you! I worked out for 5 hours on Sunday! Thats all..

michellemybelll

i don't quite get the incredulity over the 4 hour workout. i have on many many occasions worked out for 4 hours (or more) in a day. and yes, i work full time. 40+ hours/week. it's not that hard to get in a 2.5 hour run before work, then a 90 minute yoga session after work.

I think most people are assuming it was four hours in one session.

why? you're making an assumption yourself there. i think you're wrong. i immediately figured it was broken up throughout the day into at least a couple sessions.

Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet

When I was training for an Ironman, I would do up to 7 hour workouts. However, even when Im not training for something in particular, my husband and I often lift for a couple hours, do a spin class, then go hiking for a couple hours. That can be 6 hours of exercise in one day. We do it because we enjoy it and we do it in a healthy way.

To answer your question, MFP overestimates how much you need. In your situation, I think you're doing just fine in terms of food intake assuming you're trying to lose weight. You may find you're extra hungry the next day so in that case I wouldn't stress too much about adding a small snack to compensate. Overall, you should be negative calorically but not in such an extreme that I'd be worried. If you did that every day you may burn out pretty fast.

Zekela

And I've worked out for a whole 24 hr period before too.. (Beginning of May, check my log if you'd like)... Quite enjoyable! So OP, continue doing what you're doing and let the haters hate because they aren't as awesome as you are.