Why bother?

Naomi91

Hello All,

So there is something I am slightly confused about.
At 5ft 3 and 129lbs mfp puts me at 1200 calories for the day. Now first, let me tell you i FULLY understand net calories and the importance of eating them back. Thats not so much my question.

I run a 10k 4 times a week. (training for rugby) and do 2 full body weight lifting sessions and have a day of rest. But what I dont understand is this:

What is the point of exercising more if you just eat all the calories back? Like why run 6 miles instead of 3?

No matter what I am keeping my workout plan the same, given to me by a trainer to become lean and mean ;}

Panda86

That's the point. You DON'T eat all the calories back. MFP still leaves you with a deficit. Go to the GOALS tab and it will break it down for you so it makes sense

ashleynicoleb

I agree. I don't really understand why you'd work out if you're just going to eat all of those exercise calories back?

schnarfo

because exercise tones your body.... eating less does not. if its purely the numbers on the scale your bothered about then dont eat them but if you want to see real results and your body changing then you need exercise.

lutzsher

MFP automatically calculates your calorie deficit so any additional exercise you do is putting your under your alloted calories for the day. That is the beauty of this site . . . it does the math for you!

Mindful_Trent

I don't know about running 6 miles vs 3, but in general, exercise has SO many benefits - you will live a longer, more healthy, higher-quality life if you exercise regularly. It's not just about calories. Your body WILL thank you. Check out these great links:

http://teens.webmd.com/benefits-of-exercise
http://www.busywomensfitness.com/exercise-benefits.html
http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfit/benefits.html

Naomi91

That's the point. You DON'T eat all the calories back. MFP still leaves you with a deficit. Go to the GOALS tab and it will break it down for you so it makes sense

see I understand that mfp leaves you with a calorie deficit. Like i said I fully understand net calories and always eat mine back. But what I am saying is why workout extra hard? Why completely bust my *kitten*? instead of just burning 300 why go for 600?

Its kind of a confusing question haha. but i guess I am more asking why do we exercise? I do it for my sport but just curious

tlynnweb

Because if MFP sets you to eat 1200 calories---you would normally need 1700 to maintain your weight. They put you at 1200 to lose the pound a week. If you work out and burn say 300 calories you are in essence at 900 calories for the day which is not enough. You would need to eat the 300 to get back to 1200. Does this make sense?

foxyforce

think of it like this, if you eat 2500 calories in a day, you need to burn 1300 (if I am good at math at all), which some people do really well and some even burn more in a day. Then you are good, you are able to eat 2500 calories and still lose weight if you are burning that much.

However, the deficit is already there. If you are only eating 1200 calories, and you exercise and burn 1300 calories you have consumed NO calories that day whatsoever. Your body needs to function properly to be healthy, and with that, you need some calories.

1200 calories is the minimum myfitnesspal allows because this allows you to always have some calories in your body while not eating enough to be GAINING pounds. If you are doing all you are doing and only eating 1200 calories in a day, what is your body taking in? Nothing. You need calories, just not a lot of calories.


I hope my train of thought has helped, there are great posts on this all over the forum, you should search for them.

eylbrown

Sometimes more is not better when it comes to excercise - it's the type of excercise that's important and the intensity. My fitness instructor told me that your body gets used to what you're doing and it requires confusion to proceed with your goal and a lot of that is changing up your routine every now and then...

Naomi91

because exercise tones your body.... eating less does not. if its purely the numbers on the scale your bothered about then dont eat them but if you want to see real results and your body changing then you need exercise.

There we go! thats what i thought, helps to tone and build lean muscle correct? so the more you workout the sexier body you have under the fat :]

and btw i love your picture xD love the kitty o face

foxyforce

That's the point. You DON'T eat all the calories back. MFP still leaves you with a deficit. Go to the GOALS tab and it will break it down for you so it makes sense

see I understand that mfp leaves you with a calorie deficit. Like i said I fully understand net calories and always eat mine back. But what I am saying is why workout extra hard? Why completely bust my *kitten*? instead of just burning 300 why go for 600?

Its kind of a confusing question haha. but i guess I am more asking why do we exercise? I do it for my sport but just curious

you can burn those extra calories to build muscle and eat more if you are still hungry. It doesn't hurt to exercise.

Lyadeia

There are topics galore that explain this fully if you search for them.

But in a nutshell, MFP gives you a deficit that keeps you eating at or above your BMR in net calories. That's the goal to stay healthy and keep your metabolism from slowing down.

When you exercise, yeah, you are burning calories, but that is NOT the only reason you exercise, is it?

You need to eat those exercise calories back to stay at your deficit that MFP originally gave you. If you don't then you are eating less than your BMR which is semi-starvation. Yeah, you will still lose weight, but over time it will start to come off more and more slowly. Your gains in fitness will not be as great because you aren't fueling your body correctly.

I recently ran into this. Conservation mode can start as early as 10 days into the period you are not eating at your BMR. For 2 weeks, I was not eating back all my exercise calories and losing 1.5 pounds per week. In week 3, I continued to eat the same way and lost half a pound. In week 4 I ate the same way and lost NOTHING. This is week 5. I increased my food intake, and I have already seen benefits from it such as lasting longer in my cardio, being able to lift heavier weights, more energy, less moodiness, etc. And my clothes are looser already. I expect to see another drop this Monday.

Naomi91

think of it like this, if you eat 2500 calories in a day, you need to burn 1300 (if I am good at math at all), which some people do really well and some even burn more in a day. Then you are good, you are able to eat 2500 calories and still lose weight if you are burning that much.

However, the deficit is already there. If you are only eating 1200 calories, and you exercise and burn 1300 calories you have consumed NO calories that day whatsoever. Your body needs to function properly to be healthy, and with that, you need some calories.

1200 calories is the minimum myfitnesspal allows because this allows you to always have some calories in your body while not eating enough to be GAINING pounds. If you are doing all you are doing and only eating 1200 calories in a day, what is your body taking in? Nothing. You need calories, just not a lot of calories.


I hope my train of thought has helped, there are great posts on this all over the forum, you should search for them.

I did search it thank you, but only got answers about eating back exercise calories. which is not all of what I was asking. once again, i know the importance of calories as a dietetics major and was not asking about food. Was more asking bout the benefits of exercise

Panda86

That's the point. You DON'T eat all the calories back. MFP still leaves you with a deficit. Go to the GOALS tab and it will break it down for you so it makes sense

see I understand that mfp leaves you with a calorie deficit. Like i said I fully understand net calories and always eat mine back. But what I am saying is why workout extra hard? Why completely bust my *kitten*? instead of just burning 300 why go for 600?

Its kind of a confusing question haha. but i guess I am more asking why do we exercise? I do it for my sport but just curious

Ah, I see. Ok, it was worded weird. Well, exercise helps keep you healthy. I've known some unhealthy skinny people in my life. People that wear size 0 jeans and can't run to save themselves. Your heart is a muscle, and working out keeps your cardiovascular system strong, and makes your body look better

xarrium

Why completely bust my *kitten*? instead of just burning 300 why go for 600?

Its kind of a confusing question haha. but i guess I am more asking why do we exercise? I do it for my sport but just curious

Like you said, it's to get better at something... going out and giving 100% will help you tone and build muscle (which we all know is good to accelerate weight loss). And besides, what's the point of just burning 300 when you could burn 600 and feel like a million bucks for pushing that much harder?

JulieBoBoo

When you lose weight you lose muscle. Strength training rebuilds that muscle. Cardio strengthens your heart and oxygenates your body for optimal performance and health. Stretching will give you long lean muscles, inner strength, better posture and flexibility. The question "why bother" means that you're only looking at exercise from a weight loss perspective and that's NOT the way to look it at all.

taso42_DELETED

What is the point of exercising more if you just eat all the calories back? Like why run 6 miles instead of 3?

I guess if you're training for a marathon or something where you're trying to build endurance.

It's probably fine to do extra cardio. If you eat it back, you've still worked out your heart; if you don't eat it back then you've helped to burn more fat (and even some muscle). But when it comes to weights, there is no reason to overtrain. The muscles need time to repair themselves, so overtraining hinders that rather than helps. From what I've read, an hour max per day with weights, and allow at least 2 days before exercising the same muscles again.

Naomi91

I recently ran into this. Conservation mode can start as early as 10 days into the period you are not eating at your BMR. For 2 weeks, I was not eating back all my exercise calories and losing 1.5 pounds per week. In week 3, I continued to eat the same way and lost half a pound. In week 4 I ate the same way and lost NOTHING. This is week 5. I increased my food intake, and I have already seen benefits from it such as lasting longer in my cardio, being able to lift heavier weights, more energy, less moodiness, etc. And my clothes are looser already. I expect to see another drop this Monday.

This is definately what I have noticed as well. My 10k time is getting faster and faster! On the days I dont eat too many exercise calories my performance decreased. Which definately makes sense

sarahliftsUP

You push yourself to gain endurance, get stronger, build muscle! Then that muscle will help boost your metabolism and burn fat. Exercise is good for you. Weight loss is 80% diet, only 20% exercise.. it's really just about feeling healthy and looking good.

Naomi91

When you lose weight you lose muscle. Strength training rebuilds that muscle. Cardio strengthens your heart and oxygenates your body for optimal performance and health. Stretching will give you long lean muscles, inner strength, better posture and flexibility. The question "why bother" means that you're only looking at exercise from a weight loss perspective and that's NOT the way to look it at all.

I only put that title to get more people to read ;D

and like I said, I dont workout to lose weight, I am an athlete looking to dominate at my sport! I was honestly just curious about the subject. great answer though :]

beMOEfit

The point to exercise harder and burn 600 instead of 300 is to be built. Have you ever heard the term Skinny Fat? This is what unhealthy skinny people are called/look like. Now if you do the cardio and weight training, people will see the definition. And FYI, definition is Bad *kitten*!

farmgirl88

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zach1356

burn more to build muscle. muscle = sexy. boom.

Cristy_AZ

If I understand your question correctly your saying I could just eat 1200 calories a day and not workout at all, or not workout hard because I just eat them back anyway. Well, first off I don't think I would be able to loose 80 pounds that way, but also because exercise is good for my heart, my endurance, my mental and emotional state and, so much more and when I do loose those 80 pounds I'd like to have some tone muscles and nice skin,.not look like a skinny fat person with baggy skin! Plus when my Doctor said I need to lower my cholesterol, she said I should be able to do it on my own with diet AND EXERCISE, if not, I'd have to go on medication... so that's why I workout besides the fact that I LIKE to be able to eat a little more

Naomi91

Yus that was pretty close :] but I think that every American should be working out 3-4 times a week, my question was more about how much. like the difference between working out for 30 min vs 1 hr when you still will have the same calorie deficent at the end of the day

parakeet

We exercise to stay fit,feel great,and have toned body.They are so many reasons.A diet without sport wouldn't be the same.The skin would be lose,we wouldn't have toned muscles .And with sport our metabolism works faster.It is also good for the heart.But to much exercise of course can damage the body as well.I noticed I am more hungry after my workouts,so it is nice to have the extra calories and I still lose weight,but don't forget the other benefits you get out of doing sports.

PJilly

I work out for the strength, fitness, health, flexibility, and general sense of well-being it gives me. I eat to fuel my body for its daily activities, including my workouts. When I want to lose some fat, I eat at a bit of a deficit, but whether I want to lose, gain or maintain, the more I work out, the more I need to eat.

mikeyml

You pretty much hit on all of the points I was going to make so I wanted to add to your train of thought.

In reality there is no reason to run for 6 miles instead of 3 when weight loss is your goal. You can lose weight by just walking a mile everyday as long as you keep to a strict diet. The problem is when you lose weight by not exercising, you will lose lean muscle. Don't think about just the muscles on your arms and legs, remember to think about the muscles around your heart and other organs. Losing muscle in those places can lead to health complications as you get older. But if you exercise regularly then you help build muscle all over your body which leads to healthy organs and a healthy metabolism.

What you're really talking about is cardiovascular stamina. Obviously you will gain stamina by exercising for longer periods of time and keeping your heart rate in the target zone. So when training to increase your endurance you need to push yourself to go farther or you will burn out too quickly.

aippolito1

I work out to tone, build muscle, and get stronger. I run to build up endurance and I lift weights so I can build muscle that will burn fat for me. I eat LESS to lose fat.

Naomi91

You pretty much hit on all of the points I was going to make so I wanted to add to your train of thought.

In reality there is no reason to run for 6 miles instead of 3 when weight loss is your goal. You can lose weight by just walking a mile everyday as long as you keep to a strict diet. The problem is when you lose weight by not exercising, you will lose lean muscle. Don't think about just the muscles on your arms and legs, remember to think about the muscles around your heart and other organs. Losing muscle in those places can lead to health complications as you get older. But if you exercise regularly then you help build muscle all over your body which leads to healthy organs and a healthy metabolism.

What you're really talking about is cardiovascular stamina. Obviously you will gain stamina by exercising for longer periods of time and keeping your heart rate in the target zone. So when training to increase your endurance you need to push yourself to go farther or you will burn out too quickly.

Thank you! *votes as best answer* :]
I didnt think it really made much a difference in weight loss goals, just depending on what you want to look like, or in my case how you want to perform. Like i said I exercise so i can get faster, stronger, and better! but I was just curious of looking at it for someone's point of view that is not playing a sport