Why Eat Workout Calories?

bostongirl987 · September 2008

Isn't the point to lose those calories to lose weight? Why eat them back?

bostongirl987 · September 2008

Isn't the point to lose those calories to lose weight? Why eat them back?

Anna_Banana · September 2008

You don't really work out to burn the calories. You work out to be healthier and tone your muscles. You need to eat them because if you don't you will slow down your metabolism and you will have to be working twice as hard as before.

If you don't eat them it would basically be like being on a 1200 calorie plan and only eating 800 calories. Your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose in the long run.

There are tons of threads on here about this. You may want to just do a search and read some of the old threads.

shorerider · September 2008

Poison5119 · September 2008

Why do you have to put gas in your car when it starts to get low?

Because without it, it won't 'go'.

You don't have to eat back exercise calories, but if you don't make up the difference by eating something to replace what you burn, your metabolism will read that as a deficit and slow down it's 'burn', making it harder to lose weight.

MiaBellaFaith · September 2008

Then how can annorexics be so thin? They don't eat their calories

Katy009 · September 2008

Then how can annorexics be so thin? They don't eat their calories

Because the body starts to eat itself to get some form of nutrition.

kerrilucko · September 2008

Then how can annorexics be so thin? They don't eat their calories

You'd be surprised at home many anorexic people are NOT super skinny.

Anorexia is a disorder whenin an individual actually starves themselves. Actual, physical starvation. Over time, depriving yourself of food will cause you to lose weight, it will also cause a whole host of negative things including death. Don't plan your diet based on how anorexia works. If you want to safely lose weight, you need to have a safe caloric deficit. If you are already set at 1200 cals you NEED to eat your excercise calories or your body will not be getting enough calories to breathe, think, walk, talk, etc. This is how MFP works. There are a lot of websites out there that work differently but you chose this one. You need to trust the program.

MiaBellaFaith · September 2008

takes sooooooooo bloody long this way

MiaBellaFaith · September 2008

Aaaaaaaaaaand, WHY would anyone exercise then, if you have to eat THOSE calories too?! Why not just eat the 1200 and not do the puffing and sweating?

pinktoque · September 2008

Aaaaaaaaaaand, WHY would anyone exercise then, if you have to eat THOSE calories too?! Why not just eat the 1200 and not do the puffing and sweating?

You need to exercise while eating properly to tone those muscles and that new body you're creating. You want to carve a sexy body! Think about the extra skin you'll have when you lose -- you need to tone it up to look good once you've lost that weight.

and, it takes so long because it's the healthy way. Think about it -- you didn't gain all that weight overnight, one can't expect to lose it all overnight, either

monica5237 · September 2008

takes sooooooooo bloody long this way

Yes you are very right it does take a long time, BUT you will be feeling so great when you hit those goals you set AND you have less chances of gaining it back.

Please DO NOT even think of how an anoreic person does it I watched my sister go from a size 18 to a size 0 or smaller she went from 230 to 85 pounds in about 3 months it was bad and now she is very ill and has to be hospitalized several times it is not good for you please please don't even think that way.

lose it healthy and you will be happier and remember patience is a vertue and it pays off it did not take a week or a month to put it on so it will not be that quick comming off..

and If i can do it ANYONE CAN including YOU!!!!!

g0g1rl · September 2008

You are what you eat. Your body breaks down the food you eat into the minerals and chemicals it is made of then recombines them in ways that are useful to your body. Your cells are recycled and replaced with this new material. If you eat unhealthy things you are not giving your body good things to work with. If you don't eat enough you do the same thing. Your metabolism slows down in an effort of self preservation but if this goes on to an extreme and for too long your body begins to break down. You bones and organs don't have enough nutrients to keep themselves working properly. Bones loose density and organs can begin to break down. You will loose weight but from malnutrition. Even if a person survives this starvation period the effects it has on one's health can last for the rest of a person's life. it can also have an effect on the metabolism. I know a person who was anorexic when she was younger and now she can't digest any animal protein without getting a migraine and becoming nauseated.

connieq288 · September 2008

Aaaaaaaaaaand, WHY would anyone exercise then, if you have to eat THOSE calories too?! Why not just eat the 1200 and not do the puffing and sweating?

You dont need to exercise to lose the weight if you are on a calorie deficit diet. The reason why you should exercise is to gain more muscle and just to be healthy in the long run. There are some skinny people who couldnt do as much as a bigger person can cardio wise if they dont exercise but you the bigger person does and builds up to it.
I am on a 1480 calorie diet according to mfp. On Thursdays I do Zumba I burn almost 900 calories doing that at one time if I didnt eat some of my exercise calories I would only be eating 580 calories for the day. IF I did that everyday I would literally make myself sick and probably faint at some time or another. My body would be eating the muscle instead of the fat. It would go into starvation mode.

shorerider · September 2008

Aaaaaaaaaaand, WHY would anyone exercise then, if you have to eat THOSE calories too?! Why not just eat the 1200 and not do the puffing and sweating?

Many do just that--exercise isn't really to help you "lost weight" but to help you get toned and get cardio healthy. I also exercise--lots--because 1) I LOVE cycling! 2) it gives me "extra" calories to eat otherwise I'd feel like I was starving 3) it helps control my blood sugar levels (I'm diabetic) 4) I want to improve my heart's health

If you don't have any of those reasons, then don't exercise. Given the small amount you wish to lose, you should be looking to lose NO MORE than 1/2 pound a week. You might not even need to lose--just tone.

And, I say it, too, PLEASE DON'T LOOK TO AN EATING DISORDER FOR WEIGHT LOSS TIPS! My gosh, anorexic people DIE! They lose their hair, they lose their bone density, they damage their kidneys, livers, eyes, brain. CAN YOU SAY IT'S NOT GOOD BUT VERY VERY VERY BAD to starve yourself.

MiaBellaFaith · September 2008

well i don't want to be anorexic or anything. i am just a food aholic, and am lazy. :ohwell:
lame excuse but true.

Poison5119 · September 2008

well i don't want to be anorexic or anything. i am just a food aholic, and am lazy. :ohwell:
lame excuse but true.

Well, then by all means skip the workouts and lose weight via deficit dieting, but your muscles will be slack and your skin will be flabby, and your energy levels will be a little flat...

If that is the kind of 'slender' you want to be, then don't bother with exercise.

If you want to ALSO have strong bones, toned muscles, a healthy heart and lungs, and nice skin, then do even a LITTLE bit of exercise. You don't have to grind away for 2 hours on an elliptical machine every day to look good. But some kind of exercise will do your body good in the long run.

Katy009 · October 2008

Aaaaaaaaaaand, WHY would anyone exercise then, if you have to eat THOSE calories too?! Why not just eat the 1200 and not do the puffing and sweating?

The more muscle mass that you have, the more calories your body burns....even when just watching t.v. or relaxing.

arewethereyet · October 2008

I lift weights when I know I cant get all my cals in for the day. I want to be like a butterfly, emerging from her coccon(sp/) My arms have muscle, my stomach(under the fat lol) is muscular, my legs are getting a form to them, other than gelatin.

Push ups and squats are awsome.

I have seen friends lose tons of weight, really fast on quick weight loss diet. Sure the weight was gone, but they looked old and saggy. Seriously, old and saggy. I remember thinking...jeez she looked better fat. She bragged that she didnt have to do ANY exercise and lost 40 pounds in 3-4 months.

Guess what-she is back and bigger this time. She didnt learn anythign from getting a shot and eating specific foods for 3 months.

So I am taking the slow, scenic route this time. Toot Toot!

OomarianneoO · October 2008

Oh no. You don't want to look old and saggy, do you?

I've still got a long way to go as far as weight goes, but since I've started working out, I feel so much better. I have so much energy (and believe it or not, lots more right after I leave the gym). My hair seems to be healthier. I've got muscles again. My skin looks and feels so healthy. And the coolest thing is that in the past month or so, I've had more people tell me "You're so pretty" (or something very similar), than I've had in years! :noway: Sure does make a gal like me feel good. You don't want to look old and saggy. Nu-uh!

Why Eat Workout Calories?

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