Eat Less Vs. Exercising More

samcee

I think I'm on Team Less. I rather not eat the junk so I wouldn't have to burn it off later. I'm not really a big foodie or crave for certain foods unless I'm on my t.o.m which I hate. Although I do enjoy certain exercises as it makes me feel better when I'm stressed out.

FitCoachJen

I'm on Team Satiety. I eat a well balanced diet including certain high-calorie lower-nutrient (they're not "bad", "cheats", or whatnot) foods, in moderation. I exercise to be a better athlete and because it feels great.

I like to feel comfortably full. I also like to lift heavy things. It balances itself out :-)

SabrinaJL

I like a balance of the two, but I believe if you MUST choose one or the other, Team More is probably a healthier option for most people. Exercise does wonders to improve one's health.

I agree 100%.

ruststar

I'm losing weight so I can DO more, so that puts me firmly in the exercise more camp. I want to be able to eat as much healthy food as I can because I don't want to live feeling hungry or like I'm dieting, and exercise is what allows me to do that. I don't use it as license to eat junk.

DeanDowney

More!!...and less. lol I try to do both. I can't see the point in exercise if you just eat those extra calories. I'm still confused about the extra calories gained through exercise. Providing I eat my 1200 calories any exercise cals are a "burn" surley? If I eat 1200 ans exercise 500 is thata bad thing? :frown:

Your_BODY_Great_today

http://1b3a4xmisk1smy7qmanlvr9o58.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=IM

Rachel_Leigh84

Well from the research Ive done, to lose weight diet is more effective then exercise so Im definatley on team less. I still do plenty of excercise but I do find the less I eat the more weight I lose despite whether or not Im putting in alot of exercise. Some people will argue with me but thats just how it works for me!

ruststar

More!!...and less. lol I try to do both. I can't see the point in exercise if you just eat those extra calories. I'm still confused about the extra calories gained through exercise. Providing I eat my 1200 calories any exercise cals are a "burn" surley? If I eat 1200 ans exercise 500 is thata bad thing? :frown:

I wouldn't want to live on a net of 700 calories for the rest of my life, not when I can lose weight and maintain my goal weight by eating 2100 and exercising 4-5 times a week (which averages my net calories at 1700). I'm eating the maintenance calories of an active person at my goal weight which causes enough of a deficit to lose .5 to .8 pounds per week until a I meet my goal weight and stabilize. If you like living on 1200 calories, go right ahead, I won't tell you not to - I just know I don't want to live like that if I don't have to.

pyro13g

If I eat 1200 ans exercise 500 is that a bad thing? :frown:

Yes

katschi

What about people like me who are Team Both?

I don't eat less to avoid exercise, and I don't exercise more to eat more calories...but what I do is eat less to lose fat, exercise more to burn fat, and in the end find the perfect balance of calories in and calories out so I feel satisfied yet move towards my goals without depriving myself of food or overtraining. :bigsmile:

This is a great answer.

brown_eyed_girl_06

It depends on the day....but I would say that most days I am team less.

brown_eyed_girl_06

Depend on the day. Like this week I am on team less. I am taking a few days off training because I am getting burned out. Next week I will be on team more. It's pretty much a balance.

I kind of feel like I am like that some days also...there are days I find it easier to go and "kill" a workout and there are others that I am not burnt out and tired. Either way whether I workout or not I do my best to not go over my calories.

sparrows7

For me if I don't eat less, I don't lose weight. Exercise makes me look and feel great but I don't lose weight from just exercise. Its all about diet for weight loss and exercise for having a good body when it comes to me.

chellekoren

Depends on the day, month, hour....what side of the bed I got up on!! Some days I'm an eat less, and other days...especially if I know I want to eat something really good...I'm an exercise more person. Like the commercial says.."sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't!!":laugh:

What she said. I have found something active I REALLY like doing, so I do that for both reasons: health and fun. However, whether I exercise this day or not depends on my mood.

I guess I should add, I am VERY motivated to keep a certain level of activity due to fear of making my activity harder. Make sense? If I miss ONE week of training, I PAY for it the next and I am miserable and frustrated with myself until I am back to up to par.

MinnieInMaine

Team More! I'm not all about using my exercise calories for treats all the time but those extra calories definitely come in handy to give some cushion for events. Like tomorrow, I know I'm going to a BBQ party in the afternoon - hopefully I'll have time to burn some calories in the morning so I can have a couple drinks and try a bite of all the yummy foods. That way I don't have to worry about it...

I started thinking this way because I noticed, at least with most of the thinner people I know, they don't track their foods or anything but still stay slim because they are active and eat right on a regular basis - and therefore don't have to worry about little indulgences now and then. This is how I'm trying to reform my eating/activity habits because it seems to work!

bookyeti

Team More!

i am team exercise more, eat more. i pretty much just exercise more so i can eat more because i love food dearly.

I can quote this verbatim! Sometimes I'll plan extra workout sessions just so I can have a little bit extra at a meal. I'm like that rabbit with a carrot dangled in front of him, to get him to move.

k2quiere

I just need to execise my mouth less.

Hehe...this made me chuckle, but it is so true for most of us!

Derameth

Unless you're crazy (in my humble opinion) Running is not fun! Sweating your brains out is not fun.... BUT Remember that exercise comes in all manners...and not only does it help you lose weight, it builds your INTERNAL parts....cardio for your heart and lungs, building muscle to help your joints....It also decreases stress...


Eating less is an option, but the More you exercise, the better it is for you TOTAL body health.... Remember we won't be fat forever, so we need our body operating at a maximum.....Trust me at 60 I know I need to continue to build my muscles around my joints...

bookyeti

Well said, Derameth!

szczepj

Currently Team Less I suppose, but i'm still exercising to burn more fat and get in shape. It's a lot about losing weight but also a lot about getting healthy for me.

LorinaLynn

Team MORE!

I'm losing weight at the same rate eating 1500 calories a day (plus exercise calories) as I was when I was eating 1200 a day (plus exercise calories). Except that since I'm eating more, especially more protein, what I'm losing is mostly fat.

I'd actually call my team, "Team ENJOY," because I'm enjoying what I eat, enjoying the exercise I'm doing, and really, really enjoying the results of both. :happy:

crisanderson27

I don't think I'm a member of either team lol. However...I also refuse to do long, steady state cardio sessions for a couple reasons...one of which is that I am a firm believer in at least mostly eating back your exercise calories. SCREW that...2000-2500cal is plenty for me...adding another 1000 in running calories...no way. I burn about 1100-1200cal a WEEK in exercising. I do no traditional 'cardio'...but I do my strength training fast circuit style, not letting my heart rate drop below 140-150 between sets. The only other form of 'cardio' I do is Tabata style intervals on my 100lb punching bag.

The results of that 1100-1200cal in exercise, is 30lbs weight lost in 3 months (six weeks of which I was on a plateau...long story), and over 7" off my waist.

*shrug*...dunno what team you'd call that...but it's working =D.

valeriebpdx

Team More. 1200 calories is not enough: to quote a friend, also on the site, "What am I, a toddler?" I have an enormous capacity for food and almost never feel full. I didn't lose weight even when marathon training. I am super serious about getting it together right now and trying to make mostly healthy food choices, but I have to exercise and eat back at least some of the calories or I feel pitiful and starved.

ruststar

I don't think I'm a member of either team lol. However...I also refuse to do long, steady state cardio sessions for a couple reasons...one of which is that I am a firm believer in at least mostly eating back your exercise calories. SCREW that...2000-2500cal is plenty for me...adding another 1000 in running calories...no way. I burn about 1100-1200cal a WEEK in exercising. I do no traditional 'cardio'...but I do my strength training fast circuit style, not letting my heart rate drop below 140-150 between sets. The only other form of 'cardio' I do is Tabata style intervals on my 100lb punching bag.

The results of that 1100-1200cal in exercise, is 30lbs weight lost in 3 months (six weeks of which I was on a plateau...long story), and over 7" off my waist.

*shrug*...dunno what team you'd call that...but it's working =D.

I think they call that "Team Working Smarter not Harder" - great job on your success!

crisanderson27

I don't think I'm a member of either team lol. However...I also refuse to do long, steady state cardio sessions for a couple reasons...one of which is that I am a firm believer in at least mostly eating back your exercise calories. SCREW that...2000-2500cal is plenty for me...adding another 1000 in running calories...no way. I burn about 1100-1200cal a WEEK in exercising. I do no traditional 'cardio'...but I do my strength training fast circuit style, not letting my heart rate drop below 140-150 between sets. The only other form of 'cardio' I do is Tabata style intervals on my 100lb punching bag.

The results of that 1100-1200cal in exercise, is 30lbs weight lost in 3 months (six weeks of which I was on a plateau...long story), and over 7" off my waist.

*shrug*...dunno what team you'd call that...but it's working =D.

I think they call that "Team Working Smarter not Harder" - great job on your success!

LOL, that's awesome!

And thank you =D.

kristinkt

bump for later

LilRedRooster

Eat more! I love running. Actually, I love long-distance running. It's just kind of my thing. My minimum runs are 6 miles, long runs are 10, and I do a lot of plyometrics and resistance bands on my off-days, which require time and energy to repair. 1200 calories is not enough for me to be as active as I'd like, so I basically eat when I'm hungry, any time I'm hungry, and reap the rewards of higher energy and faster run times.

I actually kind of wish I could be on the eat less team, because I wouldn't have to schedule in time to exercise, but the days when I eat less than 1600 calories and don't exercise I feel sluggish and dead. Can't complain, since with my 10 mile runs, I can have my cake, eat it like a hog, and still lose weight. I dig that.

StevLL

Neither. Guess I'm on team balance. My goal weight (225lb) calories are 2850. I took 500 off of that so 2350 is my limit each day whether I excercise or not. I enjoy working out because it's helping me be calmer, lowering my BP and tightening up my muscles. It's also helping with fat loss, but I'm relying on eating cleaner and eliminating things my body does not process well. 2350 is plenty of calories for me and I don't need to eat any calories back, because at that level I will not hit starvation mode.

cheshirechic

Team More!

Only because I figure that the more calories going in and then out, the more vitamins (in "correct," whole-food proportions) my body gets. That means more antioxidants, more fiber, higher metabolism, etc.

Regarding exercise, I love the sweat and knowing that I'm building myself stronger and healthier for the long term-- with lots of weight training in addition to cardio.

I guess it boils down to trying to be proactive and thinking about where I want to be in ten, twenty, and fifty years (AND where I want to be in a year when I walk down the aisle!). It works for me and my lifestyle, too. My fiance is a chef and I know that if he's bringing something AMAZING home, or making something amazing for dinner, I want to be able to enjoy it. So far, I've been MUCH happier and healthier adding in the exercise and tracking everything using MFP.