working out vs saving calories -- opinions please!!

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Alright, I have been very busy with school and starting a new job so there has been some days I just can't fit in my workout or I am completely wiped and don't work out..... although I don't do this often- and as long as I am not starving myself and am eating at least three adequate meals during the day-- would it be okay to be 300 or so cals short rather than eat something and burn those cals off by working out?

again, not saying I do this all the time because I don't, just wondering on my lazy days or days I am beat from school or work does it count the same way (not eating 300 cals or eating then burning those same 300 cals)

just curious :) thanks in advance!

Replies

  • GymRatRaceRunner
    GymRatRaceRunner Posts: 160 Member
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    If you set your goal to lose 1/2, 1, or 2 lbs a week, then your goal calories are already short when compared to your maintenance calorie intake (or the point where you gain/lose no weight). You should eat up to your goal calorie amount every day that you don't work out. If you work out, then you can eat more, up to your higher goal calorie amount. No matter how much you exercise or don't exercise, your daily goal amount will be low enough to give you weight loss.
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
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    I always prefer eating and then burning them but just do what you can with your schedule. Don't wear your body out.
  • Melissacary
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    Remember - When you burn calories from a workout, you're burning the calories from what you ate yesterday.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
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    If you set your goal to lose 1/2, 1, or 2 lbs a week, then your goal calories are already short when compared to your maintenance calorie intake (or the point where you gain/lose no weight). You should eat up to your goal calorie amount every day that you don't work out. If you work out, then you can eat more, up to your higher goal calorie amount. No matter how much you exercise or don't exercise, your daily goal amount will be low enough to give you weight loss.

    This :smile:
  • cornfritter22
    cornfritter22 Posts: 230 Member
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    Remember - When you burn calories from a workout, you're burning the calories from what you ate yesterday.

    Is this true? I haven't heard that before!
  • channa007
    channa007 Posts: 419 Member
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    Remember - When you burn calories from a workout, you're burning the calories from what you ate yesterday.

    That's a great way of looking at it.
  • pnieuw
    pnieuw Posts: 473
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    Remember - When you burn calories from a workout, you're burning the calories from what you ate yesterday.

    What? Ok, so if I ate 2,000 calories during the day and then hit the gym for an hour and burned 500 calories, they are yesterday's?

    First, once they are in my body, who cares what day they are from. If I work out early in the mornign and burn from fat reserves, but then eat more calories the rest of the day than my daily activity uses, the fat gets replenished. If I have the calories kicking around in my stomach, small and large intestine, then workout, the calories will get pulled from my digestive tract instead.
  • emilynicole02
    emilynicole02 Posts: 355 Member
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    If you set your goal to lose 1/2, 1, or 2 lbs a week, then your goal calories are already short when compared to your maintenance calorie intake (or the point where you gain/lose no weight). You should eat up to your goal calorie amount every day that you don't work out. If you work out, then you can eat more, up to your higher goal calorie amount. No matter how much you exercise or don't exercise, your daily goal amount will be low enough to give you weight loss.


    okay so just for fun then... how would I find out how many calories I would need to eat without exercise and still lose that 1 pound a week? being a 5' 1" 22 year old female at 162- would 1200 calories a day be my goal to still lose weight without exercise?

    just curious...
  • jp09m
    jp09m Posts: 89
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    If you set your goal to lose 1/2, 1, or 2 lbs a week, then your goal calories are already short when compared to your maintenance calorie intake (or the point where you gain/lose no weight). You should eat up to your goal calorie amount every day that you don't work out. If you work out, then you can eat more, up to your higher goal calorie amount. No matter how much you exercise or don't exercise, your daily goal amount will be low enough to give you weight loss.


    okay so just for fun then... how would I find out how many calories I would need to eat without exercise and still lose that 1 pound a week? being a 5' 1" 22 year old female at 162- would 1200 calories a day be my goal to still lose weight without exercise?

    just curious...


    ... enter it into your goal settings lol and no, itll be somewhere around 1400