Point of exercise?

sa11yjane

Whilst I obviously know all the benefits of exercise, I am not sure of the point of it if you are then going to eat back the calories! Surely one may as well not bother doing any (other than for the fitness benefits such as toning, general health etc)?

therealangd

Besides the health benefits...

I exercise so I can eat more.
I exercise so I can eat cake.
I exercise so I can drink beer.
I exercise so I can eat ice cream.

Seriously. Life without ice cream is a waste.

sa11yjane

I love your reply and that's the only reason that I do exercise- so I can eat more. But some days I'm not actually hungry so I'm wondering whether I should bother exercising. Possibly not....sounds great!!!

gumigal82

Besides the health benefits...

I exercise so I can eat more.
I exercise so I can eat cake.
I exercise so I can drink beer.
I exercise so I can eat ice cream.

Seriously. Life without ice cream is a waste.

What she said;) I'd like to be able to eat more, and also help my body get more muscle/less fat at the same time.

ka97

I exercise so I can stay married! Apparently I can be quite irritatable when I miss a workout.

BrianSharpe

Besides the health benefits...

I exercise so I can eat more.
I exercise so I can eat cake.
I exercise so I can drink beer.
I exercise so I can eat ice cream.

Seriously. Life without ice cream is a waste.

+1

Captain_Tightpants

Ummm, because it makes you feel better.

TeaBea

For me it's not just to eat more, although I do like that aspect

I exercise to help keep existing muscle mass ..... I'm over 50 and can't afford to lose any muscle. Exercise also helps me sleep better too.

sa11yjane

I take all your comments on board, thank you for taking the time to reply. However, they all indicate that people exercise for a variety of reasons BUT one doesn't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. Am I right in thinking this? If I have a lazy day with no exercise and am still within my calorie allowance then the lack of exercise shouldn't affect my weight loss that day?

omma_to_3

Besides the health benefits...

I exercise so I can eat more.
I exercise so I can eat cake.
I exercise so I can drink beer.
I exercise so I can eat ice cream.

Seriously. Life without ice cream is a waste.

Love it, minus the beer. Mmmm....kahlua and cream!

shel1103

Besides the health benefits...

I exercise so I can eat more.
I exercise so I can eat cake.
I exercise so I can drink beer.
I exercise so I can eat ice cream.

Seriously. Life without ice cream is a waste.

Love it, minus the beer. Mmmm....kahlua and cream!

Great, now I want Kahlua and Cream.... Guess I'll go jogging. : (

MissFit0101

I exercise to get medals around my neck :bigsmile:

LilRedRooster

Well, if you ask your body to do work, your body usually appreciates fuel.

wareagle8706

I take all your comments on board, thank you for taking the time to reply. However, they all indicate that people exercise for a variety of reasons BUT one doesn't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. Am I right in thinking this? If I have a lazy day with no exercise and am still within my calorie allowance then the lack of exercise shouldn't affect my weight loss that day?

It wo'nt negatively impact you if you miss a workout one day and stay within a good calorie range to either maintain or lose. Just be cautious of NEVER exercising. It you stop exercising all together and continue with a caloric deficit you will eventually begin to lose muscle.

mrs_schultz2012

Besides the health benefits...

I exercise so I can eat more.
I exercise so I can eat cake.
I exercise so I can drink beer.
I exercise so I can eat ice cream.

Seriously. Life without ice cream is a waste.

this ^^^ :happy:

omma_to_3

Besides the health benefits...

I exercise so I can eat more.
I exercise so I can eat cake.
I exercise so I can drink beer.
I exercise so I can eat ice cream.

Seriously. Life without ice cream is a waste.

Love it, minus the beer. Mmmm....kahlua and cream!

Great, now I want Kahlua and Cream.... Guess I'll go jogging. : (

Kahlua and skim milk is good too LOL

karensoxfan

I take all your comments on board, thank you for taking the time to reply. However, they all indicate that people exercise for a variety of reasons BUT one doesn't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. Am I right in thinking this? If I have a lazy day with no exercise and am still within my calorie allowance then the lack of exercise shouldn't affect my weight loss that day?

Yes, you can still lose weight without exercising. It's better for your heart & metabolism if you include both nutrition & exercise though.

b0t23

exercising burns fat, typically
it builds muscle, which also burns fat faster
it strengthens your heart
it helps with your energy level

I exercise to feel good, eat more

moving and being active is really good for you.

if you simply eat a calorie deficit with no exercise, you will lose muscle along with fat
basically not burning as much actual fat.

you will reach your weight goal but lose a lot of strength, toning, and generally feel low energy.

rmhand

Exercise helps remove the fat mixed in with your muscle, so exercise makes your muscles leaner and better at burning fat.

kristen6022

No, you don't have to exercise to lose weight. I lost my first 25 of 35 by just watching what went in my pie whole. But, progress slowed down and I really wanted to just be done with it so I added in cardio (walking) at first then some light weights and saw changes in my body that just diet woudn't have done.

FatUncleRob

I exercise so I can stay married! Apparently I can be quite irritatable when I miss a workout.

Good one.

I exercise for mental health reasons!

Athijade

I take all your comments on board, thank you for taking the time to reply. However, they all indicate that people exercise for a variety of reasons BUT one doesn't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. Am I right in thinking this? If I have a lazy day with no exercise and am still within my calorie allowance then the lack of exercise shouldn't affect my weight loss that day?

Correct. If you eat within your calories, you can lose weight without exercising. In fact, that is how MFP is set up. That is why I like MFP because sometimes life gets in the way and I miss a workout. Injury, trips, emergencies, or any sort of thing can get in the way. So, I like to know my calories in case I can't get that workout in.

That said, exercise is important to overall improved health.

usmcmp

I exercise to build some guns to go with my little black dress.

BrianSharpe

I take all your comments on board, thank you for taking the time to reply. However, they all indicate that people exercise for a variety of reasons BUT one doesn't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. Am I right in thinking this? If I have a lazy day with no exercise and am still within my calorie allowance then the lack of exercise shouldn't affect my weight loss that day?

Lots of people have successfully lost weigh through calorie restriction alone in fact there are quite a number of articles around that suggest that exercise, in and of itself, has a fairly small impact on weight loss. Typically people who exercise more will, naturally, be hungrier and eat back a significant portion of their exercise calories, it's the other health improvements arising from exercise that are the real benefit and, if you're lifting weights and increasing lean muscle mass you have the added bump in BMR as muscle is more metabolically "expensive" than fat.

huizenm

I try not to eat back all exercise calories. When I do - I don't lose. I try to only eat back 1/2. That way I'm still keeping a caloric deficit.

laurenk08

I exercise so I can stay married! Apparently I can be quite irritatable when I miss a workout.

same with me. one day of missing a workout and my boyfriend does not want to have to deal with me....

wareagle8706

Exercise helps remove the fat mixed in with your muscle, so exercise makes your muscles leaner and better at burning fat.

Not sure if you just said that in an odd way but... fat isnt' "mixed in" to muscle...

selfishshellfish

I think some people seem to lose better with exercise, some not.

for me, a half hour brisk walk each day seems to do wonders in controlling my appetite. But last year when I was regularly running 4 miles 5 days a week, I hit the mother of all weight loss plateaus. I started getting ravenous, too.

So at the moment I'm trying an experiment where I walk every day (about 30mins - 1 hour) and do 3 sessions of HIIT each week. It's a shame because I love the running.

You definitely have to try it out and see what works for you.

Emancipated_Tai

I take all your comments on board, thank you for taking the time to reply. However, they all indicate that people exercise for a variety of reasons BUT one doesn't HAVE to exercise to lose weight. Am I right in thinking this? If I have a lazy day with no exercise and am still within my calorie allowance then the lack of exercise shouldn't affect my weight loss that day?

No you do not have to exercise in order to lose weight. Maintaining a healthy and balanced diet is the main component. However, exercising is an added benefit to this process.

Think about it this way: Is it easier to walk uphill carrying a 20 pound backpack or without it? Simple answer: Without it. You will still make it there, but at a slower pace than without regular exercise.

kris4chloe

i watch what i eat to lose weight and look good with my clothes ON

i exercise so that i look good with my clothes OFF :laugh:

amyhoss

You will lose weight if calories in < calories out, but exercise builds muscle and having more muscle means that you will burn more calories when you aren't doing anything.