Why exercise to lose weight?

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BecomingElle
BecomingElle Posts: 112 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know that exercising is important and will make you healthy, toned, etc.... but if you're going to eat back the calories you burn anyway, then what's the point?

If weight loss is all about calories in and calories out...why exercise when you can just eat less and your net calories are the same? Won't you get the same results? Sure, you'll be unfit and "skinny fat" perhaps, but you'll still lose the same, right?


Sorry if this is a really silly question! Hahaha :)
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Replies

  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
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    you'll get results faster.
  • RedWeb
    RedWeb Posts: 108 Member
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    Exercise can be an aid to weight loss i.e. burns calories you don't need to replace. However, it's more about general fitness and a toned appearance. If you don't want to exercise then don't. You will still lose weight. However, I run to feel healthier, fitter, more athletic body etc. I want to be the correct weight AND fit. Not just the correct weight. It's a personal choice.
  • alp1990
    alp1990 Posts: 56
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    1. Increase your metabolism so you burn more calories even if you do eat back exercise calories
    2. tone up loose skin, which you definitely will get if you have 40lbs+ to lose.
    3. to be generally healthy as well as "skinny"

    I would be pretty unhappy if I lost all my weight and had loose skin and no muscle definition. But then maybe thats just me, I just want to look the best I possibly can. I guess you can still lose the weight but I imagine its a little slower than not exercising because of having a lower metabolism.
  • purdieang
    purdieang Posts: 43
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    for me: to be able to eat more overall and still lose
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
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    Also keep in mind that exercise helps tone your body. You can still look like you have more to lose at a lighter weight without exercise and you can look thinner than your actual weight if you do exercise. It's not just about what you see in the scale, but what you can see in the mirror.
  • Summer5555
    Summer5555 Posts: 104 Member
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    Because the cardio makes our heart and lungs healthy, the weight training will make our bones strong. It's not about living in the now, it's more about our future health.
  • MouseFood
    MouseFood Posts: 169 Member
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    95% of the time I do not eat eat back the calories I've burned. I don't think you are supposed to in general. The tracking just let's you know that if you NEED to , ie if you're still hungry, you can do so and still not gain weight ...

    Do most of you really eat back teh calories you burn in exercise? I never have.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    Because you'll look goddamn sexy.
  • htmlgirl
    htmlgirl Posts: 314 Member
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    95% of the time I do not eat eat back the calories I've burned. I don't think you are supposed to in general. The tracking just let's you know that if you NEED to , ie if you're still hungry, you can do so and still not gain weight ...

    Do most of you really eat back teh calories you burn in exercise? I never have.

    I don't unless I'm hungry... but I usually have enough calories from my normal allowance left to fill me up. I've been steadily losing weight, although it's slowed down since I've reached a lower weight.

    I exercise because I'm trying to work on my cardiovascular health as well as "tone" up. Exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle and this is a lifestyle change. I feel better about myself when I exercise and when I accomplish a goal I feel awesome.
  • Sharmender
    Sharmender Posts: 133 Member
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    MFP already has a deficit calculated in for you. For example, if you set your goals to sedentary you will burn around 1700 a day with sitting around. So, you eat 1200 which gives you a 500 calorie deficit each day by not exercising at all.
    If you exercise on top of that, you can eat your exercise calories back without you losing the 500 calorie deficit a day!
    If you don't eat your calories back, you will be netting to low which can cause you to plateau. You can also choose to eat back half the calories you exercised, in case you overestimated the calories burned or whatever.

    It's really important that you are not netting to low, it won't help your weight loss. I ate 1200 each day in the beginning with intense exercise, but now I've upped my calories I'm still losing weight!
  • noynoyavery
    noynoyavery Posts: 342 Member
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    ive not lost any for ages and stuck at 9 stone 3lbs no matter what i ate even under eating wasn't working ive now started to excerise 4 times a week and have now lost 4.5 lb in a month..not much i know but ive lost 3 inches off my hips, 2 inches of my waist and 3 inches off my thighs, im about a uk size 10 now so ive dropped only 5lb but a whole dress size, best of all my butt doesnt wobble anymore when i run!
  • Lesley2901
    Lesley2901 Posts: 372 Member
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    Also keep in mind that exercise helps tone your body. You can still look like you have more to lose at a lighter weight without exercise and you can look thinner than your actual weight if you do exercise. It's not just about what you see in the scale, but what you can see in the mirror.

    ^this^ plus exercise is enjoyable and I can eat more afterwards
  • Sneakypeek1972
    Sneakypeek1972 Posts: 91
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    I personallyy dont eat my earned calories, and i do 80 minutes workout 5x a week, it seems to be working ok so far and i eat just above my bmr which is 1900 cals a day.
  • Sneakypeek1972
    Sneakypeek1972 Posts: 91
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    ive not lost any for ages and stuck at 9 stone 3lbs no matter what i ate even under eating wasn't working ive now started to excerise 4 times a week and have now lost 4.5 lb in a month..not much i know but ive lost 3 inches off my hips, 2 inches of my waist and 3 inches off my thighs, im about a uk size 10 now so ive dropped only 5lb but a whole dress size, best of all my butt doesnt wobble anymore when i run!

    hehe damn i cant wait for the day i can say the same about my butt :P
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you don't exercise you will not be nearly as healthy and a large % of your loss will be lean muscle, meaning even at the same weight, those that exercise would have a lower BF%.
  • FlittyGetsFit
    FlittyGetsFit Posts: 94
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    I eat back about half my exercise calories, unless I'm having a hungry day, then I'll eat them all! My calorie goal is set to lose 1lb a week, I'm averaging a loss of 2lbs per week.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    95% of the time I do not eat eat back the calories I've burned. I don't think you are supposed to in general. The tracking just let's you know that if you NEED to , ie if you're still hungry, you can do so and still not gain weight ...

    Do most of you really eat back teh calories you burn in exercise? I never have.

    I don't unless I'm hungry... but I usually have enough calories from my normal allowance left to fill me up. I've been steadily losing weight, although it's slowed down since I've reached a lower weight.

    I exercise because I'm trying to work on my cardiovascular health as well as "tone" up. Exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle and this is a lifestyle change. I feel better about myself when I exercise and when I accomplish a goal I feel awesome.

    Since you don't have much left to lose it is vital that you eat them, as too large of a deficit will lead to the loss of lean muscle, meaning if you did eat them back you would have a lower BF%, but it would take you a little longer to hit your goal weight.
  • Lynn_SD
    Lynn_SD Posts: 83 Member
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    No, you won't lose the same: without exercise, you will not only burn fat but also burn your muscle tissue. Less muscle means a lower metabolism. So when you go off the diet, you will not be able to eat the same maintenance calories as before the diet. This is the reason for the "Yo-yo" diet problem. Exercising while dieting will help to maintain your muscle mass (especially strength training).
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I eat at least some of mine back.. if not most.. and why? Because I like to eat, thats why.

    I could have easily not eaten any back.. but I wouldn't look as good as I do now had I not eaten them back. Plus weight training just makes me really hungry... and I'm not going to sit there with my stomach growling when I have extra calories I could use towards food consumption.
  • katemateg
    katemateg Posts: 334 Member
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    It boosts your metabolism. Dieting alone just makes your body learn to survive on less calories.

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