chocolate and exercise calories

Em7b5
Em7b5 Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hi everyone,

i've been tracking my food for two weeks, doing cardio 5-6x a week, weight machines 2-3x a week, and so far i've lost 10 lbs (although i'm sure 5lbs of that is water weight). my problem is that even though i'm eating way healthier and exercising, i can't stop thinking about reese's peanut butter cups. if i go to the gym and earn 500 exercise calories, can i use those to eat 400 calories in chocolate and still lose weight?

thanks

Replies

  • bronnyd
    bronnyd Posts: 278 Member
    Yes! Don't make a habit of doing that every day or anything, but if you really want Reeces peanut butter cups and you work out extra hard one day, go for it! I just did that the other night with Haagen Dazs ice cream :smile:
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Theoretically...

    instead of eating gobs of chocolate each time you workout, why don't you have a nice protein shake and a single peanut butter cup? Its possible you need to eat a bit more on workout days, especially if you are working out at a high intensity.
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    As long as you have a calorie deficit, you can lose weight. If you want to use your exercise calories on peanut butter cups, go for it.
  • slobkitten
    slobkitten Posts: 22
    you're not alone, if i'm not awake and thinking about reeses peanut butter cups...i'm sleeping and dreaming about them.
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
    yes, you will lose weight if you have a calorie deficit but it'll just be a much slower process with -100 cals instead of -500 cals. what about trying sugar free peanut butter cups or making a protein shake with chocolate whey and adding a scoop of pb2 (low cal peanut butter powder)??
    i bet that would be just as yummy and will add more protein to your diet...and make your workout more useful!
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    hi everyone,

    i've been tracking my food for two weeks, doing cardio 5-6x a week, weight machines 2-3x a week, and so far i've lost 10 lbs (although i'm sure 5lbs of that is water weight). my problem is that even though i'm eating way healthier and exercising, i can't stop thinking about reese's peanut butter cups. if i go to the gym and earn 500 exercise calories, can i use those to eat 400 calories in chocolate and still lose weight?

    thanks
    As long as it fits your macros go for it.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    If that is what you fancy, then have it.
    This idea of having to sweat blood to have a treat is not a very healthy attitude in my opinion.
    If you want some chocolate every so often, then have it.
    You are obviously working out regularly, and even people who don't work out regularly don't feel they need to ask permission to have a treat now and then, lol. It is your body, you make the decisions as to what you put in it.
  • Em7b5
    Em7b5 Posts: 31 Member
    thanks for the prompt responses everyone! this is blowing my mind:
    As long as you have a calorie deficit, you can lose weight. If you want to use your exercise calories on peanut butter cups, go for it.

    i've been lurking on this site for awhile, and i still can't wrap my mind around that concept. even though it's working for me, i just don't understand how one can lose weight if they eat only a certain amount of calories. what's to stop someone from taking a multivitamin with every meal and eating chocolate cake all day? also, on my tracker, sometimes i eat over my carb/fat macro, is that okay as long as i meet 1720 calories (my daily goal)?

    i do eat back some of my exercise calories on workout days, but usually i have an apple, a banana with almond butter, or some multigrain club crackers. since i've started this lifestyle change, i quit everything unhealthy cold turkey, and i think my body was so used to having 2000 calories in sugary crap everyday that two weeks later, it's still wanting an astronomical amount of sugar.

    thank you all for your wisdom and thanks for the chocolate whey suggestion! i will pick up some of that.
  • likeschocolate
    likeschocolate Posts: 368 Member
    Why else would one go to the gym, if not for the opportunity it creates to eat more chocolate? :happy:

    And yes -- I include both chocolate whey and chocolate protein bars in my diet. Walmart sells a "Life choice" 21-grams of protein per bar variety that is not too hard on the wallet (about 75 cents per bar). Not the healthiest out there, but it works.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    hi everyone,

    i've been tracking my food for two weeks, doing cardio 5-6x a week, weight machines 2-3x a week, and so far i've lost 10 lbs (although i'm sure 5lbs of that is water weight). my problem is that even though i'm eating way healthier and exercising, i can't stop thinking about reese's peanut butter cups. if i go to the gym and earn 500 exercise calories, can i use those to eat 400 calories in chocolate and still lose weight?

    thanks

    There are days that I have several fun sized candy bars to make sure that I hit my calorie goals!

    A protein shake is also a great idea. The past few days I have been making one with almond-coconut milk, chocolate whey protein, and 1-2T of peanut butter. Generally by the time I get home after my workout, my net calories are in the negative numbers ( I eat 300-400 calories for breakfast before I leave the house)

    I think it is a better idea to treat yourself to a small amount of chocolate a day than to wait until you lose control and eat a TON of chocolate.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    I mean, technically you can, yes. If you eat at a deficit you'll lose weight. That's just how it is.

    However, you may not see results in other areas, like NSV. Workouts may be harder, you may not develop muscles as quickly, etc. I know, personally, my runs always suffer when I eat poorly. That being said, there's no reason to not eat chocolate! I used to keep dark chocolate around and just have one or two small pieces to get my chocolate craving under control. As long as you're not overdoing it every day, you'll be fine.
  • Sequence88
    Sequence88 Posts: 23
    That depends on your goal IMO. Do you want to be healthy, or do you just want to lose weight? Are you creating a lifestyle for yourself, or just looking for a quick fix? I think treating yourself is part of success, if you never give yourself a treat, you are more likely to binge and have uncontrolled amounts of what your craving, instead of having just one or two here and there. But if you are overall wanting to be healthy, eating back your excercise calories in reese's instead of whole foods-brown rice, quinoa, veggies, fruits, etc...is not going to help you in that department. You may well continue to lose weight if you remain in a calorie deficit, but your insides are not going to be functioning optimally. You will not build muscle as quickly or in the same way. etc. I do really like the protein shake idea, though :) a healthier way to indulge the peanut butter chocolate craving. Sometimes, though, you just gotta have the real thing :)
  • claritarejoice
    claritarejoice Posts: 461 Member
    Yes I think someone could eat chocolate cake all day long and lose weight to an extent, but you would be nutritionally starved, tired so no energy to workout, and all the sugar isn't good, it produces cortisol and eventually could produce diabetes. But a balanced diet with good nutrients plus treats is fine. I just finished eating nutella (after my salad), and I have ice cream many nights.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    hi everyone,

    i've been tracking my food for two weeks, doing cardio 5-6x a week, weight machines 2-3x a week, and so far i've lost 10 lbs (although i'm sure 5lbs of that is water weight). my problem is that even though i'm eating way healthier and exercising, i can't stop thinking about reese's peanut butter cups. if i go to the gym and earn 500 exercise calories, can i use those to eat 400 calories in chocolate and still lose weight?

    thanks

    Yes.

    Check my food diary. (well, go back before Thanksgiving to get an idea of what I eat regularly.) I eat sugar everyday. I practice the 80/20 rule. Make 80% of your calories as nutritionally dense and then eat what you want with the other 20% of your calories. I have also exercised for the specific purpose of eating a high calorie treat.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Yes I think someone could eat chocolate cake all day long and lose weight to an extent, but you would be nutritionally starved, tired so no energy to workout, and all the sugar isn't good, it produces cortisol and eventually could produce diabetes. But a balanced diet with good nutrients plus treats is fine. I just finished eating nutella (after my salad), and I have ice cream many nights.

    Sugar does not cause diabetes. That's a myth. Also, deprivation will lead to increased cortisol quicker than sugar ever could. The primary reason for an increase in cortisol is stress.
  • jonnyman41
    jonnyman41 Posts: 1,032 Member
    nothing stops you from eating choc cake as your cals every day but you really would start to feel hungry all day if trying this, not to mention sluggish, tired etc. a large meal of meat and veg with a few potatoes or rice or one slice of chocolate cake!! Actually trying to eat cake all day might have a good effect as after one or two days you will hate the stuff lol. The beauty of cal counting is that you can have what you fancy but you learn to have it in moderation backed up with healthy foods very quickly.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    No one said you couldn't eat nothing but chocolate cake. Most people won't do something like that because even though you'd still lose weight if you were at a deficit, you wouldn't be able to eat much of such a high calorie food and therefore likely wouldn't be too satisfied by the end of the day.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Yes, no issue.
    I eat chocolate every day and usually my macros are excellent. (I'm under eating today).
    Quality over quantity.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Sure you can eat Reese's! But you might not want to eat ALL of your exercise calories in chocolate. Make sure you're getting enough fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins... then if you've reached your goals on those, enjoy the chocolate!

    Personally, I like getting chocolate and peanut butter protein bars that taste quite a bit like Reese's, but give me more nutrients for the same calories.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    For the record, a slice of chocolate cake has three times the number of calories as a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. :smokin:
  • Robin_Bin
    Robin_Bin Posts: 1,046 Member
    Think of this as a lifestyle change -- not a temporary diet change --- unless you want the results to be temporary?

    Chocolate is fine. In fact it has some good things in it. So does peanut butter. But like with all things... moderation is key.

    I've found that one small, but good quality piece of dark chocolate works better for me than lots of poorer quality chocolate. It also works well as what someone here recently called an "ender" that is something I use as a signal to myself and my body that I'm done eating for now.

    Also consider what other things may be causing this craving. Low levels of protein can cause cravings for both chocolate and peanut butter. Thirst can also cause a chocolate craving. Chocolate has some minerals (magnesium and copper, I think). Make sure you're getting enough of those micronutrients.

    Your mileage may vary. Some people can't stop with just one Reeses cup; it's the start of a binge for them. (And there are other, healthier peanut butter and chocolate treats.)

    For me it's worth exercising the 7-10 extra minutes when necessary to fit a piece of chocolate into my diet at the end of the day. For the first few months on MFP I did that almost every day and lost on average over a pound a week (my target).
  • schondell
    schondell Posts: 556 Member
    As an avid fan of Reese Peanut Butter Cups, I used to eat a bar (3 cups) every single day by making room for it in calories. Each cup has 80 calories, so that was 240 empty calories a day. Since I've stopped eating them and became less obsessed I've noticed that I've become leaner and can use those 240 cals towards something a lot more satisfying.

    BUT have you ever tried them frozen? Leave them in the freezer for a minimum of 2 hours and they get really brittle and crunchy in a way and it's amazing

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