Exercise/Eat Calores vs No exercise/Don't Eat

fougamou
fougamou Posts: 200 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I joined MFP one of the things I ended up doing was developing a new attitude towards exercise and weight lose.

Previously, at least mentally, I approached the two separately. To lose weight I needed to cut back my calories AND I needed to exercise. Failing to do both and I ended up feeling guilty and discouraged. So, for example, if I did great on food intake, but failed to exercise I felt discouraged. If I had a great exercise day, but ate more than usual, I felt bad.

MFP helped me see the relation between the two. Right now my approach is more, well, you had a lazy day, so the number of calories you get to eat has just been decreased (FYI I also have a Fitbit so I am getting constant feedback and calorie adjustments based on activity level). I have done a very good job of adjusting my calorie intake around my activity level and generally am very pleased with the results.

For a variety of reasons, I have not been exercising as much as I would like.

My husband expressed concern that because I am not exercising, I am not taking in enough calories.


What are your thoughts --holding all other factors constant, if your net calories come out the same, what is the difference between exercising and eating back your calories and not exercising, but eating less?

Replies

  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    Exercise helps you maintain muscle while you lose weight. This is good. You'll look better, and burn more fat. You'll also be able to eat more, which is great because you'll have a better chance of hitting your nutrition goals, and even greater because, well, you get to eat more.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    It depends what you're using as a base calorie number. You should always be eating your BMR unless you are very overweight. As long as your non exercise days are still above your BMR I wouldn't worry about it. Just make sure those calories are nutritious.
  • KD12321KD
    KD12321KD Posts: 19 Member
    When I didn't eat and didn't exercise I felt very weak, I would faint a lot and I was anemic (which I definitely don't think I can spell!). When I just ate and didn't excersie I felt very lethargic and wanted to sleep all the time. Now that I eat more and exercise more I feel better physically than I've ever felt before. I feel so strong and awake! I would definitely advocate more exercise and eating so that you're not hungry!
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    I used to feel that way too - to lose the most weight and be healthy, you had to do both. Now, my feeling is: Exercise is great if you're wanting to improve your health, but isn't vitally important to weight loss.

    I've lost 146 pounds without really doing much exercise. I do wear a pedometer, and I have set goals to increase my steps, and stuff, but I don't rely on that for weight loss. Plus, the idea that if you're "bad" (go over on calories) a lot of people think they can just go to the gym and "work it off". That's pretty much a myth. Depending on how many calories you had extra, and considering how many are typically burned in about an hour - there's just no way to really dig yourself out of that hole.

    Whatever you're eating plays a much greater role in weight loss than the exercise. If you have quality food (and focus on lean healthy proteins), then the weight will com off.

    Try to re-evaluate your path. Recognize your body's cues for when you're hungry. Realize that you're human, and you're going to stumble. The sooner you dust yourself off and get back on track, the better.

    I don't "eat back the calories" that I burn because that's a "bonus". I have a fitbit too - and I do try to set goals to increase my steps, etc. BUT I don't eat back the calories. I'm not training for a marathon or anything (like my husband is) so I don't really need to do all the carb-loading, etc. on various days. Any exercise I do is just for getting my body in better shape - it's not necessarily to help in losing weight - it's just to be more healthy.

    For what it's worth....
  • pluckabee
    pluckabee Posts: 346 Member
    I see them as two separate but related things.

    You have weight loss and you have fitness/health.

    Weight loss, which is diet based, can contribute to overall health and fitness and conversely, doing things for your fitness and health can contribute to your weight loss.

    You cant use fitness to rely on your weightloss and you cant use weightloss to rely on your fitness, but they can supplement each other if you do both.

    You should figure out how to do better with both of these things but also you dont have to feel like you've failed both, if you fail one of them. You are just being far less efficient in reaching your goals.

    If you have trouble keeping them apart in your mind, try to have separate fitness and weight loss goals.

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