My workout plan and exercise calories?

fullboost
fullboost Posts: 53 Member
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
I noticed everyone on here goes on about eating your exercise calories, so i read the lengthy topic someone posted explaining the article. That being said, i know it's a real condition etc but having lost nearly 70lbs in 5 months by NOT eating my exercise calories i can't get my head round it. I can appreciate how it would make sense for someone who's trying to shift say 14lbs as they simply do not have the fat available straight away to burn. However when members sign on and say they need to lose 50+ lbs and people tell them to eat there exercise calories - that i cannot understand.
Not a criticism btw, just hoping someone could explain

Also thought i'd post up my excercise regime and see what everyone thinks, not been recently as i've been abroad and ill, but for the last 5 or so months this is usually what i do.

Day 1:
300 calories worth of cardio excercises (whatever i fancy really)
Chest and Tricep excercises

Day 2:
1 hour of easy - moderate pace on the bike, burns between 800-1000 cal depending on speed

Day 3:
300 calories worth of cardio excercises
Back and bicep excercises

Day 4:
1 hour of easy - moderate pace on the bike, burns between 800-1000 cal depending on speed

Day 5:
Shoulders and bicep / tricep isolation exercises.
If i've missed a day i may add in some cardio, other weight training etc

I do miss days here and there so i don't overdo myself, but generally speaking i make 5 days a week.
if anyone was curious i don't do legs as part of my weight training as i do a fair amount of HIIT in my cardio exercises.

My goal has always been to shift my bodyfat, but i didn't want to be skinny and lanky! Hence the weight training too.
Bet you never thought you'd hear a fat person say this but i don't actually want to be small!

If anyone has any tips, advice or anything on what i'm doing or not doing, please do tell!
Thanks

Replies

  • brattyworm
    brattyworm Posts: 2,137 Member
    well i have no tips or advice, but i must say ... thats impressive what you do. So nice work.. keep going.. and i do hope you get some answers.. and I agree, being a toothpick is not necessarily and attractive feature.
  • Dawn_2013
    Dawn_2013 Posts: 170
    Of course if you can go without those calories, then do it, but sometimes you need extra calories when you are more active to keep your metabilism at its peak. You are doing great BTW!!

    I look at my mother as a cautionary tale. She would diet and restrict herself too much, lose too fast and always put it back on and then some. So...she was overly restrictive and it screwed with her metabilism to the point where she hasn't been under 320lbs in over 20 years.

    It is trial and error and you really just have to trust the process that works for you. It also depends on the intensity of your workout regime, My husband is a hard core athlete and he has to eat more...now me...a walk here and there, and occasional 30 - 40 ellipical workout....well, I have no reason to eat more :glasses: ha ha
  • matomama
    matomama Posts: 9
    I'm only trying to lose 25 pounds but I try not to eat my exercise calories. I just don't see the point in working out if I am just going to negate that with eating! I may have a little extra snack or a protein shake after working out but I don't eat the total amount that I burn. I would literally have to force food down my throat to be able to eat all the workout calories. I usually only workout 3 times a week (sometimes more depending on how crazy my days are with my kids) so I know if I try to eat more on those three days I won't feel I have eaten enough on the days that I don't workout. That is just my own personal feelings on it though. I guess if something works for someone else that is great. But it just isn't for me!
  • alpha2omega
    alpha2omega Posts: 229 Member
    I tend to eat some of my exercise calories but not all. I really just listen to my body. I try to eat small meals every few hours but if I get hungry after I work out then I will have something small to eat to get me to the next meal. This may eat into my exercise calories but at least I know I am providing my muscles energy to rebuild and repair. This is especially important when you are weight training since keeping muscle mass is very difficult when dieting. I would say on average I consume 30% of my exercise calories. Since I am on track to lose 1.5 - 2 pounds per week without including the exercise calories, the additional 70% of my exercise calories adds an another 3/4 of a pound lost per week. This puts me at 2.25 to 2.75 lbs per week weight loss. That is ideal when not wanting to lose muscle.
  • oats4breakfast
    oats4breakfast Posts: 225
    I have no opinion on eating exercise cals, I can see both sides of the fence. So long as we're being healthy and eating right, along with creating a sensible deficit, and we're making this part of our lifestyle, who the heck cares if we're eating back exercise cals or not. It's always interesting to me where someone may have set their weightloss goal at 0.5 pounds a week and won't eat back 300 cals of exercise cals, and then someone who has set their goals at 2 pounds a week who does eat back their exercise cals will tell the first person they're going to starve to death .... well, the second person is probably eating LESS overall calories anyhow.
    I digress.
    I do have this opinion on your workouts:
    Don't neglect the squats and lunges. Add a day (like when you do shoulders on day 5) where you're working those large muscles in your legs. yes, the cardio is there where you're riding a bike, but I think it makes a lot of sense to hit those legs harder. There's a lot of benefit to be had in doing this.
    e.g. Do your shoulder exercises, drop the bicep/tricep isolations, and add, a set of squats, a set of lunges, some calf raises and some burpees. (a compound exercise)
  • fullboost
    fullboost Posts: 53 Member
    Glad to see some othes share the same view as me!
    I do take protein shakes when i do weight training, usually 2 a day on days when i've been weight training - one after workout and one before bed, quite often one the next morning too. As someone stated earlier, you want to be losing fat not muscle mass and although i said i try not to eat my excercise calories i'm more than happy to consume 300cals worth of protein shake if it means muscle growth and not loss! After all muscle burns calories.

    As for the suggestions for the leg workouts etc i may give it a go, but my legs are so achey after the HIIT and cycling i think i'd end up doing more harm than good. As building muscle is more of a secondary goal / long term target i think i will wait until i reach a good, healthy bodyfat percentage and cut back on the cardio and increase my weight training.

    Thanks for the encouragement too everyone.
  • Bourgel
    Bourgel Posts: 4
    I don't really understand eating the excercise calories either. Seems to me you need to reduce your calorie intake whether by working out, or eating less by 3500 cal/week to lose 1 lb. So if you are breaking even by eating your burnt calories excersizing, you are always going to break even, and won't lose anything!

    That's just my thought.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Oats4breakfast took the words right out of my mouth for exercise recommendations. Too many isolation exercises. Should be doing Deadlifts as well (with good form). Start light weight. Squats are beneficial for more than just legs! When you get some decent weight on your shoulders it takes a LOT of core strength just to stand up right let alone squat. Same with deadlifts, basically use every muscle in your body to do one!


    BTW re DOMS and leg training: Even if your muscles are sore it doesn't actually affect the strength ie. you could have DOMS from cycling done on Tuesday and still have it on Thursday but it would still be very beneficial to squat on that Thursday.
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