Working out to eat?

I've recently seen the benefits of actually eating more instead of less. I enjoy working out and it is great for getting your metabolism going. One result of this is that you actually need to eat MORE. I wasn't eating enough (under 1200 calories) and I completely stopped losing weight for a month! So it actually makes sense to workout more and eat more. I still leave some exercise calories uneaten, but now I'm shooting for at least 1300 calories a day (base is set to 1270 to lose a pound a week). The exercise fires up the metabolism and the food fuels it, so you burn away the fat

I would like to know others feelings on this as well.

I too am thoroughly enjoying working out, for the first time in my life actually, but I find that I will look at those calories as extra for me to "spend". I don't use them all but always use at least half, sometimes it will end up being more.

SO I'm looking forward to some wise ones responses too!

this is FINE! what's wrong with fueling your body? Earning the calories you want to spend on food? NOTHING!

If I said , OMG I ate cheesecake what should I do? Is it ok to exercise extra to burn it off? You'd say OF COURSE! This is no different!

i do it every single day...i will run an extra mile if it means i have a little more wiggle room to eat what sounds good that day

Not sure if it's good or bad but I have benn doing the same thing!

i do the opposite- eat to much then have to work it off

I see no problem with it. at the beginning of the year, I was the same way. Food was my motivation to exercise. I LOVE food and doubt I will ever think of it just as fuel. Who care what motivates you? As long as you're exercising, what difference does it make? It will be enough to pull you through until you actually start looking forward to exercising. It took me about 9 months, but I stuck with it and now I love it!

Should one work extra hours to buy a new pair of shoes, car or gaming system? Not all the time, but if you need a new Kia, overtime is one way to get there. ProT has a point in that food should be conceptualized as a normal part of life, as fuel and not as a reward- but on occassion this is fine, and exercise is better than no exercise. If it's a cupcake that gets you up and doing it, then so be it.

I do work out to be able to eat more but I still only eat about half of the exercise calories.
If I know I am going out to dinner with my friends, I will workout extremely hard in order to make up for extra calories even if I do eat healthy.

Exercise IS important in keeping our metabolism going as we lose weight. The truth is, our body works against us when we want to lose weight. Losing weight means restricting calories. It means in a slight way, our body is going into starvation mode and depleting its stores of fat.

That's what we want right? To get rid of that fat? Well, our body evolved over a long period where this was a last resort. Before food was plentiful, it helped if humans could store un-used energy as fat for leaner times (like when we were starving for periods of time).

Fast forward to today, and we're essentially evolved to keep the weight on in case we have limited access to food. It help us survive for millennia before farming.

Exercise actually represents very little of the overall calories your body uses. It usually only represents 25% of our body's caloric needs. The reason it's crucial to losing weight is because our body resists losing weight by slowing down the metabolism (and this is where exercise is so important).

Keep up the good work! I sometimes don't want to use my calories that I earn through exercise. As long as you're getting enough calories, nutrients, and minerals to sustain what your body needs (save a few hundred calories short a day to actually LOSE weight), then you're good to go.

If you get exactly what your body burns a day, then you stay exactly where you are on the scale. All successful weight-loss programs comes down to calories in and calories out.

Sorry for the long post!

Exercise IS important in keeping our metabolism going as we lose weight. The truth is, our body works against us when we want to lose weight. Losing weight means restricting calories. It means in a slight way, our body is going into starvation mode and depleting its stores of fat.

That's what we want right? To get rid of that fat? Well, our body evolved over a long period where this was a last resort. Before food was plentiful, it helped if humans could store un-used energy as fat for leaner times (like when we were starving for periods of time).

Fast forward to today, and we're essentially evolved to keep the weight on in case we have limited access to food. It help us survive for millennia before farming.

Exercise actually represents very little of the overall calories your body uses. It usually only represents 25% of our body's caloric needs. The reason it's crucial to losing weight is because our body resists losing weight by slowing down the metabolism (and this is where exercise is so important).

Keep up the good work! I sometimes don't want to use my calories that I earn through exercise. As long as you're getting enough calories, nutrients, and minerals to sustain what your body needs (save a few hundred calories short a day to actually LOSE weight), then you're good to go.

If you get exactly what your body burns a day, then you stay exactly where you are on the scale. All successful weight-loss programs comes down to calories in and calories out.

Sorry for the long post!

+1. Nice to read a post I actually agree with completely.

I work out so i can eat...especially if i'm going out for supper...or i'm "in the red" in my calorie goals...sometimes i strap on the HRM and JUST work out until i've balanced out my calorie goals...but i try and switch up how many calories i eat (as long as i'm staying above 1200)...it helps when losing weight.

Absolutely eat your workout calories!! They figure out your calorie limit assuming that you are not working out, so if you are, you've burned more calories than expected. I tend to leave about 250-500 calories uneaten, unless I'm just really hungry that day. By all means, if it will help you to stay on track by eating those extra workout calories, I say go for it. You earned them!

You need to reboot your thinking. Working out just to eat more is never a good thing and you will not get the results you want. Food should be looked at as FUEL. FUEL your body. Don't live to eat! Eat to Live!

I have been trying to look at it as fuel. I mean, I'm sitting here eating freakin' baby carrots. Not from enjoyment, but because it's a veggie. However, I do realize that I can eat a little more because i exercise a lot.

Positive. I love doing cardio since i can eat a lil more without feeling guilty :laugh: