Is this smart or cheating?

Bobcgirl8
Bobcgirl8 Posts: 30 Member
edited September 24 in Food and Nutrition
I'm going to eat a dinner and I calculated that if I eat said dinner, I'll have to walk two miles on my elliptical to make sure my calories equal out right for the day. I don't mind doing the exercise, but is that a good way to do it or is it cheating? I really can't tell.

Replies

  • sarahtroupe
    sarahtroupe Posts: 164
    I say no... I do it all the time Exercise is exercise and cal are cal:) Enjoy
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Why would it be cheating?
  • Bobcgirl8
    Bobcgirl8 Posts: 30 Member
    It just feels too easy..to eat what I want--well with a few healthy modifications--and sweat it off later...
  • reeveskl28
    reeveskl28 Posts: 24 Member
    I do it all the time as well i have not sen any negative effects just make sure you do said exercise and you will be fine
  • beckystephens
    beckystephens Posts: 117 Member
    ur fine BUT
    a lot of time people OVER -estimate what they are burning and UNDER estimate what they are eating. Easy to do if your not weighing out portions,....
  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    Just make sure those calories dont come with a ton of fat and carbs........just saying.
  • jamaka1
    jamaka1 Posts: 412 Member
    i do it at times too, bc 2day i got some rum cake and i wanna eat it so i know i have to do extra workout. enjoy, just dont be doing that all the time
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    I agree with the others, it's in no way cheating. One of the joys of exercising more is knowing that the can have that little extra food you fancy :) You're burning those calories therefore there's no reason you cant eat them back!
  • madijo41
    madijo41 Posts: 367 Member
    Well I guess your other option is to eat it, not exercise and feel bad and eat some more... Or do like you planned eat your meal, enjoy it, then exercise so you equal out. We are supposed to eat our exercise calories. :drinker:
  • eveunderground
    eveunderground Posts: 236 Member
    ur fine BUT
    a lot of time people OVER -estimate what they are burning and UNDER estimate what they are eating. Easy to do if your not weighing out portions,....

    I agree with this.
  • dlaplume2
    dlaplume2 Posts: 1,658 Member
    I heard something interesting on the other night. I think it was on Heavy. (don't quote me) She was saying she was worried that the person was not changing her eating habits and she was worried the woman would gain her weight back, because she wouldn't always have time to exercise for hours at a time everyday.

    I think if you do it once in a while and use it for planning ahead it should be fine. If you use it all the time, you might want to re plan some of your meals. I know it is probably not what you want to hear. I don't think it is cheating if you do it once in a while and plan ahead.
    I hope this helps. I really don't want to offend.
  • iamhealingmyself
    iamhealingmyself Posts: 579 Member
    It just feels too easy..to eat what I want--well with a few healthy modifications--and sweat it off later...

    the catch is sweating it off later. If you're not disciplined then you can run into problems but if you're a daily exerciser and it's no big deal to do a few extra things, go for it. You're allowed to eat back your calories and there is no rule that say you have to eat them after exercise, so why not?

    It's only cheating if you don't exercise.
    In fact I actually was hungrier than usual today after my lunch and knew when I got home I wanted to eat more so I intentionally went right to the gym before I sat down and got into lazy mode. Now I just have to figure out what to do with my 650 calorie allotment :)
    oh the torture....
    :laugh:
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
    It's not cheating, however we should be making it a habit to exercise anyway and also you don't want to get in the habit of this mindset every day. Once in awhile is not a problem. Like the workout before Thanksgiving dinner or Super Bowl.
  • MissAnjy
    MissAnjy Posts: 2,480 Member
    that's what you're supposed to do
  • AmeMahoney
    AmeMahoney Posts: 232
    It's not cheating, however we should be making it a habit to exercise anyway and also you don't want to get in the habit of this mindset every day. Once in awhile is not a problem. Like the workout before Thanksgiving dinner or Super Bowl.

    Definitely. It becomes a huge problem if you start calculating what you want to eat first, and then plan extra hours of exercise to burn it off. A little walk on the treadmill or elliptical is fine, but if you start planning on, say 2-4 hours, which is what some people do, then you're in trouble. 2 miles on an elliptical can take an hour or two depending on your speed, incline, and level. If you're planning on 2 hours to walk off your dinner, I wouldn't do it. You should definitely be exercising every day, except for maybe one rest day a week.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,330 Member
    Do the exercise first, then eat, otherwise it is all too easy to eat and then not actually do the exercise.
  • OceanAddict
    OceanAddict Posts: 55 Member
    I do this on days when I don't input all my food until after dinner. Like yesterday, realized that I was gonna need to get my butt over to the gym if I was going to end up at my goal.

    I think that if you're willing to "pay for" what you eat, it's fine. On days when I'm feeling too tired to work out, I make sure to be strict with my eating so I don't go over.
  • menchi
    menchi Posts: 297 Member
    I think the other posters have raised good points and things to be aware of. That said, I think it could be good or bad depending on how you do it. On one hand, it's good to plan out your food and exercise and have the resolve/discipline to stick to it. On the other hand, if you have the mindset that oh I'll eat whatever I want and work it off later, it can get out of hand. I try to do the plan ahead method so that 1) I have something to follow, 2) I don't have to obsess about food ALL DAY LONG, and 3) I can practice making good choices and being in control of my life. Also, I don't usually have time for exercising until later in the day so I can't really work first then eat, but I plan for a reasonable round at the gym where I know from experience that I can burn 300-400 Cal in cardio and do some weights in 1 hour.
  • Bobcgirl8
    Bobcgirl8 Posts: 30 Member
    Everyone is so helpful! Thank you. I really like the idea of working out first and then eating. I was pretty good and ended up not eating as many calories as I feared, so I should be safe. Thanks everyone :)
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