Why Eat Workout Calories?

You don't really work out to burn the calories. You work out to be healthier and tone your muscles. You need to eat them because if you don't you will slow down your metabolism and you will have to be working twice as hard as before.

If you don't eat them it would basically be like being on a 1200 calorie plan and only eating 800 calories. Your body will go into starvation mode and you will not lose in the long run.

There are tons of threads on here about this. You may want to just do a search and read some of the old threads.

Why do you have to put gas in your car when it starts to get low?

Because without it, it won't 'go'.

You don't have to eat back exercise calories, but if you don't make up the difference by eating something to replace what you burn, your metabolism will read that as a deficit and slow down it's 'burn', making it harder to lose weight.

Then how can annorexics be so thin? They don't eat their calories

Because the body starts to eat itself to get some form of nutrition.

takes sooooooooo bloody long this way

Aaaaaaaaaaand, WHY would anyone exercise then, if you have to eat THOSE calories too?! Why not just eat the 1200 and not do the puffing and sweating?

You need to exercise while eating properly to tone those muscles and that new body you're creating. You want to carve a sexy body! Think about the extra skin you'll have when you lose -- you need to tone it up to look good once you've lost that weight.

and, it takes so long because it's the healthy way. Think about it -- you didn't gain all that weight overnight, one can't expect to lose it all overnight, either

You are what you eat. Your body breaks down the food you eat into the minerals and chemicals it is made of then recombines them in ways that are useful to your body. Your cells are recycled and replaced with this new material. If you eat unhealthy things you are not giving your body good things to work with. If you don't eat enough you do the same thing. Your metabolism slows down in an effort of self preservation but if this goes on to an extreme and for too long your body begins to break down. You bones and organs don't have enough nutrients to keep themselves working properly. Bones loose density and organs can begin to break down. You will loose weight but from malnutrition. Even if a person survives this starvation period the effects it has on one's health can last for the rest of a person's life. it can also have an effect on the metabolism. I know a person who was anorexic when she was younger and now she can't digest any animal protein without getting a migraine and becoming nauseated.

Aaaaaaaaaaand, WHY would anyone exercise then, if you have to eat THOSE calories too?! Why not just eat the 1200 and not do the puffing and sweating?

Many do just that--exercise isn't really to help you "lost weight" but to help you get toned and get cardio healthy. I also exercise--lots--because 1) I LOVE cycling! 2) it gives me "extra" calories to eat otherwise I'd feel like I was starving 3) it helps control my blood sugar levels (I'm diabetic) 4) I want to improve my heart's health

If you don't have any of those reasons, then don't exercise. Given the small amount you wish to lose, you should be looking to lose NO MORE than 1/2 pound a week. You might not even need to lose--just tone.

And, I say it, too, PLEASE DON'T LOOK TO AN EATING DISORDER FOR WEIGHT LOSS TIPS! My gosh, anorexic people DIE! They lose their hair, they lose their bone density, they damage their kidneys, livers, eyes, brain. CAN YOU SAY IT'S NOT GOOD BUT VERY VERY VERY BAD to starve yourself.

well i don't want to be anorexic or anything. i am just a food aholic, and am lazy. :ohwell:
lame excuse but true.

Well, then by all means skip the workouts and lose weight via deficit dieting, but your muscles will be slack and your skin will be flabby, and your energy levels will be a little flat...

If that is the kind of 'slender' you want to be, then don't bother with exercise.

If you want to ALSO have strong bones, toned muscles, a healthy heart and lungs, and nice skin, then do even a LITTLE bit of exercise. You don't have to grind away for 2 hours on an elliptical machine every day to look good. But some kind of exercise will do your body good in the long run.

I lift weights when I know I cant get all my cals in for the day. I want to be like a butterfly, emerging from her coccon(sp/) My arms have muscle, my stomach(under the fat lol) is muscular, my legs are getting a form to them, other than gelatin.

Push ups and squats are awsome.

I have seen friends lose tons of weight, really fast on quick weight loss diet. Sure the weight was gone, but they looked old and saggy. Seriously, old and saggy. I remember thinking...jeez she looked better fat. She bragged that she didnt have to do ANY exercise and lost 40 pounds in 3-4 months.

Guess what-she is back and bigger this time. She didnt learn anythign from getting a shot and eating specific foods for 3 months.

So I am taking the slow, scenic route this time. Toot Toot!