"You can't out-exercise a bad diet."

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  • vonpuppyhausen
    vonpuppyhausen Posts: 1 Member
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    It's difficult out-exercise a "bad" (too many calories) diet because you never really know exactly how many calories you're burning during the exercise. While you can keep a very close eye on calories in, tracking calories out isn't as easy.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    When I go backpacking, I eat 5,000-6,000 calories a day (mostly fat, simply carbs/sugar) and I still lose weight every time. It's a blessing and a curse. It's nice to eat whatever I want to eat, but it's also exhausting to eat that much sometimes.

    Regular 'at-home' me has to watch my calorie intake and exercise regularly.
  • Enjcg5
    Enjcg5 Posts: 389 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    Technically, yes.

    The idea, though, is that it is easier to create a calorie deficit by simply not eating something than it is to do so by increasing your activity. They key is that you are talking about a sizable calorie deficit--250, 500, etc. It's easier to not eat the Snickers (250 calories) or Coke and chips (140 cal/can, 160 cal/svg), etc.) than it is to exercise and burn off those calories.

    This! I try to tell people this and they look at me sideways. It really is the simplest most complex thing known to man!
  • kirayng2
    kirayng2 Posts: 36 Member
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    I think there becomes a point if you are a bodybuilder that you can eat almost anything you want. I have a friend who is like that but he trains at the gym 2 hours a day and has really increased his muscle mass over time. I think his maintenance calories are over 3000.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    alondrakayy wrote: »
    But technically you can right? Because of CICO?

    I guess that depends right...what if you can't run or walk or move...then no.

    The point of that phrase is to illustrate that you don't need exercise to lose weight and it's true.
  • hobbeskastiel
    hobbeskastiel Posts: 221 Member
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    One of the the things people sometimes forget is the the more you exercise the easier it becomes for your body. SO walking used to burn a bunch of calories but if you do it all the time it your body gets stronger and walking becomes easier and doesn't burn as many calories. That's usually when we switch to a harder exercise, like running or the elliptical. When that gets easier we run a little faster or increase the resistance. These exercises will always burn calories but your body will get better at the way it burns them. So if you workout all the time and then eat a ton your body eventually won't burn those excess calories as effectively. That's what makes it harder to "out exorcise a bad diet". Now, I'm not a Dr so I may have that a bit wrong, but I believe that part of why we hit the weight loss walls. As for the other "internet Dr's" out there, please be nice as you dissect my post, lol.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    karbruce wrote: »
    I think as you get older this becomes impossible. I am overweight now because I could "out-run" what I ate in my teens and 20s and even into my 30s but after 35 and then after 40 it became more and more difficult until I couldn't anymore. It was a sad day for me when I realized that. I was so damn tired from working out and the scale was not moving! Really I should have been thanking my lucky stars that I was able to do it so long with hurting myself. To be clear I was never someone who spent 6 hours on the elliptical to work off everything I ate. But I was able to keep the weight in check by working out 5-6 times a week mixture of cardio and strength. Nothing crazy. Anyway now I am taking a hard look at what goes in! It only took me over 40 years to get here!
    @karbruce
    I'm 56 and cycle c. 100 miles a week and strength train three times a week. I've got far more "me time" in my 50's than my 30's & 40's. So "impossible" is a bit OTT.

    I was supporting a friend doing a 24hr cycle event and there were amazingly fit, healthy, alert, full of life guys in their 70's taking part.

    The long distance rides I do have loads of retired folk enjoying their exercise and stopping at every cake shop along the way!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited June 2016
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    I love trying to out run my diet.. is it bad no. In the past I was bad not the diet!
  • protoplasmica
    protoplasmica Posts: 12 Member
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    This is why I started climbing - circuit indoor bouldering can burn approx 60 calories for every 5 minutes you're ascending on the wall (depends on the route. Overhangs burn far more calories) The climbing gyms I use give you a whole day pass so I usually try to climb continuously for 5-10mins, rest, then repeat for as long as I can. I usually clock 20-30mins a day so that's approx 240 calories. I supplement this with a cardio/weight programme Doesn't cancel out the bad diet entirely, as I still have to restrict, but it does allow me to indulge & is way more fun than running.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I concur with what other people have said - it depends how 'bad' your diet is.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Technically, sure. It's just a saying, not to be taken literally.
  • chrislee1628
    chrislee1628 Posts: 305 Member
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    as you get fitter, then you need to work harder to burn the same amount of calories, but CiCo still applies

    a person that is obese will burn more calories doing the same walk for example than someone that is fit, but as that obese person gets fitter, they will need to work harder, just like if the fit person was to get fatter, then the exercise that they did when they were fit, they will burn more calories

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