This sounds stupid, but please someone explain it to me!

ShyBreasts
ShyBreasts Posts: 91
edited September 29 in Fitness and Exercise
2 questions...

I understand why people lose weight when they don't eat/cut back on calories. However, surely once your metabolism has adjusted to your new diet you will stop losing weight even if you are eating healthily?


My main question is... Do you actually lose weight when exercising (YES I KNOW THAT SOUNDS SILLY BUT PLEASE CONTINUE TO READ) when you exercise how does it actually effect the weight on the scales? Some people say that you should measure yourself because that is more accurate and I do measure myself but my goal weight is 140lbs. So will I be able to get down to that faster with more exercising or am I better off to control my calories more? ALSO won't my weight stay at about 149 because I will be putting on muscle if i exercise more?

BASICALLY how does exercise effect my weight? (in terms of stone, lbs, KG...)

I know I could google this but I trust your opinions and please don't think I am too stupid for asking this, I just need someone to explain the science behind it all. Personally I think it is because exercise makes your metabolism work and therefore burn fat but I don't know if that is right?

I want to lose about 10lbs in just over a month for my boob job and I don't know what the best way to do it is. In the past I have just controlled my calories and never really exercised but I want to be fit and healthy.

Replies

  • mexiana
    mexiana Posts: 77 Member
    There is a thing called "skinny fat'. There are people who are thin, naturally thin, can eat anything and don't really gain anything. If these people are inactive and eating poorly, they can die of the EXACT SAME obesity related diseases as someone who is heavy. Exercise keeps your bones, muscles, and organs healthy.
  • ShyBreasts
    ShyBreasts Posts: 91
    There is a thing called "skinny fat'. There are people who are thin, naturally thin, can eat anything and don't really gain anything. If these people are inactive and eating poorly, they can die of the EXACT SAME obesity related diseases as someone who is heavy. Exercise keeps your bones, muscles, and organs healthy.

    Wow that is shocking!! Very scary!
  • mexiana
    mexiana Posts: 77 Member
    and yes, your body adjusts to the new calories once you've been at it for a while. I'm in the middle of a diet break right now because of that, eating at maint. for 2 weeks because my losses stalled. People get around this by changing things up. Fluctuating high and low calorie days, changing their work out routines etc.. just CHANGE!
  • mexiana
    mexiana Posts: 77 Member
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwR3SEKt_9E Watch this, you'll see :)
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,493 Member
    There is a thing called "skinny fat'. There are people who are thin, naturally thin, can eat anything and don't really gain anything. If these people are inactive and eating poorly, they can die of the EXACT SAME obesity related diseases as someone who is heavy. Exercise keeps your bones, muscles, and organs healthy.

    Great way to explain it.
  • marathonmommy0205
    marathonmommy0205 Posts: 40
    Exercise is very important when trying to loose weight.. For example whrn I was only maintaining 1200 calories a day with very little exercise I only lost 1-1 1/2 pds a week. Now I eat about 1300 calories a day and at least 40 min of some type of cardio exercise and I have been loosing about 3 pounds a week! The more cardio the better with eating healthy!
  • ChrisStoney
    ChrisStoney Posts: 479 Member
    plus it keeps you out of trouble for a few hours a day, if nothing else!!
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    There is more to this than calories in versus calories out too. Strength training and HIIT type cardio tell your body 'I WEIGH TOO MUCH...MUST SHED FAT TO MAKE THE WORK EASIER!!' Long, high burn steady state cardio tells your body 'MUST CONSERVE...LONG, DIFFICULT WORK AHEAD!!'. How you eat impacts this too. The point is, I burn 300-350cal in just half an hour of strength training...and I only do it 3x a week. My body however is shedding fat like a madman to make that regular, yet stupidly intense burst of work easier on itself. It does this via hormonal response.

    The other benifit is I don't have to eat 1000 calories (or even close) extra to make up for that exercise. I can get by with a little extra food on my exercise days, and I'm good to go.

    30lbs in 3 months doesn't lie...and 6wks of that was on a plateau because I set my MFP up wrong, and it was telling me to eat only 1500cal a day.
  • marji4x
    marji4x Posts: 144 Member
    I understand why people lose weight when they don't eat/cut back on calories. However, surely once your metabolism has adjusted to your new diet you will stop losing weight even if you are eating healthily?

    It is all about how many calories your body needs a day in order to maintain basic functions like breathing, your heart beating etc. Even if you were in a coma, your body would go on burning a certain number of calories in order to maintain life functions. For me, this figure (known as BMR) is about 1500-1600 calories a day. When I factor in that I do other things like get up and go to the bathroom, or wash dishes, etc... I burn about 1700-1800 calories. So in order to NOT gain weight I should only eat that amount. When I've lost more weight those figures will change, so I need to figure out my new BMR.

    If I want to LOSE weight I need to think of it as 3500 calories = 1 lb. To lose a lb a week I must burn 3500 calories a week. That's 500 a day (I don't know the amounts for stone, or kilos but you can probably figure it out, the logic is the same). Now, it is unsafe to eat under my BMR (1500-1600) because my body will start burning muscle along with the fat out of desparation, slowing my metabolism. So I need to eat enough to keep up with my body's needs (1700-1800 calories) then burn 500 calories a day on top of that (so I burn 2200-2300 a day).

    So that's where the exercise becomes part of weight loss. You could technically just eat 500 calories less and not exercise but that leads to your body eating up your muscle along with the fat...which is why so many people go on these low calorie diets and lose a ton of weight then gain it all back....their metabolism gets ruined and they can't eat at normal amounts anymore. Exercise is also just good for you regardless of weight loss....it's good for circulation, for the heart, etc.



    Do you actually lose weight when exercising ALSO won't my weight stay at about 149 because I will be putting on muscle if i exercise more?

    Yes, you can lose weight with exercise. You can ALSO not lose weight because of muscle because muscle weighs more. But you won't look fatter, you'll look trimmer. Check this out for instance: http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/22/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/

    If you want more info on BMR and all that, I learned most of what I know from www.fat2fitradio.com A lot of what they say is backed up by people on MFP as well and it's been working for me so far :)

    Good luck!!!
  • ShyBreasts
    ShyBreasts Posts: 91
    I understand why people lose weight when they don't eat/cut back on calories. However, surely once your metabolism has adjusted to your new diet you will stop losing weight even if you are eating healthily?

    It is all about how many calories your body needs a day in order to maintain basic functions like breathing, your heart beating etc. Even if you were in a coma, your body would go on burning a certain number of calories in order to maintain life functions. For me, this figure (known as BMR) is about 1500-1600 calories a day. When I factor in that I do other things like get up and go to the bathroom, or wash dishes, etc... I burn about 1700-1800 calories. So in order to NOT gain weight I should only eat that amount. When I've lost more weight those figures will change, so I need to figure out my new BMR.

    If I want to LOSE weight I need to think of it as 3500 calories = 1 lb. To lose a lb a week I must burn 3500 calories a week. That's 500 a day (I don't know the amounts for stone, or kilos but you can probably figure it out, the logic is the same). Now, it is unsafe to eat under my BMR (1500-1600) because my body will start burning muscle along with the fat out of desparation, slowing my metabolism. So I need to eat enough to keep up with my body's needs (1700-1800 calories) then burn 500 calories a day on top of that (so I burn 2200-2300 a day).

    So that's where the exercise becomes part of weight loss. You could technically just eat 500 calories less and not exercise but that leads to your body eating up your muscle along with the fat...which is why so many people go on these low calorie diets and lose a ton of weight then gain it all back....their metabolism gets ruined and they can't eat at normal amounts anymore. Exercise is also just good for you regardless of weight loss....it's good for circulation, for the heart, etc.



    Do you actually lose weight when exercising ALSO won't my weight stay at about 149 because I will be putting on muscle if i exercise more?

    Yes, you can lose weight with exercise. You can ALSO not lose weight because of muscle because muscle weighs more. But you won't look fatter, you'll look trimmer. Check this out for instance: http://everydaypaleo.com/2011/06/22/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/

    If you want more info on BMR and all that, I learned most of what I know from www.fat2fitradio.com A lot of what they say is backed up by people on MFP as well and it's been working for me so far :)

    Good luck!!!
    Thank you so much for this answer! It has really helped me!!
  • Helice
    Helice Posts: 1,075 Member
    Well im not a scientist or anything, and the things i know are only little things that i have read and heard from people who also proberlly arnt scientists..

    But heres what i think ->>..

    Im pretty sure that when you exercise 2 different things can happen...
    Cardio exercise makes your body shred the fat that is on you. But also builds muscle in the area where you are repeatedly using the muscles to get you through the cardio exercise...
    This makes you loose weight because you are shredding fat, but also makes you gain a tiny weiney bit of weight because of the slight muscle build...

    However if you do strength building exercise then you build muscles.. Which will make you gain some weight, but then the new "heavy" muscle will make you start to shred your fat faster..
    It will also improve your stamina so that when you do cardio exercises you can give more and you can burn more....

    And i forgot what the other things you asked are...
  • crisanderson27
    crisanderson27 Posts: 5,343 Member
    It is only possible for the human body to gain approximately 1lb of lean mass a month. That is for a male bodybuilder on a strict heavy lifting routine, eating a bulking, protein heavy diet. Anyone else will build less...with women building the least.

    The whole 'you're gaining muscle' excuse for weight plateaus and/or gain...even when you're trimming up...is pretty much inaccurate. Mostly it's water weight, as your body holds onto it's water stores to help feed the new muscle you're trying to build.

    In six months..if you're a couple lbs heavier than you expected, but still look like your goal, that could be muscle. In any amount of time less than that...the whole muscle thing is out the door.
  • marji4x
    marji4x Posts: 144 Member
    However if you do strength building exercise then you build muscles.. Which will make you gain some weight, but then the new "heavy" muscle will make you start to shred your fat faster..
    It will also improve your stamina so that when you do cardio exercises you can give more and you can burn more....

    This is true. A pound of muscle will burn many more calories than a pound of fat. That's without exercise, even just sitting there....doing nothing...it still burns more! So getting your muscles built up (not like a bodybuilder just you know, get stronger, get toned) will help you to be able to burn through more calories later too :)
  • Katie3784
    Katie3784 Posts: 543
    I am proof that exercise definitely causes weight loss. I am a 5'5", 125lb woman who eats around 2000 calories a day and still loses about a pound a week. I workout 1.5-2 hours a day so my body needs a lot of calories.
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