Why exercise?

complejo
complejo Posts: 36
edited October 1 in Fitness and Exercise
And I don't mean this in a negative way. I like to exercise and I think exercise as well as portion control are the key to healthy weight loss, but honestly I just base that on my own perception and don't really know how things work.

So my question for those who are more into the science and benefits of exercise is this:

Since this site is designed to help you lose weight with out necessarily exercising, and since we are encouraged to eat back the calories we lose when exercising, what benefits does the exercise itself have?

Does the body's metabolism increase with exercise so we are likely to burn more calories throughout the day and lose weight quicker?

Is weight loss with no exercise bad for you? Meaning, can you be a thinner person but still be out of shape and unhealthy despite the lack of excess fat?

Just curious as to how all this works. I know I feel better when I exercise, I guess I don't know why!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member

    Does the body's metabolism increase with exercise so we are likely to burn more calories throughout the day and lose weight quicker?

    Is weight loss with no exercise bad for you? Meaning, can you be a thinner person but still be out of shape and unhealthy despite the lack of excess fat?

    both of these things!

    you can be the dreaded 'skinny fat' if you dont exercise!
  • Selly7749
    Selly7749 Posts: 48
    and also you get a nice big endorphin rush :)
  • suzycreamcheese
    suzycreamcheese Posts: 1,766 Member
    its up to you. Some people like to keep fit, other people like the extra leeway it gives them with rgards to their eating, other people prefer the toned look to the just slim look
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    For me personally I never lose weight if I don't exercise! I can stick to 1200 calories a day and eat completely clean and gain weight, but if I exercise I can eat whatever I want and still lose weight. I wish I could lose weight without exercise, but for me it really isn't possible.

    If all you want to do is lose weight and don't care about being fit and can do it without exercise then I'd say 'good for you'! But for me it is 90% exercise and 10% diet.
  • Carol_27
    Carol_27 Posts: 40
    I have been down this road too, I dont like working out..its boring and I was always doing things wrong. I have always been able to achieve weight loss through food but noticed that I would be a bit 'jiggly' even though I was thin. which was ok for me when i was wearing clothes, everyone told me what a great body i have and that I 'must be working out' and I would like 'no, not really' and they think Im being modest but I was serious. Skinny fat is NOT cool when your in a bikini (yes, we all cannot hide from what we really look like when wearing a bathing suit) and my hubby is an athlete and works out like 6x's a week and would be pushing me to work out too 'honey, you look great but really would love if you could be more toned up' so I was like Ok, I will make him happy and go. Now, I REALLY NOTICE a difference btwn how I look when I dont workout vs when I workout. I look and more importantly I feel GREAT (I feel stronger/younger/more vitality) you dont notice this before but after you get into working out you feel like a 'stronger better you' mentally + physically the results will seriously surprise you.

    + you can feel proud of your discipline (you can suprise yourself I know I did!)

    -C
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
    why lose weight?
  • Jade_Butterfly
    Jade_Butterfly Posts: 2,963 Member
    Gosh that wins ? of the day! . . .. www.whytobuildmuscleandburnfat.com
  • mowu
    mowu Posts: 245 Member
    The short version:

    You want to lose weight -> Control what and how much you eat

    You want to get better health -> Exercise


    But why not have both, they are great synergies.
  • lovejoydavid
    lovejoydavid Posts: 395 Member
    It actually took us quite awhile to figure out that adiposity by itself was harmful. That is, the presence of that fat is harmful regardless of the level of fitness of the person. It was a bit of a revelation. The idea that fitness is helpful, though, has been believed all along. Resistance exercise reduces osteopenia and osteoporosis, cardiovascular exercise reduces the risk of dementia and mitigates heart disease. Adding lean body mass reduces the risk of diabetes, and prevents against future weight gain. I do believe, though, that you can get into a lot of trouble adding exercise calories back too readily, especially if you have no eye for your actual intensity.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    You really just answered your own question.
    You started saying healthy weight loss., eating right and exersize.

    weight loss, can just be eating 1200 calories worth of snickers candy bars a day and washing it down with a small jar of lard.
    calories in, calories out.
    yum, going to go back to my pig fat jar.
  • complejo
    complejo Posts: 36
    A lot of good and interesting answers.

    I think a lot of people on the site don't understand or ignore the value of exercise in getting healthy and I wonder if having the reasons (outside of just losing weight) outlined would help them see the light...
This discussion has been closed.

Categories