I quit the gym to lose weight
Replies
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OP, this is not a criticism of you, everyone needs to do what works best for them, but some points I'd like to add for lurkers:
1. Exercise "can" make you more hungry, but doesn't necessarily do that to everyone
2. Eating too much in response to exercise related hunger is not a problem if you're logging. The studies that suggest exercise hunger is a problem are generally tracking people who aren't logging their food
3. If exercise does make you really hungry, creative scheduling can help, like working out right before you would normally eat anyway, and making sure you're getting enough protein, fat, and fiber throughout the day.
All you need to lose weight is a calorie deficit, and you can do that entirely through your food. But I would hate to have newbies think that exercise is a problem or something to be avoided if you're trying to lose weight.
We are very vocal here that depending on exercise for weight loss can be a bad idea, and that exercise isn't necessary. But this thread kind of made it sound like it's a good idea or tip to stop exercise while losing weight, and I think that's why it's getting the responses it is.21 -
We are very vocal here that depending on exercise for weight loss can be a bad idea, and that exercise isn't necessary. But this thread kind of made it sound like it's a good idea or tip to stop exercise while losing weight, and I think that's why it's getting the responses it is.
Reading is fundamental.
I didn't "hear" the OP assert that anyone "should" give up exercising in order to lose weight.
All she said that was she felt that it would be personally better for her to give up lifting temporarily so that she would be better able to focus on losing weight w/o feeling hungry.
Telling her that her hunger would not be a problem if she is she just eats her exercise cals back, logs her food intake better and/or schedules when/what to eat differently is not helpful, even though it is intended to be, because it denies the OP's experience (and what she knows about herself) and presumes whatever she is or has bern doing is wrong.
There is no proof of that.
So, I think that she should just do it the way the she thinks will work best for her and I wish her the best in this regard.
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We are very vocal here that depending on exercise for weight loss can be a bad idea, and that exercise isn't necessary. But this thread kind of made it sound like it's a good idea or tip to stop exercise while losing weight, and I think that's why it's getting the responses it is.
Reading is fundamental.
I didn't "hear" the OP assert that anyone "should" give up exercising in order to lose weight.
All she said that was she felt that it would be personally better for her to give up lifting temporarily so that she would be better able to focus on losing weight w/o feeling hungry.
Telling her that her hunger would not be a problem if she is she just eats her exercise cals back, logs her food intake better and/or schedules when/what to eat differently is not helpful, even though it is intended to be, because it denies the OP's experience (and what she knows about herself) and presumes whatever she is or has bern doing is wrong.
There is no proof of that.
So, I think that she should just do it the way the she thinks will work best for her and I wish her the best in this regard.
To be fair, there are responses from another poster that "experts" say exercise can be counterproductive for weight loss. My impression is coming from the whole thread, not just the OP. I agree the OP didn't say that and she should happily do whatever works best for her.2 -
sollyn23l2 wrote: »Seriously, chill out people. Nobody's here saying exercise is bad for you, but there's a whole bbc documentary, I believe its called the truth about calories, where they talk about this. Most people will eat back more calories than they worked off in the gym. And why does that idea bother you so much you want to waste your time trolling in an Internet argument about it? Once again, everyone just needs to do what works for them and their body, not what works for YOU and YOUR body.
I’m sure most of those people don’t track their cals...
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Tracked my calories while half marathon training. Logged my exercise. Ate back most of my exercise calories but not all of them. According to MFP, roughly 250 calorie per day deficit. Guys, I was *kitten* starving. Once or twice a week I would wind up on some crazy late night binge that totally wiped out my deficit and put me into a modest surplus for the week. I wound up gaining about 5 lbs over the months of the training plan, most of it in the last 6 weeks.
Now my half is over, my running volume is a bit lower, and I'm sustaining a deficit. Overeating is generally planned (i.e. birthday party) and just results in a smaller weekly deficit rather than a weekly surplus.
With aggressive and intense training it can be hard to maintain a deficit and stay sane no matter how well you track. That's all the OP is getting at I think.18 -
Tracked my calories while half marathon training. Logged my exercise. Ate back most of my exercise calories but not all of them. According to MFP, roughly 250 calorie per day deficit. Guys, I was *kitten* starving. Once or twice a week I would wind up on some crazy late night binge that totally wiped out my deficit and put me into a modest surplus for the week. I wound up gaining about 5 lbs over the months of the training plan, most of it in the last 6 weeks.
Now my half is over, my running volume is a bit lower, and I'm sustaining a deficit. Overeating is generally planned (i.e. birthday party) and just results in a smaller weekly deficit rather than a weekly surplus.
With aggressive and intense training it can be hard to maintain a deficit and stay sane no matter how well you track. That's all the OP is getting at I think.
Which is why there's a middle ground to be found.
The OP is experiencing pushback because weight lifting doesn't have to be pursued at such a level that it makes you so hungry that you can't lose weight.
Furthermore, the OP has expressed a desire to pursue lifting to the point of gaining muscle and then cutting again, and if she can't get a handle now on how to balance a certain level of lifting with a cut, she won't be able to do it while running bulk/cut cycles which is her stated goal.10 -
Op just out of curiosity, have you attempted taking a diet break, and lifting at maintenance? If so, how did it work for you?1
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The piling on effect of the negative responses in this thread is an example of what can go wrong in the MFP forums specifically and the Net generally.
It is evidence of a lack of reading comprehension at best and raging insensitivity and hubris at worse.
The OP has said that she (I assume she) has been lifting daily at the gym but feels that she can best lose the weight she has gained by taking a hiatus from lifting to reach her goal weight before returning to lifting again.
So, why harrangue her about not lifting until she reaches her goal?
Her health, strength and fitness will not go into the toilet just because she does this and she has already said she will go back to lifting as soon as she reaches her goal weight.
There's no one right way to do things and it's presumptuous to suggest that you know better how to do what she desires to do, especially since she's already made clear that she understands the benefits of lifting.
The only thing that these such reponses will accomplish will be to make the OP reticent to post a thread or comment on MFP again and limit the participation on the forums to just the most aggressively vocal or thick skinned, which IMO is not necessarily for the better.
Amen!!!!13 -
OP, you do what's best for you.11
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jefamer2017 wrote: »The piling on effect of the negative responses in this thread is an example of what can go wrong in the MFP forums specifically and the Net generally.
It is evidence of a lack of reading comprehension at best and raging insensitivity and hubris at worse.
The OP has said that she (I assume she) has been lifting daily at the gym but feels that she can best lose the weight she has gained by taking a hiatus from lifting to reach her goal weight before returning to lifting again.
So, why harrangue her about not lifting until she reaches her goal?
Her health, strength and fitness will not go into the toilet just because she does this and she has already said she will go back to lifting as soon as she reaches her goal weight.
There's no one right way to do things and it's presumptuous to suggest that you know better how to do what she desires to do, especially since she's already made clear that she understands the benefits of lifting.
The only thing that these such reponses will accomplish will be to make the OP reticent to post a thread or comment on MFP again and limit the participation on the forums to just the most aggressively vocal or thick skinned, which IMO is not necessarily for the better.
Amen!!!!
So take the OP's thread and substitute "going to do a juice detox" for "going to stop lifting" until I reach my goal. Does this change you perspective of trying to talk her out of it?
Science, physiology, and people with a TON more experience say that strength training is very important at this stage, and will leave her much farther ahead in the long run, especially when she has the goal of improving her physique when she reaches her goal. Why would anyone here encourage someone to follow a very sub optimal plan?24 -
jefamer2017 wrote: »OP, you do what's best for you.
That's what people are trying to encourage her to do.
People who are left too hungry from exercise are usually not properly fueling their activity. There are ways around that without totally giving up on their activity unless it's something very specific like training for a power lifting competition or a marathon.
As I said in my first post, her all or nothing mentality is what's the problem. There's a middle ground. She can likely deload and cut a few training days and keep lifting.11 -
sollyn23l2 wrote: »Seriously, chill out people. Nobody's here saying exercise is bad for you, but there's a whole bbc documentary, I believe its called the truth about calories, where they talk about this. Most people will eat back more calories than they worked off in the gym. And why does that idea bother you so much you want to waste your time trolling in an Internet argument about it? Once again, everyone just needs to do what works for them and their body, not what works for YOU and YOUR body.
The idea that people overeat after exercise doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve seen it happen. The idea that not addressing that issue and learning how to maintain fitness and calories together is the solution bothers me a lot. I don’t think “Most” people eat back more either. Most people I know who train regularly track calories and macros so that they learn how to maintain their fitness. If you just avoid working out when losing because you are afraid you will be too hungry or eat too much back what does that teach you? How do you expect to return to working out without gaining weight later?
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sollyn23l2 wrote: »Seriously, chill out people. Nobody's here saying exercise is bad for you, but there's a whole bbc documentary, I believe its called the truth about calories, where they talk about this. Most people will eat back more calories than they worked off in the gym. And why does that idea bother you so much you want to waste your time trolling in an Internet argument about it? Once again, everyone just needs to do what works for them and their body, not what works for YOU and YOUR body.
The idea that people overeat after exercise doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve seen it happen. The idea that not addressing that issue and learning how to maintain fitness and calories together is the solution bothers me a lot. I don’t think “Most” people eat back more either. Most people I know who train regularly track calories and macros so that they learn how to maintain their fitness. If you just avoid working out when losing because you are afraid you will be too hungry or eat too much back what does that teach you? How do you expect to return to working out without gaining weight later?
also a lot of people think that if they burn say 600 calories in the gym(not mentioning a lot of gym equipment over estimated burns) that they can eat that amount of calories back and then some. those are usually people who dont watch their calories. my sister was the same way she would go to the gym and burn say 300 calories. she thought it was ok to go eat a big slice of cake that was say 450 calories and the exercise would offset it somehow. she could not understand why she didnt lose any weight but was gaining it.. now when you tell her to lose you have to be in a deficit she correlates that with over exercising and starving yourself.which isnt the case.she thinks exercise alone should work.1 -
Mistraal1981 wrote: »Hey all, glad to read all your input and concerns for me losing my gains!
I completely understand that I will be losing muscle as well as fat right now, but I am only looking at dropping another 10lbs (so not a massive amount and shouldn't take too long) and I have very little wiggle room when it comes to calories as I'm only 5ft3.
Personally I just find I can adhere to my calorie allowance better and make more informed adjustments when I'm not exercising as it remains constant. As opposed to trying to factor in exercise calories which will differ every day depending on what I do.
My story is more to highlight to people that they don't have to exercise to lose weight.
My plan, once I shift these 10lbs is to work with a coach on a lifting programme specifically tailored to my personal physique goals while eating slightly over maintenance for those lean gainz
Curious here. Are you doing any cardio excercise? You only mention weight/resistance training.
In the long run, exercising while eating sensibly is what gets you fit and healthy in the end, and can add many good years to your life. Use it or lose it.2 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »Seriously, chill out people. Nobody's here saying exercise is bad for you, but there's a whole bbc documentary, I believe its called the truth about calories, where they talk about this. Most people will eat back more calories than they worked off in the gym. And why does that idea bother you so much you want to waste your time trolling in an Internet argument about it? Once again, everyone just needs to do what works for them and their body, not what works for YOU and YOUR body.
The idea that people overeat after exercise doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve seen it happen. The idea that not addressing that issue and learning how to maintain fitness and calories together is the solution bothers me a lot. I don’t think “Most” people eat back more either. Most people I know who train regularly track calories and macros so that they learn how to maintain their fitness. If you just avoid working out when losing because you are afraid you will be too hungry or eat too much back what does that teach you? How do you expect to return to working out without gaining weight later?
also a lot of people think that if they burn say 600 calories in the gym(not mentioning a lot of gym equipment over estimated burns) that they can eat that amount of calories back and then some. those are usually people who dont watch their calories. my sister was the same way she would go to the gym and burn say 300 calories. she thought it was ok to go eat a big slice of cake that was say 450 calories and the exercise would offset it somehow. she could not understand why she didnt lose any weight but was gaining it.. now when you tell her to lose you have to be in a deficit she correlates that with over exercising and starving yourself.which isnt the case.she thinks exercise alone should work.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »Seriously, chill out people. Nobody's here saying exercise is bad for you, but there's a whole bbc documentary, I believe its called the truth about calories, where they talk about this. Most people will eat back more calories than they worked off in the gym. And why does that idea bother you so much you want to waste your time trolling in an Internet argument about it? Once again, everyone just needs to do what works for them and their body, not what works for YOU and YOUR body.
The idea that people overeat after exercise doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve seen it happen. The idea that not addressing that issue and learning how to maintain fitness and calories together is the solution bothers me a lot. I don’t think “Most” people eat back more either. Most people I know who train regularly track calories and macros so that they learn how to maintain their fitness. If you just avoid working out when losing because you are afraid you will be too hungry or eat too much back what does that teach you? How do you expect to return to working out without gaining weight later?
also a lot of people think that if they burn say 600 calories in the gym(not mentioning a lot of gym equipment over estimated burns) that they can eat that amount of calories back and then some. those are usually people who dont watch their calories. my sister was the same way she would go to the gym and burn say 300 calories. she thought it was ok to go eat a big slice of cake that was say 450 calories and the exercise would offset it somehow. she could not understand why she didnt lose any weight but was gaining it.. now when you tell her to lose you have to be in a deficit she correlates that with over exercising and starving yourself.which isnt the case.she thinks exercise alone should work.
Exactly! The point should be (in my opinion) to learn how to balance fitness and food. You can lose weight through diet alone but you will never be “fit” if you can’t learn how the two parts work together.2 -
Here's my question, and I'm not being critical, just curious. Why do you care about losing 10 lbs? Why is your concern with a number on the scale, rather than how you look, how you perform etc.? What about your body isn't pleasing to you, and why do you think that not working out for a time is going to improve that?8
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Here's my question, and I'm not being critical, just curious. Why do you care about losing 10 lbs? Why is your concern with a number on the scale, rather than how you look, how you perform etc.? What about your body isn't pleasing to you, and why do you think that not working out for a time is going to improve that?
This is a good point. With only 10 lbs left to go recomp may be a better way to get to her desired physique than losing anyway.3 -
Here's my question, and I'm not being critical, just curious. Why do you care about losing 10 lbs? Why is your concern with a number on the scale, rather than how you look, how you perform etc.? What about your body isn't pleasing to you, and why do you think that not working out for a time is going to improve that?
Great question. But my thought is, where is that 10 lbs on your body? If it’s evenly distributed then yes, why would you bother to lose weight. But what about when that 10 lbs is on one spot on your body? Say your middle section? You can recomp for 2 years before that fat goes away. But if you’ve been 10 lbs lighter and you know that the spare tire goes away when you hit that weight then....
By the way, I wouldn’t stop exercising to lose weight, because I exercise for ALL kinds of reasons other than losing 10 vanity lbs. Maybe she could shorten her lifting sessions and add some HIIT cardio to “earn” some more calories to eat?
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CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »Seriously, chill out people. Nobody's here saying exercise is bad for you, but there's a whole bbc documentary, I believe its called the truth about calories, where they talk about this. Most people will eat back more calories than they worked off in the gym. And why does that idea bother you so much you want to waste your time trolling in an Internet argument about it? Once again, everyone just needs to do what works for them and their body, not what works for YOU and YOUR body.
The idea that people overeat after exercise doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve seen it happen. The idea that not addressing that issue and learning how to maintain fitness and calories together is the solution bothers me a lot. I don’t think “Most” people eat back more either. Most people I know who train regularly track calories and macros so that they learn how to maintain their fitness. If you just avoid working out when losing because you are afraid you will be too hungry or eat too much back what does that teach you? How do you expect to return to working out without gaining weight later?
also a lot of people think that if they burn say 600 calories in the gym(not mentioning a lot of gym equipment over estimated burns) that they can eat that amount of calories back and then some. those are usually people who dont watch their calories. my sister was the same way she would go to the gym and burn say 300 calories. she thought it was ok to go eat a big slice of cake that was say 450 calories and the exercise would offset it somehow. she could not understand why she didnt lose any weight but was gaining it.. now when you tell her to lose you have to be in a deficit she correlates that with over exercising and starving yourself.which isnt the case.she thinks exercise alone should work.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »sollyn23l2 wrote: »Seriously, chill out people. Nobody's here saying exercise is bad for you, but there's a whole bbc documentary, I believe its called the truth about calories, where they talk about this. Most people will eat back more calories than they worked off in the gym. And why does that idea bother you so much you want to waste your time trolling in an Internet argument about it? Once again, everyone just needs to do what works for them and their body, not what works for YOU and YOUR body.
The idea that people overeat after exercise doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve seen it happen. The idea that not addressing that issue and learning how to maintain fitness and calories together is the solution bothers me a lot. I don’t think “Most” people eat back more either. Most people I know who train regularly track calories and macros so that they learn how to maintain their fitness. If you just avoid working out when losing because you are afraid you will be too hungry or eat too much back what does that teach you? How do you expect to return to working out without gaining weight later?
also a lot of people think that if they burn say 600 calories in the gym(not mentioning a lot of gym equipment over estimated burns) that they can eat that amount of calories back and then some. those are usually people who dont watch their calories. my sister was the same way she would go to the gym and burn say 300 calories. she thought it was ok to go eat a big slice of cake that was say 450 calories and the exercise would offset it somehow. she could not understand why she didnt lose any weight but was gaining it.. now when you tell her to lose you have to be in a deficit she correlates that with over exercising and starving yourself.which isnt the case.she thinks exercise alone should work.
Exactly! The point should be (in my opinion) to learn how to balance fitness and food. You can lose weight through diet alone but you will never be “fit” if you can’t learn how the two parts work together.
yep the first time I lost weight I did so without trying as I broke my leg and couldnt get to the kitchen as often. so I ate less and lost weight. the second time around I was trying and working out and lifting weights, the difference is this time I am in a smaller size and have less fat working out, and my body looks better compared to the first scenario where I did NO exercise because I couldnt do much. I am also much stronger and cant lift more and my stamina is 10x better. also I have asthma so even with my meds my breathing this time is better and I use less of my rescue inhaler because I can control my breathing better too as I can get more air in.I have to be on a controller medication for it,but this time around things have improved. even my health markers improved as well3
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