Do you exercise because you enjoy it or so you can eat more?
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Both.
Some days I really just want to take my new body out and tune it up a bit more. Some days I’m not feeling it but want to work on my strength. And some days (I’m looking at YOU, PMS) I’m just really tired and really hungry and I make myself do it for the chocolate biscuit.7 -
Currently, I row 10k meters/day in an hr to burn 550 cals/day specifically so that I can eat more.
The main reason being, my maintenance calorie limit is only 1750, which is just too little food. So, I eat 2200 and net 1750 which fills me up so that I don't feel starved and the additional cals also provide me w/the additional protein and other nutritional content that I want/need.
Rowing 10k meters day also provides cardio and physical (strength/fitness) benefits that I believe are better than the arbitrary but generally accepted goal of walking 10k steps/day because I row a lot faster & burn a lot more cals (thereby exerting more effort) and make use of more muscles (it's estimated at you use 84% of the muscles in both your lower and upper) rowing than walking (which is pretty much limited to just your lower body) in the same amount of time.
Daily exercises is also repeatedly reported as a benefit to good health in terms of reduced risk of cardio vascular and numerous other diseases (both mental and physical) associated w/old age, which at 67 is obviously a concern of mine.
So, it would be advisable to row 10k meters a day even if I didn't need/want to eat more.1 -
A little of both. I really enjoy it when my family leaves me alone while I exercise, which is most of the time. I do my resistance, then listen to audiobooks while I'm on the treadmill. It's usually my tranquil period, though I have been forced to administer the occasional spelling or science test while I'm working out. I like burning the extra calories, don't get me wrong, but I really enjoy the "me" time most.4
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I exercise because I like the changes its made to the way I feel both physically and emotionally. And I ain't getting any younger!
Sure diet alone will help me with my weight loss. But I feel stronger doing day to day tasks because of the work I have done on my body. I raked my yard a few weeks ago and this is the first Spring I did not feel stiff and sore for days after. And I feel proud when I think of how much progress I have made since I started exercise. (heavier weights, better breathing, proper jumping jacks instead of modified ones)
The fact I can eat more is totally just a bonus for me. And it works out well if I have a special occasion where I am eating away from home.3 -
I exercise so I can eat and drink ETOH.3
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I'm short, old, and for once at a healthy weight. Damned straight I exercise so I can eat more.13
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I started running to accelerate weight loss and to eat more. It gave me the rungries!! Now I run because it's like crack and I get a little twitchy without it.3
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There are more than those two possible reasons. There are a million possible reasons. OK, I'm exaggerating . . . but at least a dozen
After many adult decades being sedentary, I became an athlete while obese and not even trying to lose weight. (I'm a rower, though that's not all I do.) It was for fun, camaraderie, and health - for starting alone, even. (I'm a cancer survivor).
I'm just as active now. It's still fun. Since I'm a lazy hedonist, I rarely do things that aren't fun.
Nowadays, age 62, I have the added motivation of keeping future Ann healthy, strong, independent, and out of an assisted living facility as long as possible. That leads me to do more strength training than I would otherwise, though I don't find that as fun as many other people do.
Eating more is just a bonus.
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So many great replies. Thanks everyone.
I guess I’m just struggling with not being able to run - posterior tibial tendon syndrome - basically feet are ruined and every morning it’s painful.
I walk a lot, today was just under 6 miles which is the lower end of my average mileage. But there was often 5+ miles of running on top of that almost daily before ... I could eat whatever I liked... and I did!!
I’m not hugely overweight, but my clothes were getting tight and I didn’t like the reflection in the mirror ...
I’m very much a grazer when it comes to food.. small things all day, so cutting a lot of that out has been hard.... even snacking on healthy stuff the calories whizzed up!
I used running for my mental health a few years ago. It got me back into the real world tbh... I was so miserable ... maybe that’s part of the problem too, not being able to do it makes me a bit sad
Ha.. I actually didn’t intend for this to be a huge sympathy drain!!
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You don't **HAVE** to exercise, OR to be active, to lose weight.
Arguably your count of calories out and ability to estimate your deficit would be more **accurate** if you are not very active and do not exercise.
It is **extremely** desirable to be active and to exercise. You will be much healthier if you do.
If your TDEE is increased because of activity and exercise you can accommodate, in a healthy manner, a larger absolute sized deficit than if your TDEE is lower.
On MFP your goal is a goal, not something you have to come under.
You ADD to your goal the true net calories burned by your exercise because your goal already includes your deficit.
It is NOT always desirable to lose at a faster rate!
In fact is you're in the low overweight or in the normal weight range a 20% deficit is probably the upper limit you should be aiming for. This increases to ~25% for people whose energy reserves are such that they are often categorised as obese.
And a 20% deficit for people with a TDEE of 2500 Cal or less, is in the 500 Cal/1lb a week range.
Oh, and I started with a goal of "no day less than 5000 steps" when I was morbidly obese, because "everyone knows that people cannot lose weight and keep it off, so at least I should try to be a bit healthier, maybe eat less fries and more salads and move a bit more"
This was in January 2014. ~9 stone / ~127lbs / ~57kg ago. I now eat both less fries and less salads than I used to!!!5 -
I exercise because it's become a habit. I like what I do, I just don't enjoy it most of the time.
For me, exercising just to eat more is tipping into ED territory.4 -
Both, I find exercise helps me a lot with my anxiety and makes me feel better in general. I look forward to it now. I also really, really appreciate the extra calories. I’m older and short-‘nuff said;)1
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Do you exercise because you enjoy it or so you can eat more?
I don't love exercise. I don't hate it I guess but I gravitate toward sedentary hobbies and activities. Walking is what I do most because it is easy to fit in my day and I feel more relaxed.
I exercise for the health benefits and to increase my calories.
MFP gives you a calorie deficit goal without exercise. If you stick to that amount you do not actually have to exercise to lose weight. If you have trouble sticking to it you can add exercise to get more calories, plan and prelog your food better for the day or maybe change to a slower rate of loss. If you have 20 lbs or less to lose set your goal for .5 lb a week or a 250 calorie daily deficit and you might find it more comfortable. You don't have to make massive changes to your diet or exercise a ton if you are not very overweight.
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There are more than those two possible reasons. There are a million possible reasons. OK, I'm exaggerating . . . but at least a dozen
After many adult decades being sedentary, I became an athlete while obese and not even trying to lose weight. (I'm a rower, though that's not all I do.) It was for fun, camaraderie, and health - for starting alone, even. (I'm a cancer survivor).
I'm just as active now. It's still fun. Since I'm a lazy hedonist, I rarely do things that aren't fun.
Nowadays, age 62, I have the added motivation of keeping future Ann healthy, strong, independent, and out of an assisted living facility as long as possible. That leads me to do more strength training than I would otherwise, though I don't find that as fun as many other people do.
Eating more is just a bonus.
Ugh, autocorrect . . . and too late to edit. "staying alive", of course.1 -
I was an avid runner until injury stopped that. Kinda lost all my motivation to exercise in way, carried on eating like I WAS exercising... and now I’m back logging calories. Gained just under a stone in weight...
I’ve had 3 healthy meals, a few bits of fruit and some nuts today. I went to the gym (circuits class) and have walked around 5 miles.... but I’m only 50 calories under my allowance...
How much do I need to do to have a decent calorie deficit? I’ll never lose the weight at this rate!
I definitely need to exercise more but I’m just not enjoying it...
As others have touched on, if you told MFP you want to lose weight, then your calorie goal already includes your deficit. You don't need to be under your calorie goal by a specific amount, you need to be AT your calorie goal.5 -
For me, it's definitely both. I feel marginally competent when I run, and very competent when I spin, swim, lift, and go to barre.
But, I also like that being active means that I can pursue a decent deficit and still get to eat 1400 calories a day, and still lose weight. My insulin sensitivity is very high (I'm a type 1 diabetic), and I attribute that to being active.1 -
I am also a runner and as a busy mom, running is my only real me time and it’s also a social gathering as most of my friends are people I run with or take other fitness classes with. Do I love every second of it? Ha! No, but I feel that way about everything in life, including parenting, working and marriage. Sometimes it’s amazing and you have that runner’s high....other times you just want it to be over. But I wouldn’t be me without it.
I’m not sure it impacts my weight. My body looks much better than it did 2 decades ago, when I was in my 20s and hadn’t yet caught the running bug. I don’t have cellulite! i don’t jiggle or have love handles! But I have been running as long as I have been a mom (15 years) and pretty consistently.... the only thing that seems to impact the scale is what I eat and how much of it. I hit my highest weight last year right after a half marathon.5 -
I started so I could eat more, now I feel yucky if I don't move around enough in some way every day. It might be a lot of walking or a class or playing with my kids, but I'd have trouble going back to being a couch potato.4
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I walk my dog because he insists I only get a few extra calories, but it is a nice bonus1
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