Not going to bother exercising today?

StopTheGroundhog
StopTheGroundhog Posts: 53 Member
in Motivation and Support
How many times have you heard: "Losing weight is 90% diet"? On paper of course, this is true. However, exercise impacts your diet.
1. I just completed a 55 minute killer spin class. It was so gruelling and horrible and I was a red, sweaty mess afterwards. According to my bike, I burned c.570 calories. That's the same as a chocolate chip cookie from Starbucks. Knowing how painful it was to burn off - am I really going to stroll into a SB and stick a cheeky CCC on my order without even noticing?? No way. The exercise helps me to quantify the real value of a calorie! But I have to keep exercising regularly or its easy to forget!
2. Exercise blasts stress. I am under stress. A lot. Not in any serious way, but like everyone - the pace of modern life and technology revs up my fight or flight mode without ever finding a means of release - until I find myself absent-mindedly eating a giant piece of bread and butter at the kitchen surface, y'know, because it just FEELS BETTER. However, I don't need to do this when my entire cortisol reserve has been exhausted on a 10 minute set of HIIT sprints.

So yes, when it comes to pure CICO maths, losing weight probably is 90% diet. But excercise makes getting your diet right, so much easier. If you simply see exercise as a means of burning off a few 100 calories, the effort sometimes doesn't seem worth it and it is easy to justify skipping it, but the broader impact exercise has on you're overall weight-loss journey is much greater than the sum of its parts.

Go put your trainers on!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    While I do agree for the most part, the you have to do X to burn off Y isn't something I really buy into...it ignores the fact that I'm burning calories 24/7 just being alive and that I burn calories going about my day to day, not just exercising.

    When I exercise regularly, it helps me keep my diet in order for the simple fact that I tend to crave quality nutrition and I want to feed my body good. When I get lazy, which happens from time to time, I just tend to not care as much about nutrition.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Well, sure. If you surround yourself with like-minded individuals, and read fitness magazines and books, that also helps. Certainly as compared to hanging out with a brunch crowd.
  • BeezBeez
    BeezBeez Posts: 41 Member
    Yes. I am much more likely to make smart food choices when I'm exercising regularly. For me, it works in a few ways. I agree with both your points, also with cwolfman13's point about craving nutritious foods (plus, I can feel in my workout when I haven't fueled myself properly). I also try to schedule my workout during the part of my day when I'm most likely to snack. If I don't have the downtime then, I don't mindlessly shove snacks in my face.

  • ashleighsteele24
    ashleighsteele24 Posts: 5 Member
    I have to agree for the most part. I need days off of course.. But I notice on days I actually work out, I'm more likely to say no to the chips or extra snacks. But on days where I don't exercise, I'm more likely to have the "I have to have it" attitude about junk food. Not sure why it's like this but it is.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    ok. it's not perfect, but yes
    l1pw1d56jbto.png
  • chunkytfg
    chunkytfg Posts: 339 Member
    If you're a bigger guy then by all means don't bother exercising as you have ~2500 calories a day to play with and it's really not difficult. However if yours a smaller person working with much smaller numbers you really don't have a choice if you don't want to end up resenting the process.

    1200cals is not fun so being able to add 300-500 to that number makes life much simpler.
  • mel35645
    mel35645 Posts: 267 Member
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    ok. it's not perfect, but yes
    l1pw1d56jbto.png
    OMG this is awesome!!!
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    chunkytfg wrote: »
    If you're a bigger guy then by all means don't bother exercising as you have ~2500 calories a day to play with and it's really not difficult. However if yours a smaller person working with much smaller numbers you really don't have a choice if you don't want to end up resenting the process.

    1200cals is not fun so being able to add 300-500 to that number makes life much simpler.

    if you are male 1200 calories is too little anyway. 1200 is the minimum for a woman who is very short,sedentary,and elderly or a combo of those things.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    I log food to manage my calorie intake and help meet nutritional goals. I plan my eating. I don't forget that calories matter.
    I don't think I have to feel worse about a cookie than a banana or a grilled chicken sandwich if it fits my calorie goal that day. I don't have to exercise off a cookie any more than I have to exercise off my regular dinner. A cookie may leave me hungry later if it takes the place of more filling food. I dislike being hungry so I'm not going to choose a giant cookie very often.

    Some activity helps me with stress management but I've found other types of exercise (intense) make me feel more agitated or angry. If I am really stressed cleaning, walking or meditation are actually my go to responses rather than eating.

    I exercise for heath benefits not weight management.

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