What is worse, a bad food day or mostly sedentary day?

I have an office job and can be largely sedentary (sitting down). I need to exercise or go for walks but can days where I am glued to my desk.
Conversely, I can have some very active days (playing with kids, gym, walks) but may indulge is some comfort foods and treats.
So what is worse?

Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    edited May 2019
    Worse for what? For me, personally, if I am not lifting, unless I am eating at maintenance that is not a good situation for me. Now one day wouldn't matter to me but I would feel worse about not getting my lifting in vs bad food days consistently. As long as I'm lifting I'm good to go, even if I'm gaining a bit.

    *But since you did not specify, this is for me and my goals,. not for general weight loss. Just to clarify
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    CDCosta1 wrote: »
    hmmm I am not so sure about that. I think in terms of basic calories-in verse energy-expenditure then the response hits the mark.

    It does however, miss the real emotional and psychological impacts.

    For example, people often feel that if they have exercised then they can indulge in alcohol or processed foods which can be counter productive to the exercise performed.

    Also considering momentum, if I have been sitting around for a long time it can be harder to get up and moving again.

    You're contradicting yourself with regards to whether or not it's ok to have a day that is mostly sedentary and/or doesn't include any purposeful exercise. You say that often people who have exercised feel that they can indulge in alcohol in processed foods which can be counter productive. In the very next sentence, you talk about sitting around being a problem for you with regards to garnering the motivation to introduce some amount of movement into your day.

    I would also argue that for many people, the idea that one can "indulge" after exercise isn't about emotions. It's not an emotional response for most people. It's funny because when you said, "It does however, miss the real emotional and psychological impacts.", I thought you were going to talk about the oft discussed idea that exercise can be helpful with regards to anxiety and/or depression (not for me, sadly).

    And going back to what has already been said, weight loss is about calories in calories out. How you get there can be diverse, but it's about consuming fewer calories than you burn. Having comfort food and treats can fit in one's allotted calories of the day depending on how much they eat of those foods and how many calories they've burned (both by the very act of being alive as well as by exercising).
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,707 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    CDCosta1 wrote: »
    hmmm I am not so sure about that. I think in terms of basic calories-in verse energy-expenditure then the response hits the mark.

    It does however, miss the real emotional and psychological impacts.

    For example, people often feel that if they have exercised then they can indulge in alcohol or processed foods which can be counter productive to the exercise performed.

    Also considering momentum, if I have been sitting around for a long time it can be harder to get up and moving again.

    You're contradicting yourself with regards to whether or not it's ok to have a day that is mostly sedentary and/or doesn't include any purposeful exercise. You say that often people who have exercised feel that they can indulge in alcohol in processed foods which can be counter productive. In the very next sentence, you talk about sitting around being a problem for you with regards to garnering the motivation to introduce some amount of movement into your day.

    I would also argue that for many people, the idea that one can "indulge" after exercise isn't about emotions. It's not an emotional response for most people. It's funny because when you said, "It does however, miss the real emotional and psychological impacts.", I thought you were going to talk about the oft discussed idea that exercise can be helpful with regards to anxiety and/or depression (not for me, sadly).

    And going back to what has already been said, weight loss is about calories in calories out. How you get there can be diverse, but it's about consuming fewer calories than you burn. Having comfort food and treats can fit in one's allotted calories of the day depending on how much they eat of those foods and how many calories they've burned (both by the very act of being alive as well as by exercising).

    I agree especially with the bolded. :+1::)

    Also, I eat more when I've exercised a lot because my body needs fuel.

    Regarding the emotional/psychological aspects of food & exercise ...
    • Fortunately, exercise works very well for me to keep my emotions etc. on a reasonably even keel. I use it to burn off frustrations. I use it to celebrate victories. It's all good. :)
      .
    • Eating, on the other hand, has never been an emotional thing for me. I've always regarded food as fuel with the fortunate bonus that some food tastes great! Or maybe not so fortunate, because I can eat more than I need of the food that tastes great. :neutral:

  • CDCosta1
    CDCosta1 Posts: 5 Member
    some good responses and I think some people have picked up I intentionally omitted a context. :smile:

    For me, exercise and diet never happen in isolation of my life so can never discount the impact of my emotional state or thinking going in to a health commitment. Kids, partner, work, future, past, and present impacts all play a role. A tense confrontation can really bolster a great aggressive lifting session. Poor sleep, unfortunately can lead me towards comfort eating.

    I do think balance is a temporary state as is happiness. True happiness with life comes from not necessarily being happy but knowing how to find happiness. However happiness is not our only driver to take action.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    CDCosta1 wrote: »
    hmmm I am not so sure about that. I think in terms of basic calories-in verse energy-expenditure then the response hits the mark.

    It does however, miss the real emotional and psychological impacts
    .

    For example, people often feel that if they have exercised then they can indulge in alcohol or processed foods which can be counter productive to the exercise performed.

    Also considering momentum, if I have been sitting around for a long time it can be harder to get up and moving again.

    Being sedentary makes me feel like time is slipping away and I'm not making great use of it. And then it's gone forever. I know the reality is much more complex than that, like in the sense that having a job is really good for quality of life. But with that said, getting up and walking around a few blocks is emotionally very good for me.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I didn't go back very far to see if you stopped for a period of time but it looks like you have only been logging a week. Maybe the other thing you are missing here is that you should give yourself a little time to alter habits and ways of thinking. Perfection is not required to meet your goals and it is not a worthy goal because life is not a controlled experiment in health and fitness it is messy. Shoot for good enough as your goal.
  • HotFrieZ
    HotFrieZ Posts: 35 Member
    I LOVE to exercise but I do think diet is more influential regarding weight loss/maintenance. So if you know you have a busy week or something and only have time to focus more on diet I.e. food prep, tracking, etc, OR squeezing in some exercise, I believe you’d have better results with option one and then getting back to exercising when you are able. Also, you can just try and take the stairs a little more, go for a short 10 min walk when you have a few minutes to spare, or thrown in a quick body weight circuit while you relax and watch TV.

    Both dieting and exercising are types of stress for our bodies. So if you are going through a busy/stressful time and can only focus on one, I’d say diet is going to give you more bang for your buck. If you’re sedentary but eat at or below your maintenance, you’re going to be progressing toward your goals. However, if you exercise and blow up your diet, you may improve your fitness if that’s your primary goal, but will not succeed regarding weight loss or maintenance.

    My husband is the prime example of this. He has a sedentary job and exercises here and there yet remains slim bc he doesn’t overeat very often. Now the other health benefits of exercise are another story. T
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,231 Member
    My answer to topic question, it depends on what the day before was like.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
    Depends...which day has a higher calorie surplus?
  • thanos5
    thanos5 Posts: 513 Member
    eh i always think diet is more important, so i'll go with the 'bad' food day thing, if such a thing exists.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,394 Member
    Potentially being truly sedentary is a higher health risk than being slightly overweight.

    I believe the crossover is in the obese range.

    <Data have not been verified>
  • MrsBradyBunch
    MrsBradyBunch Posts: 182 Member
    For me, a bad food day would be worse, but I've got other issues going on besides weight.
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    For me, neither.

    I am more sedentary than "mostly sedentary" every day and it is purely by choice. CICO still works for me even without voluntary additional physical activity beyond what is necessary to live and function as an independently living adult in the US.

    A "bad" food day as far as massively excessive caloric intake beyond my calculated daily goal used to mess with my head and even caused me to abandon more than one weight loss attempt in the past decade+. After almost four years on here, not anymore. So I no longer see how it is a "bad" thing, either, because I don't let it become one.

    Probably helps that I no longer anthropomorphize/moralize or otherwise attribute emotional or psychological attributes to my food choices or level of, or absence thereof, physical activity. For me, it is indeed helping massively, at least this time around anyways. Probably also helps that the thing I am crutching on this attempt is not motivation or inspiration or resolve or anything along those lines but merely determination that finally decided to show up.