Is there any benefit in exercise if you are still eating badly/too much?

cyaneverfat
cyaneverfat Posts: 527 Member
in Getting Started
Cause sometimes it seems pointless, or like you shouldn't do it if you aren't fueling your body properly, you know?

Replies

  • cyaneverfat
    cyaneverfat Posts: 527 Member
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Exercise is good for your body, so you just do it anyway. What do you eat for example and how much over are you on your calories?

    Just a hypothetical
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    Its still better than not doing it at all. Lots of people are overweight, and eat a lot, but have a healthy heart and are strong as hell because of exercise.
  • koalathebear
    koalathebear Posts: 236 Member
    If you're trying to lose weight, then you won't lose weight if you're eating more than you're burning. That being said, like other people have mentioned above, moving and doing exercise is better than not moving so there is still a benefit healthwise even if the weight loss benefit is probably negated by the poor/overeating. Plus if you're eating only the wrong foods, you're going to run out of steam pretty quickly in terms of exercise.
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Weight is mostly about what you eat, and health/shape is mostly about exercise, so yes, of course.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Being successful means at least a little discipline. You figure out what you really want and the sacrifices needed to get there. It has to be worth it to you. However, you don't say your age, but sooner or later you have to pay the piper. Better to create good habits when you're younger. Good luck.
  • cyaneverfat
    cyaneverfat Posts: 527 Member
    NuggetLovesEdie wrote: »
    It sounds like the hypothetical situation may be reflective of the cognitive bias/distortion "all or nothing thinking".

    The thinking goes something like, "I'm not doing everything I can, so why bother doing anything."

    I can relate to this thought. It's the thought that keeps me from going to the doctor for preventative care because I'm not taking very good care of myself sometimes. It's the same thought that says, "I can't work out the way I want to on the schedule I prefer, so I won't do any of it." It's the thought that says, "You've already messed up your day with that lemon donut from the coffee stand, so you might as well eat the cake in the break room."

    There are significant benefits to exercise that have nothing to do with weight loss: decreased stress, increased resting metabolic rate, increased bone density, improved immune function, mood improvement, better sleep, decreased risk for a BUNCH of diseases including stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, depression, etc.

    Of course you'll see more health benefits from getting to and maintaing a healthy weight while also being physically active.

    And if you're a perfectionist or type A kind of person, learning to embrace the imperfect and doing what you can on any given day while also recognizing the definition of "what you can" will change from day to day depending on other variables probably serve you better in the long run than getting the "f*** its" and spending long stretches of time doing little or nothing to support your health.

    Brilliant thank you. The kind of answer I needed.
  • cyaneverfat
    cyaneverfat Posts: 527 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Are you sure your head is really in the game OP?

    Good point. I'm getting there.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    I hope you do "get there" but it is a process.

    Four surprising benefits to me when I started getting regular exercise were:

    1. I could eat a bit more. If you are using Myfitnesspal and you exercise, the way the calculations work, you can eat a little more on those days.
    2. When I exercise it makes it easier to stay in goal (calorie wise.) I'm not as hungry and I've also taken an hour to do something enjoyable and good for me.
    3. When I exercise, I tend to want to get other things accomplished AND I tend to want to eat better and with better nutrition. It's a snowball effect of doing the right thing and the healthy thing for myself.
    4. I sleep so much better and have much less anxiety on days I exercise. This in itself makes exercise worth it.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    Exercise is beneficial regardless but you will have more energy and feel better eating healthier choices.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    riffraff2112 wrote: »
    Its still better than not doing it at all. Lots of people are overweight, and eat a lot, but have a healthy heart and are strong as hell because of exercise.

    This.

    When I was obese (for 20 years) I was always RELATIVELY healthy for my weight and I think getting exercise and eating somewhat healthy food (but too much of it) was a big part of that, along with genetics.
  • RiffsnBarbells
    RiffsnBarbells Posts: 27 Member
    Absolutely! In my experience when people make drastic changes to their diet without exercising it rarely ever sticks. Lifting can help you retain muscle and burn more calories long term and any cardio/conditioning work will help burn some extra calories while conditioning your energy systems (metabolism).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,213 Member
    For well over a decade, I was very active (even competing as an athlete in a short-endurance sport - not a star, but "in the pack" in performance results with others of my age, many of whom were not obese).

    Comparing myself to peers (i.e., friends and relatives, so people I actually know) of similar weight, there were numerous advantages to being relatively fit while fat, versus fat and unfit. I was stronger, had better endurance, my resting heart rate was lower, and more.

    Still, I wasn't "healthy": My blood pressure was high-normal, my cholesterol/triglycerides were high, I experienced some health issues that are normally correlated with obesity (even though non-obese people can experience them, too) such as cancer and gallbladder adenomyomatosis.

    I agree with others above that getting one's head in the game, figuring out ways for your current self to be happy and satisfied but still give your future self better odds of the same, avoiding the trap of all or nothing thinking, taking control of the things you can personally control or influence to make change . . . those are really important.

    But I think it's fine to start with the things that are easiest for you, personally, and proceed from there. If exercise is easier for you than diet, it's a fine on-ramp to improved health. Just gradually keep heading up onto the health highway. ;)
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Every activity carries a benefit and harm. Thinking of exercise and diet as two sides of an equation - moderate exercise certainly isn't going to hurt, but serves as a great mitigator with several other benefits outside of CICO.

    Comparing two subjects:

    Subject A eats 2000 kcals/day and burns 300 kcals through exercise. If their BMR is 1500 this amounts to a 200 kcal surplus.

    Subject B east 2000 kcals/day and doesn't exercise. If their BMR is 1500 this amounts to a 500 kcal surplus.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited September 2019
    cyaneverfat wrote: »
    Cause sometimes it seems pointless, or like you shouldn't do it if you aren't fueling your body properly, you know?

    Exercise is good for you regardless. I'm a former competitive athlete and I can tell you my nutrition was nowhere near optimal...I still was very fit and kicked *kitten*.

    There are numerous health benefits from regular exercise outside of weight loss or weight management. Regular exercise is one of the single best things you can do for your body.

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