Pushing yourself harder, just so you can eat.

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  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
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    i figure it like this.

    in my previous days i would have eaten crap.

    now, if i want to eat crap for a meal, i will burn it off.

    my net result is better than it used to be.
  • futurefitgirl88
    futurefitgirl88 Posts: 284
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    haha I don't do that. I push myself harder just cause I love to!!! I don't deny myself things I love to eat... I eat within my 1500 calories and do not eat my exercise calories unless I'm hungry (which I rarely am!!) :) .....

    Yes I refuse that pizza!!
  • jgaggini
    jgaggini Posts: 2
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    I eat what I want everyday, I don't count calories, but If I know that I will be eating something that is on the higher end of what I would normally eat I do work a little harder. I am up to a little over 51 pounds lost and I have tried counting calories and cutting out bad foods but to be honest I think If I want to have pizza for supper I should have it. When I start limiting myself to what I can and can't eat I just set myself up for failure. But I had tried several different methods before I found the one that works best for me. I walk atleast 6 days a week at least 4 miles a day (usually 6) and have done so since mid January. I feel that I probably could have lost more weight by dieting but I can't cut foods out it just makes me want them more.
  • helenoftroy1
    helenoftroy1 Posts: 638 Member
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    I think because this is a lifestyle change and not a diet, situations are going to crop up in life, where you go out and you want to have what you want and I think it's healthy to think well if I exercise for so long I can eat this guilt free. Before I made this lifestyle change I just ate what I wanted just because I fancied it so I'm having it. Now I do watch my calories but I'm not not going to go out and hide myself away because I don't want to jeopardize my work so I exercise extra. I think this is a much better way of dealing with life... for me!
  • sugarbone
    sugarbone Posts: 454 Member
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    I have an issue with exercising to eat because even if I feel like it, I usually hit my macros throughout the day and after exercise I have calories to spend... but no macros. I'll stay in my calorie limit but SOMETHING is going to go over (unless it's protein, don't mind going over that. but who goes for a run so they can cheat on some eggs or chicken? lol)
  • HappyLuna
    HappyLuna Posts: 112
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    My parents do Ironman (if you unsure what it is, look it up. They are incrediable :smile:) and they enjoy it, but love being able to eat that cake and have that glass if wine, without it mattering really because they burn so many calories most days! They fuel themselves properly and enjoy their treats too. Sounds like a good life to me. A very healthy one.
  • TluvK
    TluvK Posts: 733 Member
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    I do this on some level. It's the reason I work out 7 days a week, but eating is not the reason I work out in general. I work out because I love how it makes me feel and look. But I also work out because I LOVE to eat good food. I've never been overweight, so I guess it's working for me.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    I used to do that, but it was counter-productive and I was just maintaining instead of losing. Now that I've cut a lot of bad things out of my diet, my body doesn't have the cravings it used to, and its just not worth it to blow all the hard work on say...a brownie or something.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I work hard, but not so that I can eat something I wouldn't eat anyway, I just like to earn my glass(es) of wine. Also, working hard in the gym gives me the confidence to have those little splurges now and again, because once again I'd be having them anyway. I usually eat what I need, sometimes I eat what I want.
  • olivedrab
    olivedrab Posts: 85 Member
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    I love beer, cheese, and all sorts of other foods that often get described as "forbidden" or "bad." I cook, bake, and experiment with foods on a pretty consistent basis, and would find it very limiting to dole out calories (since my personality just doesn't tend that way).

    On the other hand, I love how it feels to run or bike or hike as long or hard as I can. Getting outside for an hour or more every day keeps me sane, too.

    So for me it all adds up to keeping my food and exercise in balance. If I want to eat more, I'll exercise more and enjoy both! However, that doesn't mean that I'm ONLY exercising to eat, just that food and exercise are two sides of a healthy, enjoyable relationship for me.
  • jetscreaminagain
    jetscreaminagain Posts: 1,130 Member
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    I don't exercise solely for the purpose of earning more calories--I do it for all of the positive benifits. However, I do admit that if I know I will be going out to eat or for drinks I make sure to burn some extra calories that day. I guess I don't see the problem with that--it's about a lifestyle change--I know I will still have occassions where I am going to eat more than 1200 calories in a day, so I need to be more active in order to accomodate those calories if I want to continue to lose weight.

    It sounds like what you are talking about is if someone exercises just to be able to pig out, which I never do--even when I have the calories to spare, I still practice portion control and try to make the healthiest choices given the situation.

    What she said. Plus "I'm hungry" or "I'm over on my calories today " has provided extra motivation to exercise when the motivation might not have been there otherwise. I didn't start this liking to run or do other stuff. I've always loved good, real., food. And it works best for me to always eat at least half my exercise calories anyway. So sometimes I HAVE to eat.

    But I se your point too. If a person is exercising to fuel a binge that risks bulemia as mich as puking or taking laxatives does. But think about it keeping the net calories super low to an extreme looks lile anorexia

    The key to health is moderation, right!?
  • msiamjan
    msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
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    I have always had exercise as part of my life, for all the benefits it provides. But, since starting MFP and tracking everything, it is an extra incentive for me that can get me over the hump when I'm feeling like skipping my workout. I'll think, yeah, but I want those extra calories! Then after, I'm always glad I worked out in general and the extra calories are my bonus. So, I suppose I do what you're talking about, but view it as a good thing--because exercise is so healthy, whatever motivation gets me off my butt.

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