To exercise or not to exercise that is the question?

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LittleVikki
LittleVikki Posts: 88 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Okay, If i'm eating 1200 cals do I have to exercise to lose weight? Because if i exercise I then have to eat my cals back or i'll go into starvation mode and I dont see the point in that because i feel happy with the amount of calories i'm eating and don't feel I need anymore

any thoughts?

Replies

  • xxthoroughbred
    xxthoroughbred Posts: 346 Member
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    You will likely lose weight since that's a deficit but you really should work out for the sake of your health.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    You can lose by dieting without exercising, but don't you want to start a lifetime of healthy habits off right? You are young now, but trust me...you'll blink and be 25, or 30, then 40, and if you want to make a healthy lifestyle change, this is the best time to start the good habits!
  • LittleVikki
    LittleVikki Posts: 88 Member
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    Don't get me wrong I love doing exercise! but I just don't wanna eat back my cals and I'm quite nervous to up my cals incase I put on weight
  • dakoerber
    dakoerber Posts: 308 Member
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    You can lose by dieting without exercising, but don't you want to start a lifetime of healthy habits off right? You are young now, but trust me...you'll blink and be 25, or 30, then 40, and if you want to make a healthy lifestyle change, this is the best time to start the good habits!

    Totally agree! Exercise is not only about losing weight. Its about strengthening your heart, lungs etc. It keeps you young and able to do all kinds of things!
  • smrtcar
    smrtcar Posts: 104 Member
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    I find I don't have to eat my workout calories.
  • dakoerber
    dakoerber Posts: 308 Member
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    Don't get me wrong I love doing exercise! but I just don't wanna eat back my cals and I'm quite nervous to up my cals incase I put on weight

    You won't gain weight by eating those calories back.
  • fastbelly
    fastbelly Posts: 727 Member
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    Exercise isn't only a weight loss thing. Exercise and a active lifestyle should be part of everyone's life. Studies show that active people are much less likely to develop deseases as bad as cancer or heart desease.
    It is likely that you will lose weight at 1200 calories, since you're at a deficit but you don't rake in the benefits of aerobical work on your body. If you don't like to exercise often, aim for perhaps twice a week for 30 to 60 minutes or so. That will in itself show a big difference on your energy levels I'm sure.
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    of course you COULD lose weight that way, but you are not going to get fit that way. So, the question vollies back to you - how many benefits would you like to gain from it all?

    MFP took into account everything you plugged in when determining your goals. You definitely want to try to eat back at least half, if not all of your calories, if possible so you do not go into starvation mode.
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
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    The importance of exercise is to build your muscles/tone your body. Muscle is denser than fat. So if we both weigh 120 pounds, but I have less body fat/more muscle because I exercise, I will appear to be thinner. ;-)

    Sooooo, exercise! :-) You may or may not have to eat back all of the calories. If you aren't hungry, don't eat them back. :-)

    I was stressing over the whole "gotta have 1200" thing. And well, I'm not going to anymore. I lost 15 pounds in May from a 1000 calorie diet and felt a LOT better than with the 1200.... So, as long as I'm somewhere between those 2 and not hungry, I'm not eating my calories back. ;)
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    You don't HAVE to eat back your exercise cals.

    Now, exercising on only 1200 cals is probably not a great idea, you need some decent fuel for your workout. But your body is a bit more complicated than an adding and subtracting machine, so you can play about with how much fuel you need.

    Exercise is a good thing, keep doing it!
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    If you're only eating 1200 calories a day, if you exercise, then it's my firm belief that you must eat back, so that your net calories don't drop below 1200. You're already at a deficit by eating 1200 calories to whatever amount of calories your body would need to simply maintain your weight. You'll still be on track to lose that weight. I think you should definitely eat your exercise calories to make sure you're at least netting 1200.

    And remember, too large a deficit, and your body might start sabotaging your efforts. It might not like getting that few calories. You have to be careful how low you go. There's a reason why MFP recommends you only aim for losing one pound a week. Yes, losing up to two is still considered technically healthy, but it's difficult to sustain.

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