Can I burn off the sweet treat I ate last night?
clailah06
Posts: 9 Member
So I eat ice cream once in while, last night around 9:30 pm I ate 2 scoops of ben and jerry's cookie dough ice cream and I woke up wondering if I could burn off the icecream calories after I eat breakfast. Like eat breakfast then workout to burn off the icecream calories. Is it possible to exercise and burn off those icecream calories the next day?
2
Replies
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You can burn calories. Whether or not those are 'ice-cream calories' or breakfast calories, who knows.
Your body doesn't reboot at midnight, you can balance your calories daily or weekly, whatever suits you.12 -
How many calories was that ice cream, and how many calories do you generally eat per day?
Two scoops of ice cream will not make or break you in the long run. Your body burns calories just by existing. I do choose to exercise in general because it feels good and overall permits me to eat more. Trying to burn off specific foods by intense exercise strikes me as possible disordered eating behavior so no, I really wouldn't recommend it.10 -
It would take a LOT of exercise to burn off 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, even if you did it immediately after. However, as the above poster said, that kind mentality is heading into disordered thinking about food and exercise.
My advice? Exercise is not meant to be viewed as a way to burn off what you eat or punishment for overeating. So you had 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's--hope you enjoyed it without guilt. Just go on with your day as you normally would. It may be helpful to think of your calorie allotment as weekly instead of daily to plan ahead for big treats and not feel like you have to make up for it somehow.11 -
you can workout and burn calories, sure. but you cant tell your body to burn off the calories from your ice cream (the perceived 'bad' calories) and not the calories from breakfast (the perceived 'good' calories) do you see the disordered thinking you are developing?
look, you workout for your overall HEALTH. because it is GOOD for you. It is good for your muscles and your heart and your body as a whole. Do you burn calories and fat? yes, of course. But no more than you can tell your body where you want it to burn the fat from (lord id love to tell it to take from my stomach and not my boobs) than I can tell it to take from the chips im currently eating than from the healthy omelette I had this morning.
does that make sense?6 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »It would take a LOT of exercise to burn off 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, even if you did it immediately after. However, as the above poster said, that kind mentality is heading into disordered thinking about food and exercise.
My advice? Exercise is not meant to be viewed as a way to burn off what you eat or punishment for overeating. So you had 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's--hope you enjoyed it without guilt. Just go on with your day as you normally would. It may be helpful to think of your calorie allotment as weekly instead of daily to plan ahead for big treats and not feel like you have to make up for it somehow.
Well, it kinda depends on how big the scoops are, doesn't it? Theoretically, a standard scoop is half a cup, but in reality it varies, so who know?
Based on the nutrition label, and assuming it was the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, a full cup would be about 555 calories. It would take a 150-pound (68 kg) person about 200 minutes (3 hours, 20 minutes) of walking at 3 miles per hour (about 4.8 kph) to burn 555 net calories - about 10 miles (16 km). If you include the calories they're burning at the time to just be alive, which would be gross calories burned, and burning that many would take that person around 140 minutes (2 hours and 20 minutes) of that same walking. (FWIW, MFP calls 3 mph/4.8 kph "moderate pace".)
OP, it's just not generally practical to look at weight management that way. Exercise increases your calorie needs, but it's not some kind of penance or punishment. Exercise is supposed to be fun, and improve health, not to "make up for eating".
Moreover, B&J ice cream has nutrition. It's not evil. It's just nutrients and calories, not some kind of dietary sabotage. Yeah, it's quite calorie-dense for the amount of nutrition (and for how filling it *isn't* for most people), but it's yummy, so most people trying to manage bodyweight will either eat a modest portion, or have it relatively infrequently.
OP, don't let weight management become some kind of melodrama about an epic battle between good and evil. It's just a matter of balancing out things like calories, nutrition, satiation, and enjoyment, on average, over time. That's not always psychologically easy at every single moment, but don't make things more complicated than they need to be by demonizing foods. Think of it as a practical puzzle to be solved, not a moral battle to be fought.
For now, just log the ice cream you ate, and get on with your healthy routine. It'll be fine. One day is a drop in the ocean. The majority of days determines the majority of our progress. You'll be fine.
What we're trying to tell you is that calories in your body are kind of like a coin jar on your table. Every day you toss some coins in there willy-nilly, and take some out when you need them. If you decide you want to spend the exact calories that you put in there last week Thursday, or the coins that were change from when you bought iced tea on Tuesday, that's pretty much impossible.
Coins are just coins, calories are just calories. You gain some, you spend some. It doesn't matter which ones are which. Successful budgeting of either calories or money, at root, is about how the intake and outflow balance. The psychology of temptation and self-management can be complicated at another level, but the pure calorie level is about practical budgeting over longer periods of time.10 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »you can workout and burn calories, sure. but you cant tell your body to burn off the calories from your ice cream (the perceived 'bad' calories) and not the calories from breakfast (the perceived 'good' calories) do you see the disordered thinking you are developing?
look, you workout for your overall HEALTH. because it is GOOD for you. It is good for your muscles and your heart and your body as a whole. Do you burn calories and fat? yes, of course. But no more than you can tell your body where you want it to burn the fat from (lord id love to tell it to take from my stomach and not my boobs) than I can tell it to take from the chips im currently eating than from the healthy omelette I had this morning.
does that make sense?
thank you 😊1 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »It would take a LOT of exercise to burn off 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, even if you did it immediately after. However, as the above poster said, that kind mentality is heading into disordered thinking about food and exercise.
My advice? Exercise is not meant to be viewed as a way to burn off what you eat or punishment for overeating. So you had 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's--hope you enjoyed it without guilt. Just go on with your day as you normally would. It may be helpful to think of your calorie allotment as weekly instead of daily to plan ahead for big treats and not feel like you have to make up for it somehow.
Well, it kinda depends on how big the scoops are, doesn't it? Theoretically, a standard scoop is half a cup, but in reality it varies, so who know?
Based on the nutrition label, and assuming it was the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, a full cup would be about 555 calories. It would take a 150-pound (68 kg) person about 200 minutes (3 hours, 20 minutes) of walking at 3 miles per hour (about 4.8 kph) to burn 555 net calories - about 10 miles (16 km). If you include the calories they're burning at the time to just be alive, which would be gross calories burned, and burning that many would take that person around 140 minutes (2 hours and 20 minutes) of that same walking. (FWIW, MFP calls 3 mph/4.8 kph "moderate pace".)
OP, it's just not generally practical to look at weight management that way. Exercise increases your calorie needs, but it's not some kind of penance or punishment. Exercise is supposed to be fun, and improve health, not to "make up for eating".
Moreover, B&J ice cream has nutrition. It's not evil. It's just nutrients and calories, not some kind of dietary sabotage. Yeah, it's quite calorie-dense for the amount of nutrition (and for how filling it *isn't* for most people), but it's yummy, so most people trying to manage bodyweight will either eat a modest portion, or have it relatively infrequently.
OP, don't let weight management become some kind of melodrama about an epic battle between good and evil. It's just a matter of balancing out things like calories, nutrition, satiation, and enjoyment, on average, over time. That's not always psychologically easy at every single moment, but don't make things more complicated than they need to be by demonizing foods. Think of it as a practical puzzle to be solved, not a moral battle to be fought.
For now, just log the ice cream you ate, and get on with your healthy routine. It'll be fine. One day is a drop in the ocean. The majority of days determines the majority of our progress. You'll be fine.
What we're trying to tell you is that calories in your body are kind of like a coin jar on your table. Every day you toss some coins in there willy-nilly, and take some out when you need them. If you decide you want to spend the exact calories that you put in there last week Thursday, or the coins that were change from when you bought iced tea on Tuesday, that's pretty much impossible.
Coins are just coins, calories are just calories. You gain some, you spend some. It doesn't matter which ones are which. Successful budgeting of either calories or money, at root, is about how the intake and outflow balance. The psychology of temptation and self-management can be complicated at another level, but the pure calorie level is about practical budgeting over longer periods of time.
thanks a lot 🙂1 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »It would take a LOT of exercise to burn off 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, even if you did it immediately after. However, as the above poster said, that kind mentality is heading into disordered thinking about food and exercise.
It could lead to disordered thinking, it could just lead to better fitness.3 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »It would take a LOT of exercise to burn off 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, ...
That's pretty relative. At the 6min mark, I've hit approximately 100 calories on the Peloton. 20 minutes in, I'm past 300. 35 km/hr, consistent speed, 95 cadence on 45-47 resistance.
But yeah - enjoy the ice cream. Don't regret eating specific foods. IMHO, the psychology of temptation and self-management takes time to build, like a muscle. By logging your food daily, taking a look at your micronutrients, looking at the labels, swapping out processed for whole foods, you build the habit of being more vigilant over time with what you ingest. It was a hassle for me in the beginning, but by making it consistent, you get better with time.
If you exercise, lift weights, etc your pov regarding food can change, as you see it more as fuel than simply eating.
It's better imho to gradually build an exercise routine, get some vigourous movement in there, get the heart rate up, then log and have peace of mind knowing you have a deficit built-in.1 -
Speakeasy76 wrote: »It would take a LOT of exercise to burn off 2 scoops of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, ...
That's pretty relative. At the 6min mark, I've hit approximately 100 calories on the Peloton. 20 minutes in, I'm past 300. 35 km/hr, consistent speed, 95 cadence on 45-47 resistance.
But yeah - enjoy the ice cream. Don't regret eating specific foods. IMHO, the psychology of temptation and self-management takes time to build, like a muscle. By logging your food daily, taking a look at your micronutrients, looking at the labels, swapping out processed for whole foods, you build the habit of being more vigilant over time with what you ingest. It was a hassle for me in the beginning, but by making it consistent, you get better with time.
If you exercise, lift weights, etc your pov regarding food can change, as you see it more as fuel than simply eating.
It's better imho to gradually build an exercise routine, get some vigourous movement in there, get the heart rate up, then log and have peace of mind knowing you have a deficit built-in.
You really averaging 250 Watts for that whole effort?
That's what it would take for that calorie burn.
Agree on viewing the food as fuel strategy - helps many times with choices if you clearly have in mind what you are attempting tomorrow say, or knowing you want the best recovery from something today.2 -
Yes I'm around 230 watts or so burst wise for the first 20 min or so but will dip to maintain my stamina. My FTP is around 115%. It's what the bike tells me and I think it's well calibrated. I also wear a heart monitor bluetoothed to try to increase the accuracy of the caloric burn ( I know things essentially are estimates). I also try to not dip below 32.5 km/hr throughout the entire ride, at 46ish resistance.
I then alternate to 185 or so and then back up to 250. I am doing now around 320 for 20 second sustained intervals or so. I'm mindful of my relative fitness and so don't want to overdo things.
I am gradually upping it and trying to continue the same momentum at 48-49 resistance.
Peloton says my average wattage is around 190 or so but I'm guessing that's either since I started in April or the beginning of the month.
After the 30 minute mark, I try and settle into around 200 watts or so depending on the ride.
The first month was a shock to the system a bit but I do it nearly daily. It is incredible how the body adapts. I did 2x HIIT classes/day then switched once my stamina was up and am now doing daily 45 min rides with slightly less metrics than my HIIT numbers.
You sound surprised? I'm not really educated about these stats and have no comparison- just started in April 2021 but absolutely love it.
Here are some screens.
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Again - to reach that calorie burn - you would have to average 250 Watts the ENTIRE time.
Just informing you that even for what you think is a big calorie burn for taking care of those 2 scoops of B & J - you just barely got there.
You are being given a false calorie burn that is obviously not based on the actual power output you are obtaining that they report.
The 554 Kj is closer to the fact.
The formula for calories is average Watts x 3.6 x hrs
205 x 3.6 x 45min/60 = 553.5 calories.
Make sure you weigh those scoops for correct serving size.3 -
Just informing you that even for what you think is a big calorie burn for taking care of those 2 scoops of B & J - you just barely got there.
Easy on the condescension. It's a moot discussion given we don't know the specs for the food or the dimensions of the scoop and with "false" readings makes this whole thing pointless.You are being given a false calorie burn that is obviously not based on the actual power output you are obtaining that they report.
Well if you're going to go that route, throw in smartwatches, bikes, etc even MFP. If I enter things in manually I get a caloric burn that's 10% higher than the one Peloton gives me.
You also forgot to mention things like wind resistance, weight of subject, gender, differences between indoor and outdoor which I would imagine play a role in determining true caloric burn. It's all guesswork. Even more so, if I'm not mistaken with what I've read, with EPOC the body continues to burn calories after HIIT. Which makes this even more silly to argue over.Make sure you weigh those scoops for correct serving size.
This is the most useful thing I think in this convo.
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Just informing you that even for what you think is a big calorie burn for taking care of those 2 scoops of B & J - you just barely got there.
Easy on the condescension. It's a moot discussion given we don't know the specs for the food or the dimensions of the scoop and with "false" readings makes this whole thing pointless.You are being given a false calorie burn that is obviously not based on the actual power output you are obtaining that they report.
Well if you're going to go that route, throw in smartwatches, bikes, etc even MFP. If I enter things in manually I get a caloric burn that's 10% higher than the one Peloton gives me.
You also forgot to mention things like wind resistance, weight of subject, gender, differences between indoor and outdoor which I would imagine play a role in determining true caloric burn. It's all guesswork. Even more so, if I'm not mistaken with what I've read, with EPOC the body continues to burn calories after HIIT. Which makes this even more silly to argue over.Make sure you weigh those scoops for correct serving size.
This is the most useful thing I think in this convo.
I didn't see any condescension, just information given in good faith from someone who understands the subject better.
Your Peleton is misleading you deliberately and you are right, it's not that uncommon - the Wattbike I use indoors does the same. Comparing your Peleton's number to an even worse estimate (MFP) is interesting but not as helpful as understanding you can get better estimates if you want to.
Wind resistance - you have to produce more power to overcome it so it gets accounted for when using power for estimates outdoors.
Bodyweight - you have to produce more power to overcome gravity when heavier so again accounted for. You also want a net calorie estimate that doesn't include RMR in relation to your weight (which MFP estimate does, part of why it's a problematic and high estimate).
Gender - irrelevent, 200w output from a female or male is still 200w.
Indoor vs outdoor - irrelevant for using power for estimates. (Indicated speed is a dreadful metric indoors though.)
EPOC - all intense exercise causes EPOC, it's not unique to HIIT and the amount is trivial if you compare 20mins or HIIT vs 20mins steady state for same average output. BTW using heartrate for HIIT is dreadfully inaccurate, unlike average watts or total KJ.
4 -
Just informing you that even for what you think is a big calorie burn for taking care of those 2 scoops of B & J - you just barely got there.
Easy on the condescension. It's a moot discussion given we don't know the specs for the food or the dimensions of the scoop and with "false" readings makes this whole thing pointless.You are being given a false calorie burn that is obviously not based on the actual power output you are obtaining that they report.
Well if you're going to go that route, throw in smartwatches, bikes, etc even MFP. If I enter things in manually I get a caloric burn that's 10% higher than the one Peloton gives me.
You also forgot to mention things like wind resistance, weight of subject, gender, differences between indoor and outdoor which I would imagine play a role in determining true caloric burn. It's all guesswork. Even more so, if I'm not mistaken with what I've read, with EPOC the body continues to burn calories after HIIT. Which makes this even more silly to argue over.Make sure you weigh those scoops for correct serving size.
This is the most useful thing I think in this convo.
Didn't intend to sound condescending - was going off your statement:
"You sound surprised? I'm not really educated about these stats and have no comparison- just started in April 2021 but absolutely love it."
I could tell from your prior comment there was too much trust in some numbers a machine had given you, so when you gave a number I could see what the likely issue was.
Your screen shots confirmed it.
Now I will say - you are hitting great numbers for sure, and that is one hard workout.
Ditto's to the reasons why factors besides watts don't matter to figuring calorie burn.1
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