Should I exercise just to eat

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HittingHerStride
HittingHerStride Posts: 82
in Fitness and Exercise
after dinner I will be out of calories for the day, does it make sense to do some additional exercise later just to earn more calories so I can have a snack later? or is it just counter-productive
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Replies

  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    It is not counter-productive. It's the name of the game!

    I promise, it's perfectly OK! I do it ALLLLLLLLL the time. So do my friends, who have had some of the biggest losses and most success on MFP.

    Bust your butt and earn the calories for whatever you want, then enjoy, happy in the knowledge that you totally earned it!!!!
  • nikkylyn
    nikkylyn Posts: 325 Member
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    Is this a healthy snack.

    I wouldnt exercise just to eat some brownies or something...lol

    I dont think a light snack would hurt and a nice walk after dinnner :)
  • RunHardBeStrong
    RunHardBeStrong Posts: 33,069 Member
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    Is this a healthy snack.

    I wouldnt exercise just to eat some brownies or something...lol

    I dont think a light snack would hurt and a nice walk after dinnner :)

    this!
  • rc630
    rc630 Posts: 310 Member
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    This wouldn't be any different than you wanting to exercise, and happening to decide to eat those earned calories back later.

    Eating them back has worked just fine for me.
  • EBFNP
    EBFNP Posts: 529 Member
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    Or you can make it up another day, but that is a tricky thing to do..lol..If I know I am going out to eat for dinner or plan to "cheat", I either eat lighter or workout harder during the day.
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
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    Is this a healthy snack.

    I wouldnt exercise just to eat some brownies or something...lol

    I dont think a light snack would hurt and a nice walk after dinnner :)

    Hell if I want a brownie I'm gonna eat a brownie and work my butt off to burn the cals! Deprivation is not the key.
  • lisakyle_11
    lisakyle_11 Posts: 420 Member
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    sure -- can't go wrong with the exercise and if you are really wanting a treat, you won't be depriving yourself (which can be destructive).
  • SweetLittlePrincess
    SweetLittlePrincess Posts: 3
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    Everyone I know does JUST THAT! If you earn it, you can eat it!!
  • Hollybot
    Hollybot Posts: 108 Member
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    You mean there's other reasons exercising besides getting to eat more food! Haha, no. If you want a snack later take a lap around the block and then allow yourself to eat it :)
  • DiamondEyes_x
    DiamondEyes_x Posts: 120 Member
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    Is this a healthy snack.

    I wouldnt exercise just to eat some brownies or something...lol

    I dont think a light snack would hurt and a nice walk after dinnner :)

    Hell if I want a brownie I'm gonna eat a brownie and work my butt off to burn the cals! Deprivation is not the key.

    this
  • shaypearl
    shaypearl Posts: 307 Member
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    I do it all the time. If I decide to have a big meal, I make sure I have the exercise calories readily available for me to get my grub up. MPF made me change my motto to ‘I eat to live instead of I live to eat’.
  • Chagama
    Chagama Posts: 543 Member
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    I have used the extra calories as tremendous motivation to try to workout everyday that I reasonably can. On days I don't, I have a hard time staying under my limit.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    It's not counter productive. Exercise is a good thing ..... and not just for the calories it burns. Think of the "treat" as your reward for working hard!
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
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    If you're thinking about exercising so that you can eat more, you're thinking about food as a reward.

    That is not a healthy attitude.

    Food is fuel for the body, primarily, and is used during "ritual" (family outings, parties, celebrations).

    The sooner you switch your mind to see food as fuel, the easier it will be to lose weight and keep weight off.

    I'm not arguing that you can't see food as a reward and keep weight off. Sure, some folks can. But, since over 90% of people who lose weight either don't lose weight or gain it back, the odds are that you're not doing yourself any favors by sticking with the beliefs that got us into this mess.

    Our behaviors are controlled, to a large extent, by our beliefs. If you don't change the underlying belief system, which isn't easy I realize, it will be very, very hard to change your behaviors.
  • trysha1231
    trysha1231 Posts: 163 Member
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    I have used the extra calories as tremendous motivation to try to workout everyday that I reasonably can. On days I don't, I have a hard time staying under my limit.

    This.
    This is exactly the reason I am motivated every day to get off my butt and exercise. I like being able to 'go over' my calorie limits and gain those exercise calories.
  • forevereuphoric
    forevereuphoric Posts: 13 Member
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    I agree with ATT949. Food is not a reward! Listen to what your body needs, not your mind. Once I realised this, losing weight was so much easier. I don't hate food (people tell me that I do, which is just stupid) but I see it for what it is. Nutrients and fuel.
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
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    I believe that busting my butt uses energy. I believe in fueling my body so it has energy. I believe in planning ahead.


    Knowing I earned it, and indulging guilt free, is not the same thing as "I am rewarding myself with food".
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
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    It doesn't sound like the OP is using it as a reward though. She wants a snack. So in order to have the snack she is going to exercise.

    If she exercised and then made the decision based on "well i exercised, good for me, I deserve something" then snacked that would be more a reward i would think.

    Maybe I'm wrong

    But her situation seems more like she wants a snack because she wants the snack. The exercise is just a matter of making her stay within her daily goal.

    I don't see anything wrong with that?
    I eat back at least half of my exercise calories all the time
  • wildestian
    wildestian Posts: 188 Member
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    Is this a healthy snack.

    I wouldnt exercise just to eat some brownies or something...lol

    I dont think a light snack would hurt and a nice walk after dinnner :)

    Hey! I exercise so I can eat a brownie. It is my motivation, lol. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter where the calories come from.
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
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    I do it.

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