Benefit of exercising to lose weight?

pinkbatgirl
pinkbatgirl Posts: 1
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
So I need to lose a certain amount of weight, or rather a certain amount of fat, by a certain date (wedding dress problem!).
I assumed the best way to do this was diet and plenty of exercise. I soon discovered I needed to be eating back the calories I was burning on exercise to avoid my muscles being burnt instead of the fat (I'm on 1200 calories a day so any less than that isn't healthy!)

So, I'm wondering what the benefit of the exercise is since I'm eating back the calories? I was wondering if the idea is maybe that the more I exercise the fitter I get, the better my metabolism becomes and so the more efficient my body becomes with the calories and I can lose weight quicker... is that right or am I dreaming? Is there any other benefit?

Replies

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,331 Member
    More or less what you think it correct. Exercise also helps keep your metabolism working at a good speed, and if you do something other than cardio like Interval training or Strength Training that effect of increasing metabolism is longer lasting.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    The benefit of exercise is to become healthy. In the greater scheme of things, being fit is much more important to your health than losing a few pounds.

    Also, once you become fit you can easily exercise and burn lots of calories and eat a lot without ever gaining the weight back.
  • emileeanne
    emileeanne Posts: 5 Member
    I joined MFP to be able to fit into my wedding dress also! That doesn't answer your question at all, I know, but nice to see someone in the same boat :)
  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member
    You can live to be 120 years old.
  • rcramer7
    rcramer7 Posts: 138 Member
    More or less what you think it correct. Exercise also helps keep your metabolism working at a good speed, and if you do something other than cardio like Interval training or Strength Training that effect of increasing metabolism is longer lasting.

    This^

    In other words...when you do cardio you burn energy. When you stop cardio you stop burning energy.
    when you lift weights you burn energy for days.(but you have to rest and let your body
    repair itself.)
  • cyclerjenn
    cyclerjenn Posts: 833 Member
    Exercising will help you keep the muscle you have and build new muscle. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism which in turn burns more fat.

    As far as eating your calories back, I use the rule, if I'm hurgry or tired, I need to eat something, not just because MFP tells me I have calories left over.
  • RoxyLDN
    RoxyLDN Posts: 96 Member
    To be healthy, have fun and feel great!
    It's important to choose a sport that you enjoy, and once you get used to doing it, you'll see it's great fun! And then burning calories becomes a pleasure, which in turn helps losing weight. ;-)
  • rhazelwood
    rhazelwood Posts: 42 Member
    Well, a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat (can't remember the exact numbers, sorry) so that you burn more calories throughout the day even at rest. And strength training helps prevent osteoporosis, though I am sure that's not even on your radar yet.

    I don't force myself to eat back my calories. Some days I am way under because I'm not really hungry, and some days I go over because I feel ravenous. I figure my body is telling me when more fuel is needed and when it's not. Also, I have found that eating more protein and keeping the carbs and fat low helps to keep me from getting overly hungry.
  • Leiki
    Leiki Posts: 526 Member
    Exercise allows you to eat more calories when you want to.

    For every lb of muscle you gain, you burn 50 extra calories a day, naturally.

    Muscle takes up less space than fat, so a lb in muscle looks better than a lb in fat.

    Exercising will help you tone, which is especially important if you are losing a lot of fat, and don't want to have loose skin hanging around.

    Do you just want to look thin for your wedding day, or do you want to look healthy, fit, toned, and sexy for your wedding day?
  • msbellzee
    msbellzee Posts: 69
    One of the trainers at my gym told us recently that after excerise we will experience "after burn". He said if we have a healthy dinner our bodies will burn calories while we sleep. Don't know if that's true, but I liked the sound of it
  • Ripken818836701
    Ripken818836701 Posts: 607 Member
    What everyone else already said!! Plus if you dont lift while losing weight about 22% your total weight loss will be lean muscle!
    Most people who dont excerise while cutting weight are not happy with their body once they reach their goal or even surpass it.
    Eating at a deficit causes your metabolism to slow down ( its a survival mechanism) exercise causes it to speed up and burn hotter for a longer period of time.
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    Dieting alone will make you thin but flabby. Adding exercise (especially weights) will make you toned and smaller, even if you don't lose much weight, which will look a lot better for your wedding dress :-)
    Try looking up 'lorinalynn', she is a great example of this she hasn't lost many lbs but has made a big difference to her body shape from exercise.
  • hardten2lose
    hardten2lose Posts: 7 Member
    80/20 rule. 80% of your body is determined by what you feed yourself and the food choices you make. 20% is by exercise. You will never get, nor will you ever stay thin, by exercise alone or by relying on exercise. You've got to get right with food.
  • puppy1002
    puppy1002 Posts: 154 Member
    You eat back your calories from exercising because MFP already counts a deficits for you. It's in your goals tab.

    Your diet Profile Target
    Calories Burned
    From Normal Daily Activity 2,290 calories/day
    Net Calories Consumed*
    Your Daily Goal 1,350 calories/ day
    Daily Calorie Deficit 940 calories
    Projected Weight Loss 1.9 lbs/ week

    * Net Calories Consumed = Total Calories Consumed - Exercise Calories Burned
  • grannygethealthy1111
    grannygethealthy1111 Posts: 422
    There are so many benefits to exercising other than weight loss. Exercise improves your moods, boosts your energy levels, helps you maintain better sleep, gives you more stamina, increases your metabolism, makes your bones stronger, improves the appearance of your skin, improves your immunity, combats disease ... just to name a few things.
  • iamspuggie
    iamspuggie Posts: 1
    Dieting alone will make you thin but flabby. Adding exercise (especially weights) will make you toned and smaller, even if you don't lose much weight, which will look a lot better for your wedding dress :-)
    Try looking up 'lorinalynn', she is a great example of this she hasn't lost many lbs but has made a big difference to her body shape from exercise.

    exactly what em9371 said - exercise helps you lose inches and convert your fat to muscle, even if that doesn't make a huge difference to your weight. there is so much more to body shape and fitness than just weight - it's about % body fat, whether your fat is around areas on your body that can cause heart failure, it's about your metabolism and aerobic stamina. an olympic athlete and a couch potato could stand next to each other and be the same weight, but radically different clothes sizes, because muscle weighs more than fat, but is alot denser. exercise also helps your body process the food you eat in a more efficient way - it stops fat from sticking and regulates blood sugar/insulin levels. as grannygetheal said as well, it makes your skin better, makes you less injury/disease prone too...

    but the main thing in your case is that you want to fit into your dress, which is about body size and inches, not about weight - so toning exercises (so strength, rather than just cardio) will definitely help that end goal, and probably not use up that many calories either.
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