Why exercise to lose weight?

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  • fit921
    fit921 Posts: 92 Member
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    "skinny people look good in clothes, fit people look great naked!" Just sayin......:wink:
  • spiregrain
    spiregrain Posts: 254 Member
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    All this, plus, I've found that once i'm in the habit, cardio helps to control my appetite some. (Though at first, it makes it huuuuge! But it pays off.)
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
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    I lose about 1 to 2 lbs a week. I am doing cardiovascular 2-5 times a week and some toning now that I have begun to lose some of my weight.
    I eat back 70-80% of my exercise calories, but that is because I have my MFP set to sedentary in case I am stuck at work or otherwise unable to get my exercise in (I have MS) so some days the legs are not working well enough or my vertigo is preventing me!

    If I do not eat my calories back I plateau because I am under 1200 then....

    I am exercising for the healthy part of this journey not the weight loss part of it..
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    exercise has plenty other benefits aside from weight loss, it's good. some people hate cardio, some people hate strength, pick what you like and do something. personally i like both equally. and rule of thumb, i eat when i'm hungry, so sometimes that's over my calories for the day and other days it's under, it all balances out
  • mariagabriella
    mariagabriella Posts: 267 Member
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    well it depends on if you want to be healthy and feel good.

    if you do, exercise is vital.

    if you don't care about being healthy and rather spend the day being tired, then exercise isn't so important.

    exercise makes weight loss so much easier. :)
  • Jules2Be
    Jules2Be Posts: 2,267 Member
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    Because you'll look goddamn sexy.

    ding.ding.ding...WIN!
  • kristineevans
    kristineevans Posts: 56 Member
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    "skinny people look good in clothes, fit people look great naked!" Just sayin......:wink:

    Haha this for sure!
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
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    Faster results - the health benefits of exercise go way beyond just losing weight. If you start looking at it from a "Healthy Living" point of view you will understand better the concept of eating to fuel and moving to lose.

    I use the TDEE - have that set at sedentary... that is my baseline for eating, we must fuel our bodies to function properly.
  • Lois1211
    Lois1211 Posts: 23 Member
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    MFP already has a deficit calculated in for you. For example, if you set your goals to sedentary you will burn around 1700 a day with sitting around. So, you eat 1200 which gives you a 500 calorie deficit each day by not exercising at all.
    If you exercise on top of that, you can eat your exercise calories back without you losing the 500 calorie deficit a day!
    If you don't eat your calories back, you will be netting to low which can cause you to plateau. You can also choose to eat back half the calories you exercised, in case you overestimated the calories burned or whatever.

    It's really important that you are not netting to low, it won't help your weight loss. I ate 1200 each day in the beginning with intense exercise, but now I've upped my calories I'm still losing weight!
  • BecomingElle
    BecomingElle Posts: 112 Member
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    Because you'll look goddamn sexy.

    And this is reason enough to make me want to take up running and the 30-day shred. Hahaha
  • tara12riley
    tara12riley Posts: 22
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    I don't always eat the all the calories back but some days I seem to be more hungry than others. I exercise because I want to firm up, I'm not getting any younger and I feel so much better when I exercise so I try to get in 45 minutes to 1 hour 6 days a week. I've only been at this site for 3 weeks and I've lost 3 pounds so far but I've lost 1 inch off my waist and hips.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    The key to weight loss is sticking with it....forever. The BEST way to do that is to not feel deprived in how much and what types of foods you are eating. An EASY way to make sure that doesn't happen, is to exercise, so you can eat more. Plus, exercise calories seem to taste WAY better because I've earned them LOL.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    I exercise for two reason.. 1. so I can eat 3500 calories a day and NOT gain a 1lb and so I don't lose lean muscle mass.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    WITHOUT exercise, a fairly large percentage of your weight loss will be from your lean muscle mass. WITH exercise, especially resistance training, you keep a larger percentage of your muscle mass.

    Since muscle is by volume heavier than fat, if the more fat you lose and the more muscle you keep, the fewer pounds you'll have to lose to become the same size.

    For instance, last time I lost weight about 6 years ago, without regular exercise (and with too large of a calorie deficit), I was a size 8 at 130 pounds. This time around, I'm a size 2 or 4 at 135 pounds. I'm the same size as I was at 120 pounds ten years ago.
  • MollyChicago
    MollyChicago Posts: 6 Member
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    I exercise so I can still enjoy dessert, and still come under my calories.
  • pugsley5
    pugsley5 Posts: 38 Member
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    I feel the exact same way as you sometimes,but the reality is...working out makes you feel really good:-)))
  • sweenme
    sweenme Posts: 3
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    Exercise is SO important to your overall health. It fights back diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, etc. etc. Beyond that, having a greater percentage of muscle vs. body fat increases your metabolism so you'll lose weight faster. And, generally, I don't eat back most of the exercise calories I earn. I find that exercise usually reduces my appetite!
  • Angellore
    Angellore Posts: 519 Member
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    I use the TDEE - have that set at sedentary... that is my baseline for eating, we must fuel our bodies to function properly.

    This is exactly what I do. I have a HRM so I then eat back the calories I burn according to that doing my exercise. I exercise 6 days a week, for around 40 minutes a day (some days longer). I either do a DVD (Jillian Michaels, Davina McCall or similar) or go for a long walk or go swimming. This is from doing barely any exercise since school. I feel so good after I finish. I suffer from depression and I believe exercise really does help alleviate the symptoms. I am sort of addicted to getting my daily exercise in now! I also notice my body becoming firmer, which I love.

    Bonus is, I get to eat aroung 2400 cals a day (TDEE at 1900cals, burning about 500cals through exercise) so I don't feel hungry and I can have yummy (but MOSTLY healthy) food. I am 5'10", 33 years old and 261lbs.
  • Leslie85
    Leslie85 Posts: 265 Member
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    To me, eating right is pointless if I'm not going to work out. I have no desire to be "skinny fat." Besides, muscle burns calories, so exercise is definitely not pointless, and in my mind, no, you won't get the same results.
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
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    You just got to know your body. I have the most success with weight loss when I exercise regularly. For me, just cutting back on calories doesn't work. Also when I exercise regularly, I tend to eat healthier.

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