Do you work out to lose/maintain weight?

[Anonymous]

I'm in the vanity camp, I workout for the results on my body. And while I realize that most of staying thin and fit is attributed to my diet, the fact that I have a schedule of workout classes where I have to put on tight clothes and look at myself in the mirror is the thing that keeps me most on tract to eat well.

I can't stuff myself with junk or eat a giant dinner when I have committed to putting on leggings in the morning and will want to puke throughout my workout if I ate badly the night before.

[Anonymous]

I didn't start working out to lose weight, but I started losing weight after I began doing cardio (Peloton bike powerzone training) for about 3 hours a week (divided into 4 sessions). I also do strength training for about 2 hours a week but that is not for weight loss and I don't think it does that.

Cardio helps me lose weight not just because it burns calories but also because it makes junk food and alcohol relatively unappealing. I still have a sweet tooth but often crave salads and dislike foods that are too heavy or greasy.

Btw, research shows that exercise absolutely can contribute to weight loss but the impact is limited unless you do a lot of exercise and/or also change your diet.

"Willis et al. (14) compared aerobic exercise (calorie equivalent to 12 miles/week), resistance exercise (3 days/week), and a combination of the two to determine changes in body mass with a consistent program of exercise and without alternations in reported energy intake in a group of individuals who were previously sedentary and without diabetes (BMI 25–35 kg/m2). Weight loss and fat mass reduction occurred with aerobic training to a more significant degree than with resistance training after the 8-month trial (1.76 vs. 0.83 kg for the aerobic and resistance groups, respectively). Adding resistance training did not enhance the change in total body mass compared to aerobic training alone. Over the 8-month study period, there was minimum weight change, suggesting the need for greater energy expenditure to contribute to major weight loss."
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5556592/

[Anonymous]

I run for mental health. It's like medication for me.

[Anonymous]

I watch what I eat to manage my weight.

I lift weights and walk a lot manage the impact of a genetic predisposition for osteoporosis and manage the effects of age related sarcopenia (muscle loss).

Both are important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am on Ozempic to manage diabetes. I do cardio and strength training for health and to retain muscle. I can go for an entire day without feeling any urge to eat but that would not be good health wise.

I have a SIL in her 50s, lifelong type 1 diabetic.

She was always around a size 10-12. Whatever she’s doing now, she’s lost a scary amount of weight and I barely recognized her in the last photo someone showed me. Like Kelly Osbourne unrecognizable.

I don’t know what she’s playing around with.

[Anonymous]

I work out for both. I feel better emotionally after and the weight loss impacts better health.

[Anonymous]

i eat less to lose weight.

but i exercise to keep my shape.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i eat less to lose weight.

but i exercise to keep my shape.

+1

I think sometimes we forget that many folks don't just want weight loss, they also want to reduce their body fat percentage. Exercise may be limited in terms of how much weight loss it can generate but it is really important for body composition. Nutrition of course is important for that too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i eat less to lose weight.

but i exercise to keep my shape.

+1

I think sometimes we forget that many folks don't just want weight loss, they also want to reduce their body fat percentage. Exercise may be limited in terms of how much weight loss it can generate but it is really important for body composition. Nutrition of course is important for that too.

+1… I workout because it really improves my health and while it doesn’t lose me any weight, I’m about 17% body fat (I’m on the upper side of normal for BMI), it’s given me a real ass (used to be totally flat), my legs and arms are toned, etc. Wish it could help with the leftover loose skin on my belly from pregnancies but need plastic surgery for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am on Ozempic to manage diabetes. I do cardio and strength training for health and to retain muscle. I can go for an entire day without feeling any urge to eat but that would not be good health wise.

I have a SIL in her 50s, lifelong type 1 diabetic.

She was always around a size 10-12. Whatever she’s doing now, she’s lost a scary amount of weight and I barely recognized her in the last photo someone showed me. Like Kelly Osbourne unrecognizable.

I don’t know what she’s playing around with.

Zepbound, Ozempic etc some sort of GLP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have weight issues, but I do count aesthetics as one of the reasons why I work out.

This. I work out to mainly look nicely toned and fit, I don't need to lose weight. 50 yo female here with 5'4" and 119 lbs. I was always slim my whole life without ever denying myself any food. But in the last year, I noticed that I have to watch what I eat, because the weight has slowly crept up. In my 40s I was more like 110-115 lbs.

[Anonymous]

I work out for all of the above. I credit my losing and maintaining a 60-lb weightloss (no GLP1) to adding regular exercise.

Both cardio and resistance exercise boost your metabolism (RMR), in addition to obviously burning calories.

Exercise makes you feel better physically and mentally, which tends to lead to better dietary choices. I'm a lot less likely to binge when I know I'm getting up to workout early the next morning.

And of course, it helps release all the feels and emotions. It increases your confidence - once you get into a consistent cycle, you don't want to get out of it for long.

[Anonymous]

Consistent cardio and resistance exercise is critical to long term health. We have no other bigger lever available to us. As others have said, if you commit to doing those two things, you won’t want to eat poorly, and you will lean out to some degree. What degree and how healthy that is depends on the person and their overall intake and output.

The “formula” if there is one is 1) single source real food as the majority of your intake, 2) resistance training (very important for women especially as they age), 3) cardio exercise in a form that is tolerable or better-enjoyable. And do 1-3 consistently week after week and year after year.

[Anonymous]

I shoot for 3-4 days of lifting and 1 day of Pilates per week. I also try to get at least 7,000 steps a day. I started lifting a few years ago as a way to gain weight, as my BMI has always hovered just under the "healthy" range and wanted to get it up a bit as a hedge against age-related bone and muscle loss. While progress has been VERY slow, I have put on a couple pounds of muscle over the past few years and am finally over 18.5 BMI.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:i eat less to lose weight.

but i exercise to keep my shape.

This