How much are you all eating if exercise doesn't matter?

[Anonymous]

For me it’s mostly about exercise. I’m pretty consistent about healthy, balanced eating and I’m not willing to deprive myself much or make fasting a regular part of my life. I tend to eat 3 meals a day between 7am and 7pm and rarely snack outside of that. I also don’t have much of a sweet tooth. I got off track with exercise for several years due to a long commute and work stress. By cutting back on alcohol and working out daily (often just 30-40 minutes), I’ve been able to lose 15 pounds in the past 6 months. Sure, I could have made quicker progress if I’d counted calories, IF, or whatever, but I’ve reached my goal of toning up and losing some flab in my midsection. I’m 5’6 and currently 130 lb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exercise - particularly spinning - makes me so hungry. I eat more than any calories I burned unfortunately

Me too! And it boggles my mind that I can run 10+ miles and don’t have to eat for hours afterwards but after a longish peloton ride I head straight for the pantry for any and everything. So weird.

[Anonymous]

I exercise for health, not for weight loss. I limit calories for weight loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I eat 1200 calories or less in order to lose. No amount of cardio seems to help me lose weight, although I do it for the health benefits. I lift heavy weights for the same reason.

You should eat more, your body is messed up with so few calories. How much do you weight?

I have tried eating more, that’s how I got to 160 pounds at 5’6. I was eating a ton of protein trying out the advice to balance macros, but all it did was make me gain and look like an apple.

I think everyone has a different body chemistry, mine only responds to calorie restriction at this point in my life (40 years old with three kids). It’s actually quite a bit of food, I eat a ton of veggies!

I am the 5'6" 140lbs PP who maintains at 2500. You either eat more than you realize or you literally do not move all day. There is no way you have to only eat 1200 calories to stay in shape.

This is largely correct - I work at a desk all day, for long hours. I work out for 30-45 mins a day but otherwise there is very little movement. I do try to track everything I eat, but sometimes I eyeball instead of weighing or measuring a portion. 1200 is definitely the lowest I go, and it’s only in the weight loss phase. I can eat more if I’m just maintaining.

PP how old are you?

40

[Anonymous]

Exercise only helps you lose weight if you are also cutting calories at the same time. If you are not cutting calories, exercise helps you maintain or not gain weight. Simple truth.

I have trained for many marathons and usually have to prepare myself that I will gain 5 pounds during training. The only time I lost weight while training for a marathon was when I meticulously watched what I ate and how much.

If you don't cut calories or keep track of them while exercising, you will simply increase the amount of food you eat (whether you realize it or not).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exercise only helps you lose weight if you are also cutting calories at the same time. If you are not cutting calories, exercise helps you maintain or not gain weight. Simple truth.

I have trained for many marathons and usually have to prepare myself that I will gain 5 pounds during training. The only time I lost weight while training for a marathon was when I meticulously watched what I ate and how much.

If you don't cut calories or keep track of them while exercising, you will simply increase the amount of food you eat (whether you realize it or not).

It doesn't have to involve cutting calories at all. If I am 140 lbs and not gaining weight, and then I start working out an hour every single day, I can slowly lose weight if I eat the same amount as before. It is that simple.
About your weight gain during training, you clearly "conditioned" yourself for gaining, hence you gain, as you clearly add calories to your daily intake, and not just add to compensate for extra calories burned, you add a bit more so you are not in weight homeostasis, rather in a plus.

And who ever thinks "you will simply increase the amount of food you eat" while working out to be any kind of an excuse for exercise doesn't matter when trying to lose weight? It is clear that you have a problem with overeating when working out, so you now made a blank statement for "all" that you will simply increase how much you eat...
Eh, no, Plenty of people are not that dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exercise only helps you lose weight if you are also cutting calories at the same time. If you are not cutting calories, exercise helps you maintain or not gain weight. Simple truth.

I have trained for many marathons and usually have to prepare myself that I will gain 5 pounds during training. The only time I lost weight while training for a marathon was when I meticulously watched what I ate and how much.

If you don't cut calories or keep track of them while exercising, you will simply increase the amount of food you eat (whether you realize it or not).

It doesn't have to involve cutting calories at all. If I am 140 lbs and not gaining weight, and then I start working out an hour every single day, I can slowly lose weight if I eat the same amount as before. It is that simple.
About your weight gain during training, you clearly "conditioned" yourself for gaining, hence you gain, as you clearly add calories to your daily intake, and not just add to compensate for extra calories burned, you add a bit more so you are not in weight homeostasis, rather in a plus.

And who ever thinks "you will simply increase the amount of food you eat" while working out to be any kind of an excuse for exercise doesn't matter when trying to lose weight? It is clear that you have a problem with overeating when working out, so you now made a blank statement for "all" that you will simply increase how much you eat...
Eh, no, Plenty of people are not that dumb.

This would all be true if the body could perfectly associate how many calories burned with its hunger signals and if it was reasonable to expect people respond to hunger with the exact amount of calories burned. Neither of those things are true.

Many people who are saying that exercise doesn’t make them lose weight are not using this as an excuse to not exercise. I think most of use who have gotten into fitness enough to realize this and read about it still work out. We just work out for other reasons. Point in case: one of the PPs who thinks exercise doesn’t make her lose weight runs marathons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exercise only helps you lose weight if you are also cutting calories at the same time. If you are not cutting calories, exercise helps you maintain or not gain weight. Simple truth.

I have trained for many marathons and usually have to prepare myself that I will gain 5 pounds during training. The only time I lost weight while training for a marathon was when I meticulously watched what I ate and how much.

If you don't cut calories or keep track of them while exercising, you will simply increase the amount of food you eat (whether you realize it or not).

It doesn't have to involve cutting calories at all. If I am 140 lbs and not gaining weight, and then I start working out an hour every single day, I can slowly lose weight if I eat the same amount as before. It is that simple.
About your weight gain during training, you clearly "conditioned" yourself for gaining, hence you gain, as you clearly add calories to your daily intake, and not just add to compensate for extra calories burned, you add a bit more so you are not in weight homeostasis, rather in a plus.

And who ever thinks "you will simply increase the amount of food you eat" while working out to be any kind of an excuse for exercise doesn't matter when trying to lose weight? It is clear that you have a problem with overeating when working out, so you now made a blank statement for "all" that you will simply increase how much you eat...
Eh, no, Plenty of people are not that dumb.

This would all be true if the body could perfectly associate how many calories burned with its hunger signals and if it was reasonable to expect people respond to hunger with the exact amount of calories burned. Neither of those things are true.

Many people who are saying that exercise doesn’t make them lose weight are not using this as an excuse to not exercise. I think most of use who have gotten into fitness enough to realize this and read about it still work out. We just work out for other reasons. Point in case: one of the PPs who thinks exercise doesn’t make her lose weight runs marathons.

Well, yes, we are all different and burn different levels, sure.
Pp that runs marathons and doesn't lose weight, I mean come on, she knows she eats a lot. Also, who is to say she trains 10 miles a day? Maybe she trains super slow, I have seen people "running" who are running slower than I am walking. I have seen people at the gym walking at 2 or less miles per hour while holding on for dear life onto the hand rails. I have seen people in fitness classes that instead of doing zumba and really working out barely move around.
That is not exercising, that is telling your family you are going to he gym, just to ditch them for a while, which is a totally legit and a great reason to leave the house for a bit. No argument from me there.
But, it does drive me a bit batty to see a young, overweight person, in the gym, barely moving and then next to them a grandpa running like a fiend. Of course that person will come back and say "I don't know why I am not losing weight, I am working out every day."
Instead that person thin or overweight or just trying to increase muscle mass should say "I am at the gym every day." And add in her/his/their mind, well, I am not actually doing any exercise there.
That is why exercise is not effective for weight loss, bcs some people don't know what it means.

[Anonymous]

OP how old are you?
I feel like I could’ve made his statement in my 20s and early 30s. Definitely not in my 40s.
Anyways, I think the takeaway from the comments is that everyone is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP how old are you?
I feel like I could’ve made his statement in my 20s and early 30s. Definitely not in my 40s.
Anyways, I think the takeaway from the comments is that everyone is different.

50. I posted that earlier. I doubt that everyone is different in that aspect, we have way too many people posting here that exercise makes no difference when it comes to weight loss. And that is not true at all. It might be true if you work out for half an hour a day, and then eat 5000 calories per day, but if you eat normal amounts of food, but a bit more than you burn, exercise can make and it does make all the difference.

[Anonymous]

Wait OP. So you claim you’re 50 years old, eat 3000 calories a day and weigh 118 lbs?
And the rest of us are just lazy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait OP. So you claim you’re 50 years old, eat 3000 calories a day and weigh 118 lbs?
And the rest of us are just lazy?

Yes, I am. That age and that weight and eat about that much. What problem do you have with that? If I can eat that much, the truth is that you are all sitting on your couches or consider 30 minute daily walks exercise. Of course, in that case exercise doesn't matter. If you were active your whole lives you would be eating as much as I do and not be overweight.
Nothing strenuous either, just a ton of walking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait OP. So you claim you’re 50 years old, eat 3000 calories a day and weigh 118 lbs?
And the rest of us are just lazy?

Yes, I am. That age and that weight and eat about that much. What problem do you have with that? If I can eat that much, the truth is that you are all sitting on your couches or consider 30 minute daily walks exercise. Of course, in that case exercise doesn't matter. If you were active your whole lives you would be eating as much as I do and not be overweight.
Nothing strenuous either, just a ton of walking.

However in the world can you find time to post your little gems on DCUM if you’re walking that much?
Some of us have to work and can’t spend four hours walking around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait OP. So you claim you’re 50 years old, eat 3000 calories a day and weigh 118 lbs?
And the rest of us are just lazy?

Yes, I am. That age and that weight and eat about that much. What problem do you have with that? If I can eat that much, the truth is that you are all sitting on your couches or consider 30 minute daily walks exercise. Of course, in that case exercise doesn't matter. If you were active your whole lives you would be eating as much as I do and not be overweight.
Nothing strenuous either, just a ton of walking.

However in the world can you find time to post your little gems on DCUM if you’re walking that much?
Some of us have to work and can’t spend four hours walking around.

Not the OP. You could get yourself one of those treadmills to be used at the desk. Or you could just see whether you could live your life differently. I live 30 min walk from work, 10 min from my son's school and 15 min to my gym. I walk to each of these destinations. I walk to pick up groceries too. I never just "go for a walk". My walks have a purpose and do not cost me much more time than if I did all this by car, considering the amount of traffic in this city, the time it takes it to park etc.

[Anonymous]

I think OP has to be overestimating her calories OR has a fantastic metabolism that I don’t share.

I am 142 lbs, 5’6”, early 40s. Got between 20k-25k steps daily for three months and never lost any weight. My calories were around 2500.