Over-Cals...Advice, please?
 

Dear Chicks,

So, here's the deal. I just got back on the wagon the 1st. Since then, I've pretty much consistently been overcal everyday. This is just something I need to come to terms with and work through myself. I've forgotten how to limit intake properly, apparently. ;)

My question, however, is this:

When you are over-calorie/points/etc. do you still workout? Is it WORTH it to go through the exercise even knowing that all you are doing, at best, is making a day of maintenance?

Right now I've set my calories for my BMR (1500 cals) so I can ease into it. I've been running more around 1800 cals/day, however. I realize that 300 calories over isn't the end of the world. However, with the workouts I'm incorporating these days (some 30-40min cardio vids or 30min on my Gazelle), I sincerely doubt I'm burning more than 300 calories a day. Therefore, I'm just working my way back to BMR...and maintenance.

Please don't get me wrong. I don't mind working out one bit. It's great stress relief and it feels like an accomplishment just to DO something. My question is: is working out still physically beneficial even when I go over? Am I at least...building some muscle or something? Or am I just making my efforts completely null in void and worthless?

I just feel like I'm totally screwing up, here. :(

Thanks for the info, loves!

Um, yes!

Look at it from a pure weight loss perspective. Let's say you ate 500 calories over your maintenance level, OK?

Maintenance + 500 = a gain of (roughly) a 7th of a lb.

Maintenance + 500 - 300 of exercise = 200 calories = a gain of less than a 10th of a lb.

Even without the health benefits of exercise (there are many), and the mental benefits of exercise (it tends to help me get back on track), there are pure weight loss benefits too. Calories burned off that would not otherwise have been.

Uh, yeah. Better to have a day of maintenance than to have an extra 300 calories on me. At least with maintenance level calories, I would stay the same. But those extra 300 calories WILL add up...which adds pounds.

Plus, you're always improving your cardiovascular health and can continue to strengthen muscles. Its not like there is a disadvantage to working out just because you're over calories.

I agree with Amanda. Exercising helps in all sorts of ways.

I also agree with pp. But exercise for me isn't really about weight loss anymore, it's my stress release and if I don't get some form of it everyday I get cranky.

Sounds like a basic misunderstanding about how burning calories works. If you overeat AND skip workouts... well, that sounds like weight gain to me.

Jay

Definitely do workout. :) Even if you don't burn up all of your calories that you overate via your workout, you still burn some calories just from other activities (unless you are completely sedentary) so aside from the health benefits, you might actually be doing enough to lose weight! The weight loss may be very gradual, but it will be a loss....or at least you'll just maintain, which is still better than a gain. You also bring up a good point about muscle. If you add resistance training, you will also increase calories burned at rest (even as you sleep and your body repairs your muscles) so it's really a win-win situation.

I would always go for the workout. I feel fitter, more able to keep my metabolism ticking over, more toned and generally less down about going over calories if I do. Plus, exactly what the others have been saying, if you look at the maths, you want more going out than coming in. My workouts are usually between 500-800 cals, sometimes more, so I know even if I go over, I will still lose or at least not gain. x

I agree with everyone else - I would definately work out. Even if I don't burn off all of the extra calories - some is better than none and I'm improving my health on top of it.

Plus, I need exercise for the stress relief.

Better a day of maintenance than a day of gaining. :hug:

Exactly right! I try to keep food and exercise separate in that I don't allow a bad food day make it a no exercise day, and vice versa. Good food days and good exercise days are ideal, but one or the other is still better than neither.

Hope that makes sense....