Exercise and Expenditures

[Play2Win]

I’ve got a question for all you knowledgeable folks out there. Let us suppose that I am to consume a total of 2000 calories a day. If I go to the gym and burn say 500 calories, will I need to consume an additional 500 calories to balance out what I’ve burned, or would that be completely defeating the purpose of the exercise?

It sounds like a foolish question, but I’ll ask it none the less.

 

[Halo1]

That is an interesting question,

Personally I don't 'make up' the calories I burn off later (well I might do, but its not intentional ). I treat what I take in calorie-wise as one thing, and any calories burnt during exercise as a bonus.

I guess what im trying to say is in my diary I keep track of the calories I eat, then minus any calories I might have burnt and if the overall number is less then what my body would need to keep the same size then its all good

 

[Alibran]

The important thing is to create a calorie deficit that leads to sustainable weight loss. When you start out, working out the number of calories you need is a big part guesswork.

Ultimately, if you're exercising and not eating more to compensate, and you are losing more than 1 - 2lb a week, your weight loss will probably not be sustainable, so you should start eating more. But if you're averaging around 1 - 2lb a week, it sounds like you're doing just fine.

 

[haley]

and make sure you are making healthy choices of what you eat, not empty calories.

 

[Play2Win]

Thanks folks!