Is it possible for you to exercise enough to eat whatever you want and not gain weight?

[VagueButlmportant]

I don't think it is for me.

I have a very sedentary desk job for 40+ hours a week.

I run 3 x a week approx 5-6 miles each time. I barely do anything else active, although I'm trying to stand up from my desk every hour or so.

I think I generally eat fairly healthily. I don't drink any more. I probably have been a bit too guilty of eating out of boredom at work, but I've stopped that now.

I've been steadily gaining weight with this lifestyle for 5 years (since I went through early menopause age 36). I've gained 2 stone since then. I've recently managed to reverse the trend, but only by calorie counting and restricting what I eat. I hate dieting. It feels totally unsustainable and boring.

I'd love to know if other people have a point where they can eat what they want eg run every day / run 30 miles a week etc?

[MrsMook]

I'm 5ft 2 and bmi around 21/22. My job is lightly active and I have a good exercise session 2-3 times a week. I find that I can eat a satisfying selection of food and maintain a slim figure with exercise.

However, I don't drink much alcohol. I drink mainly water/ fruit teas. I have to be careful with dairy, soya and excessive sugar due to IBS. I exercise my willpower in the supermarket so there are few tempting empty calories in the house. My portion sizes are sensible, and I will stop eating when I'm comfortable.

There is control in my diet, but not in a punitive "dieting" way. I can't eat with impunity or I do gain weight. If I gain a few pounds I notice, and cut back a little in the next couple of weeks.

Exercise helps me to eat a few hundred extra calories each week. If I didn't exercise, I would have to be more restrictive.

I don't think you can easily, genuinely eat wherever you like and out exercise it. If you had to exercise to a high level to do it, you would still need to watch nutrition to keep healthy energy levels.

[oldlaundbooth]

Frostycake

Where would you get your RMR tested? At a private clinic?

I reckon mine's about 1000 cals per day too.

[oldlaundbooth]

I really need to start running. People who run can basically eat whatever they like.

[suzannecaravaggio]

I estimate that exercise adds about 800-1000 extra calories per day to my energy requirements I dont have food cravings, feel deprived or struggle to control what I eat.
I dont know if the two are related however.

For reference I am 50 (post menopause) weigh 50 kg and eat about 2500 cals per day

[lanbro]

I'm 5'5 size 10, 36 yrs old and eat around 2500 calories a day. I work a physical job 2 days a week and do kettlebells and pilates once a week. I generally walk around 10k steps per day according to my fitbit.

I do not diet, I don't restrict what I eat but I generally only eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I tend towards a drink if I'm bored and don't drink much alcohol. I know if I was less active I would put on weight and I know if I really watched what I ate I could lose weight but I'm quite happy as I am!

[TheBestChocolateIsFree]

She's not necessarily asking for a licence to eat an unhealthy amount though Suzanne. Exercise and an active lifestyle can make the difference between a diet of constant restriction and one which most people would consider normal.

A short menopausal woman can have a TDEE of anything between 1,500 or 2,300 depending activity levels. The lower end would involve constant vigilance and be quite restricted. The middle would seem normal to most people but you'd need to watch what you ate a bit. The upper end would mean you could really enjoy your food and eat anything you wanted as long as you didn't go absolutely crazy and randomly snack on entire packets of biscuits, but it wouldn't be an inherently unhealthy quantity of food for a woman who was doing a heap of exercise.

[mmmuffins]

Yes I found that point. I worked two years on a farm, 11 hour days 5 or 6 days a week. Ate whatever I wanted, lost 25kg. Dont work on the farm anymore and unsurprisingly am gaining it all back!

[Ludways]

It depends on how many calories you want to eat. I used to train around 25 hours a week, plus s few runs and weekend competition. I could pretty much eat what I wanted but didn't want to eat much more than 2000 a day. I had 11% body fat. If I'd eaten more, then I'd have gained weight.

Which, sadly, I have done since, lol!

[suzannecaravaggio]

it's surely abundantly clear that the default modern lifestyle leads to obesity, therefore if you go with the flow you will also become obese

if you dont want that then find a strategy which allows you to not go with the flow, eg
'However, I don't drink much alcohol. I drink mainly water/ fruit teas. I have to be careful with dairy, soya and excessive sugar due to IBS. I exercise my willpower in the supermarket so there are few tempting empty calories in the house. My portion sizes are sensible, and I will stop eating when I'm comfortable.'

or

'I try, during the week, to eat only vegan before dinner, at which time I have a normal meal.'

it can be hard though when you are surrounded by people who subtly pressure you to conform

[suzannecaravaggio]

Exercise and an active lifestyle can make the difference between a diet of constant restriction and one which most people would consider normal

true, but doesnt even an average or normal calorie intake feel restrictive if you are plagued with cravings?
My point really is that modern lifestyles can very easily disrupt the mechanisms which would otherwise allow us to regulate our food intake

[Anglaise1]

I run around 60 miles a week and still watch what I eat and drink, athough I can indulge myself more with cheese, chocolate almonds and red wine which I certainly wouldn't do if I didn't run..I'm 50, not post menopause and my best weight is around 59kgs (I'm 5'8 so not skinny but I have a lot of muscle). I love running but should probably do less and cycle and swim instead. But I don't get the same endorphin rush with either sport, sadly.
No-one in my running club is overweight, but I see a lot of overweight runners at races so it isn't true that all runners are slim.

[lljkk]

This thread keeps making me think of a friend (sedentary job, lifestyle) who stands about 5'2" and eats maximum 1200 calories a day. Not that she counts calories, but she's a scientist so has worked it out. She loves food & freely eats what she wants but small portions thus respecting the body she has.

She mentions confusion at people who want to go out to eat all the time; cooking is fun (and so much cheaper) when you can't eat much but can share it with many others. And it's important to know to savour every bite.

That's one of my pet theories... overeaters don't like food at all. They eat it out of habit not because they know how to enjoy it. When you enjoy food, you don't binge. That would be a kind of sacrilege. When you love food, you can be very fussy about only eating what you completely enjoy.

[VagueButlmportant]

She's not necessarily asking for a licence to eat an unhealthy amount though Suzanne. Exercise and an active lifestyle can make the difference between a diet of constant restriction and one which most people would consider normal.

Spot on - although if anyone can offer me a licence to eat anything and everything then please let me know! I just feel like the minute I stop concentrating on what I eat I gain weight. Some days (like yesterday after a 6 mile run when I was craving sugar) it gets me down, but it's really encouraging to realise that actually most of us are the same.

I'm not eating take aways every day or scoffing crisps. I eat healthily and don't have huge portions, but I do like something sweet after each meal.

I've been trying to eat sugar free since February and I have managed to lose 10lb in that time without any other changes. It's worked I think just because it's forced me to concentrate on eating home made and good quality foods and not mindlessly snack.

[mommybunny]

I'm not a nutritionist, but I would have thought going that long without sugar was supposed to make you not crave it anymore? Have you been eating foods with artificial sweeteners?

I find that the way I have been eating (as I said up-thread, vegan before dinner), combined with my running, is the most sustainable way for me to keep to a stable weight. It is such a relief not to be hungry - I can eat as many vegetables as I want, and I'm getting much better at creating really nice vegan lunches (many of which are easily freezable to take to work and microwave) so I'm getting lots of flavour and expanding my cooking repertoire. It's so great to know that no foods are really off-limits forever - if I fancy a piece of cake I can have it after dinner, if I still want it. That's very liberating, and makes me feel much less deprived, and much less needful of that cake.

I'd probably actually lose weight on this eating regime if I drank less alcohol during the week - I'm working on that!

[roarfeckingroar]

I eat whatever I like and drink like a fish. Still 8.5 stone and size 6-8. I do high intensity interval training and walk at least 15k (London, between offices, get off the train a stop early) every day.

[RunnerOnTheRun]

"you can't out exercise a bad diet" rings very true here! It's not just a case of calories in V calories out, but the quality of those calories. So yes, you can eat 2500 cals of wholesome, nutrient dense food in a day and have very different body fat and fitness levels to someone who eats 2500 cals of highly processed nutrient deficient foods.

[albertcampionscat]

Cycling 10k (slowly) to work each way about 4 days a week and walking a bit at weekends easily keeps my weight in the middle of the healthy BMI band. It also makes me much much happier. If I add swimming in I might lose some weight and I definitely look better.

If I don't exercise at all it creeps up and slightly over the top end. It never goes over that even when I'm tired & run down and live off cake.

I eat quite a lot. I cannot imagine surviving on 1200 calories a day. FWIW I've never dieted and suspect that's why my metabolism works decently.

[Woopsiedaisy]

I think it is, although it has taken me decades to get there.

I walk between 10,000 & 15,000 steps a day (between 4.5 miles and 7 miles).

Initially I started when recovering from a severe illness, now it is a habit and I get irritable if I can't get out. I walk through rain, snow and yesterday hail. Also if I check my fitbit at 9pm and I haven't made at least 10,000, my coat goes on and I walk in the dark.

Never have to think about what I eat now. In fact I have probably lost weight since the Autumn.

[suzannecaravaggio]

Lean mass tends to decline as you get older and that leads to a decline in BMR
AFAIK the rate and extent of lean tissue loss can be mitigated by exercise, it is probably best to include resistance exercise

[suzannecaravaggio]

Exercise may not help everyone to regulate appetite but it remains the case that a sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to health

Use your body or it will wither and malfunction prematurely

[FaithAscending]

If you're struggling with a refined carb/sugar habit, it's worth reading Always hungry? by David Ludwig. I'm about to start the meal plan (takes a bit of prep!). It's a plan that is meant to help you release fat stored in your fat cells by changing the way you eat.

I trained for a half marathon and I did lose weight but it was a positive cycle - after I exercised I didn't want to eat junk to undo all my hard work!

I read an interview with Andy Murray a while back. He's incredibly disciplined with his diet alongside his training. He's about 18% body fat! He was asked if he ever slipped. He explained after a tournament he has a 'blow out' and eats a massive pizza. Next day he's back on it though!

[suzannecaravaggio]

It might just be that the people who find it easiest to be disciplined enough to exercise tend to also find it relatively easy to be disciplined with food

Or are exercise addicts actually people who eschewed their drug / alcohol/ sugar addiction in favour of marathon workout sessions😋

[curren]

It's a strange issue.

Personally, the people I know who 'can eat what they want and stay slim' naturally eat healthy and/or eat small amounts. Many of them are extremely active as well.

I exercise (intense exercise) about 8 hours a week and can't eat what I want. I think the people who genuinely can have a fair bit of muscle mass and/or train several hours a day. There are very few people who can eat what they want, spend most of the day sitting down and only exercise a couple of hours a week.

[Foreverlexicon]

Yes - when I'm doing full time hours at work.

ATM only part time so a few pounds have snuck on.

Left to my own devices I'm generally the high end of a healthy BMI.

Working full time with horses plus 2 of my own = low end of heathy BMI and eating a LOT. But I'm talking on the go 6am-7pm 6 days a week, walking 25,000 steps plus, mucking out 15 stables, carrying buckets, riding 5-8 horses a day.

When I do that I can eat 2 lunches, a packet of biscuits and a giant galaxy bar and not gain an ounce

[KeyserSophie]

I think there are a few factors -

1. Agree that most people who "eat what they want" despite not doing much exercise tend to just have smaller appetites or rather, to have very good appetite regulation. I know a lot of people think these people are lying and secretly starving, but I do know people who are really just not very interested in food or who just have small appetites'
   
   
2. Assuming you have a desk job, I reckon you can probably get to being able to eat around 2,500 cals per day and exercise it off if you were super diligent and got up early the whole time or had free time in the day, but after that you'd have to give up work and have the kids adopted to have time to fit it in. So it really depends if "whatever I want" fits into that. For me, it probably does 8 times out of 10 but not if you include a bottle of wine.