Contemplating stopping exercise

[jjanice842]

I’m a bit of a fitness fanatic and work out at home four/five times a week (mix of cardio and strength/weights). However, I really struggle to control my diet as I need to exercise first thing in the morning and I end up ravenous all day. I often use it to justify treats as well. I really want to lose half a stone and I find the days I don’t work out I can starve a bit more and lose the weight. I’m worried about getting too lazy if I quit exercising, I have a dog and walk him every day but that’s about it (desk job). Does exercise really help or would it be okay to quit?

Exercise may not be a big contributor to weight loss, but it’s invaluable in terms of looking after your mental and physical health.

It sounds like you need to have an overall look at your fuelling strategy- making sure you’re getting enough carbs and protein to fuel what you do. And have healthy options available for when you do feel hungry so you head for the bananas rather than the biscuits!

Exercise preserves your bone density and your muscles. Both of these have substantial metabolic benefits.

If you stop exercising and fast, then you’ll lose muscle mass.

what do you eat in the evening?

I find exercise on an empty stomach dulls my appetite, I often break my fast around 11.30am and start it again around 7pm

How tall R U & what do you weight now, OP?

A compromise could work, pull your sessions back to half the effort. You don’t always have to smash it 100%, for instance if you’d normally do 3 strength sessions for an hour pull them back to 40 mins, same with cardio, reduce it back to some low intensity rather than HIT or longer sessions.

Exercise is obvs more than just about fat loss but I do know what you mean. It can spark your appetite, I am the same, I prefer to do mine on an evening bc morning sessions will have me eating all day.

i wouldn’t stop altogether but I’d cut back on my intensity a little and also ensure that you are eating high protein and decent amount of good fats, as this is what will keep your satiety levels up.

I find different types of exercise have different effects on my appetite. I train fasted and weight training does not spike my appetite at all. I can happily go until 2pm before even starting to eat.

Cardio can ramp up my appetite, and swimming is the absolute worst.

If you don't already split your workouts into cardio/non cardio maybe you could try doing those aspects on different days to see what effect it has on your appetite. It may be that you could keep doing a decent amount of exercise without spiking your appetite too much.

Also you do need to address the habit of using exercise as an excuse for treats. You have to work very, very hard to burn off a milky coffee, let alone something more calorific.

Do both weights and cardio make you feel equally hungry? I find I am not that hungry after weights but ravenous after cardio. If that is the case for you maybe you could shift what you are doing?

Also too much cardio, especially when fasted in the mornings, increases cortisol making your hungrier. I would try just doing weights and dog walks for a while and see if that makes a difference. Also diet wise don't cut calories too much, try instead to shift from carbs to more protein to conserve lean masswhilst still loosing fat.

exercise is vital to health. Personally I’d try a new tact, maybe eat eggs and veg post exercise

It depends how much exercise you're actually doing I guess. I use exercise for weight loss, but I make sure I burn 300 calories a session and then don't bother with dieting that much. It helps me lose about 0.5lb a week

This is a really bad idea.

What do you eat on the days you exercise? People may be able to advise on what might keep you fuller for longer.

I think as a first step I’d continue to exercise, but make my priority foods directly after exercise as protein/veg. So lean chicken, spinach omelette etc.

What kind of treats are you going for? Do you eat a lot of carbs?

Keep doing the strength stuff and lighten up on the cardio as you walk your dog anyway- the strength stuff is so important for losing weight and coping with aging

You have my sympathy, I'm an avid runner and the only time I struggle not to gain weight is when I'm marathon training. I would never give it up as it's my absolute passion, but it is very annoying.

I think you'd be daft to give up exercise, it has a lot more benefits than just numbers on the scale

I'd work on changing your diet rather than your exercise routine. Work out your BMR to account for how much exercise you do, I'd start calorie tracking and focus on satiating meals. When I'm exercising a lot but trying to lose weight I meal prep a lot and focus on getting loads of veggies and protein in and less carbs (still some!).

I like pinch of nom recipes a lot for this, their pasta bakes for example or chilli are good, 50g of pasta per portion which sounds like nothing but there's so much veg that it feels like a really satisfying portion. Also look at stuff like protein yogs, popcorn etc for snacks. I'm also a snacker so cutting them out doesn't work but having lower cal alternatives helps me a lot.

Lots of people hate exercise or can't. I think you'd be a fool to give up something you love in pursuit of weight loss

I wouldn't stop exercising as it's good for your physical health and mental health. If you want to lose weight it does sound more like your diet. Don't restrict yourself too much of what you like, but cut back and reach for healthier snacks instead. I know - easier said that done.

Exercising means you respect your body, you care about it, you're giving it what it needs to be healthy, for a better immune system, better sleep, etc. You'll maintain a healthier weight with it too & your mental health will be better. Over time you'll probably have less cellulite and brighter skin too.

Just stopping so you can starve yourself a bit more and because you're not getting what you want weight loss wise, in a set time, is treating your body a bit disrespectfully in my eyes.