Eating and Exercise

This topic has come up a few times recently, and I wanted to share my thoughts.  

I've got a pretty intensive exercise schedule.  I don't work, so I consider Health Recovery to be my full time job right now.  My weekly schedule looks like this:

M: yoga at home
Tu: 10k training, yoga stretching, yoga class, aikido class
W: yoga class, personal training
Th: 10k training, yoga stretching, pound class, aikido class
F: piyo class, tai chi class, pilates class
Sa: 10k training, yoga stretching
Su: 10k training, yoga stretching

This means that I'm exercising 1-4 hours a day, depending on the day, with a variety of intensities.  For the most part, I don't add food to my life to compensate for exercise.  The notable exception is that I'm currently experimenting with pre-run fueling so, before a weekend run, I'm trying out 100 calories of running gel things so that I'll know what I can use on race day.  Aside from that, I do not eat more on days I exercise the most.  The reason for this is that most calorie estimates for exercise are woefully inaccurate, causing people to "eat back" more calories than they've actually burned.  I don't want to fall into that trap.  Nor do I want to fall into the trap of feeling like I'm rewarding myself for exercise with food.  My reward for exercise is that I get to feel like Super Woman :D  

I do, however, adjust my meal times depending on my exercise and, sometimes, that means I have to break a meal into two meals.  For example, on days I run, I wait to drink my breakfast shake until I'm finished running and stretching.  But on days that I spend my morning at the gym in fitness classes, I drink my breakfast shake in the car on the way.  Since I know I can't make it until noon without sustenance in my body.  And then, on days when I have Aikido, which is in the evening, I eat a small snack prior to Aikido and then a small meal once I get home.  

I do find that I get tired when I add a new activity to my life - the past week has been exhausting due to the addition of Aikido - but experience tells me that it'll pass and I don't need to worry about adding more fuel to my system.  I assume this will change eventually and, of course, when I reach goal I'll need to reevaluate, but, for now, this is working very well for me.  

So that's my 2 cents!

Wow. I wish I had the time to work out as much as you. I do have a question. Do you find that your weight loss has increased with the increase in exercise or has it slowed down or is it unaffected?

I don't feel that my exercise has any impact on my weight loss. But it has tons of impact on my health!

Best. Answer. Ever. 

Thanks!

yes! agreed ;) esp. mental health

Honestly, weight loss is about 95% what you put in your mouth every day and 5% how you move your body.  And the body isn't too picky about how it gets moved.  

Exercise WILL be super-important in maintaining your weight once you've lost all the excess. Keeping your basal metabolic rate (BMR) high requires building of muscle and good activity.   

Yep. So true from my observations in real life and almost 8 years here on OH. Eating is far more important. As the saying goes, "You cannot out-exercise a bad diet".

I agree :)  I don't add food for exercise.  I am in maintenance and am not super rigid with my eating anymore.  If I am hungry I will have a snack, but I find that I exercise so consistently that I do not really need to change things on a day to day basis.  

I'm sure consistency helps a lot :)  

How long did you end up being exercise restricted after plastics?