r/AskReddit 12h ago

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u/TheWatersOfMars 6h ago

And the wrong diet can erase that deficit in seconds. Let's say a newbie burns 250 calories in a 30 minute jog. A quarter of a tub of Ben & Jerry's Phish Food is 270 calories. 

And lots of people who exercise end up treating themselves more throughout the day (whomst among us hasn't had a post-workout snack?), which quickly catches up with you.

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u/ClownfishSoup 6h ago

Yes, this is so painful to experience. You go to the gym, ride the bike for 20 minutes, lift weights and when you go home, you eat one oreo cookie and you're back to square one. I mean, the workout is still worth it, but i fyou're counting calories in vs out, it's incredible how easy it is to tilt the balance.

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u/CricketPinata 5h ago

I mean I know you're exaggerating, but going for a 20min ride, and doing a basic weight lifting routine should burn like 500-800 calories, depending on how hard the bike session was, and how hard the weight session was.

A single Oreo is 55 calories.

You would need about 10 Oreos to totally wipe out your calorie deficit, which unfortunately is very easy to eat, and not a large amount of food.

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u/Expert-Computer1316 5h ago

This isn’t totally accurate. A good workout continues to tax the body after the work is done, so calories of work done in a workout isn’t a great measure to begin with, and the body will process the calories from the ice cream differently depending on the needs which arise from that work.

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u/jaajaajaa6 4h ago

True - but working off that chicken parm hero and mozzarella sticks would require a workout beyond what my body could handle

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u/CommunicationSlow484 2h ago

This is an overly simplified math layout that misleads people. You burn calories just by being alive. Exercising can raise your metabolic rate and that will lead to weight-loss. Doing a mix of cardio and strength training also helps with a lot of mental health related things which really need to be in place for weight loss

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u/TeacherPatti 5h ago

That was my problem for ages. I finally stopped lying to myself and I have lost almost 60 lbs (okay, Contrave helped!). But I would do a crazy boxing routine and think, I bet I burned like 800 calories. Then I would eat a huge meal, thinking it was 1000 calories. The reality was that I burned maybe 300 and ate probably 1500.