Exercise regime without healthy eating?

Question

If I was to stick to a vigorous exercise regime but not include the healthy eating element, am I likely to see any results whatsoever in terms of weight loss etc.? I exercise for at least an hour once a day, it's high intensity fat-burning, but sometimes I find the healthy eating element really hard. I don't eat a massive quantity of junk food but I suppose I am one of life's snackers! Can't resist the odd chocolate bar or pizza. Am I still likely to see results? I know I can't expect to end up teeny weeny if I'm still eating 'bad' foods, but I just wonder how much of a detrimental effect it's having.

Sometimes it's hard to get out of the loop of 'I just did loads of exercise...I can treat myself now!'. I'm finding it really hard. :(

Thank you :) x

Answer 1

Hi, if you're going to exercise so much then of course you'll  be hungrier, and it;s all about eating in moderation. I've learnt now after many years of exercise, sports and nutrition that abit of everything is okay. For example having a takeout once a week is okay! Allowing myself treats like my favourite chocolate is also okay!

PLEASE don't try to avoid eating ANY form of 'bad' foods. This will only lead to uncontrollable urges to over-eat and you'll make yourself crazy and even lead to an eating disorder (it did with me).

Please just try and focus on healthy foods that will fill you up. You'll probably still get cravings. When this happens, I do this-

1. take a minute to think about what I'm about to put into my mouth. will it provide me with nutrients? Energy?

2. eat a piece of fruit and eat SLOWLY and enjoy every mouthful.

3. always sit down when you eat.

4. don't always go for the 'low calorie' food option i.e. Cereal bars. I find these don't fill me up atall and I usually just end up eating double the amount of these 'low calorie' snack foods. When really, I could have cut up some berries, apples with some yoghurt and it ends up being LESS calories, MORE filling and MORE nutritious.

hope that helped.

I think the people who allow themselves 'treats' are the more successful ones in maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle. The important word here is LIFESTYLE.  

Answer 2

yes you will see results but not much as you could if you ate healthier, you lose weight when your body burns up fat so if your body's burning fat and then you eat and add to that then the exercise you just did is out the window anyway the answer is yes if you stick to a exercise regime then you will see result

good luck x

Answer 3

Well at least you are moving.  I am certain that it helps you keep the weight off. You might be suprised how much energy you have though if you did substitute some of the bad foods for healthy foods.

Answer 4

try the abs diet. i got the book on ebay for £2

Answer 5

lil bit of results, but diet is everything

Answer 6

Trying to exercise without the diet is just a heartbreaker really because you'll be working really hard and not seeing the results you should.  If you're going to eat loads of stuff you shouldn't then you'd have to exercise for a lot more than an hour a day to burn it off.

We all love sweets and cakes and chocolate but if you want to be slim you had to put your foot down and restrict how much of that stuff you have.  Try treating yourself to some of that stuff once or twice a week at the most, otherwise you're just banging your head against a wall

Answer 7

just make sure the chocolate is super dark.  that way you are

getting lots of antioxidants and stuff.

your toast should be made from whole grain bread. for snacking

try some of that melba toast.  i like the rye or the whole grain

varieties.   they are dry and crunchy but not tasteless like those

rice cakes some like to recommend.  

apples are good, but if you can try some of the other fruits, you

might find some you like.  there are some on the market now

that were not there a few years ago.

like most everything in life, moderation is the key. eat most

anything you like but of the bad stuff only one bite.

Answer 8

That depends.  To lose weight you have to burn more calories and fat than you put in your body.  

Calorie and fat burning is achieved by doing cardio exercises that will get your heart rate up.  Such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling and aerobics etc.  You shouldn't just be focussed on weight loss though, as not all slim people are necessarily healthy because their bodies can store too much internal fat (please see source link).  

As you are taking positive steps towards getting regular exercise why not go the whole hog and improve your diet too?  Your overall well being, as well as your skin, nails and hair etc. will all benefit if you improve your diet as well.   Also ensuring your body is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs from your diet can help protect you from ill health.

I think that regular exercise together with a good, balanced diet is best.

Answer 9

Eating healthy will give you more energy to do the exercise.  Also, you won't be losing the calories you have burned off by exercising.  If it is the odd treat every now and then it won't do much harm.  Cutting down on portion size is also good.

Try snacking on dry fruit, crudites and low fat dip (like salsa), sugar free sweets.

Answer 10

Hi, healthy eating doesn't mean that you have to cut out sweets and chocolates, it just means you have to eat them sparingly.  Why not have one day per week when you can have one bar of your fav chocolate?