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Constrained Energy Expenditure

51 replies15 peopleMay 26, 2026β˜† Follow
Summary

How much does cardio or exercise actually help with weight loss versus diet alone, especially with ideas about constrained energy expenditure?

The thread shows broad agreement that weight loss comes mostly from controlling calorie intake through diet, while cardio adds only modest net benefit because the body compensates by reducing other activity or expenditure. Resistance training appears less subject to that compensation. Calorie tracking is repeatedly called a game-changer for awareness and results, and exercise is valued mainly for health, muscle, and how one feels rather than for fat loss itself. NEAT and total daily movement also get mentioned as meaningful contributors.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Participants differ on whether fasted cardio offers any real advantage and on how much afterburn or metabolic cost truly differs between lifting and cardio once total daily calories are equated.

Still open

How accurately any individual can estimate true TDEE without expensive lab methods, and whether metabolic adaptation varies meaningfully between people.

Nothing here is advice.

51 replies Β· 15 people Β· page 1 of 2
GreenMeadow54archiveopening postMay 26

Diet plays the biggest role when it comes to dropping pounds. Cardio has always seemed worthwhile to me, yet the numbers on the scale barely budge compared to older expectations. This idea has circulated for some time now, and fresh data continues to support it. Exercise alone won't fix poor eating habits. What's odd is how strength work appears exempt from that rule. The clip stays brief and to the point. For me, that expert stands out when it comes to reviewing studies thoroughly.

PatientTimber45archiveMay 26

Avoiding five hundred calories from my meals takes less effort than getting rid of them through cardio workouts.

KeenMarble16archiveMay 26

People often guess too high on the energy they expend through movement. The same thing happens when trying to count what actually gets consumed. This find seems really helpful, glad it got posted here!

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26

The thread looks accurate to me. Still, doing cardio without eating beforehand deserves some attention. When you exercise on an empty stomach, it pushes your system to draw from fat reserves and stored carbs. This won't fix bad eating habits or too much intake overall, yet it does shift the source of fuel toward burning fat rather than using recent meals.

WarmMeadow92archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @KeenMarble16

I totally concur that people usually lowball the calories they take in each day. Serving amounts seem way off, packaging info can be deceptive, and hardly anyone enjoys tracking their intake. For myself, I track on five days each week while limiting what I eat, though I treat those numbers more like rough guesses than precise values. It's accurate enough to get by. Regarding energy expended, I haven't tweaked my intake based on exercise output, aside from using a broad activity-based estimate of daily needs. That estimate has gone down along with my weight and my food intake. At the beginning of using this medication, I skipped tracking altogether since I figured average-sized people don't bother. However, my daily energy requirement started out quite elevated at around thirty-four hundred, making simple reduction sufficient.

WarmMeadow92archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @GreenMeadow54 (opening post)

I keep seeing that working out won't fix bad eating habits. There's a local man around here who's wide for his height. He's friendly enough. He heads out every day at the worst time when the sun is strongest, wearing full workout clothes. This routine has lasted years without any change in his size showing up. At the store once I glanced at what filled his basket and it was all the wrong choices, which made me a little envious. Movement does bring other upsides for overall health and I figure it's worthwhile doing. Even so when the goal is dropping pounds the results look pretty small.

KeenHarbour69archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @KeenMarble16

Personally I see those as the main spots where folks slip up when trying to drop weight in my view. Remaining alert and firm seems essential for getting steady progress across months.

KeenMarble16archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @WarmMeadow92

Yeah, that's what I tried at the beginning with the medication since I hoped to follow my body's natural signals instead. It turned out to be total nonsense though, because if I already understood that skill I never would have kept overeating before. On top of that the whole wellness and exercise scene is loaded with false details, so even measuring food amounts and decoding those tricky package facts still leaves plenty of uncertainty about whether the method is reliable. Glad to see you landed on a routine that actually holds up over time. After I grew comfortable eyeballing my own serving sizes I could loosen up too and just tweak intake according to the scale each week.

SlowSignal40archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @WarmMeadow92

Seriously? What method? What size did you start at? Hang in there girl... aerobic stuff is the worst... even when it's not. I agree completely! This represents gold. Change it into platinum through boosting internal heat production so daily calorie expenditure rises. I skipped entering any training but yesterday's four hour session with metabolic enhancers showed the figures in my fitness tracker software.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @WarmMeadow92

Most people who stay at a typical size seem to handle things without tracking their intake exactly and just go by gut instinct instead. Finding out how effective monitoring energy intake could be shifted my whole approach. Digital tools along with a kitchen scale have made the whole routine much simpler lately. Without that method my body fat percentage never dropped under fifteen and earlier on it had reached over twenty after I tried eating better for a stretch but still couldn't improve further. Starting the process showed me how simple it became to shape my physique exactly the way I wanted. Beginning at one hundred sixty five pounds with that persistent abdominal fat at the fifteen percent level which stuck around even after more than a year of effort I reached one hundred fifty five pounds at ten percent in about two months and the belly issue disappeared. From there I put on twenty pounds of muscle while fat stayed the same. Monitoring intake really changes the outcome.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @SlowSignal40

I find myself in about the same position. When aiming to drop fat my daily calories sit at three thousand and the pounds melt away rapidly. Thirty three hundred maintains my current state while thirty five hundred starts the process of adding mass.

KeenMarble16archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @KeenHarbour69

True, seeing any changes takes forever so plenty of people stop trying early. Spot on with that point. Fully committing and believing in tracking intake makes the whole thing work almost like sorcery. Really pleased about your amazing transformation, thrilled for how well it turned out.

SteadyQuill55archiveMay 26

I agree that talks around workouts or activity failing to produce weight loss ought to mention how slimming isn't their purpose anyway. Cutting back on food takes care of dropping pounds. Moving the body instead prevents coming across and sensing like a wreck once lighter. At five foot five and one hundred twenty eight pounds these days most of my changes happened through eating less with that medication plus only a bit of movement. About a month back I realized I seemed soft with no tone and my old stamina plus stability had faded from what used to feel normal. So I picked up a bike joined a fitness spot and added evening strolls just for enjoyment and now I seem and sense far more solid than earlier.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @SteadyQuill55

I'm pleased with what came up here and want to congratulate the effort shown. My thoughts line up exactly. Physical activity works best when seen as a route to better overall condition, firmer shape, and an improved mood, though it won't suddenly drop weight by itself. Someone posted earlier that skipping five hundred calories from meals beats trying to expend them through aerobic sessions, and that seems accurate for lots of folks.

WarmMeadow92archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @SlowSignal40

When I first began this treatment I weighed three hundred thirty five pounds at a height of six feet four inches. My daily calorie needs figured using my years and movement habits totaled thirty four hundred. That feels enormous compared to the eighteen hundred I'm taking in at the moment.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @SlowSignal40

Hey, what keeps you going? Just caffeine or another pick-me-up? Wow, my combined exercises last beyond twenty hours each week, equaling my daily burn rate. It's similar to a side hustle, whereas you achieve that calorie use merely from existing. I'm supporting your advancements, how much do you weigh these days?

WarmMeadow92archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

I'm a big fan of this logging program. Earlier on, I relied on a separate tool during my consultations with a dietitian arranged via my medical coverage over four or five months. The special feature in that app let me photograph my food, sparking some hilarious discussions based on the images. My dietitian helped me understand that carbohydrates aren't uniformly negative. Absolutely, monitoring caloric consumption holds significant value.

SlowSignal40archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

I've been stacking anavar with modafinil and throwing in asia black-25 along with euphoria.

WarmMeadow92archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @SteadyQuill55

I see eye to eye on every point raised, which is exactly why I added that note up front clarifying I still value heart workouts and movement overall. The real snag comes from decades of messages claiming vegetable bowls plus activity will suddenly lead to slimness. In practice the sauce often holds plenty of energy even in modest spoonfuls, yet almost nobody sticks to such tiny servings. Extras like extras and meat sources push the whole dish to high energy counts without much effort. A fast half hour stroll might use only a modest amount. This round most of my own drop came through gentle movement paired with tight tracking of intake.

KeenKettle50archiveMay 26

Calculators for daily energy expenditure usually fall short since they overlook details like fat percentage and muscle mass. Breath testing devices meant to gauge calorie needs also fail to deliver precision. Back when I visited a weight management center the workers there claimed my upkeep level came to 3100 after their check even though they probably lacked proper medical training and I fought hard to avoid laughing at how earnestly they presented it. Getting an exact basal rate requires an entire day inside a sealed room that tracks oxygen consumption along with carbon dioxide output. Sadly setups like that stay beyond reach for ordinary folks due to steep building costs and the fact that only a few dozen exist anywhere.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @SlowSignal40

I begin by mentioning what kicks off my pre-exercise routines. This hit me during the period when I focused solely on training cycles and nutritious eating. I purchased ready-made packages and noticed the energy content, yet lacked a method to compare them until I started logging intake with software. Packaged salad toppings ruin my nutrient targets. I still like a salad now and then, though I prepare the sauces myself these days, often relying on low-fat fermented milk or similar creamy options. It's accurate that precise measurement works best, yet folks I chatted with, now including me, usually begin with a total daily energy estimate or similar approximation. They monitor intake while observing body mass shifts, tweaking activity levels to reach stability. After several weeks or so, tracking the numbers gets you quite near your typical burn rate.

WarmMeadow92archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

Salads are great and I have them often. I don't mean to suggest that leafy meals or workouts are negative in any way. I fully share the view on tracking macronutrients. Everyday dressings along with premade packs throw those numbers off badly. These days I reach for one that clocks in at forty calories across two spoonfuls. Before dropping the pounds my default picks came from that steakhouse line in all the rich flavors like blue cheese, Russian, thousand island, Greek, honey mustard or creamy Caesar. Every variety appeals to me. Tossing in some toasted bread pieces plus poultry turned the whole thing into a complete dinner totaling a thousand calories. It turns out I'm hooked on fats rather than the way some folks crave sugary treats.

SlowSignal40archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @WarmMeadow92

My vitality setup feels totally off balance after those doses. Swallowing the beta agonist at forty micrograms plus two hundred of the alertness agent and the anabolic steroid somehow made me doze off. Taking it by mouth would count as a huge success for extreme cellular breakdown.

AmberCinder18archiveMay 26

Years back I discovered that physical activity alone wouldn't handle my body weight. I devoted excessive time to intense gym sessions nearly daily yet saw zero impact on the scale. With Tirz I've reduced the frequency of my exercise routine now prioritizing resistance work without the previous obsession. I understand it offers additional advantages particularly as years pass but it fails to deliver as the ultimate solution promoted.

PatientBeacon15archiveMay 26

Honestly, the reality is that my body mass decreased dramatically over a brief period thanks to the medication, and I'm fully aware of the mechanism involved. My food intake decreased due to lack of appetite. It wasn't because of daily walks or improved hormone handling. Those factors contributed slightly, but not much. Among discussions about these drugs online, the importance of hunger reduction in shedding pounds seems debated. Proposing that reduced hunger drives most of the results leads to many negative reactions from certain users. One can query an artificial intelligence system regarding the proportion of fat reduction from appetite suppression compared to metabolic shifts, and it will review studies indicating the majority comes from eating less. Yet some individuals refuse to accept this view, insisting instead on other physiological changes. I don't understand their strong opinions on the matter. I conceal my remaining loose skin beneath my waistband.

WarmMeadow92archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @SlowSignal40

Sure, that setup works out nicely for everyone involved πŸ˜‚ Still, my tastes run more to rich fats including butter, cream, sauces, preserved meats and especially cheese. A spread of those items beats dessert hands down for me. Throw in wine and count me in right away.

KeenHarbour69archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @PatientBeacon15

Absolutely right. It isn't some kind of miracle really. Smaller hunger means fewer calories consumed. Sure these medications do other things too, yet most of the pounds shed come from that effect. Folks enjoy obsessing over small stuff at times, like the saying goes 🀭

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @AmberCinder18

I don't think this covers the whole answer. It really just handles a fraction of what you need. That site is packed with idiots, easily ninety five percent of them.

SlowSignal40archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

It fits that most folks just trail along without much independent thought. Typical smarts sit right at the middle mark. On discussion sites like this one the bulk of users would naturally fit that pattern too. Throw in how young a lot of them tend to be and their comments end up sounding even more limited since their decision making parts still have a ways to go before they finish developing.

LevelSignal57archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @GreenMeadow54 (opening post)

One of my closest pals packs away more than four thousand calories daily while spending three hours on strength work. His sessions break into short bursts of effort separated by longer breaks, yet he holds steady at eleven percent body fat. This is just me griping about how lopsided the whole thing feels.

SlowSignal40archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @LevelSignal57

Working out with weights for that long burns around a thousand calories pretty straightforwardly and all that extra muscle would raise his resting rate quite a bit as well.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @LevelSignal57

My situation lines up pretty closely, sitting at ten percent body fat while devoting three hours each day to exercise. Within those sessions, thirty to sixty minutes cover high intensity cardio along with conditioning drills. One hour goes toward peak strength efforts using short bursts separated by longer recovery periods. The final hour targets muscle growth plus endurance building. I maintain on thirty three hundred calories. On top of that, bigger frames use up plenty of fuel across the full three hours. Thinking about it, anyone logging weekly training time matching a part time job won't end up with minimal daily energy needs. Figures from the mid three thousands into the four thousands come up often enough when maintaining that kind of workload.

LevelSignal57archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

The guy cleared his huge order of Mexican dishes well before I got halfway through my lone taco. He consumes like he's getting ready for some kind of event, though only heaven knows which one.

SlowSignal40archiveMay 26
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

Hearing this leaves me wanting to burrow inside some tiny grain... wow, seriously.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 27
↳ replying to @LevelSignal57

I get what you're saying. Back when I began working out for three hours every day, my diet was really healthy at first. Once I calculated how many calories I needed to maintain and then switched to a higher amount for gaining, I ended up forcing down way too much each day and it made me feel terrible. I was having five or six meals daily. So I started choosing foods packed with energy, such as burritos and steaks. Eventually I just mixed up big shakes around eight hundred calories and had them one or two times daily. That turned out to be the single method that let me hit my targets without the discomfort of eating excessively.

SlowSignal40archiveMay 27
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

Man, how come you've got so many of those cells just sitting there?

GreenLedger62archiveMay 27

Tracking my daily intake totally transformed my approach. After noticing how simple it was to consume three thousand calories daily, I grew far more conscious of everything I put in. Pairing a wearable tracker with intake monitoring let me reach a lean build with clear abdominal definition amid the pandemic. Back then I did aerobic sessions just once or twice each week. My daily movement hit around eighteen thousand steps on average. I've gained thirty pounds since, yet returned to one hundred sixty-five and can already spot the definition returning. I can offset sloppy eating habits for maybe a couple days.

SharpBramble33archiveMay 28

That's incorrect. Aerobic work only supports heart health. Standing six two and weighing one hundred ninety nine pounds while targeting one hundred ninety, my daily intake hovers near four thousand calories yet I drop roughly two pounds weekly through lifting and taking ten thousand actual steps daily which totals fifteen to twenty thousand when including the gym time. Beyond that there exists something known as non exercise activity thermogenesis involving all the little movements like jiggling legs or choosing distant parking spots and wandering every store aisle which adds to daily energy use. Ultimately the real issue boils down to whether total calories burned exceed those eaten. Intermittent approaches or single meal patterns and even cardio sessions do not compare since the latter ends immediately after stopping whereas heavy lifting keeps metabolism elevated for a full day or more afterward. Cutting out carbohydrates leads first to fluid loss before the body adapts to ketosis requiring intake adjustments to maintain progress. The core remains exceeding expenditure over consumption.

GreenMeadow54archiveMay 28
↳ replying to @SharpBramble33

I'm unclear on the error in your statement. Nothing in it seems to clash with prior comments here. According to the clip, cardio offers restricted advantages since the system adjusts by reducing some of the additional energy expended. You're correct regarding NEAT mattering more than exercise sessions when it comes to overall energy use. General movement plus weight training results in higher energy expenditure. That idea isn't being contested.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 28
↳ replying to @WarmMeadow92

I've noticed the same thing after listening to lots of folks around me, even relatives, who claim that eating carbs leads to gaining weight while fats and proteins don't cause that issue. These opinions came from individuals carrying extra pounds themselves. But my own trials showed me it wasn't true at all. It's the total amount of energy intake that leads to extra body weight, rather than focusing on one macronutrient. A balanced eating plan requires proper amounts of both protein and fats, with the leftover energy needs met best through starches and sugars.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 28
↳ replying to @SharpBramble33

It doesn't add up except for the idea that overall energy intake controls fat reduction. If the daily total of energy expended is the only factor then how come using up one unit fast via aerobic work is supposedly worse than using the same unit slowly while moving weights over two days. A unit is a unit as you point out. You insist totals are everything yet claim energy from one activity counts less since another is superior. I put in more than twenty hours weekly on my athletic pursuit six days each week at three hours plus easy jogs on off days. My runs use up twelve hundred units daily likely thirty to fifty percent above the amount from my usual two-hour weight work even including the extra burn afterward for two days. I got myself from two hundred pounds down to one hundred fifty-five staying lean and built without any drugs or enhancements just by watching intake and working out. I accept that energy balance is key but the notion some energies beat others doesn't hold for me.

SharpBramble33archiveMay 29
↳ replying to @GreenMeadow54

I skipped the video and didn't dive deep into the comments, just glanced over them. Still, glad you see it my way! Maybe I didn't explain myself well enough, or perhaps you took it differently. To put it straight: ultimately it's about whether we used up more energy than we took in. That's what counts for dropping pounds overall. Take cardio versus weights for instance. An hour on the treadmill might torch five hundred calories with no extra burn afterward. But an hour of heavy lifting burns those same five hundred during the workout plus more over the next day or so while the body fixes up the muscles, refills energy stores, and balances things out. Sure in your setup cardio took precedence over weights, yet when you match them up equally in effort and duration the weights come out ahead. Personal factors like genes matter too of course. Still weights win in most scenarios because that extra burn lingers. Plus leaning heavier on cardio while cutting back on lifts could mean shedding muscle instead of keeping or gaining it during a calorie cut. You probably get that already. So yeah a calorie counts the same but the impact varies between the two activities. All those popular eating plans fade but the core remains burning more than you eat.

KeenKettle50archiveMay 29

Too much aerobic work tends to lower how many calories my body burns over the hours that follow. I like scheduling those sessions either without recent meals or once my energy stores run low so fat gets used instead. Yesterday for example I took in roughly one hundred fifty grams of carbs did some lifting then stuck with protein while keeping fats low. My reserves ought to be empty now because nothing remains to rebuild them through other routes. In a couple hours I plan to head out for cardio after taking a supplement.

GreenMeadow54archiveMay 29

People here clearly skipped watching the clip entirely. The video explains why steady state exercise offers little help when trying to drop weight. According to the numbers shown, expending six hundred calories during a run triggers adjustments leaving just two hundred as a real addition to daily burn. Multiple pieces of research over years support this pattern instead of relying on isolated findings. Strength sessions avoid triggering those same adjustments. Therefore expending six hundred calories through lifting adds every single one to overall output.

CopperMarble29archiveMay 29
↳ replying to @GreenMeadow54

I've heard about the debated notion of energy spending having an upper limit and agree with those who say it's wrong. A study came out that provides no confirmation for the concept.

PatientFenwick39archiveMay 29
↳ replying to @CopperMarble29

I checked out some studies regarding this topic. There's also a review paper that I can share later on. Basically, doing cardio without eating first leads to a bit more fat being used right away. Yet when food is consumed beforehand, more fat gets oxidized throughout the rest of the day. Over a full day, though, the total fat used ends up identical. On the downside, skipping meals before exercise might raise the chance of breaking down muscle tissue a little. Given that the fat loss ends up the same either way, that could be a point against training fasted. In the end, I just do cardio whenever it fits my schedule best since the balance of energy intake and expenditure seems to be what counts most.

SharpBramble33archiveMay 29

True that intense cardio uses more energy while doing it than weights do. An hour running usually beats an hour lifting since it's nonstop versus with breaks in between. Higher heart rate on average makes sense, but the focus was on what comes later. Lifting tears muscle and empties glycogen stores, so repair through protein synthesis and recovery keeps using energy long after you finish. When both sessions hit 500 calories in the moment, the weights version normally adds a bigger afterburn. Same idea the comment below was making. On the earlier point then, lifting beats cardio between the two. More muscle clearly raises daily energy use compared to extra fat even at rest. Another clear case is doing zero activity all day with one person at 200 pounds and low body fat.

SharpBramble33archiveMay 29

Strong agreement all around.

GreenMeadow54archiveMay 30
↳ replying to @SharpBramble33

You mentioned skipping the video, but did you go through the comments? It seems like we line up here, so why argue?

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