Is It Necessary To Exercise If You Aren't Eating Very Many Carbohydrates?

Discussion in Sports & Fitness started by kay17 • Jan 22, 2015.

  1. kay17

    kay17New Member

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    I've been trying a low-carbohydrate diet for a few weeks now. The first week I had absolutely no energy and didn't even attempt to exercise. At the point that I'm at now, my energy is back. I do find myself getting a little light-headed at times when over-exerting myself. I assume that it's due to not eating very many carbs. My question is, is it really necessary to exercise if I'm continuing to lose steady weight strictly from changing my diet?
     
  2. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    It's not normal to get light headed ever. Yes, it's because of your new diet and no, that's not supposed to happen. We absolutely need carbs for our survival.. you just have to make sure you're getting them from proper sources. Not from breads and other packaged garbage. You're only hurting yourself, your body isn't built for what you're doing to it.

    That said, you don't need exercise for weight loss.. just change your diet to one of actual foods and it will fly off. You NEED exercise for health though, so do what's comfortable every day. You don't need to torture yourself for health or looks.
     
  3. missbishi

    missbishiWell-Known Member

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    No matter what you are eating, you need to exercise. As JosieP says, it is essential to yur health and wellbeing. I am not certain that low-carbohydrate diets are particularly safe thoug. It may be better to change to a low fat diet instead and keep up with your exercise.
     
  4. zenfive

    zenfiveMember

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    Just simply cutting down on your carbs won't make you automatically healthy, in fact it might even be hindering your health.

    To develop a healthy lifestyle, it takes a lot more than cutting out pasta from your diet, it's a big change and has to be made in smaller steps so as to not overwhelm your body by making drastic changes all of a sudden. As mentioned above, exercising is key to having a healthy lifestyle, its not only great for staying in shape, but it also keeps your metabolism and body working throughout the day, and gives your more energy. Along with this, nutrition is very important, but you have to decide what kind of diet is right for the goals you are trying to achieve. If you are trying to lose weight, then think of incorporating things like green tea after your meals, and moving to a five meal diet so as to keep your metabolism working throughout the day and maximize the amount of fat that you are burning.

    If you are trying to gain muscle mass, then you must have a certain amount of calories per day that will ensure that you are eating enough to keep up with the amount of pressure you're putting on your body, and to ensure that you're making the most out of your workout.

    Therefore, it really depends on what your goals are. But yes, exercise is very important to stay fit and healthy and you should incorporate it into your daily lives (in varying amounts), and not only once of twice per week.
     
  5. Winnie

    WinnieActive Member

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    It's hard to exercise when a diet that you're on leaves you feeling less than energetic. I'm glad your energy is back, so that's a good thing. Bottom line, exercise needs to be done, not just when you're trying to lose weight. You see super-fit people jogging all the time, they are jogging to stay fit and healthy, not for weight loss.

    You don't have to overdo things. Just walk for 30 minutes a day. Break it down into 3 sessions of 10 minutes if you have to, but you should exercise. Years ago I lost weight while on vacation, and I wasn't even trying. I was walking everywhere, not changing the way I ate, and just by walking, I lost weight.
     
  6. Epicfied

    EpicfiedMember

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    My suggestion is find a way to balance this new diet of yours and exercise. Getting light headed is not a good thing and is definitely due to the new diet. Exercise is important too though. Take it easy. Do small exercises, keep moving though. Don't stop exercising. Make sure you're getting enough sleep, that'll help with your energy some. Make sure you're eating healthily in general. Make sure you're eating enough food to sustain your body after the lost calories from exercise.
     
  7. tournique

    tourniqueActive Member

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    You should consult a nutritionist and get some macros calculated. Going low carb is not the only way to get skinny, but you sure need to workout in order to keep healthy. That being said, try to integrate cardio in you daily life.
     
  8. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    You exercise not just for the food you are eating but for your muscle tone. You have to keep your body moving to keep yourself healthy. Exercising is like oil to your joints and muscles, so I think you would want to think about are you try to lose weight or are your trying to stay healthy.
     
  9. hellavu

    hellavuActive Member

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    Yes, you lose weight by cutting calories and it is often said that adjusting the calories spent/taken in will work best.

    However, exercise is really of greater benefit to your overall health than just weight loss. You SHOULD have a good diet, sure, but the advantages of exercises are even more positive. Exercise keeps you in shape, healthy, less likely to be injured and keeps you young. Why would you want to sacrifice this just so that you can comply to a diet to "lose pounds?"
     
  10. Feneth

    FenethActive Member

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    If you're light headed, have you checked your blood pressure? My blood pressure drops a bit on a low-carb diet and since it's usually low anyway, I need to intentionally up my salt intake and aim for higher water intake as well. Another thing I've found is that I can't exercise on 0-5 carbs. I usually save the majority of my carb intake for dinner so if I exercise in the morning or afternoon, I haven't eaten enough carbs to refill muscle glycogen. I've found if I eat a meal with 'good' carbs, veggies or even a small amount of fruit, before I exercise, that helps me a lot.

    It's not NECESSARY to exercise if you don't care where you lose the weight but exercise helps you maintain muscles and keep the weight loss to mostly fat.
     
  11. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    I would recommend that you stick to a balanced diet and don't exert yourself too much. If you want to lose weight, focus on daily exercises in combination with healthy, nutritious foods that will help you rejuvenate and nourish your muscles. Any kind of sudden extreme change will upset your system, and you are probably likely to fall back into old patterns.
     
  12. angelicagapit

    angelicagapitActive Member

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    Everyone's body actually has a different capacity to burn calories, and also, everyone has a different workout regimen, which means they all burn a different amount of calories while exercising. The more calories you burn, the more nutrients you have to put into your body to replenish your muscles.

    What's important is that you get the 80% Nutrition that you need and the 20% Workout in order to live a healthy, active lifestyle. You have to pair your workout with a meal plan that can give you the best result.
     
  13. 003

    003Well-Known Member

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    Exercise isn't just because you eat a lot and for losing weight, it's also about to hoister your body and at whole new healthy level. Exercise has far more benefits than a sexy body, prominent cuts and good shape. And if you are not eating carbohydrates, but you have a lot of fat, then you'd still have to do some exercise.
     
  14. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    And if you have few carbs in your diet AND little fat, you're practically cutting out all your sources of energy and messing with your health. I suggest people take this stuff more seriously and worry more about the consequences than the body they're hoping for that they could achieve more easily and permanently with a proper, healthy lifestyle.
     
  15. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    I think exercising is always important! I am not big on working out, but I do go at least a couple times a week to the gym because I know it's important not only to lose weight, but to keep your muscles, keep your body strong and healthy. If you are on a restrict diet maybe spending 3 hours at the gym will make you week, so if it's the case a 40 minute walk would already be very beneficial!
     
  16. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    I think it's always better to exercise, and I personally don't think cutting too much carbs is the healthiest way to lose weight. Exercise does more than just burn fats, as it also gets your blood circulation going and it probably also releases a lot of toxins and many more other benefits such as improving your internal body structure. It's probably best to check with a doctor and to supplement your new diet with exercise.
     
  17. eagletal88

    eagletal88Active Member

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    Like others have said, simply cutting carbs is not a healthy life choice. Our bodies require a certain level of carbs to function. You especially feel this in your energy levels. I am by no means a certified expert on this subject, but I have lived a healthy lifestyle the last 15 years while reading A LOT of material regarding healthy eating.

    I think balance is key when it comes to eating and exercising.
     
  18. Squigly

    SquiglyActive Member

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    Exercise is always necessary to keep your muscles from degenerating. Cutting your diet will only stop you from gaining weight, it won't build any muscle.
     
  19. lollie

    lollieNew Member

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    Well to be clear, it's always necessary to exercise. Whether you're trying to put on muscle or lose weight -- or neither, exercising is a part of life. Being fit, or exercising on a regular basis does more than help maintain an average build. It's keeps the heart pumping -- and with the necessary foods that helps you re-fuel, you'll always feel energized and on-the-go! Exercise on!
     
  20. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    No matter what you eat, you still need some form of exercise. It doesn't even matter how thin you are, everybody needs to do some type of exercise. It's not just about losing weight, it's also about keeping fit.