Fitness question

[MissMandaJo]

Im a 19 year old female, about 135 lbs 5ft 2 inches. I go to the gym 4+ times a week. Im on the elliptical for 40-45 minutes, and I make sure to burn anywhere from 500-600 calories. After that I do about 15-20 minutes of strength training. But my problem is... I eat junk! I will work out hard, then go have a breaded chicken sandwhich afterwards lol.

So my question is, with me eating kind of crappy ( I rarely drink pop but I love sugary stuff), and on the opposite end of the spectrum I work out... do they cancel eachother out? Even though I burn a significant amount of calories, I shouldnt gain weight from semi-bad eating habits, but I obviously won't lose any either, right? I just wonder if it's pointless to be exercising at all if Im not willing to have a really strict diet

[chai714]

Diet and exercise go hand in hand. A poor diet can definitely hinder your fitness goals.

 

While you're in the gym working your butt off, try to focus on how hard you're working and how much work it takes to burn so little calories. Then, next time you pick up that fried or breaded chicken you can look at it and say, "it's not worth it. I've worked too hard to eat something this bad."

[friscodj]

A couple of thoughts here:

 

1) Whatever activity you partake in, make sure you really enjoy it! And mix it up...one day gym, one day outside running, cycling, etc. Keep the activity fresh...focus on the activity and having fun vs. counting calories. Use these activites as your escape mentally from your life as well...

 

2) Start with small changes in your diet. The first and biggest change is replacing pop with water...either plain or flavored no-calorie types...and drink a lot of it. Staying well hydrated is key...

[RelaxByWater84]

Instead of pop/soda/coke you could try drinking fruit juice, not from concentrate, that way you get the sweet taste you want, this is what I do. I have the same situation as you, I want to eat and drink healthy, but I looooove sweets. Oh chicken is actually good for you. Also excercising increases your metabolism so don't feel bad if you had a breaded chicken sandwhich. One of my nursing said that a lot of people who excercise need more carbs than those that don't. Oh if you are concerned about the sweets, reward yourself everyday by eating a mini chocolate bar. This helps me. Hope this helps.