Exercise Isn't Good for Weight Loss?
What if I were to tell you that exercise is fairly useless for losing weight?
Now before you accuse me of heresy, let me explain. There's no doubt that exercise is one of the best things in the world you can do for your health. It improves mood- in some studies as well as antidepressants- and it's great for your heart. Recent research shows that it even helps you grow new brain cells. And people who exercise on a regular basis have lower risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
But weight loss? Not so much.
Does that seem contrary to everything you've heard? Of course it does- but don't shoot the messenger.
Here's the truth: the exercise/ weight-loss equation is way more complicated than we've been led to believe.
Let's start with calories. Most people overestimate calories burned during exercise (by a long shot) just as they typically underestimate daily calorie consumption (ditto!) Forget what the computer readout on the Stairclimbers and treadmills at the gym say-- according to the Mayo Clinic, even high-impact aerobics only uses up about 511 calories an hour; walking at a pace of 3.5 mph barely uses 300. You can wipe that out with one medium meal at McDonalds--heck, you can wipe it out with a one big "low-fat" muffin from Starbucks!
Then there's the appetite factor. Exercise makes people hungry and people often compensate for exercise by eating more. I've seen people at the gym scarf down "energy" drinks that contain the calorie equivalent of two days worth of workouts.
Plus, there's good old garden-variety self-deception. Ever told yourself, "I can indulge with a Krispy Kreme today cause I just worked out"?. Sorry. That's like saying you saved some money by buying milk at Target so you might as well go to dinner at the Four Seasons. The math just doesn't work out.
Interestingly, the research is very clear that it's next to impossible to keep weight off unless you exercise regularly. But using exercise alone as a weight-loss strategy is- forgive the bad pun- an exercise in futility.
That's why the best trainers have a saying: "You can't out-train a bad diet".
Labels: calories, exercise, weight loss
Jonny Bowden, PhD, C.N.S. is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health and is the author of several best-selling books.
Though it is true that people over estimate the calories burned from a workout. They also under estimate calories consumed. However With proper diet and exercise weight comes off safely and efficiently.
Weight loos is strictly a calorie number and metabolism game. 3500 calories equates to 1 pound.
If you are one of the people using exercise as your way to burn off some extra fat you are doing the right thing.To say exercise is not a key is irresponsible, and this blog comes from a man who make his living writing about food. So in your world doctor, of courseweight loss is more about food than exercise.
In conclusion, I have recommended your 150 healthiest food book to a good many people. After reading this blog I will no longer endorse you or your book.
Perhaps you need to visit the A.C.E fitness website
I decided to publish this comment as an object lesson- anyone bothering to read the original article and this comment by david can see immediately that either he completely missed the point, or didn't bother to read it in its entirety.
Obviously i never said exercise wasn't important. I've written seven books touting the importance of exercise, and for ten years I made my living as a personal trainer, earning certifications from seven certifying bodies including the American Council on Exercise, the site he suggests i "visit". The facts about exercise and weight loss are very clear and were the subject of a full length Time Magazine article the same week my blog came out- and it reached the same conclusion: you can't outtrain a bad diet. Exercise alone for weight loss rarely works.
That "David" read that to mean that exercise is not key to a healthy life is a sad misreading of what i said.
jb
David is misguided on another point, too:
"Weight loos is strictly a calorie number and metabolism game. 3500 calories equates to 1 pound."
No point arguing with him, Jonny. He buys into the calories in/calories out theory. If that were indeed the case, then excerise would cause a great deal of weightloss (and you wouldn't see the "fat runner"). Sounds like he needs to hear your Telephone Theory of weightloss.
thanks for pointing this out. The old "a pound equals 3500 calories no matter what" remains the go-to "wisdom" for most trainers and other people who have been conventionally trained, and it's well past its expiration date. While true in theory, as you point out, there's so much more to it than that!
thanks for the nice comment!
warmly
jb
I'm not a professional fitness or nutritionist professional, but I got the point. I've also seen people excusing questionable diet choices with the fact that they've exercised. It's a system and system's need all the parts to work together. Food choices, movement and other nutrition/activity/mental management need to work together to provide the best outcome. Thank you, Dr. Jonny.
I also agree with dr Bowden..
I've been weight training (also running, cycling, releskating..) and for the last ten years or so
- but the most difficult thing was maintaining the "correct diet".
The exercise alone is not the factor - after coming back to a gym I have been in 7 years before - all the familiar people had the same physique they had before - it was a weight lifting club, they don't care much about the nutrition there - it's more of a "how much you can lift"..
BUT also.. I noticed on my personal regime that when training hard - I really can't eat much for about an hour or more after the training, and try not to overeat before the training - so that's a big factor, and so it forces me to think about what should I eat for the day - a discipline that I fairly quickly loose when not training at all.
After reading this, I can tell for sure it's not just the heavy training, it's the whole discipline you have to keep maintaining. Maybe I could go as far as saying, it seems much better to do some real muscle building exercises rather than just jogging and walking it off - since then you will at least have an increased basal metabolism increased by the excess muscles - this doesn't happen when jogging or just by doing cardio. By only using cardios and fitness body tends to loose muscle and fat - most people see is body weight reduction. (SIDENOTE> The fastest way to achieve body weight loss is by amputating your legs or arms - takes off 15-20% body weight in a day - now try selling that)
I get it, you cannot overstress the nutrition factor that most people try to neglect. And I can agree that any type of training gives you great benefits. It does increase your metabolic rate, you can feel lighter - but you won't achieve that if you continue the same exact diet of overeating afterwards and thinking it was enough to train a few times a week.
I am not arguing the point that there is more to weight loss than exercise.
Water intake, nutrition, sleep and the list goes on. So to say exercise does not play an important role is also a fallacy. That was my main focus.
My point simply is this:
Yes you see fat runners, but by the same token you see few fat marathon runners.
Hi David- I don't think we're on opposite sides here. I probably worded the headline a little strongly, but the point of the article is that health (and weight loss) requires BOTH nutrition AND exercise. I hear from a lot of people (at seminars and on my website) who are suprised that they haven't lost any weight when they're walking 30 minutes three times a week but haven't changed their diets. That was my only point- and i'm sure you wouldn't disagree with that!
warmly
jb
Gary Taubes has a lot to say about this subject.
http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/
I think, what it comes down to is: Exercise alone, if done correctly, can improve insulin sensitivity/use of glucose as fuel and, therefore, can POSSIBLY result in fat loss; however, proper diet alone WILL yield significant fat loss.
You have to keep in mind, exercising increases hunger which may, in the long term, negate any positive effects.
Thanks for the write up, JB. On a sidenote, how's the air quality in your area, Jonny?
My wife has been going to the gym every work day (5 days a week), for the last 2 years. She then stopped during August for vacation. Her appetite during this period lowered and she lost the 10 lbs she needed to lose. Then an article came out in Time magazine to confirm what she always thought - Working out a lot does not equal losing weight. Just as the Doc states - it may increase weight. Losing weight is an easy math calculator. It's really that basic (Intake less Output= x). Exercise is great, but not the sole answer to weight loss.
My wife has been going to the gym every work day (5 days a week), for the last 2 years. She then stopped during August for vacation. Her appetite during this period lowered and she lost the 10 lbs she needed to lose. Then an article came out in Time magazine to confirm what she always thought - Working out a lot does not equal losing weight. Just as the Doc states - it may increase weight. Losing weight is an easy math calculator. It's really that basic (Intake less Output= x). Exercise is great, but not the sole answer to weight loss.
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