Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

[ny biker]

This is a good overview of research related to weight loss. I think many of us have learned some of what's discussed through our own experience.

http://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories

[north woods gal]

Great article. Oh, yeah, I've learned (and re-learned many times) the truth of that. The only way I've ever been able to lose weight is though diet.

These days, my exercise is mostly about keeping my heart, healthy, because I have had heart issues in the past. I also keep my weight down for the sake of my heart and my type II diabetes. The good news is that eating healthy and biking allows me to completely control the diabetes, no drugs or shots needed. Also keeps my heart condition stable and healthy.

I have tried just about every form of exercise for the sake of staying healthy, but throughout my life, the one constant for me and good health has been the biking, probably because I don't bicycle for the sake of my health, but because I've always loved it so much. Maybe that's why it's worked so well. The health thing is a big bonus.

[rebeccaC]

While eating healthy is very important and the lack of is a very real reason for being overweight, I guess I feel exercise is just as important for a healthy body and I would resist telling someone trying to lose weight and get healthy to concentrate on diet. I prefer to think of losing weight and being healthy as a more holistic effort.

I’d also like to make an important point on eating healthy and exercise. In my volunteer work in South Central Los Angeles I can easily see the consequences of the financial and emotional pressure/stress in the neighborhoods that lead to unhealthful eating behaviors and physical inactivity.

The choices made by especially children can be strongly affected by the family and community environments in which they live. Urban poverty living conditions matter because they throw up many barriers to engaging in healthy food choice and exercise behavior. Healthy foods can be hard to find in urban disadvantaged neighborhoods because instead of large supermarkets they have a disproportionate number of fast food chains and small stores providing mostly high-fat, high density energy foods. Not having good transportation options just adds to the problem. With food insecurity and limited food budgets, foods such as refined grains, sugars, cereals, potatoes and processed meat products etc. are more affordable and last longer than fresh vegetables and fruits and lean meats and fish. A lack of exercise is also part of parental efforts to keep children safe in unsafe neighborhoods. Children and adults are more likely to stay indoors and engage in sedentary activities, such as watching television or playing video games etc. when it’s dangerous to play in a park (even IF there is one) or any outdoor activity.

One of the many satisfying aspects of my volunteer work is supporting and working on bringing together the intervention programs of neighborhood and wider community projects that can help make a difference in healthy eating, exercise, reducing violence and substance abuse, education enhancements and for me especially sex trafficking. Bringing together a diverse group of neighborhood/community programs and with the larger organizational numbers working on getting more government and private funding sources can help immensely. I do wish more people would see these needs and do more volunteer work to help with all the issues in areas similar to south central.

[north woods gal]

I salute you for your valuable volunteer work. Thanks for making a difference.

[Crankin]

Although I generally think the study NYBiker quoted is very true, I do have mixed feelings about the message it sends to everyone. I've known too many women who lost and maintained their weight by severe calorie restriction. The people I like to refer to as "skinny fat." Back in the day, someone like this would appear in my aerobics class and it almost always ended up in disaster, sometimes bordering on medical emergency. You do need to exercise to be healthy, yes. But, exercising also helps you lose weight, especially in the beginning, if you have a lot to lose, and you are moving from unfit to fit. This doesn't count all of the mental health benefits of exercising. Yes, what you eat and portion size really do count. But, without the exercise piece, it seems like you are just putting your body into starvation mode.
For myself, I could not have lost or maintained my weight without both. When I was 25, I lost 25 pounds from changing my eating habits and beginning a moderate exercise program. It took about a year. The only other time I had to lose that much weight was after my kids were born; the first time 25 pounds and the second time 20. I was already exercising 6 days a week when my first son was born and the same when #2 was born, but I weighed 10 pounds less when I started the second pregnancy. I lost the weight both times in 4 months. I doubt I could have done that without exercising.
I've had to really cut down on my carbs and portion sizes in the past couple of years. I also can't stop exercising. What has happened is I've changed how I exercise; not just cardio, and more planned rest or active recovery. Not sure how old I'll have to be, to not care anymore... 70, 80? Since most people in my family live to their early 90s, I guess I have to keep at it for awhile.

[Aromig]

I agree with what everyone has said here :-) I only lose weight when I watch my diet AND I exercise. I have a sedentary job - so my daily caloric needs without exercise are just so restrictive that I find I can't mentally do it. Just can't. I like to have a glass of wine at the end of the day.

The other bad news is that my unchecked eating habits are terrible, so I can't out-exercise them even if I worked out 24 hours a day. Good news is that if I work hard exercising in the morning, I hate to undo all of that hard work so I'll be better at portion control, etc. on days when I exercise! So I agree whole-heartedly. Exercise isn't the only key to weight loss -- but weight loss for me is truly is a holistic approach.

[Crankin]

It's sad, that even with really good eating habits for my entire adult life, I still have to be vigilant. I cannot deny myself everything, and having that glass of wine or a square of dark chocolate helps!

[Blueberry]

*sigh*

There's so much more to it than simple math. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?_r=0

[Aromig]

*sigh*

There's so much more to it than simple math. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?_r=0

Great article. Every body seems to have a "natural set point" which isn't always what we picture as thin and healthy (or where we'd like it to be). The older I get the harder I seem to have to work each year to lose weight (but it's easy maintaining my weight where it wants to be -- which is higher than I want - when I'm there I can eat whatever and it doesn't seem to matter. I don't gain). I wish everyone realized that it's not easy and it's not as simple as easy caloric math.

[OakLeaf]

*sigh*

There's so much more to it than simple math.

Yep. High on the list of health-related urban legends that make me crazy. Even if the metabolic end of the equation were true, calories in food are calculated by simple combustion without regard to bioavailability. According to those charts, you could gain a lot of weight by drinking a gallon of gasoline.

It's also pretty clear though that physical activity is a pre-condition for maintenance. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27128671

[zoom-zoom]

I've always found that being active...particularly being COMPETITIVE, makes it harder for me to lose. Exercise makes me hungry, especially if I'm training hard for a race. I have never been able to lose weight when competition or many hours/week of activity are my focus. I have always lost weight when I'm exercising little, but really focusing on food/calories.

BUT -- keeping weight off. For me that's very much related to activity. Because I can't eat like a bird forever. I'm good eating at a deficit or low calories for only a month or two before I want to hurt somebody.