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Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

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Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#101

Post by jacorreia »

Scramblejams wrote: post #78

FWIW, my experience disagrees with this. I was overweight, started running (starting around 9mi/wk, when I got bored and stopped I was up around 24mi/wk), and started losing weight quickly, lost a ton of it over a year, after which I was at a very good weight for me. Now, as the piece touches on, that exercise did change my eating, but the outcome of that isn't clear to me -- I stopped eating/snacking for a few hours…

It's literally just calories in vs. calories out. If 400 calories/day meets your weight loss goals, all you have to do is make sure that the calories you expend + the calories you no longer intake = 400. The ratio of those two factors completely varies from person to person on what their motivation levels are going to be, but as long as it works for you it will result in the same amount of weight loss as any other ratio

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#102

Post by dpark »

Retric wrote: post #47
revelation wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are certainly correct about one thing: "not all exercise is created equal". In fact, the muscle-building type of exercise (lifting) is hilariously bad at burning any kind of energy. Here is a rough estimate: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(30*500)kg+.5+meter+aga...

Humans are far less than 100% efficient. Aerobic weightlifting is one of the highest energy burns per minute of any exercise type.

What is aerobic weightlifting? Weightlifting is an anaerobic activity.

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#103

Post by fattylite »

Scramblejams wrote: post #78

FWIW, my experience disagrees with this. I was overweight, started running (starting around 9mi/wk, when I got bored and stopped I was up around 24mi/wk), and started losing weight quickly, lost a ton of it over a year, after which I was at a very good weight for me. Now, as the piece touches on, that exercise did change my eating, but the outcome of that isn't clear to me -- I stopped eating/snacking for a few hours…

It's just a bad title. The title should have been "Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight without changing your diet". If you eat the same amount as you did before, assuming that was maintenance calories, you will lose weight if you begin exercising. The problem is when you're intaking 1500 more calories than necessary before you start exercising. You can't burn that off to the point of a deficit with exercise alone.

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#104

Post by pjlegato »

Scramblejams wrote: post #78

FWIW, my experience disagrees with this. I was overweight, started running (starting around 9mi/wk, when I got bored and stopped I was up around 24mi/wk), and started losing weight quickly, lost a ton of it over a year, after which I was at a very good weight for me. Now, as the piece touches on, that exercise did change my eating, but the outcome of that isn't clear to me -- I stopped eating/snacking for a few hours…

I'd bet there is some exercise intensity threshold step function at work.

The article says exercise is, "only around 10 to 30 percent [of total energy expenditure] depending on the person (and excluding professional athletes that workout as a job)," implying that when you are doing lots and lots of hardcore exercise almost every day, it will use up a greater percentage of calories.

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#105

Post by nugget »

hyperchase wrote: post #28
samfisher83 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It you a eat a lot of fat you will get fat too. Its all about moderation. If you eat 4000 calories of FAT everyday you will get fat.

Can confirm. Did a year long dirty-bulk on a ketogenic diet while lifting heavy weights, got fat (and didn't really put on that much extra muscle either)...

What was your daily diet like?

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#106

Post by dpark »

vanderZwan wrote: post #31
maxerickson wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This effect is pretty small. Like 10 calories a day for a pound of muscle (which is quite a bit of muscle to add). It still matters, a few calories a day for a year ends up being pounds of weight, but adjusting calories out of the diet is going to be a better first strategy.

Not only that, but aerobic exercise also works better because your cells will burn energy for longer after working out - so I guess building muscle and getting it to burn more energy by running is the most efficient combination

Anaerobic exercise increases post-exercise oxygen consumption more than aerobic exercise.

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#107

Post by knowaveragejoe »

revelation wrote: post #44
taiboku wrote: post #22

This article misses a key point: increased muscle mass correlates with increased calorie burn. Not all exercise is created equal. Exercise that doesn't build muscle is indeed ineffective at burning fat. But exercise that DOES build muscle has a compounding effect on burning fat. Your muscles require more energy to maintain, so they will burn more calories just by existing.

You are certainly correct about one thing: "not all exercise is created equal". In fact, the muscle-building type of exercise (lifting) is hilariously bad at burning any kind of energy. Here is a rough estimate: http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(30*500)kg+.5+meter+aga...

That's a naive look at losing weight and overall health though. High Intensity Interval Training(HIIT) is one of the most effective approaches to trimming.

http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/HIITvsET.html

http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/Toning.html

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#108

Post by pjlegato »

jacorreia wrote: post #101
Scramblejams wrote: post #78

FWIW, my experience disagrees with this. I was overweight, started running (starting around 9mi/wk, when I got bored and stopped I was up around 24mi/wk), and started losing weight quickly, lost a ton of it over a year, after which I was at a very good weight for me. Now, as the piece touches on, that exercise did change my eating, but the outcome of that isn't clear to me -- I stopped eating/snacking for a few hours…

It's literally just calories in vs. calories out. If 400 calories/day meets your weight loss goals, all you have to do is make sure that the calories you expend + the calories you no longer intake = 400. The ratio of those two factors completely varies from person to person on what their motivation levels are going to be, but as long as it works for you it will result in the same amount of weight loss as any other ra…

The whole point of the article is that the traditional "calories in/calories out" model is wrong.

"Based on the research, Pontzer has proposed a new model that upends the the old "calories in, calories out" approach to exercise... He calls this the "constrained model" of energy expenditure, which shows that the effect of more physical activity on the human body is not linear."

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#109

Post by davidw »

yuzi wrote: post #43

I went from 190 lbs. to 138 lbs. over 6 or 7 months. The only exercise I did was jogging for 45 min a day. What I noticed was that jogging made me feel better, which somehow got me to consistently eat better. After a days jogging I didn't want to put crap food in me and ruin what I had accomplished and by doing it everyday I felt good enough, often enough to stick with it. So, based on my experience, I simply can not…

I've been riding my bike a lot lately, and I have lost weight. I find that exercise, for whatever reason, also makes me want to eat healthier. Sometimes it also actually takes the hungry away: I recently did a 6 hour bike ride, leaving at 1000, and getting back at around 1600, and I was not all that hungry, despite having eaten only a few energy bars during the ride.

Re: Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight

#110

Post by fattylite »

pjlegato wrote: post #108
jacorreia wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's literally just calories in vs. calories out. If 400 calories/day meets your weight loss goals, all you have to do is make sure that the calories you expend + the calories you no longer intake = 400. The ratio of those two factors completely varies from person to person on what their motivation levels are going to be, but as long as it works for you it will result in the same amount of weight loss as any other ra…

The whole point of the article is that the traditional "calories in/calories out" model is wrong. "Based on the research, Pontzer has proposed a new model that upends the the old "calories in, calories out" approach to exercise... He calls this the "constrained model" of energy expenditure, which shows that the effect of more physical activity on the human body is not linear."

The conclusion is:

"10) So what actually works for weight loss?

At the individual level, some very good research on what works for weight loss comes from the National Weight Control Registry, a study that has parsed the traits, habits, and behaviors of adults who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for a minimum of one year. They currently have more than 10,000 members enrolled in the study, and these folks respond to annual questionnaires about how they've managed to keep their weight down.

The researchers behind the study found that people who have had success losing weight share a few things in common: They weigh themselves at least once a week. They restrict their calorie intake, stay away from high-fat foods, and watch their portion sizes. They also exercise regularly.

But note: These folks use physical activity in addition to calorie counting and other behavioral changes. Every reliable expert I've ever spoken to on weight loss says the most important thing a person can do is to limit calories in a way they like and can sustain, and focus on eating more healthfully.

In general, diet with exercise can work better than calorie cutting alone, but with only marginal additional weight-loss benefits. "

It doesn't upend it, it basically just says "Don't count calorie expenditures as part of your caloric deficit", which has been standard advice for every resource I've used for quite some time.

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