An obese person does not need to do one iota of exercise to lose weight
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stevencloser wrote: »
Looks to me like your problem was the restrictiveness, not the not exercising part.
That was a large part of it yes. However exercising closed the gaps for me. On weeks where I lose no weight or where things are hard exercise helps to motivate me.
However, I apologize. I capitulate to popular opinion.
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In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, three international experts said it was time to "bust the myth" about exercise. They said while activity was a key part of staving off diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, its impact on obesity was minimal.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32417699
This resonates with what I have learnt over the last few decades and concurs with what a fitness instructor told me at a gym years ago.
If you read the article, then youll see its slightly misleading. The question is asked several times a week on MFP and it receives consistent replies that for weight loss purposes a calorific deficit is all that is needed. There is no dispute about that on MFP. So really OP you are stating the obvious.
Note its only 3 authors who are saying this and even the BBC article has people disagreeing with their slant about the role of exercise.
The authors are talking specifically about the spin it balmes on the food and drink industry about the value of exercise solving all problems to do with obesity.
The authors are more concerned about diet intake coming from sugar and carbs as opposed to fat.
I found it interesting, but its a bit incomplete and raises more questions than it answers. I preferred the responses about the value of a balanced diet and regular exercise, because obesity isnt the only reason to lose weight or get fit. I always find it a bit strange when people proudly put forward the fact they have done zero exercise. Not being overweight doesnt automatically mean you are healthy and being fit as well as strong has important benefits.
That is because one of them is an Atkins Foundation funded researcher. While i agree that you don't need exercise to lose weight, but exercise sure beats laying around on the couch all day eating tiny portions.0 -
It may not be necessary for weight loss, but weight loss isn't my only goal. I want to keep it off. I look to the studies of the long term maintainers for my guidance and goal-setting. Every single one of them exercises regularly.0
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I think that the main point is that exercise not necessary. This needs to be pointed out more, especially for the morbidly obese or those who have physical problems where they can't exercise. So many think that they can't lose weight because they can't exercise (or flat out don't want to) and they need to be reminded that weight loss is not about exercise, it is about controlling calories. Many, like me, will be able to add in exercise as the weight comes off but it is a bonus, not the meat of weight loss.
Even in many posts above I see "Yes, but" answers. The answer really is "Yes".
I agree with you that for some people it does seem that difficulty in finding the time, will or ability to exercise is a barrier to managing their weight.
The other side of the coin is that exercise helps and the majority of people aren't morbidly obese and can do exercise. Often enough, this type of story is seen as an excuse not to do exercise or even up their daily activity level.
Whether one wants to or not to do exercise is truly a personal choice but to think that the body doesn't need physical activity to thrive and maintain is false. Not only your bone structure and muscle function need movement but cardiovascular disease and health and even hormonal balance are regulated by activity.
If weightloss is at all motivated by any health considerations then physical activity goes hand in hand in achieving those.
And again, in terms of pure weight loss maintaining LBM will help with losing and keeping weight off.
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That is because one of them is an Atkins Foundation funded researcher. While i agree that you don't need exercise to lose weight, but exercise sure beats laying around on the couch all day eating tiny portions.
Interesting but im not disagreeing with you about the value of exercise just relaying waht the article says because most people seem fine with commenting on it without having read or understood what it says. Depressing.0 -
My goal is both.But is the goal of weightloss the weightloss or is the goal to be healthier.
I would have though for most being healthier is the goal. So less fat, more muscle and getting a range of vitamins and other good stuff from food.
So diet and exercise should be more or less equal. Probably weightloss as a higher priority in the beginning and then even out as you get closer to goal weight.
And, yeah, it's not exactly discovering E=mc^2 to deduce that weight loss typically becomes less of a priority as you have less of it to lose.
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In my case it is utter crap. I went on special "eating plans" twice. Both times I lost 24kg, both times I stopped and both times I put the 24kg back on. Both times I bought into the "This is a lifestyle not a diet" thing. Neither of the 2 times did I include exercise. Why did I fail? Because the diets were very restrictive. Why am I succeeding now? Because I limit calorie intake NOT what I eat so I don't get bored with eating limited food and if I overeat (like pizza) I go to the gym and work it off. You cant do that purely with dieting. Also, exercising has other spi-offs that are beneficial to loosing weight. Feeling your body becoming stronger is a very good motivator to lose more weight.
If you have to lose 10kg, then yes diet alone will do it. If you have to lose 60kg then I'm afraid you are going to need a *kitten* load of self motivation and discipline and I know very few obese people that have either.
So on a theoretical basis, yes I agree. On a practical level, I'm sorry I don't agree and I think it is pretty irresponsible.
Am I misreading something? aren't you agreeing with the article?
You say you limit calorie intake and if you happen to over eat you exercise.
So if you didn't over eat pizza etc you wouldn't exercise? There fore weight lose with out exercise.
Anyway I think the. Best saying I have seen to win this all up. You can't outrun a bad diet.
What your missing is that low calorie diets aren't really sustainable for most people. If you don't exercise to keep your metabolism up then most will eventually regain any weight they lost and probably end up heavier then when they started dieting.
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snowflakesav wrote: »I tend to think this is crap. The studies on long term maintainers is overwhelmingly about exercise and activity as the key factor.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.
Also, what's important for weight loss and maintaining tends to be what keeps you motivated/in the right frame of mind to do what needs to be done. I think that differs from person to person, but that for many exercise probably plays a huge role. (It always has for me.)0 -
In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, three international experts said it was time to "bust the myth" about exercise. They said while activity was a key part of staving off diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, its impact on obesity was minimal.
This is similar to what I just wrote in the other thread about exercise, and I'm not sure if the research being discussed is the same--I read the Guardian article, but the link in the OP here appears to be broken.
I would like to know what the researchers looked at in claiming that differences in activity do not matter for obesity, because one difference I've seen pointed out between areas of the US that have higher levels of obesity and areas that do not, and in particular between the US and other countries with lower obesity and overweight rates, is the difference in daily activity levels.
If this article is to be taken seriously, I guess the percentage of time people spend driving and not walking, the absence of sidewalks some places, decreases in the amount of time kids spend being active (vs. on the computer), changes in job patterns, etc. don't matter. And maybe they don't, but I'd like to see how this was determined.
Also, I am skeptical from the beginning with the researchers claiming that too much emphasis is placed on exercise. My impression is that diet is already the main thing that is focused on and what people think matter (and that dumb arguments over sugar vs. fat and so on--which the authors seem to be playing a role in--are actually part of the problem, as people think they need to follow some correct, complicated diet and can't figure out what is right given the claims from vegans to low carb to paleo and all the rest, when really it's much simpler).0 -
I don't know if you have the TV programme, Super sized vs Super skinny. They get two people, one really thin and one really big, weigh them separately then bring them together to stand in front of a plastic tube in which the food they eat for the week is put in, nasty stuff sometimes. Then its off to the feeding clinic where they swap diets for the time they are there, which is normally a few days. The one that undereats has to eat what the one that overeats normally eats and visa versa. Sometimes one or both of them end up crying and realise the harm they are doing to themselves. After that they go home separately and have their diet plan, tailor made to fit their needs. After some weeks they are brought back, weighed separately again and again brought back together to hear their progress. Most of those that are on the programme exercise along with diet and the results can be amazing. Point I'm making exercise can help you lose weight and also gain weight along with a nutritionally balanced diet and determination0
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That is because one of them is an Atkins Foundation funded researcher. While i agree that you don't need exercise to lose weight, but exercise sure beats laying around on the couch all day eating tiny portions.
Interesting but im not disagreeing with you about the value of exercise just relaying waht the article says because most people seem fine with commenting on it without having read or understood what it says. Depressing.
looks like one of the other authors is in hot water
http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/noakes-faces-probe-over-banting-tweet-1.1848659#.VTkPYJMYHOt0 -
Still convinced from empirical data that diet is the most effective, only, way to lose weight.0
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For weight loss, no, but for overall health I think our bodies biologically expect some form of exercise and function better on it - and the overall look of the body, even at the same comparative weight, tends to be better if you do a little working out.
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I lost most weight from not exercising but that was by choice, exercise can be anything even walking up stairs or even ironing and household chores or weight and strength training. The gyms where I live are too expensive so my husband buying my dumbbells and other equipment to help me workout at home. I live in a hot climate so sometimes have to wait till the sun goes down before I can go for a long walk. If I run, there will be looks and comments so I don't bother. When I go home for summer hols i will run the 5k track they have marked out around my area. Each to their own!
100F+ summers for generally three months straight (with the occasional 95, 97 or whatever day thrown in there) right here! I too wait for sundown if I'm doing something outdoors, or else I just work out indoors.
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Well, the entire thread and the statement that I quoted are both about weight loss, so I was asking in the context of weight loss.For weight loss, no, but for overall health I think our bodies biologically expect some form of exercise and function better on it - and the overall look of the body, even at the same comparative weight, tends to be better if you do a little working out.
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
Well, the entire thread and the statement that I quoted are both about weight loss, so I was asking in the context of weight loss.For weight loss, no, but for overall health I think our bodies biologically expect some form of exercise and function better on it - and the overall look of the body, even at the same comparative weight, tends to be better if you do a little working out.
Yes, I got that.
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My mother has lost about 100lbs twice and is currently loosing the 60lbs she gained back. Everytime no exercise what so ever. EVER! lol She is jiggly but she doesn't care she's a senior and retired. She's doing what she wants. It's all about clothes for her lol. Myself on the other hand have never lost weight on diet alone. I never tried until this go around. I've lost 13lbs in 3 weeks with no exercise. I was amazed. I will probably wait another 20lbs or so to start. I don't want to hurt myself this time trying to push to hard to soon. SO until then it's all about food. We'll see...0
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Surely all adults know that you can lose weight without exercise. But the editorial references in the article wasn't really about that. It was more saying that we shouldn't look to exercise as a method of weight loss. That diet is the most important thing.
It further goes into the importance of diet for overall health, regardless of whether you are overweight or not.
I doubt any of that will generate much controversy. The stuff about low carb and high fat might though.0 -
Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Fitness happens in the gym.0
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I would agree with that. But I think exercise makes it easier to stay on track, at least for me. It allows me to eat a little more, and it occupies my mind/time more, meaning less room for boredom eating. It's also great for my mental health.0
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To go from sedentary and mindlessly eating above maintenance, to active, calorie-counting and eating below maintenance is a big change. And many are overwhelmed with the belief that they have to do it all at once, so they either don't start at all, or get frustrated and quit quickly.
You can start with either one, but I think it is easier for many, if not most, to start by taking control over what and how much they put in their bodies. Learn how to do that, see the results, and then add in exercise. It also makes it easier because you are adding in calories as you add exercise to your life. When you do it all at once you are simultaneously cutting calories and increasing activity, which is a difficult thing to do - both physically and mentally.0 -
Given that we're on a website started solely for the sake of counting calories, I'd say you're preaching to the choir.0
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Weight loss comes from burning more calories than you are eating in a day. Hard to do without exercise. Plus muscle burns more calories than fat, so you exercise, increasing muscle and reducing fat to help your body burn calories more effectively. Guess my point is that exercise is essential for health, weight loss and maintaining that loss in my opinion. Obviously I disagree with the general premis of the article.0
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I think one problem is that people think exercise means doing sweaty stuff at the gym or while watching a video. Which can be great and all (I tend to like lots of more intense exercise), but I wouldn't advise any obese people to wait to get more active if they can just include more walking in their days. I think making changes positive ones and not just doing without can be really motivating to some people.0
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yeah, i'd say i lost the majority of my poundage in the kitchen, not in the gym. it wasn't until i lost some weight that i was ready to start adding in some exercise. works for me.
Same for me. For most people who have a LOT of weight to lose (I started here 2 years ago with over 100 to lose) aren't capable of much exercise and depending on how much weight they have to lose some can barely get out of a chair without serious physical exertion for them just 'living' is as much as they can handle. In these cases and others where exercise can potentially do more harm than good (greater likely hood of injury etc) or even when people have never done anything previously and are scared or have convinced themselves that they NEED to starve themselves and exercise their butts off or they will never get anywhere I highly recommend tackling the diet first.
Once you learn to eat correct portions it's not that hard to start walking around a bit more etc.. it's all about the baby steps. In my experience - seeing people come and go from here over the past 2+ years the ones that start slowly are more likely to still be here at the end as opposed to those who go all out, join a gym, throw out all the 'bad food' etc. I'm not saying that those types don't make it - only that in MY experience they are less likely to do so and more likely to get into the rut when they plateau etc.
Considering that adding exercise will normally (not always) lead to a gain on the scale while your body adjusts (there used to be a really good article here http://www.sparkpeople.com/blog/blog.asp?post=why_the_scale_goes_up_when_you_start_a_new_workout_plan in the event that this is new information for someone) starting a heavy exercise program before you've got a good start on your weight loss and a good handle on your diet can be a serious DE-motivator.
Absolutely no disagreement that doing BOTH diet and exercise will get you the best results long term but for beginners I will always recommend diet first.
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