Does exercise really help you lose weight?

williams969

cityruss wrote: »

Increased activity increases deficit.

For those if us who eat our exercise calories, it makes our predetermined deficit "easier" to maintain, not necessarily bigger. If I didn't exercise, I'm super sedentary, and would have a daily intake of 1320 to lose. That little food makes my sad (and hangry). So I exercise and can eat 1800 to lose at the same rate. Happiness for me.

Additionally, the strength training I do (and anyone who chooses) promotes muscle retention during the losing phase. And makes me feel like a warrior as I am challeged in my stength goals. It can be good for us emotionally and mentally.

meganmoore112

I think the OP may be referring to this study:
cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(15)01577-8

Here is an article about the study:
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-28/more-exercise-doesn-t-always-mean-losing-weight

It says that higher amounts of exercise doesn't help you lose more weight than moderate exercise because your body adapts, and thus burns similar amounts of calories. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that concept because it seems like if I ran twice as long as my usual amount throughout the week, but kept calories the same, I should lose more weight.

I just started again trying to lose weight. I have about 20 pounds to go. I'm using my Fitbit to get an estimated TDEE and try to eat 500 less than that each day. I've added weight training 3 times a week, which is something I've never tried before, so I hope it helps.

senecarr

If you're tracking your calories, exercise definitely helps, allowing a person to eat more at the same deficit, or have a higher deficit with the same food.
If you're not, then the idea that exercise or increased activity will change weight is mixed. I believe some research suggests that a variant of a gene tends to predict if increasing physical activity will cause weight loss. I'd hypothesize that variants in that gene determine if a person's appetite rises equivalent or higher than the the calorie burn, or if they exercise without a concomitant appetite increase, thus creating a deficit.

Research at the National Weight Control Registry suggests that exercise is nearly essential for maintaining weight loss. Around 90% of the participants who have kept weight off long term exercise regularly, and I think at least 60% exercise (even if just walking intentionally) for an hour a day or more.

JodehFoster

I use exercise as a tool to keep me in check with my diet...if I'm taking the time to workout, I'm less likely to blow my exercise efforts by overeating.

sijomial

geogirl0626 wrote: »

I think the OP may be referring to this study:
cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(15)01577-8

Here is an article about the study:
bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-28/more-exercise-doesn-t-always-mean-losing-weight

It says that higher amounts of exercise doesn't help you lose more weight than moderate exercise because your body adapts, and thus burns similar amounts of calories. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around that concept because it seems like if I ran twice as long as my usual amount throughout the week, but kept calories the same, I should lose more weight.

I just started again trying to lose weight. I have about 20 pounds to go. I'm using my Fitbit to get an estimated TDEE and try to eat 500 less than that each day. I've added weight training 3 times a week, which is something I've never tried before, so I hope it helps.

@geogirl0626
It's not that they are saying you are adapting and the exercise burns less - you adapt to more exercise by reducing your other activity.
Allegedly!

Sounds like tosh to me - unless I've done something very extreme just feeling fit and energised spills over into the rest of my life and I move more. More likely to take the stairs, cycle to the shops, less likely to slob out in front of the TV.....

mikejdeleon85

i think it can help some casue at one time over 6-8 month span I lost 60-70lbs merely on only changed diet no exercise but what I was getting from work and at the time I worked as a warehouse supervisor so walking daily in the warehouse was my only kind of exercise.

Domicinator

GuitarJerry wrote: »

Domicinator wrote: »

Just to add another little wrinkle to this--

Both my rheumatologist and my primary care doctor are both SO HAPPY that I've lost so much weight and gotten healthy, but now they're both warning me that as I get older, I will begin to lose muscle mass. The weight loss does not exactly help this situation. They are both suggesting weight lifting and cardio just to keep my heart and muscles healthy. So these days I exercise more for those reasons than I do for weight loss.

Over the last couple of years, I've found that even at 38 years old, I still love biking. I got a bike last summer and rode it several miles almost every single day. For the cold months, I got an Airdyne AD-6 stationary bike, and I absolutely LOVE it. It works the arms, legs, and core and gets my heart pumping for a few minutes every day. Both are almost completely impact free on my joints, and the Airdyne adds in some fantastic upper body strength training because you have to use the handlebars to work the machine too.

So anyway, even if exercise doesn't create MUCH of a defecit, it's still good for you. I recommend it.

This is cute. The bolder part is mine. WTF? Lol.

Haha--what I was getting at is that there are a lot of things that just aren't fun anymore as I get older. Sledding and riding my bike around the neighborhood are two of the big things I've found to still be SO MUCH FUN. Even though they both hurt my butt sometimes.