How long before exercise causes weight loss?
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You can't out-exercise your fork.
Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. And scale fluctuations will sometimes mask fat loss, for various reasons. Retaining water after exercise is one of those reasons.12 -
Hey guys, just wondering how long it takes for exercise to show a drop in weight?
I did massive walk yesterday, about 10k, no weight loss this morning! Feeling growchy because I should have lost something this week, and last week my big walk seemed to show up the next day!
Seriously grouchy about this. Feels like I ended up aching this morning for nothing.
Why do you think that a single walk will result in weight loss? Regular exercise contributes to overall health and fitness, and also will give you a bit more room for eating an extra treat without going over your calorie goals. But a single day of exercising will not really make a positive difference short-term, same as a single day of overeating will not ruin your weight loss.6 -
To put it in perspective if I walked 10K (I hover around 200 lbs) I'd burn an additional 372 calories ( .30 x weight in lbs x distance in miles).
Weight loss comes from consistently consuming fewer calories than you expend over a period of time snd it's not linear. Be patient, be consistent and log your food consumption to ensure that you're eating at a modest caloric deficit that can be sustained.5 -
I think I left some details out. I'd managed to keep a deficit all week but not as much as I wanted, so I calculated the exercise (walking) I needed to burn off those extra calories from the week.
According to the mfp exercise calculator, I more than did that. I do walk every day, I just wondered if a big walk like that would show up sooner rather than later.3 -
You can't out-exercise your fork.
Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. And scale fluctuations will sometimes mask fat loss, for various reasons. Retaining water after exercise is one of those reasons.
^^^^^ This. Also, really amazing workouts tend to leave people with really amazing appetites, this includes me. Post run, I want to eat everything!!!!1 -
Later. It shows up later with consistency.
You might notice a temporary gain as enthusiastic exercise causes the muscles to swell with extra water (water weight) for a few days.3 -
I think I left some details out. I'd managed to keep a deficit all week but not as much as I wanted, so I calculated the exercise (walking) I needed to burn off those extra calories from the week.
According to the mfp exercise calculator, I more than did that. I do walk every day, I just wondered if a big walk like that would show up sooner rather than later.
You are likely just not waiting long enough to see the results of your work! Every body works differently and every body burns fat differently. When I got started and even now I only weigh in once a month! Week to week is too often and has too many variables for me personally. This is a journey, not a sprint! Slow down and keep yourself consistent. Your body isn't a slot machine that you put "work" coins into and "fat loss" just pops out!4 -
I think I left some details out. I'd managed to keep a deficit all week but not as much as I wanted, so I calculated the exercise (walking) I needed to burn off those extra calories from the week.
According to the mfp exercise calculator, I more than did that. I do walk every day, I just wondered if a big walk like that would show up sooner rather than later.
Weight loss just doesn't work that way... it happens over time... expecting weight loss to show up over night because you had a big calorie burn yesterday will just lead to disappointment. Be consistent and your weight will go down, but it doesn't happen in neat, equal increments like you want it to.6 -
lporter229 wrote: »Wow. Ok, I am not saying this to be mean, but to honest and hopefully, helpful. If you are expecting to see a noticeable difference in your weight from one 10K walk, then you need to seriously re-evaluate your expectations and your plan here. Weight loss not only takes time and patience, but it also takes a bit of faith. Faith in knowing that if you stick with it, you will see the results you are expecting, it just isn't going to happen over night. We live in a world of instant gratification, which is why so many people fail at this. Weight loss isn't about instant results and there is no way to make it happen that way. You have to develop a plan of eating and exercise that you can sustain and actually enjoy because it is going to take time. If walking 10K feels daunting and leaves you sore, then try walking 5k instead. If eating 1200 calories per day leaves you hungry and grouchy, then eat 1500 instead. The point is, if what you are doing seems too hard, you aren't going to stick with it. Make it easier on yourself and be patient. It will happen, it just takes time, patience and persistence. And reasonable expectations. Wishing you the best of luck!
Was going to post a different version of this. But basically what she said. It takes a lot longer than you think, sustained effort over time. Not a week, either. Or a month.
Just as you didn't gain weight by sitting down and eating one afternoon, you aren't going to lose weight walking and eating well one afternoon.
One woman on youtube lost 80lbs in a year. She suggested staying off the scale for months at a time, because it took her 6 months to see any results. She went from over 200lbs to model thin in a year, but six months of hard work and dieting without seeing results.
You expect change in one day.
If you want great results, prepare yourself for the long haul. And you can do it, if you take the advice of porter229 the woman quoted above.
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Oh dear if you're expecting to lose the weight that quick, I'm sorry you are in for some disappointing times. Weight loss takes time and is dependent on your food intake rather than exercising. Take a deep breath and take it steady rather than jumping on the scale every day use your clothing as an indicator of how well you are doing. Give yourself a week or so then if you must try the scale but remember there will be times when you naturally put on a little weight. Slow and steady.1
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It doesn't. That is, exercise does not cause a drop in weight. Burning more calories than you take in causes a drop in weight. If you are not in a calorie deficit, then no matter how much you exercise, then you will not lose weight.
In addition, one workout is not going to cause your body fat to decrease in any noticeable way. If your weight changes after one workout, it will be due to water weight fluctuation, not long term fat loss. Weight loss is a process, not a one-day event.2 -
This might make you sad for a moment, but stick with me.
I can ride my bicycle 40+ miles, eat in a caloric deficit and weight MORE the next day.
Why? My body is hanging on to water to repair any muscles needing repair after that effort.
I think I gained 4 pounds over labor day weekend after getting in 85.5 miles worth of cycling and probably being in a 2000-3000 or so calorie deficit.
Of course. later in the week, I was down those 4 pounds and another pound or pound an a half.
But as others have said or at least alluded to, it's more about what you eat than your exercise.
I was working out 4 to 6 days a week and still got up to 265+ pounds. I could lie to myself because I was big, broad shouldered, and looked 30 pounds lighter than I was. People still don't believe that I'm over 200 pounds, and I'm down to 215.
It took watching what was on the end of my fork. Tracking what I eat and being accurate with the calorie dense foods I ate such as dairy, nut butters, meats, sauces, alcohol, etc.
I don't weight my spinach, but I do weight milk, cheese, meat, nuts and similar.
I know it's trite, but it's a marathon, not a sprint. And the biggest lever you have is your fork. Do that part right and you cannot help but to lose weight.
Don't let day to day fluctuations get to you. Your body will use fat when you consume fewer calories than you burn. Stay the course and take a long term approach with periodic, not necessarily daily checks.
I check about 1x per week and I'm losing between 1 and 2 pounds each week.
If I looked everyday, or at least if I panicked over daily fluctuations, nothing good would happen.
I'm looking at the long term trend.
It took time to put it on, and to make a lifestyle change, it will take time to both change your habits and to lose the weight. Slow and steady is the long term winning strategy here.2 -
Oh, and my food diary is open. I just logged the two hard boiled eggs I had as an afternoon snack. Headed to the gym soon as Thursday is my two-a-day cycle class day....0
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Mainly by taking in fewer calories (eat less). Exercise can help but it is easily dwarfed by eating. You can easily eat 1,000 calories in a few minutes... it would take well over an hour for most people to come close to 1,000 calories.1 -
mburgess458 wrote: »
Mainly by taking in fewer calories (eat less). Exercise can help but it is easily dwarfed by eating. You can easily eat 1,000 calories in a few minutes... it would take well over an hour for most people to come close to 1,000 calories.
But ... how do you BURN calories?2 -
mburgess458 wrote: »
Mainly by taking in fewer calories (eat less). Exercise can help but it is easily dwarfed by eating. You can easily eat 1,000 calories in a few minutes... it would take well over an hour for most people to come close to 1,000 calories.
But ... how do you BURN calories?
You’re missing the point. Your body burns calories just by being alive. It also burns calories through exercise. This does not mean that exercise causes weight loss, because you are only looking at one side of the equation: the output side. You also need to consider the input side: how many calories you eat.
If your output is greater than your input, then you lose weight. This is true regardless of whether your output includes any exercise or not.
If your output is less than your input, then you gain weight. This is true regardless of how much exercise you do.
Exercise does not cause weight loss. Being in a calorie deficit causes weight loss.3 -
FYII'll just leave these here ...
How Does Fat Leave the Body
https://www.verywellfit.com/how-does-fat-leave-the-body-4165132
Majority of weight loss occurs 'via breathing'
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287046.php
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And ...
You can lose weight by ...
-- eating less
-- exercising more
-- eating less and exercising more
I've done all three at one time or another.
Also ...
https://theconversation.com/when-we-lose-weight-where-does-it-go-915940
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