Exercise alone will not lose the lbs!!!

fang19423

Hey guys - thanks for all the support. You are right of course inch loss is great and I am not wearing a badge with my weight on it but I still wouldn't mind seeing the scales move ... in the right direction!! Anyway, I think we are all agreed .... Exercise and diet need to go hand in hand. My 30 day challenge has only been looking at fitness and I have another 10 days to go, but I think once it is over, I will try to do a fitness and diet 30 day challenge and compare the results. Thank you all so much.

Good luck with eating less and moving more :happy:


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RBXChas

You can't out exercise a bad diet.

^^^Yup, basically!

I read it differently on these boards, once: "You can't out-train your diet." That has really stuck with me. I have so many friends on Facebook who regularly work out really hard doing stuff like Tabata training, Krav Maga, etc., which they post about, then they go straight to the bar and post about how they "earned" the beer they're drinking and the burger and fries that they're eating (with pictures and everything). I've noted that they still look as heavy as they did a year ago, before all the exercise. (I'm not judging - just noticing the apparent lack of weight loss as a sort of experiment. Perhaps they're not going for weight loss, though, I don't know.)

I mentioned this to the friends I have who are trainers and fitness instructors, and they agree that this is a common misconception, that if you exercise, you can eat whatever you want. Even on The Biggest Loser (which isn't the best example of getting healthy, in my opinion, though I find it enjoyable to watch), either Bob or Jillian once said that diet is something like 80% of weight loss and exercise is the other 20% (I can't remember the exact percentage breakdown, but point being, the large majority of weight loss is going to come from your diet).

Personally, I have lost weight in the past from eating less with no exercise. However, I was still flabby, just less so. Recently I was told, "I don't think I've ever seen you this thin." This person who said that has seen me weigh less than I do now, so I found that comment funny. I replied, "I have been lighter," which surprised him, but then he said, "I bet it's all that exercise you do." I told him, "Yes, I exercise 5-6 days/week - my thighs are solid muscle now." I saw the wheels turning, which made me happy, since I think everyone should exercise, even if they're not aiming or trying to lose weight.

Now I definitely still have some flab to get rid of, but exercise has changed my shape dramatically. I look *much* better now at 156.4 than I did six years ago at 150 when I didn't exercise at all.

Plus, exercise is addictive and so good for your mental health, too, as well as your physical health.

So anyway, to the OP, losing 17 inches is AWESOME, but I totally understand that need to see progress on the scale. Keep it up with your exercise, and by fine-tuning your diet, you'll probably be amazed at the results! :happy:

Edited to fix a sentence fragment.

tuffytuffy1

I have been on this journey since June 2011. I have only lost 10 pounds in that time. Until 2 weeks ago, I had only lost 7 pounds. The recent 3 pounds in the past 2 weeks I attribute to more exercise and more protein. I started adding more cardio to my routine, even 25 minutes on the treadmill on days I wasn't working with my trainer, and it is only now that the pounds are coming off. I think it is because HIIT is increasing my metabolism. And I have been eating more protein like tuna. Anyway, you should be really proud of your accomplishment, 17 inches is fantasic!

RBXChas

Weight management is 80% diet, 20% exercise. The theory is, the more exercise you do, which allows you to build more lean muscle, the more effectively your body will run, burning more fat!

What goes in, must come out! It's so difficult saying no to foods we love but, clean eating is the best way forward but you need your treat meal or a few glasses of wine otherwise...what's the point?! A miserable life?! Noooooooooooooo none of us want that, now do we?!

Well done on the inch loss, that's fab!!

YES!

Refining your eating is wonderful, but it's so easy to go overboard and not live your life, which often causes us to boomerang back to where we were as far as eating (and, eventually, weight), and often worse because we overcompensate for all the "bad" foods we were missing in the interim. You do need to enjoy yourself, just in moderation, depending on what you can physically and mentally handle. I can't go to Outback and have my favorite burger and chop salad (the salad alone is nearly 1,000 calories!), first because my body will reject it, and I'll probably end up sick (not throwing up - the other way), and second because mentally I can't go back there. I will want that again the next day, and so the next day will be torture. I have to treat myself in severe moderation, like I had a glass of wine the other night, and I had a very small piece of birthday cake at a birthday party a couple of weeks ago. It was good cake, and I enjoyed it, but I wasn't dying for cake later that day or the next day.

LorinaLynn

Why you shouldn't get hung up on the scale. I'm down only 8 pounds from last March, and four pounds since May. I have a COMPLETELY different body. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/just-8-pounds-214409

stephenatl09

Quote...
"Your Diet is Number 1 !! You can live in the gym but if you don't eat clean you're wasting your time" - IFBB Pro Bikini Jessica Jesse... I have this as my wallpaper on my computer at work and home. It is true for men and women.

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

I read an article recently that said men can lose weight with exercise alone (partly related to testosterone and more muscle mass) and that women require diet and exercise (usually) to lose weight and will lose it at a much slower rate

I disagree with this one. It actually depends on your body type & not just on the amount of testosterone levels. My Dad has been doing exercise for more than 2 years already but eats a very poor diet so the result: his tummy is still as big as when he first started. Although a man loses weight more easily compared to a woman.

cadency

I read an article recently that said men can lose weight with exercise alone (partly related to testosterone and more muscle mass) and that women require diet and exercise (usually) to lose weight and will lose it at a much slower rate

I disagree with this one. It actually depends on your body type & not just on the amount of testosterone levels. My Dad has been doing exercise for more than 2 years already but eats a very poor diet so the result: his tummy is still as big as when he first started. Although a man loses weight more easily compared to a woman.

Next time I'm going to remember to include the comment of not all inclusive. Key word: CAN. They can lose weight with exercise alone more easily - but you are right, that will depend on diet factors. I am in no way saying that the article said that's all they have to do - and if it did say that, I wouldn't have gone any farther or attempted to repost it

So... we're in agreement. There's tons of factors to consider. A man with hypothyroidism isn't going to lose weight with just exercise. Etc, etc.

ninerbuff

Run into this ALL the time with clients who have trained with me for a month. They get fitter, but weight loss expectations aren't met. Then I have to tell them why and go over their calorie intake HONESTLY. Almost all the time they will admit that they thought since they worked out now, that they didn't need to change their diet much.

A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

fang19423

Why you shouldn't get hung up on the scale. I'm down only 8 pounds from last March, and four pounds since May. I have a COMPLETELY different body. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/just-8-pounds-214409

Just looked at your blog - you look fab - you can certainly see your inch loss.

kperk91

I read an article recently that said men can lose weight with exercise alone (partly related to testosterone and more muscle mass) and that women require diet and exercise (usually) to lose weight and will lose it at a much slower rate

Wouldn't surprise me. I watch what I eat and exercise but my progress is a slow one/no noticeable results yet. My boyfriend exercises but eat anything/everything he wants - yet you can totally see his results...

dointime

I am definitely finding that I don't lose lbs without tweaking my eating too. I can see and feel differences in my muscles, but my weight has stayed the same because of my terrible eating. Sometimes it's easier to change one thing at a time, and now that I feel I'm comfortable with my fitness routine (and I realize that the diet needs to change too to see the results I want), I can start changing my diet. I know my muscles are changing, but I still can't see them under all my fat! I want to see them!

grinch031

The AHA stated in 2007:

"It is reasonable to assume that persons with relatively high daily energy expenditures would be less likely to gain weight over time, compared with those who have low energy expenditures. So far, data to support this hypothesis are not particularly compelling"

Although they certainly recommend exercise and believe that there are benefits, and weight loss might be one of them.

http://slowburn.typepad.com/files/aha-exercise-recs-2007.pdf