Whoa whoa whoa!! You can't burn fat via exercise????

stephvaile

If your going to steal my answer, you might as well give me credit.

My answer was not ignorant, nor is was it meant to make anyone laugh.. It's called the truth.

You lose fat through a calorie deficit... Exercise helps you maintain that deficit, but exercise it's self does not burn fat.

Get it now?

Busting the Great Myths of Fat Burning
By Tony Ryan and Martica Heaner
Your body burns either fat or carbs depending on the intensity of your activity. But when it comes to losing weight, calories are calories. You burn fat even when you're in couch-potato mode. Yet, a lot of misunderstanding prevails.

Get ready to break down some of the myths people have about burning fat:

Myth: The body completely shuts off one fuel source when it turns on the other.

The Truth: What has often been misunderstood by both exercisers and exercise instructors alike is that the body relies on both fat and carbs for energy all the time, albeit in different ratios. In fact, as you sit here reading, you may be burning about 50-60 percent fat and 50-40 percent carbohydrates. (Figure out how your metabolism is working in How to Measure Your Metabolic Rate.) You're not using much of either, however, because the amount of calories you need probably amounts to about one or two calories a minute. If you were to get up and start jogging in place, your body would need to supply you with some quick energy to do so, so the metabolism ratio might shift to drawing upon more carbohydrates, say 70 percent, and less fat, say 30 percent. If you were to continue jogging, then, in order to preserve the carbs (which can run out since you have limited stores in the body), your body would gradually shift its metabolism ratio again to say, 60 percent fat and 40 percent carbohydrates. From an energy efficiency point of view, it pays to be fit. The endurance athlete would be able to make the shift sooner, and his fat-burning percentage might be 65-75 percent. However, in practical terms this is purely technotalk, and these ratios don't make a big difference when it comes to losing weight and decreasing your body fat. For the most part, athletes are often leaner not because they might rely on slightly more fat for fuel, but because they practice their sport two to three, or more, hours a day — this burns a lot of calories. If you had the time, energy, and fitness level to work out three hours a day, being overweight would probably not be an issue. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than your body consumes and uses everyday. Exercise is one main way to burn a lot of calories. But when it comes to weight loss, what matters is how many calories you burn, not so much whether they are fat or carbohydrate calories.
Myth: Exercise done at a low intensity, such as walking, is better at fat burning than other high-intensity activities, like running or cardio activities where you push yourself very hard.

The Truth: In a strict scientific sense, these claims are true because working at a lower intensity requires less quick energy and a higher percentage of fat is burned. But you'll also burn fewer calories than you would if, for the same amount of time, you work out at a harder intensity (running versus walking). If you're trying to lose weight, even though a higher percentage of fat is being used, a lower total amount of fat is lost.

Whether increased fat burning will result in actual weight loss is dependent upon several variables, including the total calories burned (which include both fat and carbohydrate calories) and the total fat calories burned. If you do work at a low intensity, you need to increase the time spent exercising to burn more calories. What matters most is the total number of calories burned. If you burned 250 calories every day from a short, fast jog, you'd see a bigger difference in weight and fat loss than if you walked everyday for the same amount of time. The number of fat calories you burn isn't that important, because even if you burn a lot of carb calories, these need to be replaced both by the carbs you eat in your diet and also within your body. Your fat stores will be broken down and transformed into carbohydrates when you need fuel. Even if you're burning lots of carb calories and less fat calories through exercise, your fat still inevitably gets used.

It boils — not burns — down to this: During the same amount of time you don't use more calories at lower exercise intensities. If you're trying to lose weight and you have only 30 minutes to work out, you would burn fewer calories walking at a moderate pace compared to walking at a fast pace. Working out at higher intensities may cause you to burn a lower percentage of fat, but since you burn more total calories, you still use more fat calories. (See Following a Cardio Plan for Weight Loss to get tips on what exercises can help you shed pounds.) Low- to moderate-intensity exercise can burn a significant number of calories over a period of time. If you aren't fit enough to push yourself to work at a high intensity, or you have a physical weakness that prevents you from doing so, you can still burn a lot of calories by doing low-intensity workouts for a longer period of time.

Myth: Running, cycling, or other cardio activities are more fat burning once you've been doing them for more than 15 or 20 minutes.

The Truth: Technically, once you've been exercising for 15 or 20 minutes, your body has made the shift to using a higher percentage of fat for fuel. But again, if you're trying to lose weight, it's about the total number of calories burned, not necessarily the fuel source.

For example, say that at rest you burn up to 60 percent fat. When you enter the initial phases of intense exercise, the ratio changes. You may now burn only 30 percent fat because your body is using quick-energy carbohydrates. Once the exercise is sustained, the body switches back to using a higher percentage of fat to fuel the movement (up to 75 percent fat). In this aerobic phase of exercise, a higher percentage of fat is being used for energy. But if you aren't working out for a very long period, you may still burn more total calories and, therefore, more fat calories working out harder. Put another way, if burning as many calories as you can is the best way to lose weight, even a dummy can figure out which activity of the following is going to give the best results (answer: jogging and sprinting), even though their fat-burning quota is on the low end of the ratio.

Activity

Calories Burned

Fat Percentage

Calories from Fat

Watching TV for 20 minutes

40 calories

60 percent

24 calories

Walking for 20 minutes

100 calories

65 percent

65 calories

Jogging & sprinting for 20 minutes

250 calories

40 percent

100 calories

chezileigh

Isn't it right that exercise burns fat in the sense that it contributes to the calorie deficit. If you run a marathon every day, but ate enough calories to fuel that, you wouldn't burn fat, because your body would have the energy stores available from more accessible sources and fat stores would remain.

Exercise burns calories, whether those calories are taken from fat stores or not depends on the food you have eaten.

DavPul

If you are trained properly running can burn lots of fat.

Some people here will tell you that running causes your body to store fat.

And others will tell you that simply running will build tremendous amounts of muscle. Wait, this isn't the thread where we completely misrepresent what other people actually said? Oh, my bad. Carry on then.

Rae6503

You burn calories in some form or another by performing exercise. Calories are a unit energy. The energy could be coming from glycogen or fat in your blood, muscles or liver (I think). It could also be coming from stored fat, or stored muscles. If you eat as much or MORE than you burn (during normal activity, to digest food, and to exercise) then, no you are never going to use stored fat. If you eat less than you burn, then yes, you will use the stored fat as energy.

agthorn

"You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better."

I'm going to guess this was probably in response to someone saying "If I eat back my exercise calories, then doesn't that defeat the purpose of working out?! Won't I just maintain!?"

CoffeeJunkieMann

You lose weight by taking in less calories than you burn. Your body makes up the difference with what you already have stored. From what I understand, it prefers to use muscle first because fat is worth more calories pound for pound and takes more to maintain. Regular exercise (weight training AND cardio) tells your body 'no, I need those muscles, please use the fat instead.'

In my understanding, operating at a calorie deficit is what makes you lose weight, but regular exercise is what ensures the majority of that weight is fat and not lean body mass.

Finally an answer my dumbass can understand.

myofibril

For all you people arguing that exercise burns fat..

There's no argument. It does.

Just not as much as people generally believe.

dad106

"You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better."

I'm going to guess this was probably in response to someone saying "If I eat back my exercise calories, then doesn't that defeat the purpose of working out?! Won't I just maintain!?"

No actually it was in response to someone asking what burns more fat.. the treadmill or the bike?

All though that would be a good answer to that question too... I''ll have to remember that for next time!

postrockandcats

When you loose weight, you loose both fat and muscle. You exercise to build/ keep muscle so your weight loss is more fat than muscle. You loose weight be eating less calories than your total daily caloric output (also called TDEE- Total Daily Energy Expenditure). In other words, every calorie you use during the day to walk around, breathe, eat, keep your organs going, etc. So, yes- you can loose weight without exercise. HOWEVER, exercise (especially with strength training) will tone you, make you look good and keep your metabolism in check.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01710/

PS- the reason the Olympic runners are so slender is because they're eating less or *at* what calories they use. Heck, if they're building muscle, they might eat more. As they train 1000x what I do, I'm also sure they eat a metric eff-load more than me, regardless LOL

anacsitham5

There was an article on the Yahoo home page over the weekend. It said the only way to lose weight is to eat less. Exercise alone will not do it. Two years ago I walked 2-3 hrs a day and didn't change my diet.I didn't lose a pound. I now do both-diet and walking and/or weights and I have had success. I think everyone 's body is different and you have to do what is best for you!

A few years ago, I used to walk 4 miles (in an hour) 4 days a week. I gained 20 pounds, but my body fat went from 29% to 16%. I went from a size 8 to a 0. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. Pay attention to your body fat and measurements more than the weight number on the scales.

meerkat70

who ever posted that is an idiot, you burn fat either way...in fact, you burn MORE fat when you exercise when compared to when you diet simply because your metabolic rate is much higher when you exercise

Thanks.. Glad to know I'm an idiot.

Your metabolic rate is higher due to lean muscle mass... not to exercise.

How about you post some studies supporting that statement before you go around calling others names.

Actually, recent research suggests that exercise triggers the activation of muscarinic cholinoceptors, which are responsible for modulating metabolism. (Wanner et al, 2011; McArdle and Kann, 2009)

meerkat70

For all you people arguing that exercise burns fat.. Think about this.

If exercise burns fat, then why is MFP set up so that people can lose weight(and fat) on a calorie deficit without any exercise what-so-ever?

I suggest all of you chew on that for a while before you keep arguing.

I don't see anyone arguing this, though. I see people arguing that exercise facilitates the production of a deficit?

(Maybe I've missed some isolated post, but this certainly seems to me the thrust of both this thread and the previous one.)

raystark

You have to take everything you read on the forums with a grain of salt.
<snip>

Think how much water retention that would cause, though.

raystark

who ever posted that is an idiot, you burn fat either way...in fact, you burn MORE fat when you exercise when compared to when you diet simply because your metabolic rate is much higher when you exercise

Thanks.. Glad to know I'm an idiot.

Your metabolic rate is higher due to lean muscle mass... not to exercise.

How about you post some studies supporting that statement before you go around calling others names.

So, did you get that lean muscle mass by avoiding exercise?

raystark

There was an article on the Yahoo home page over the weekend. It said the only way to lose weight is to eat less. Exercise alone will not do it. Two years ago I walked 2-3 hrs a day and didn't change my diet.I didn't lose a pound. I now do both-diet and walking and/or weights and I have had success. I think everyone 's body is different and you have to do what is best for you!

A few years ago, I used to walk 4 miles (in an hour) 4 days a week. I gained 20 pounds, but my body fat went from 29% to 16%. I went from a size 8 to a 0. A pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. Pay attention to your body fat and measurements more than the weight number on the scales.

Well said.

dad106

For all you people arguing that exercise burns fat.. Think about this.

If exercise burns fat, then why is MFP set up so that people can lose weight(and fat) on a calorie deficit without any exercise what-so-ever?

I suggest all of you chew on that for a while before you keep arguing.

I don't see anyone arguing this, though. I see people arguing that exercise facilitates the production of a deficit?

(Maybe I've missed some isolated post, but this certainly seems to me the thrust of both this thread and the previous one.)

What does the thread title say?

"You can't burn fat via exercise"? Which leads me to believe that OP believes that exercise alone can burn fat.. the calorie deficit has nothing to do with it.

Then there were people chiming in that you can burn fat via exercise... and calling me names because I stated otherwise.

Plus in the other post, OP stated that was she doing was cardio.. and doesn't cardio burn fat? which again, brings me back the exercise burns fat point.

eileen673

bump

gogojodee

lol

My_Own_Hero

For all you people arguing that exercise burns fat.. Think about this.

If exercise burns fat, then why is MFP set up so that people can lose weight(and fat) on a calorie deficit without any exercise what-so-ever?

I suggest all of you chew on that for a while before you keep arguing.

I don't see anyone arguing this, though. I see people arguing that exercise facilitates the production of a deficit?

(Maybe I've missed some isolated post, but this certainly seems to me the thrust of both this thread and the previous one.)

What does the thread title say?

"You can't burn fat via exercise"? Which leads me to believe that OP believes that exercise alone can burn fat.. the calorie deficit has nothing to do with it.

Then there were people chiming in that you can burn fat via exercise... and calling me names because I stated otherwise.

Plus in the other post, OP stated that was she doing was cardio.. and doesn't cardio burn fat? which again, brings me back the exercise burns fat point.

Nope, I don't believe that you can burn fat only through exercise, but I always was led to believe that exercise burns fat. Take for example the cardio machines at the gym: there are usually charts that state that you should get your heart rate in a certain range to burn fat. That's why I was puzzled when you stated that exercise didn't burn fat.

Two more things:
(1) I didn't "steal" your answer. I quoted it and made it obvious that the statement was not mine. I could have said your name, but I didn't really care who said it. I just wanted some clarification and to find out whether it was true or not.

(2) It is unfortunate that people are calling you names. However, I didn't ask this question to poke fun at anyone, and I cannot be held responsible for what any other user types.

gxm17

Can't we all agree that working out burns more calories than sitting on the couch watching TV?