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

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.

So many exercise facts get twisted and turned around partly because none of them are 100% proven.

Exercise absolutely can burn fat. Most likely what got twisted is that we used to think that exercise would burn tons of extra calories even once we were done performing it and that doesn't seem to be true. Of course I'm sure someone will argue with me on that.

Excessive cardio can mess with women's hormones and cause them to store fat. It's individual though - I've never had that issue.

Hello everyone. Ok, so, sometimes I stalk the MFP forum for entertainment, inspiration, or just general info. What stuck out to me this time was one person's answer which stated "You burn fat eating in a calorie deficit.. Exercise is just to make your body look better." Is this really true?? Does exercise really not burn fat? Please explain.

I chuckled when I read that one too. If we ignore all the other health benefits that come from a well rounded fitness program exercise may contribute to your weight loss by virtue of the fact you're burning more calories.

One of the things endurance athletes try to do is to train their bodies to rely more on fat as a fuel source as even the skinniest marathon runner has, for practical purposes, an almost unlimited fuel supply burning fat but a very finite supply of glycogen stored in muscle and liver.

You can "burn" / lose actual fat through exercise but the amount is generally very small for the average exerciser.

What is more important is the calorie deficit created through exercise. Then when your body needs a fuel source given a lack of energy (calories) to power daily functions through food intake during the day / week it looks to its fat reserves (as well as other fuel substrates of course.)

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!

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

Every move you make with your body burns calories. Those calories come from carbs, fat and protein in your diet. Carbs are easier for your body to burn. When they're there in mass quantities your body will either burn them (if you're active) or store them (if it doesn't need them all when you eat them) as fat. If you burn more calories than you take in, your body will make up the deficit by burning fat on your body. A safe caloric deficit is 500-1000 calories/day from the total amount you burn.

The caloric deficit MFP creates for you when it gives you your calorie intake target is based on you being sedentary or lightly active (or whatever setting you put in the goals calculator). So if you exercise on top of that, you are increasing the size of your caloric deficit by however much you burned. So, if you said you are lightly active and want to lose 1 lb/week, MFP calculates that you burn, say 1800 calories/day and you want to create a 500 calorie/day deficit to lose 1 lb/week so it gives you a goal of 1300 calories/day to eat. If you exercise and burn another 400 calories in that workout, your new deficit is 900 calories for the day.

For many people that's okay. But if you're already really lean or if the original deficit you created is already 1000 calories/day (because you told MFP you want to lose 2 lbs/week) your deficit is then 1400 calories/day, which is likely to have metabolic implications. Or, if you're a competitive athlete, a 1400 calorie/day deficit is going to impact your athletic performance.

Basically, you can lose weight just fine without exercise. You probably won't be that fit, but you'll be thinner. In fact, I find it's easier to lose weight without exercise, but then I'd rather be able to run fast and have big muscles.

High intensity interval training is a type of cardio that burns calories during and after exercise as your body is healing itself from the hell you just put it through.

Exercise increases the deficit, but if you eat at a deficit, then you will still lose without exercise. MFP is set up with a pre-programmed deficit, and it recommends eating back exercise calories so that you don't deepen the deficit too much. Deep deficits could be unhealthy depending on where you are currently with your BMI. Obese people can safely be at a deep deficit, but eventually you must eat more to continue weight loss.

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?

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