Exercise is wasting our time???

Cindy393
Cindy393 Posts: 268 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Another study came out suggesting that exercise is ONLY effective for people maintaining weight. It isn't beneficial for people trying to LOSE weight:

"Very simply, it appears that exercise lowers metabolism, and it does so to such a degree that it almost exactly compensates for calories burned during exercise. In other words, if you burn 400 calories doing an exercise, your metabolism slows so that you burn 400 calories less."

"I meet very few overweight people who feel that exercise has ever helped them lose much or any weight. This includes people that have taken up very light exercise, but also includes many people who have hired personal trainers, and worked at great intensity for a long time. Indeed when one consults the scientific literature, there is very little evidence to support the notion that exercise is a terribly effective means of weight loss".

This article also no way implies that building muscle revs up our metabolism. I am really upset by all of this. I exercise because it makes me feel good. The article also suggests that people that work out lose at the same rate as someone "sitting and doing suduko puzzles".

With that being said, why do we have trainers like Bob Harper, Shaun T, Jillian Michaels etc. telling is to move? I know there are numerous health benefits to exercise, but seriously? Telling me you won't lose weight by working out?
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Replies

  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
    And in the next few days someone else will put out a "scientific" article stating exactly the opposite. I read what I can and learn what i can but I also take it all with a grain of salt. I have gone with just exercise and lost weight and I have gone with just diet and lost weight. If something intrigues me I try it to see if it works for ME. You have to remember we weren't produced by cookie cutters so no on will react the same way to Diet only, exercise only or a combination of the two. It's all about what works for YOU!
  • nyroeon
    nyroeon Posts: 14
    keep in mind that exercise only accounts for around 20% of your weight loss, and for a lot of people it can be even lower. with that said, i think exercise is a great tool in addition to diet control because it allows you a little leeway on your calories, and it feels great. plus, whenever i'm exercising, i feel like i need to make sure i'm eating healthy food so i can hit my macros to get dem gainz.

    however, diet control is absolutely the most important part of weight management.
  • shred_me_up
    shred_me_up Posts: 267 Member
    hahahahahaha. oh lord. tomorrow air will make us fat.

    diet is def the most important but to put on muscle? def excercise. and muscle is what will make you look good :)
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    Losing weight is a result of calorie deficit. I exercise because it allows me to eat more.
  • soldier4242
    soldier4242 Posts: 1,368 Member
    The study is complete and total bull****. Disregard it. I you can't ignore then fact check and look at its resources. I can guarantee you that exercise is not a ways of time and it does not lower your metabolism.
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
    Another study came out suggesting that exercise is ONLY effective for people maintaining weight. It isn't beneficial for people trying to LOSE weight:

    What study? Where? This could be my big break.
  • cai1961
    cai1961 Posts: 59 Member
    I agree with mreeves261, there is something new everyday you wold go crazy just trying to figure what works. That being said according to Tosco Reno, the Eat Clean guru, it is 80% food, 10% exercise and 10% genetic. But if you have a lot of weight to lose I believe if you don't exercise, when you lose the weight it will just hang off you. At least if you exercise you will be toned....
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    I own a holistic pet food store. The same goes for the "newest studies" on what is healthy and not healthy for dogs. I tell my customers.... "STAY OFF THE INTERNET". Just because it's on the internet doesn't make it true. What's good for one dog isn't necessarily the answer for another. The best answer is try it - see if it works. Same for humans, I think. I try to eat healthy, balance meals and get atleast SOME exercise every week.

    Ignore everything else - do you, that's it.
  • wnbrice
    wnbrice Posts: 244 Member
    Exercise is an INEFFICIENT method of weight loss. Simply because the amount of time and energy that it takes to burn some calories is nothing compared to how easy it is to eat those calories back.

    Run for an hour, you have maybe 2 slices of pizza burned.
  • Amy62575
    Amy62575 Posts: 422 Member
    Who wrote it? Can you site the article? You really have to consider the source here. Just because it's written, doesn't mean it is scientific fact.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    I think anyone with more than one brain cell will know what a load of crap that study was....and what a waste of money, who funds this nonsense?!

    Sure, moving more lowers your metabolism. :ohwell:
  • Phrakman
    Phrakman Posts: 113
    Well if you do end up losing weight without resistance training, you are going to look like ****.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Diet for weight loss/weight control; exercise for fitness. Even if this study were valid (and I'm calling BS), exercise is not a waist of time...fitness is an essential part of good health.

    I lost a lot of weight before I even lifted a finger in exercise just with my diet; I started exercising because I wanted my fitness back. I still use my diet for weight loss with a built in calorie deficit...I fuel my actual exercise by eating those calories.
  • lilbearzmom
    lilbearzmom Posts: 600 Member
    I think you need to take "don't believe everything you read (especially on the internet)" to heart. The article makes no sense, physiologically.
  • bubbanene
    bubbanene Posts: 101 Member
    can you post link?
    Thanks
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I exercise because it makes me feel good.
    And it also makes you healthier. Isn't that enough?

    BTW if it lowered metabolism, then people eating back exercise calories wouldn't lose any weight. I could see how excessive cardio could cause lots of stress and mess up weight loss, but that's not the same thing.
  • dinosnopro
    dinosnopro Posts: 2,177 Member
    Who wrote it? Can you site the article? You really have to consider the source here. Just because it's written, doesn't mean it is scientific fact.


    I was just going to post the same. Link please.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    I exercised very little this last week with the same calories and I lost more weight than any other week in a long time.
  • TimeForMe99
    TimeForMe99 Posts: 309
    Exercise is an INEFFICIENT method of weight loss. Simply because the amount of time and energy that it takes to burn some calories is nothing compared to how easy it is to eat those calories back.

    Run for an hour, you have maybe 2 slices of pizza burned.

    Awesome!!! I'll take it.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    I exercised very little this last week with the same calories and I lost more weight than any other week in a long time.

    Several factors could've come into play depending on the type of exercise you normally do.
  • feistymoon
    feistymoon Posts: 152
    I was thinking about this last night actually. If I wanted to 'run off' a pound, at my current weight it would take me around 40 miles to do so! However, it's not just about weight. It's about making your heart stronger, your cardiovascular system more efficient, your muscles more toned and your joints more supported. Mentally, exercise is a great form of stress relief too!

    I agree that exercise is not the 'quick' method for losing weight, but thinking of the other long term and short term benefits, it makes sense to integrate it into any weight loss program.
  • bubbanene
    bubbanene Posts: 101 Member
    I am not agreeing with this study by any means..........but i was at a plateau for about 3 weeks then i got injured at work. I had to stop excersing and BOOM weight starting coming off at about 2800 cal a day. Just sayin lol
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    if the goal is to look good/toned/fit and be healthy then u have to exercise... but if you just want a low bodyweight then i would agree being dormant and eating less is a better option if overall bodyweight is the goal.

    i think there is some truth to what you said such as doing exercise can lower metabolism if doing extra amounts of cardiovascular activity and creating a deficit then u can lower metabolism that way
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    stupid anecdotal article.

    I move so that when i weight 200lbs less I am not starting at ground zero and can maintain my weight.
  • barb1241
    barb1241 Posts: 324 Member
    My doctor told me, "Move more. Eat less." I listened to him and lost 80+ pounds. I believe him. Short. Sweet. Simple.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    I used to be a fat person huffing and puffing along. If I had lost this weight without exercise I would now be a skinny person huffing and puffing along. Thanks to exercise I now only huff, puff, not to mention wheeze when my allergies/asthma are acting up.

    That is what exercise during weight loss is valuable for.
  • Dominantia
    Dominantia Posts: 18
    So if it doesn't work then why so many people actually lose weight and fat when they work out? They burn more calories than the ones that don't while eating same foods and same amount of cals. And oh I forgot that working out sometimes distracts us from eating and makes our body look healthier and better.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    Well I have to disagree. I only lose when I'm exercising. I can't say I'm any kind of expert in what kind of exercise is most effective, but if I don't do something, nothing happens for me.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    I am not agreeing with this study by any means..........but i was at a plateau for about 3 weeks then i got injured at work. I had to stop excersing and BOOM weight starting coming off at about 2800 cal a day. Just sayin lol

    And this is true because exercise is a stress to the body, stress causes inflammation, inflammation holds onto fluid. However, when you think about the other intrinsic benefits of exercise, balance, stability, strength, endurance, and better cardiopulmonary function the benefits outweigh the 'slowed" weight loss.
  • BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
    BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
    hahahahahaha. oh lord. tomorrow air will make us fat.

    diet is def the most important but to put on muscle? def excercise. and muscle is what will make you look good :)

    Air DOES make us fat. Dr. Oz said so. :wink:

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