Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin

It may not make you thin, but it will make you feel and look better.

I agree 100%...but the reason we exercise of course is in first place to be healthy but the bonus that MFP user's have is that we control the compensation factor by controlling the calories. I would agree to this article for people who just go to the gym but have no control whatsoever on what they eat. Thanks for posting!

heart health is why i exercise, and the joy of feeling ALIVE! oh, and i like to eat.

For the same reason that "counting calories" won't make you thin.

Everybody has to read the book, Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It - by Gary Taubes

What an eye opener. Folks-- it's all about Carbohydrates!

STOP WORRYING ABOUT CALORIES IN / CALORIES OUT. What a bunch of crap we have been fed (no pun intended).

I think that article was a joke. People are not recommended to just exercise but to eat healthy too. So to say that exercising is causing weight gain is just silly. Of course if you leave an hour workout at the gym and pull into Mcdonald for a supersized meal you are not going to lose weight.

This is why tracking calories is so important. I joined my local gym last summer, but only lost 5 lbs. though I was working out for an hour and a half to two hours nearly every day of my 10-week summer break. And when I went back to work in the fall, I immediately gained 2 of those lbs. back. Even though I was trying to eat healthier at the same time, I wasn't counting calories and was obviously eating too much of that healthy food. Now that I started MFP I've lost 11 lbs. in 5 weeks. I only get to the gym for a vigorous workout 2-3 days a week and I find that I try to time my workouts to compensate for additional calories in my day. For example, I worked out yesterday and normally only go to the gym one day on the weekend; however, I'm going out to dinner tonight so I will go to the gym again today to make up for the extra calories tonight.

I read this article before and honestly, the message i got from it was that you can't eat whatever want just b/c you exercise. If you have mcdonalds everyday for dinner, your not gonna lose weight just b/c you went for a light jog for an hour. Then went home and had pie right after. The statement that they always felt hungry after working out isn't something I can relate to. Working out usually makes me less hungry afterwards. The article didn't factor in how much fat was lost and if any weight gain was muscle or fat. Also, in recent years, we've been told to just move more, like take the stairs, walk away from your desk for lunch. No matter what, just move your body, not that the exercise has to be vigorous, it just has to be there for your overall health. In the end, i think the message was more a warning against over exercising or proving that you don't have to spend hours upon hours at the gym. And that you still can't drink that whole 2 liter of soda just b/c you exercised. The type of calories you consume factors in too. Which this article did not address. You'll feel more hungry sooner after eating a muffin than you will a bowl of mini wheats. The article lacked alot of factors like these, which play a big role in weight loss. That's how i feel anyway

Good read!

Ok, I read the article. I don't think you can exercise at the gym 3 to 4 times a week and eat whatever you want. I know for a fact that it doesn't work for me that way. I did that last year, faithfully, for 4 months. I lost 8 lbs and one pants size. I was exercising, but not watching what I ate at all, because "I didn't figure I ate that poorly". I gave up pop and that was all. Well, at the end of four months, I gave up. I gained back my 8 lbs very quickly.

My job is very active. I am on my feet for the majority of 10 hours, 4 days a week. Most of the time I am on my feet I am walking. Yet, I still stayed around 200 lbs. Then earlier this year, my friend and I decided to try Atkins. Okay, I did it once before and lost 17 lbs in about 3 weeks. I didn't exercise much either. Then I found out I was pregnant, so I stopped Atkins.

So, on January 31st, we started. We were both so excited in the beginning. I lost 15 pounds in two weeks and not a pound more after that. I continued the diet for an additional 3 weeks after. I didn't exercise at all. My friend, who is heavier than I am, did exercise while doing it, usually about 3 times a week. I wanted to wait till I lost some weight first as I build muscle very easily and figured it would slow down my progress. She lost about the same amount as I did. Near the end of 5 weeks total, she went to a dietician. This woman told her to stop doing Atkins, start eating good foods and increase the activity per week, i.e. move every day, not three times per week. I decided to do the same.

For two weeks, I did very mild activity, not specifically exercise and I started writing down what I ate on my own, not on here. I still didn't lose anymore weight. My friend did though. She lost a few pounds. BUT, writing down what I ate and taking notice of what I could no longer eat, was a huge eye opener. Last year I didn't think I ate that bad. Hello!!!! The girls at work bring in bad stuff just about every day. When you choose not to eat those things, it becomes painfully aware of what you were doing wrong for so long.

Five years ago, I got married and dropped 4 pants sizes in two months so that I would be able to fit in my dress. I was vigoruously active everyday and watched what I put in my mouth for two months. I only lost 20 pounds, brinding me down to 160, but I looked amazing in my wedding dress!! I looked THIN!!! I felt wonderful!!! Then the wedding day was over and I went right back to my old habits. And boy has it shown, lol!!

You have to make sensible choices and move that body the majority of the week. The age old theory is still correct today. Eat right and exercise. The key there is EAT RIGHT. But exercise helps. And not just cardio, but cardio and strength training. I think once you are done losing and want to just tone, then you don't necessarily need a lot of cardio.

Friday was a bad day for me. We all have them. But I have to say, overall, I feel great today. I only had one bad day this whole week. I have only been a member here for a week as of yesterday. This time I am gong to do it right. It's a life change this time. I am not on a diet. I am not exercising just to lose weight. I am letting my thin person inside finally live her life. I want to feel amazing every day for the rest of my life, just like I felt 5 years ago. That's how I feel today!

All in all, I agree with the article that you cannot exercise and eat all the fatty bad foods you want. For example, Bill Clinton was mentioned running and stopping at McDonalds. Yeah, and a few years ago he had a heart attack. Yet, on the other hand, do we see really obese people running or jogging every day? No, we don't. The runners may not be "thin", but they are usually in good enough shape to be able to run.

So no, you can't eat whatever you want and exercise to lose weight. That said, can you have a fatty food once in a while? I think you can. As long as the rest of the time you are doing well, feel free to indulge once in a while. The bottom line with exercise should be doing it because you enjoy it! Not killing yourself or punishing yourself. If you hate exercise, then pick a different exercise. I think there is one out there for every person. Specifically running isn't my choice. I don't even know if I could do it, let alone enjoy it. But someday I may be in good enough shape that I will enjoy it and can do it. But in the meantime, I have found a lot of other things to do that I LOVE doing. Joining here, a week ago, I lost 1.5 lbs. My friend has lost 3. This WORKS!!! You just gotta be faithful.

In my own experience, I don't lose weight unless I exercise in combination with dieting. With calorie counting alone I lose weight very slowly. But that's my body. I did go on a pretty big binge once after exercising, but since then I've learned how to distribute my calories through the day so it doesn't happen again.