An obese person does not need to do one iota of exercise to lose weight

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gpstreet
gpstreet Posts: 184 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, three international experts said it was time to "bust the myth" about exercise. They said while activity was a key part of staving off diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, its impact on obesity was minimal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32417699

This resonates with what I have learnt over the last few decades and concurs with what a fitness instructor told me at a gym years ago.
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  • jenncornelsen
    jenncornelsen Posts: 969 Member
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    I'd say most people would agree with u
  • moto450
    moto450 Posts: 334 Member
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    The article is absolutely correct if someone is only concerned about weight loss. What you eat determines weight loss or gain, but exercise helps a person actually look good in his or her own skin. Just because a person is thin doesn't mean they are healthy or look good.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I agree. When I started exercising seriously my weight loss slowed. However my mobility, endurance, agility and strength all improved. My blood pressure improved and my resting heart rate slowed.

    I could eat more and still lose weight.

    Fitness goals are a lot more fun and fully under my control.

    I can pull myself out of the swimming pool now.

    I can pick up a nickel without having to plan my descent and recovery.

    I can run!
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Very true, but the other benefits to exercise are huge. I once read "losing weight is about looking good clothed. Exercise is about looking good naked". Overly simplified and not always true, but it kind of captures it.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,944 Member
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    Right ... you don't need exercise to lose weight.

    But exercise helps keep life interesting. Life would be pretty dull and boring if I could get out and walk and cycle.

    Exercise also makes me strong ... and reduces the huffing and puffing when I do things like walk up the hill to the library to return a book. It's about quality of life.


    BTW - love some of the comments above. :):)
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,818 Member
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    In my case it is utter crap. I went on special "eating plans" twice. Both times I lost 24kg, both times I stopped and both times I put the 24kg back on. Both times I bought into the "This is a lifestyle not a diet" thing. Neither of the 2 times did I include exercise. Why did I fail? Because the diets were very restrictive. Why am I succeeding now? Because I limit calorie intake NOT what I eat so I don't get bored with eating limited food and if I overeat (like pizza) I go to the gym and work it off. You cant do that purely with dieting. Also, exercising has other spi-offs that are beneficial to loosing weight. Feeling your body becoming stronger is a very good motivator to lose more weight.

    If you have to lose 10kg, then yes diet alone will do it. If you have to lose 60kg then I'm afraid you are going to need a *kitten* load of self motivation and discipline and I know very few obese people that have either.

    So on a theoretical basis, yes I agree. On a practical level, I'm sorry I don't agree and I think it is pretty irresponsible.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    Morgaen73 wrote: »
    In my case it is utter crap. I went on special "eating plans" twice. Both times I lost 24kg, both times I stopped and both times I put the 24kg back on. Both times I bought into the "This is a lifestyle not a diet" thing. Neither of the 2 times did I include exercise. Why did I fail? Because the diets were very restrictive. Why am I succeeding now? Because I limit calorie intake NOT what I eat so I don't get bored with eating limited food and if I overeat (like pizza) I go to the gym and work it off. You cant do that purely with dieting. Also, exercising has other spi-offs that are beneficial to loosing weight. Feeling your body becoming stronger is a very good motivator to lose more weight.

    If you have to lose 10kg, then yes diet alone will do it. If you have to lose 60kg then I'm afraid you are going to need a *kitten* load of self motivation and discipline and I know very few obese people that have either.

    So on a theoretical basis, yes I agree. On a practical level, I'm sorry I don't agree and I think it is pretty irresponsible.


    Am I misreading something? aren't you agreeing with the article?

    You say you limit calorie intake and if you happen to over eat you exercise.

    So if you didn't over eat pizza etc you wouldn't exercise? There fore weight lose with out exercise.



    Anyway I think the. Best saying I have seen to win this all up. You can't outrun a bad diet.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    But is the goal of weightloss the weightloss or is the goal to be healthier.

    I would have though for most being healthier is the goal. So less fat, more muscle and getting a range of vitamins and other good stuff from food.

    So diet and exercise should be more or less equal. Probably weightloss as a higher priority in the beginning and then even out as you get closer to goal weight.
  • laropmet
    laropmet Posts: 52 Member
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    I think if you are obese that diet alone can have a huge impact on health as well as emotional issues. As you start getting into losing weight to look better and tone up then you need to start adding in the exercise, so yes I would agree with the article that weight loss alone is all you really need. Maybe the 80/20 rule applies here. Diet will get you 80% of the way for the last 20% you'll need exercise.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,944 Member
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    Exercise sure makes it easier.

    I'm on a net 1250 cal limit right now. On a rest day, I'll eat less than 1250 cal. But that leaves me feeling hungry.

    Getting some exercise gives me a few extra calories to work with so I feel less hungry ... and most of the time I don't eat more than half of them back.
  • gpstreet
    gpstreet Posts: 184 Member
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    I am losing weight because of my improved control of what I eat. Exercise helps me feel good whether it is the induced endorphins exercise creates or the fact I can have a blow out and know that, overall, I am still within my calories limits.
  • 00figg
    00figg Posts: 111 Member
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    yeah, i'd say i lost the majority of my poundage in the kitchen, not in the gym. it wasn't until i lost some weight that i was ready to start adding in some exercise. works for me.
  • gpstreet
    gpstreet Posts: 184 Member
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    I have come to the conclusion that losing the fat helps show the puny muscles I have underneath. I may do some weight training in the future. It helps to know that I will be able to see the benefits sooner.
  • snowflakesav
    snowflakesav Posts: 645 Member
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    I tend to think this is crap. The studies on long term maintainers is overwhelmingly about exercise and activity as the key factor.

  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    But is the goal of weightloss the weightloss or is the goal to be healthier.

    I would have though for most being healthier is the goal. So less fat, more muscle and getting a range of vitamins and other good stuff from food.

    So diet and exercise should be more or less equal. Probably weightloss as a higher priority in the beginning and then even out as you get closer to goal weight.

    The two go hand in hand together as gets pointed out a lot. Losing weight generally improves your health, regardless of how you do it.
  • jorinya
    jorinya Posts: 933 Member
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    I find the weeks where I am a little lazy are the times I tend to lose less weight. The weeks I go for a long walk, do gardening or workout at home are the weeks I lose more. So far I have lost almost 9kg since I started trying to diet and exercise well. Before that I lost 4kg. I was 95 kg and as of yesterday I was 82.9 kg. Diet and exercise, as someone already stated defo work hand in hand.
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    gpstreet wrote: »
    In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, three international experts said it was time to "bust the myth" about exercise. They said while activity was a key part of staving off diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, its impact on obesity was minimal.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32417699

    This resonates with what I have learnt over the last few decades and concurs with what a fitness instructor told me at a gym years ago.

    If you read the article, then youll see its slightly misleading. The question is asked several times a week on MFP and it receives consistent replies that for weight loss purposes a calorific deficit is all that is needed. There is no dispute about that on MFP. So really OP you are stating the obvious.

    Note its only 3 authors who are saying this and even the BBC article has people disagreeing with their slant about the role of exercise.

    The authors are talking specifically about the spin it balmes on the food and drink industry about the value of exercise solving all problems to do with obesity.

    The authors are more concerned about diet intake coming from sugar and carbs as opposed to fat.

    I found it interesting, but its a bit incomplete and raises more questions than it answers. I preferred the responses about the value of a balanced diet and regular exercise, because obesity isnt the only reason to lose weight or get fit. I always find it a bit strange when people proudly put forward the fact they have done zero exercise. Not being overweight doesnt automatically mean you are healthy and being fit as well as strong has important benefits.
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,818 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    Morgaen73 wrote: »
    In my case it is utter crap. I went on special "eating plans" twice. Both times I lost 24kg, both times I stopped and both times I put the 24kg back on. Both times I bought into the "This is a lifestyle not a diet" thing. Neither of the 2 times did I include exercise. Why did I fail? Because the diets were very restrictive. Why am I succeeding now? Because I limit calorie intake NOT what I eat so I don't get bored with eating limited food and if I overeat (like pizza) I go to the gym and work it off. You cant do that purely with dieting. Also, exercising has other spi-offs that are beneficial to loosing weight. Feeling your body becoming stronger is a very good motivator to lose more weight.

    If you have to lose 10kg, then yes diet alone will do it. If you have to lose 60kg then I'm afraid you are going to need a *kitten* load of self motivation and discipline and I know very few obese people that have either.

    So on a theoretical basis, yes I agree. On a practical level, I'm sorry I don't agree and I think it is pretty irresponsible.


    Am I misreading something? aren't you agreeing with the article?

    You say you limit calorie intake and if you happen to over eat you exercise.

    So if you didn't over eat pizza etc you wouldn't exercise? There fore weight lose with out exercise.



    Anyway I think the. Best saying I have seen to win this all up. You can't outrun a bad diet.

    Yes, you are misreading. Actually I am disagreeing. Have you ever know anybody that needs to lose weight over an long period to never overeat? I haven't. If you add exercise instead of just"dieting" then you mitigate the damage on the occasions that your willpower fails you. And no I am not saying that I exercise only when I overeat. I workout 5 days a week. I've lost 40kg in the last 20 months and , from previous experience, would never have done that through dieting alone.

    I agree with the saying "You can't outrun a bad diet" but that saying presupposes that you are only exercising and not eating properly. Saying that you ONLY need to eat less, and that exercise has no role in losing weight is crap. Exercise plays a vital role in losing weight, or at least it does for me.

  • DemoraFairy
    DemoraFairy Posts: 1,806 Member
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    Morgaen73 wrote: »
    Merkavar wrote: »
    Morgaen73 wrote: »
    In my case it is utter crap. I went on special "eating plans" twice. Both times I lost 24kg, both times I stopped and both times I put the 24kg back on. Both times I bought into the "This is a lifestyle not a diet" thing. Neither of the 2 times did I include exercise. Why did I fail? Because the diets were very restrictive. Why am I succeeding now? Because I limit calorie intake NOT what I eat so I don't get bored with eating limited food and if I overeat (like pizza) I go to the gym and work it off. You cant do that purely with dieting. Also, exercising has other spi-offs that are beneficial to loosing weight. Feeling your body becoming stronger is a very good motivator to lose more weight.

    If you have to lose 10kg, then yes diet alone will do it. If you have to lose 60kg then I'm afraid you are going to need a *kitten* load of self motivation and discipline and I know very few obese people that have either.

    So on a theoretical basis, yes I agree. On a practical level, I'm sorry I don't agree and I think it is pretty irresponsible.


    Am I misreading something? aren't you agreeing with the article?

    You say you limit calorie intake and if you happen to over eat you exercise.

    So if you didn't over eat pizza etc you wouldn't exercise? There fore weight lose with out exercise.



    Anyway I think the. Best saying I have seen to win this all up. You can't outrun a bad diet.

    Yes, you are misreading. Actually I am disagreeing. Have you ever know anybody that needs to lose weight over an long period to never overeat? I haven't. If you add exercise instead of just"dieting" then you mitigate the damage on the occasions that your willpower fails you. And no I am not saying that I exercise only when I overeat. I workout 5 days a week. I've lost 40kg in the last 20 months and , from previous experience, would never have done that through dieting alone.

    I agree with the saying "You can't outrun a bad diet" but that saying presupposes that you are only exercising and not eating properly. Saying that you ONLY need to eat less, and that exercise has no role in losing weight is crap. Exercise plays a vital role in losing weight, or at least it does for me.

    I lost weight just fine with no exercise (over about 2 years), and plenty of other people have. And of course there are people that can't exercise, and I'm sure there must be some that have successfully lost weight.
  • TheBigFb
    TheBigFb Posts: 649 Member
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    We all know you cant out run a bad diet

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