Exercise doesn't help you lose weight...say what?
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Got into a discussion with some friends the other day regarding diet and exercise and losing weight, etc. One of my friends said that exercise does not help you lose weight, it's 100% diet. I disagreed and said that whether you take in less calories (diet) or burn more calories (exercise), if you're in a deficit you'll lose weight, therefore exercise does in fact help you lose weight. She disagreed with me still.
Your thoughts?
Diet has a much greater impact than exercise from a calorie standpoint. If you do 30 minutes of treadmill time and burn 135 calories...sadly, that isn't even a beer (sadly, because I love a cold beer). On the flip side, you can make eating decisions that will keep you at 500 calorie deficit for a day rather easily - say replace a bacon double cheeseburger with a bit of fish or chicken. Exercise will add more calories to your daily burn, but not as much as many people believe. As long as you consistently stay on your calorie budget, you will lose weight exercise or not. Exercise only ups your total calories burned for the day.
Another thought people like to bat about is that via exercise, you build LBM and that LBM burns more maint. calories than fat. There is truth to that, but again, not what people think. I don't remember the article name, but the guy over at bodyrecomposition.com addresses the numbers in one. Basically, the number of additional calories burned by LBM is rather insignificant in the overall scheme of things. If anyone disagrees with that, I would love to see a scientific breakdown.
That said, different people react to exercise differently. My wife says it makes her want to eat more. I am pretty indifferent, but I generally do not like to eat right before or right after I workout. My son - he doesn't want to eat for two hours after a workout. A friend told me recently that a workout is a time she is away from temptation and the memory of the workout keeps her from binging (she values the workout more than the food pleasure so to speak. This is one I get because I would love to sit down and have a few ice cold beers right now, but I'd rather not spend the next several days on the treadmill trying to work 'em off). So, I think there are some possible advantages in this regard, but I see no rhyme or reason in the anecdotal experiences of family and friends. Just seems everyone is a different and has to kinda figure out how it functions for them.3 -
bcalvanese wrote: »I have to disagree and say that fitness is just as (if not more) important than diet. I know I will be attacked for this, but I just cannot agree.
Fitness is key to weight control. If a person is at a good fitness level, they would have to literally be a glutton to become over weight. In addition, the more over weight a person is, the lower their fitness level.
Let the attacks begin...
I'm not going to attack you ... see my comments above.
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So it's more like exercise can help you lose weight, but it in of itself does not make you lose weight.
I agree that you can lose weight with 100% diet only, I just don't agree with the statement that exercise does not help you lose weight because it can provided you are not overeating.
Exercise does help burn more calories. Many people greatly overestimate the calories burned however, and overeat because they "earned it" at the gym. A protein power smoothie from the shop next to the gym can be 450 calories easy, wiping out a lot of time on the treadmill.
When people focus on the calories eaten first and treat exercise calories as small bonus, it's easier to reliably maintain an deficit that will consistently lose weight. It's just to easy to eat calories faster than you burn them otherwise.
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bcalvanese wrote: »I have to disagree and say that fitness is just as (if not more) important than diet. I know I will be attacked for this, but I just cannot agree.
Fitness is key to weight control. If a person is at a good fitness level, they would have to literally be a glutton to become over weight. In addition, the more over weight a person is, the lower their fitness level.
Let the attacks begin...
No attack needed .... You're simply wrong.
I'd say power lifters are pretty fit people but some of those guys n girls are pretty big.3 -
bcalvanese wrote: »I have to disagree and say that fitness is just as (if not more) important than diet. I know I will be attacked for this, but I just cannot agree.
Fitness is key to weight control. If a person is at a good fitness level, they would have to literally be a glutton to become over weight. In addition, the more over weight a person is, the lower their fitness level.
Let the attacks begin...
I can't attack you, because I don't understand what you are trying to say.0 -
Agreed, definitely easier to eat calories faster than burn them.3
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bcalvanese wrote: »I have to disagree and say that fitness is just as (if not more) important than diet. I know I will be attacked for this, but I just cannot agree.
Fitness is key to weight control. If a person is at a good fitness level, they would have to literally be a glutton to become over weight. In addition, the more over weight a person is, the lower their fitness level.
A completely disabled person is capable of losing weight. To say fitness is the key negates anyone who is incapable of exercise from the ability to lose weight, and that's simply not true.
And no, a person would not have to be a glutton to become overweight - they would simply have to eat over their TDEE, a few hundred calories consistently, over time. That's how it happens to everyone.8 -
So it's more like exercise can help you lose weight, but it in of itself does not make you lose weight.
I agree that you can lose weight with 100% diet only, I just don't agree with the statement that exercise does not help you lose weight because it can provided you are not overeating.
Exercise does help burn more calories. Many people greatly overestimate the calories burned however, and overeat because they "earned it" at the gym. A protein power smoothie from the shop next to the gym can be 450 calories easy, wiping out a lot of time on the treadmill.
When people focus on the calories eaten first and treat exercise calories as small bonus, it's easier to reliably maintain an deficit that will consistently lose weight. It's just to easy to eat calories faster than you burn them otherwise.
Agree, it's about hitting the sweet spot where you can have a deficit while fueling your workouts and recovery and remaining sated. Small deficit, all the way1 -
^ This is what happens to me when I get lazy. I gradually put on weight. Before long, 6 months has gone by and I put on 15-20 lbs. I never really gorged myself or went overboard with eating, I just overate a bit each day and exercised less.1
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Yep. Turns out I have a genetic predisposition toward developing blood clots.
I didn't figure I had anything at all to worry about. I'm active, I wasn't at all overweight then, and I'm the one walking up and down and up and down the airport when I travel.
But as the plane was circling Melbourne, I felt my left calf cramp. Oh well, I thought, I'll just walk it off. 6 weeks later I was in hospital with my left leg absolutely chalk full of clots. They kept me in for 2 weeks and by the time they let me out, I couldn't walk around the block without having to stop and rest.
And yep, even though I did try to adjust my diet ... I put on weight.
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Agreed, definitely easier to eat calories faster than burn them.
Yes ... it does take a bit of a time commitment to burn the calories.
For example, if you're a cyclist ... I burn calories while cycling at a rate of about 100 cal for every 5 km. So if I want to eat that 1600 calorie pizza, I need to ride in the neighbourhood of 4 hours.
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I say 80 diet, 20 exercise 0
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Yep. Turns out I have a genetic predisposition toward developing blood clots.
I didn't figure I had anything at all to worry about. I'm active, I wasn't at all overweight then, and I'm the one walking up and down and up and down the airport when I travel.
But as the plane was circling Melbourne, I felt my left calf cramp. Oh well, I thought, I'll just walk it off. 6 weeks later I was in hospital with my left leg absolutely chalk full of clots. They kept me in for 2 weeks and by the time they let me out, I couldn't walk around the block without having to stop and rest.
And yep, even though I did try to adjust my diet ... I put on weight.
That must have been terrifying! What luck you had that nothing happened during those 6 weeks, and that you got help in time! Glad you pulled through. It's worth a bit of extra padding (Pulling through is worth it, not the DVT itself, obviously:/) 0 -
Yep. Turns out I have a genetic predisposition toward developing blood clots.
I didn't figure I had anything at all to worry about. I'm active, I wasn't at all overweight then, and I'm the one walking up and down and up and down the airport when I travel.
But as the plane was circling Melbourne, I felt my left calf cramp. Oh well, I thought, I'll just walk it off. 6 weeks later I was in hospital with my left leg absolutely chalk full of clots. They kept me in for 2 weeks and by the time they let me out, I couldn't walk around the block without having to stop and rest.
And yep, even though I did try to adjust my diet ... I put on weight.
I'm sorry that happened to you, but if you had been eating in a calorie deficit, you would not have put on weight. A completely sedentary person can lose weight in a calorie deficit.0 -
^ This is what happens to me when I get lazy. I gradually put on weight. Before long, 6 months has gone by and I put on 15-20 lbs. I never really gorged myself or went overboard with eating, I just overate a bit each day and exercised less.
I did the calculation ...
In the past 4 years I put on 15 kg (33 lbs).
Assuming 3500 cal = 1 lb (yeah, I know, there's some question about that now) ...
33 lbs * 3500 cal = 115,500 cal / 4 years = 28875 cal/year / 365 days = 79 cal per day.
That's like ... a 3.75 km bicycle ride ... or a 25 min walk ... or the calories found in 1 egg or 3/4 of a slice of bread.
Not much!!
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metcastillon wrote: »I look at losing weight as 80% diet and 20% exercise. Sure, you can only focus on what you eat, and you'll lose weight, but it might not give you the results you want. Same thing if you only focus on exercise. I believe it takes a healthy combination of the two working together.
I agree with this. I eat in a deficit and I exercise. I have played around with this and did some of my weight loss on diet alone, yes I lost weight, but I was always hungry. Than I added exercise with the deficit and I lost more weight and wasn't as hungry. So if you only want to lose weight and have no desire to exercise it can be done.1 -
Yep. Turns out I have a genetic predisposition toward developing blood clots.
I didn't figure I had anything at all to worry about. I'm active, I wasn't at all overweight then, and I'm the one walking up and down and up and down the airport when I travel.
But as the plane was circling Melbourne, I felt my left calf cramp. Oh well, I thought, I'll just walk it off. 6 weeks later I was in hospital with my left leg absolutely chalk full of clots. They kept me in for 2 weeks and by the time they let me out, I couldn't walk around the block without having to stop and rest.
And yep, even though I did try to adjust my diet ... I put on weight.
That must have been terrifying! What luck you had that nothing happened during those 6 weeks, and that you got help in time! Glad you pulled through. It's worth a bit of extra padding
The 2 or 3 days just before I was hospitalised were the most terrifying. All of a sudden, I couldn't breathe. On the Monday, I walked out to meet my husband on his way home from work, like I usually did, and couldn't cover the 2 kilometres. I just couldn't breathe. He found me sitting on the path gasping for air.
The next day, I was trying to sweep the floor ... and couldn't do it. I just couldn't get enough air in to move a broom. And then suddenly the door swung open and my husband dashed inside, took one look at me, and practically carried me out to the car and to the Dr.
He said he had been working when all of a sudden he felt so strongly that he needed to get to me and get me to a Dr. Thank goodness he did. Even the ultrasound technician wouldn't let me leave the hospital, I was in that bad shape.(Unfortunately when the activity level drops suddenly ... like when you develop DVT after a long-haul flight ... it is difficult to readjust the eating adequately.)
I'm sorry that happened to you, but if you had been eating in a calorie deficit, you would not have put on weight. A completely sedentary person can lose weight in a calorie deficit.
Yes, of course. Calories in < Calories out.
All I said was that it is difficult to readjust the eating to a new, much lower activity level, in order to attain that calorie deficit.
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OP, you are correct. As you mentioned, there are two parts to the equation... What you consume and what you burn. As long as what you burn (which includes exercise obviously) is higher than what you consume, you lose weight.
A calorie burned has the same affect as a calorie not eaten. While you don't need to exercise to lose weight, it can certainly help. I have a MUCH easier time maintaining a deficit on days that I run.
To say that exercise doesn't help is to ignore half of the picture.2 -
Got into a discussion with some friends the other day regarding diet and exercise and losing weight, etc. One of my friends said that exercise does not help you lose weight, it's 100% diet. I disagreed and said that whether you take in less calories (diet) or burn more calories (exercise), if you're in a deficit you'll lose weight, therefore exercise does in fact help you lose weight. She disagreed with me still.
Your thoughts?
Your friends are indeed correct.
The worst thing an obese person can do is work out to drop weight. Doing so produces cortisol and slows losses. I dropped 173 lbs in 11 months with very little exercise at all (just walking), and I've seen around these parts that the most common mistake the obese make is all these crossfit-style, newfangled, hardcore body-shocker routines. Lots of insulin-resistant women keep messaging me about not being able to lose. I message them back and tell them to stop exercising...and they start losing. Never fails.0 -
metcastillon wrote: »
I look at losing weight as 80% diet and 20% exercise. Sure, you can only focus on what you eat, and you'll lose weight, but it might not give you the results you want. Same thing if you only focus on exercise. I believe it takes a healthy combination of the two working together.
I love eating good food so I would rather workout to have cal deficit then giving up food.
Its also about our health not just weight loss. 0 -
Got into a discussion with some friends the other day regarding diet and exercise and losing weight, etc. One of my friends said that exercise does not help you lose weight, it's 100% diet. I disagreed and said that whether you take in less calories (diet) or burn more calories (exercise), if you're in a deficit you'll lose weight, therefore exercise does in fact help you lose weight. She disagreed with me still.
Your thoughts?
Your friend is wrong.
That doesn't make you completely right, because you certainly can lose weight only via diet, but calorie expenditure is part of the equation, as you said. Exercise is a variable you can manipulate in that equation.
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Got into a discussion with some friends the other day regarding diet and exercise and losing weight, etc. One of my friends said that exercise does not help you lose weight, it's 100% diet. I disagreed and said that whether you take in less calories (diet) or burn more calories (exercise), if you're in a deficit you'll lose weight, therefore exercise does in fact help you lose weight. She disagreed with me still.
Your thoughts?
You are right. It's not just CI.
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Yep. Turns out I have a genetic predisposition toward developing blood clots.
I didn't figure I had anything at all to worry about. I'm active, I wasn't at all overweight then, and I'm the one walking up and down and up and down the airport when I travel.
But as the plane was circling Melbourne, I felt my left calf cramp. Oh well, I thought, I'll just walk it off. 6 weeks later I was in hospital with my left leg absolutely chalk full of clots. They kept me in for 2 weeks and by the time they let me out, I couldn't walk around the block without having to stop and rest.
And yep, even though I did try to adjust my diet ... I put on weight.
I have a clotting issue as well and am currently on blood thinners probably for life. At one point years ago, I had a clot go from my leg into my lungs and was hospitalized.
I feel your pain.0 -
accidentalpancake wrote: »That doesn't make you completely right, because you certainly can lose weight only via diet, but calorie expenditure is part of the equation, as you said. Exercise is a variable you can manipulate in that equation.
I don't think the OP is stating that you have to exercise to lose weight, or that you can't lose weight by only controlling what you eat, he's just saying exercise helps you lose weight, which is completely right.lillianoct21 wrote: »I love eating good food so I would rather workout to have cal deficit then giving up food. Its also about our health not just weight loss.
I'm with you there! I love getting home after a long run and seeing 2500+ calories in my budget for the day.
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It helps-ish. It's part of the "CO" part of the equation, but if it's the only thing you're doing to lose weight, unless you only have a few lbs to go, you will be sorely disappointed.0
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My understanding would be weight loss is mainly due to diet, but the importance of exercise is that it makes you healthier and stronger!0
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