Does exercise really help you lose weight?

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  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
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    Dont mean to sound pedantic.... but is this really a mystery?
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    Exercise is good for you and helps burn up extra calories but losing weight is all about CICO (calories in/out)
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
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    Helps burn calories, so yes, it does.
    That's not considering the other benefits: Healthy lifestyle, keeping a healthy body, keeping a healthy mind.
  • MonkeysForSale
    MonkeysForSale Posts: 11 Member
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    KatieAnneEtcetera wrote: »
    Because I find it extremely difficult to cut calories (I am a person who likes to snack ALL the time, and as soon as I try to quit snacking I get MAJOR cravings) I was hoping that a workout regimen might help me.

    I used to smoke ALL the time, and as soon as I quit I got MAJOR cravings.

    Eventually the cravings passed, I changed my relationship with cigarettes, and now I feel 20 years younger.

    If you want the rainbow, you've got to put up with a bit of rain, to quote Dolly :smile:
  • atypicalsmith
    atypicalsmith Posts: 2,742 Member
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    kgirlhart wrote: »
    I have lost weight before without exercising. If you exercise but don't cut calories you won't lose weight. You can cut calories and not exercise and still lose weight. You lose weight when you eat at a calorie deficit. But exercise has a lot of benefit and is important for overall fitness. And exercise will increase your deficit and allow you to eat more.

    It depends on how many calories you are starting out with. If maintenance, then yes, exercising will cause you to lose weight because it is burning calories. If maintenance + 1,000 calories, then exercising will slow the rate at which you gain.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Yes it's purely about diet but in the end I would NEVER have lost weight without exercise, because I like eating, I have a big appetite, and I need the extra calories.
  • skysiebaby
    skysiebaby Posts: 88 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Yes it's purely about diet but in the end I would NEVER have lost weight without exercise, because I like eating, I have a big appetite, and I need the extra calories.
    This is me too. I would rather do a long run three days a week to create a deficit/maintenance than cut my food down. And its worked for the last 8 years.
  • leahcollett1
    leahcollett1 Posts: 807 Member
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    skysiebaby wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Yes it's purely about diet but in the end I would NEVER have lost weight without exercise, because I like eating, I have a big appetite, and I need the extra calories.
    This is me too. I would rather do a long run three days a week to create a deficit/maintenance than cut my food down. And its worked for the last 8 years.

    do you go by tdde method or MFP, do you struggle on non exercise days to eat low?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    leahcollett1 wrote: »
    skysiebaby wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Yes it's purely about diet but in the end I would NEVER have lost weight without exercise, because I like eating, I have a big appetite, and I need the extra calories.
    This is me too. I would rather do a long run three days a week to create a deficit/maintenance than cut my food down. And its worked for the last 8 years.

    do you go by tdde method or MFP, do you struggle on non exercise days to eat low?

    Personally I do TDEE, but I only take one rest day a week.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    KatieAnneEtcetera wrote: »
    So I've been reading a lot about how "new" research (I'll admit, I haven't read the actual research articles, just the articles ABOUT them) shows that exercise does not really help you lose weight. Basically, they say it's really only about dieting. I just wanted to hear some of your personal stories. Do you think that exercise has caused any weight loss for you?

    Do your own experiment/research.
    Take one month and do cardio for 6 days for 3 hours and see how much weight you lost
    Then then the next month eat at a deficit and see how much weight you lost.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    It makes a huge difference for me in terms of adherence - far happier with a high volume of food while still creating a calorie deficit.

    At the moment I'm effectively eating at non-exercise maintenance levels and creating a big deficit on most cardio days and a small deficit on strength training days. I don't find it a problem to burn 3500+ exercise calories a week even in winter, in summer it's far more.

    Being fitter, stronger and feeling more energetic is also a great motivator.

    But without calorie counting it's far harder to know I'm eating at my maintenance level. In the past I've easily compensated for 8 hours hard training a week with increased appetite. That's why "research" has to be in context of people monitoring their intake or not.

  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
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    I count calories to lose weight.

    Lift weights to help prevent the osteoporosis which is common in my Mom's side of the family.
  • skysiebaby
    skysiebaby Posts: 88 Member
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    leahcollett1 wrote: »
    skysiebaby wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Yes it's purely about diet but in the end I would NEVER have lost weight without exercise, because I like eating, I have a big appetite, and I need the extra calories.
    This is me too. I would rather do a long run three days a week to create a deficit/maintenance than cut my food down. And its worked for the last 8 years.

    do you go by tdde method or MFP, do you struggle on non exercise days to eat low?

    I use MPF when actively trying to lose weight and keep my midweek calorie intake fairly low on my 2 non-run days so I can 'bank' them for the weekends. It is hard but knowing I can eat *more or less* what I want at the weekends helps alot. And as I don't have much to lose I know its not long-term. But that's just what works for me. While maintaining I didn't count calories at all, ran 20 miles a week, and found it easy to keep to within 2-3lb of my weight.
  • diane1223
    diane1223 Posts: 43 Member
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    I think it does help. With discipline and with energy level. You can lose weight without dieting, but you are not creating good habits. I think our bodies are meant to move and everyone no matter what age needs exercise. I have quit walking because of cold weather and am tired all the time. Time to get moving in spite of the chilly temps!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
    edited February 2016
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    KatieAnneEtcetera wrote: »
    So I've been reading a lot about how "new" research (I'll admit, I haven't read the actual research articles, just the articles ABOUT them) shows that exercise does not really help you lose weight. Basically, they say it's really only about dieting. I just wanted to hear some of your personal stories. Do you think that exercise has caused any weight loss for you?

    Yes and no...exercise can help with weight management in that it increases your energy expenditure, but exercise in and of itself doesn't ensure you are in a deficit of energy and really, the expenditure is relatively immaterial to your overall expenditure in a 24 hour period. for example, I "burn" around 2,800-3,000 calories per day...only about 500ish of those are from actual exercise...sometimes a little more and sometimes a little less.

    Exercise should really be viewed as it is...it is for fitness and general well being and health. Weight management is 99.9% diet....exercise is for fitness. I ride roughly 80-100 miles per week and lift 3x per week and walk my dog 3 miles 3-4 times per week and take the family on regular hiking outings or recreational bike rides, etc...I have lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight doing all of that. Do you know what the difference in weight was? Hint...not the exercise...it was how much I was eating.
  • Domicinator
    Domicinator Posts: 261 Member
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    Just to add another little wrinkle to this--

    Both my rheumatologist and my primary care doctor are both SO HAPPY that I've lost so much weight and gotten healthy, but now they're both warning me that as I get older, I will begin to lose muscle mass. The weight loss does not exactly help this situation. They are both suggesting weight lifting and cardio just to keep my heart and muscles healthy. So these days I exercise more for those reasons than I do for weight loss.

    Over the last couple of years, I've found that even at 38 years old, I still love biking. I got a bike last summer and rode it several miles almost every single day. For the cold months, I got an Airdyne AD-6 stationary bike, and I absolutely LOVE it. It works the arms, legs, and core and gets my heart pumping for a few minutes every day. Both are almost completely impact free on my joints, and the Airdyne adds in some fantastic upper body strength training because you have to use the handlebars to work the machine too.

    So anyway, even if exercise doesn't create MUCH of a defecit, it's still good for you. I recommend it.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    KatieAnneEtcetera wrote: »
    So I've been reading a lot about how "new" research (I'll admit, I haven't read the actual research articles, just the articles ABOUT them) shows that exercise does not really help you lose weight. Basically, they say it's really only about dieting. I just wanted to hear some of your personal stories. Do you think that exercise has caused any weight loss for you?

    Anything that gets you moving and burns more calories than you eat will help lose weight. Exercise can help with the calorie burning and help you retain your lean body mass. You cannot exercise away a bad diet. You need to start in the kitchen, then exercise will be a great adjunct activity.

    Exercise also helps you feel better about your self. It lifts the mood and can help you keep going when you feel like you are in a rut. The mental aspect of weight loss is important, and exercise is really good for that.
  • jennk5309
    jennk5309 Posts: 206 Member
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    Yeah, but there are also lots of articles these days about how losing weight and keeping it off is impossible, and we're all destined to be fat forever. If I listened to all of that, I'd still be morbidly obese and in pain all the time. I am still fighting the last 20 or so pounds, but 9 years ago I was 120 pounds overweight! I've lost about 100 pounds and kept it off all this time because I did what I felt was right and ignored the naysayers!

    As for exercise specifically, when I look around at the people I know, the people who are overweight do not exercise and the thinner peod do. In my family, most people are very overweight and many are obese. The people who exercise consistently are not.

    That is enough anecdotal evidence for me, no research studies needed to get me up and going.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    KatieAnneEtcetera wrote: »
    I just wanted to hear some of your personal stories. Do you think that exercise has caused any weight loss for you?

    A calorie deficit caused my weight loss. Exercise was a huge factor in creating my calorie deficit. I gained weight slowly. Less than 2 lbs per year. So I was able to create a calorie deficit by eating the same as I had been while adding more exercise (hence my username).
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited February 2016
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    jennk5309 wrote: »
    Yeah, but there are also lots of articles these days about how losing weight and keeping it off is impossible, and we're all destined to be fat forever. If I listened to all of that, I'd still be morbidly obese and in pain all the time. I am still fighting the last 20 or so pounds, but 9 years ago I was 120 pounds overweight! I've lost about 100 pounds and kept it off all this time because I did what I felt was right and ignored the naysayers!

    As for exercise specifically, when I look around at the people I know, the people who are overweight do not exercise and the thinner peod do. In my family, most people are very overweight and many are obese. The people who exercise consistently are not.

    That is enough anecdotal evidence for me, no research studies needed to get me up and going.

    The National Weigh Control Registry has a list of the most common characteristics of people who have lost weight and kept it off. http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/default.htm

    2 interesting stats:
    1. 94% increased their physical activity while losing, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
    2. 90% of those who have maintained their weight loss exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

    Pretty substantial anecdotal evidence IMHO

    I don't care how much of it is physical benefits and how much is psychological benefits. Exercise, in some form, is good and helps with weight management.

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