"Why You Shouldn't Exercise to Lose Weight"

aliencheesecake
aliencheesecake Posts: 569 Member
edited May 2016 in Fitness and Exercise
http://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories

Extreme summarization of the above article: Essentially there are some 60 plus studies that seem to confirm exercise can, in the long run, be counterproductive to weight loss. This is most true in cases where a person does not much alter diet. The body can actually end up burning less calories at rest than before you started. One study followed a few subjects who were essentially hunters and gatherers (Hadza peoples) and found 'while the hunter-gatherers were physically active and lean, they actually burned the same amount of calories every day as the average American or European, even after the researchers controlled for body size.' It was a fairly informal study and the scientist are not sure yet the exact mechanisms of the differences but like the article says...

there are many studies that all seem to lend itself to the concept that exercise and diet restriction are NOT equal in the fight to lose weight.
Now I'm not saying I agree or disagree, and there is too m uch info for me to take in all at once here, but I do think these are things to consider, especially for people who seem to keep fighting with the same five to ten pounds over and over like I do. I post it to just share as much info as possible in the event it helps someone else, and also to ask:

Which do you feel is the more important componant in your personal weight loss journey?

Replies

  • Shells918
    Shells918 Posts: 1,070 Member
    I think eating at a deficit combined with exercise makes for a healthy person who will lose weight. There are so many physical and mental benefits to exercise, I pretty much need to do it for both reasons at this point. The weight loss aspect of it is an added benefit, but my eating habits make that happen for the most part. Both components are important for my journey for different reasons.
  • Robertus
    Robertus Posts: 558 Member
    Both are important components of weight loss. In my experience, calorie restriction is more important at the beginning, especially if you are not in good condition and cannot exercise that much, but increasing fitness and health require exercise. Adding muscle will also help you maintain a higher metabolism. Finding a sport you truly enjoy (not just an exercise machine at the gym) can be very important in the long-term as you make permanent life-style changes. The ultimate goal is health and fitness, not merely weight loss, so I think exercise becomes increasingly more important over time.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    It always comes down to how much you're taking in. I ride 80 miles per week on average and I lift a few times per week and do some hiking and in general I'm just pretty active outside of my office...I have lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight doing all of that...the difference being how much I was consuming.
  • aliencheesecake
    aliencheesecake Posts: 569 Member
    hill8570 wrote: »
    Far too many people have bought into "exercise = weight loss". They want to lose weight as a "reward for all the work they've put into exercise". It's a warped mindset.

    1) Exercise for health
    2) Appropriate calories and macros for weight loss / weight maintenance

    Don't tie the two together.

    I totally used to think that. I was like, if I up my activity level but my food intake stays the same, how can I NOT lose weight. Obviously I learned that is not the case. And I agree with what all of you are saying. It may not help THAT much with weight loss compared to calorie restriction, but I would not get the confidence boost and increased strength and stamina if I wan't lifting.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    It's easier to eat than it is to exercise.

    Would you rather run 2.5 miles to burn off a Snickers, or just not eat the Snickers?

    Also, too many people fall into the "I went to the gym today so I can eat this" trap. But, they've really only burned maybe 200-300 calories, and eaten something with far more than that. They delete their calorie deficit that took them an hour to create in just a few minutes.

    Calorie deficit for weight loss. Exercise for health.
  • DeanneScott2
    DeanneScott2 Posts: 28 Member
    Both has helped me, but in the sense of I don't want to eat badly because I have put the effort in to exercise. But my diet was never that bad, so the exercise just really kick started a whole healthy lifestyle. I always feel a bit bad for people who get told exercise won't help you lose weight, I think the focus should really be put on to do both.
  • Gaz_Palmer
    Gaz_Palmer Posts: 34 Member
    Weight loss is simple mathematics. Calories in/calories burned.

    BUT the more muscle you have the more calories you burn even at rest, and of course getting those muscles will burn off calories.
    But a real good workout's calorie burn can be more than ruined with even a small binge meal.
  • cgvet37
    cgvet37 Posts: 1,189 Member
    Gaz_Palmer wrote: »
    Weight loss is simple mathematics. Calories in/calories burned.

    BUT the more muscle you have the more calories you burn even at rest, and of course getting those muscles will burn off calories.
    But a real good workout's calorie burn can be more than ruined with even a small binge meal.

    I believe everything in moderation. I'm very strict with my calories during the week, and I treat myself on the weekend within reason. I don't just eat junk all weekend. Now, if you treat yourself after every workout, then that is being counter productive.
  • KathyApplebaum
    KathyApplebaum Posts: 188 Member
    I read the article, and I felt the analysis was way too simplistic. (And relied an awful lot on studies with very small sample sizes and atypical populations.)

    For many of us, the eating part of the equation is not so simple. Personally, I will eat when I'm stressed, when I'm tired, or when I'm bored. Which leads to feeling guilty for eating, which leads to more eating. I've learned to substitute a run or bike ride when I'm feeling any of those emotions, which leads to *less* overall eating, not more.

    Perhaps I'm atypical? Could be. But if you go through the forums here, you'll find there are a whole lot of people who have the same eating issues I do. I'd definitely like to see a well designed study looking at cognitive behavioral therapy and substituting exercise for emotional eating and whether that leads to weight loss for larger populations.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    aliencheesecake wrote: »
    Which do you feel is the more important componant in your personal weight loss journey?

    Both are important in my own journey (which is every "off season" going into the "on season". A deficit can be boosted/controlled/adjusted using exercise. In my case, on the bike for 8-12 hours per week during the "season" certainly can increase the level of deficit - as well as allow me to eat more than I would if I were not exercising that much or at all.

    But as a poster said above, it all comes down to the deficit if one wants to lose weight. You can exercise a lot, but not be eating at a deficit which means you either can maintain, or gain based on the amount of calories consumed.
  • 2015Jason
    2015Jason Posts: 34 Member
    I kinda hate this article. I've seen it all over Facebook. IMO, it's gonna keep people from exercising. Really, all it should say is, "You need to cut calories and not overestimate your exercise calories".
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    It is hard to take seriously an article which thinks that exercise doesnt burn calories. Another attention seeking fad diet style scare story trying to promote a dodgy way of eating...
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    Even if I didn't lose weight, I'd still workout...because my body looks and feels better when I do. Even at the heavier weight, exercise helped sculpt what I had into something I could feel good about. Also, exercise makes creating a larger deficit simple compared to sitting on ones butt.
  • ewhsweets
    ewhsweets Posts: 167 Member
    Rule of thumb should always be that you can't train away a poor diet...

    I get annoyed with articles that might provoke people to stop working out, there are just too many other benefits other than weight loss. I myself, am tied to working out daily, and the longest I can go w/out is a week. I've tried taking breaks and I just don't feel as good when I don't exercise, it effects my sleep, mood, appetite, skin everything! While exercise can assist in weight loss, it's not the only reason to do it.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited May 2016
    Which do you feel are the more important component in your personal weight loss journey?

    Calorie balance and adherence to that desired calorie balance is obviously the most important factors but diet and exercise are probably more intertwined for me than most perhaps.
    I'm far more successful, and happier, in maintaining a suitable calorie deficit while still eating a high volume of food as opposed to simply cutting calorie intake and feeling restricted.

    So boosting my calorie allowance by c. 500/day in winter and far more in summer (1000/day last week as training hard for an event) makes a huge difference.
    For me it's a double win as I like both food and exercise.

    Historically when I've been injured or too busy to exercise I gain weight rapidly. My hunger levels don't seem to be very strongly related to energy expenditure. "Eyes too big for my belly" as my Mum used to say. :)

    For me the answer to:
    Would you rather run 2.5 miles to burn off a Snickers, or just not eat the Snickers?
    ....would be cycle 30 minutes and have the Snickers if I'm maintaining or cycle an hour and still just have one Snickers if I'm cutting.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Which do you feel are the more important component in your personal weight loss journey?

    For me the answer to:
    Would you rather run 2.5 miles to burn off a Snickers, or just not eat the Snickers?
    ....would be cycle 30 minutes and have the Snickers if I'm maintaining or cycle an hour and still just have one Snickers if I'm cutting.

    Heck yeah. I do extra exercise all the time for food and beer. Win-win.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Which do you feel are the more important component in your personal weight loss journey?

    Calorie balance and adherence to that desired calorie balance is obviously the most important factors but diet and exercise are probably more intertwined for me than most perhaps.
    I'm far more successful, and happier, in maintaining a suitable calorie deficit while still eating a high volume of food as opposed to simply cutting calorie intake and feeling restricted.

    So boosting my calorie allowance by c. 500/day in winter and far more in summer (1000/day last week as training hard for an event) makes a huge difference.
    For me it's a double win as I like both food and exercise.

    Historically when I've been injured or too busy to exercise I gain weight rapidly. My hunger levels don't seem to be very strongly related to energy expenditure. "Eyes too big for my belly" as my Mum used to say. :)

    For me the answer to:
    Would you rather run 2.5 miles to burn off a Snickers, or just not eat the Snickers?
    ....would be cycle 30 minutes and have the Snickers if I'm maintaining or cycle an hour and still just have one Snickers if I'm cutting.

    I agree with you, trust me! It's just that you probably have a better idea of what it actually takes to burn off a Snickers. There's so many posts on here about "I burned 1000 calories on my walk today!", and those are the people who should not be exercising just to burn off excess food.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Another thought. Here's an analogy:

    "You can't save money by getting a second job or working more hours. Why? Because you'll just spend all that extra money. The only way to get money is to spend less."

    There may be some truth to this assertion: You may have to spend more money to get to and from that job, you may have less time to cook so you spend more money on food, you may be more careless with your spending. So you have to be careful with your budget to make sure you are getting the benefits form the extra work.

    But if you ARE careful and watch your budget, you will get extra money from that second job. It's fatuous to suggest otherwise.
  • JustaJoe00
    JustaJoe00 Posts: 777 Member
    We all have our experiences and we are all unique. But the human body is pretty amazing and we seem to be trying to crack the code. I've found that exercise just makes me feel better. I can squat down and not feel like its hell to stand back up because ive been exercising my legs same goes with other body parts from exercise. i have lost some weight and i'm sure that has helped, but i'm pretty sure i've lost weight because i'm not over eating like i used to. I'm paying attention to how i feel when i eat. I did some reading about the work that is being done with Diabetic people (type 2) and the basic understanding that being overweight for a lot of people is really about eating too much....simply put. I just know that the way i live and grew up, food is always available and pushed on us...
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Jruzer wrote: »
    Another thought. Here's an analogy:

    "You can't save money by getting a second job or working more hours. Why? Because you'll just spend all that extra money. The only way to get money is to spend less."

    There may be some truth to this assertion: You may have to spend more money to get to and from that job, you may have less time to cook so you spend more money on food, you may be more careless with your spending. So you have to be careful with your budget to make sure you are getting the benefits form the extra work.

    But if you ARE careful and watch your budget, you will get extra money from that second job. It's fatuous to suggest otherwise.

    that's pretty much that article in a nutshell. i haaaaaate it. basically it just keeps saying "but you'll eat more" in 6 different ways. except....maybe i have self control and i won't eat more? or how about this? if i don't exercise and i'm already fat, i've already shown the propensity to overeat. but now when i start exercising we're going to blame the exercise for my propensity to overeat? okay then.

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