Exercise doesn't help you lose weight...say what?
Replies
-
No, the assertion has not been made that exercise has zero impact on weight loss.
Except, it has:One of my friends said that exercise does not help you lose weight, it's 100% diet.Fitness is very important--I weight lift and run and do other cardio, but I am very well aware it has nil to do with the very basics of weight loss.Weight management happens in the kitchen.I think exercise has zero bearing on losing weight.SergeantSausage wrote: »Exercise, in the big picture, is mostly irrelevant for most folks.
You are twisting my words to fit your own agenda.
(1) What is the number one basic about weight loss? Any sage will tell you it's eating less calories than you burn. Calories in = food, calories out = basic life. Hey, add in exercise if you want, raise those calories to properly fuel your body, and you're good to go. Whether or not you exercise, you still have to eat less calories than you burn or you will either maintain or gain weight.
(2) hat do we love to do every day in the kitchen? Why, we love to prepare food, and it's here that we decide what we're going to eat and how much. If we're trying to reduce, then some of us just intuitively reduce our potions, and still others of us weigh our food, etc. It doesn't really matter how we get to this point. Whether or not you exercise, you still have to make sure you eat less calories than you burn or you will either maintain or gain weight.
Like I said, I exercise because I love it so much. It makes me feel good. On exercise days, I get to eat just a bit more, which means an extra snack for me. However, I don't exercise to eat, I eat to properly fuel my body for the exercise I choose.
Now, does this really sound like I'm saying exercise has zero impact on weight loss?0 -
Absolutely agree 100%. Everybody needs some form of exercise. It's also great for the mind, not just the body.WhovianFitNHealthy wrote: »aaron_mc29 wrote: »I agree that it's 80/20, and I can lose weight through diet alone, but I've found that doing both together keeps me more motivated. If I exercise regularly I tend to make better food choices, because I don't want all of that exercise to be for nothing.
That!! I agree and it is the same for me. I will say that you can eat junk, as long as it is within your calorie allowance, and still lose weight. It's not healthy and you may not lose as much fat and you will lose muscle most likely from ONLY focusing on food intake but it can be done.
Personally, I've done it both ways and I prefer to lift and do cardio (mostly in the form of HIIT and LISS), the benefits far outweigh any excuses and I feel amazing while I'm doing it, after, and the results speak for themselves.
So, yes, diet or the food you eat is of utmost importance but to relegate exercise as unnecessary would be a travesty! Exercise, such as cardio, is important for the heart and your body in general. Lifting weights increases fat burning and muscle growth and maintenance which keeps you leaner which sheds weight and fat helping your bones and helping with strength.
Fitness and diet go hand in hand; while diet (the food we eat) is super important and healthier (if it is a proper diet), fitness is very important too-they work together.
1 -
422 replies! Wow! Haha!
I can say over the past month I have lost 8 lbs by watching my diet and exercising more, so apparently it can help you lose weight after all! 1 -
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.
Although that percentage may be accurate, I feel that 70% diet and 30% exercise might be more effective for losing weight. I find that long duration of exercise combined with weigh training is more effective than a half an hour of low moderation exercise. There needs to be a strong emphasis on exercise, but a whole lot more on diet.0 -
Here's how I see it. In life, nothing is ever 100% this and 0% that. Yes, weight is reduced faster with just food modification (and hey, even faster if you starve yourself! But I digress.) However, including an exercise routine is going to make your body burn (lose) calories more efficiently and help in many other areas that diet alone cannot compensate for.0
-
For people who have never exercised, the effort of even slow swimming is much greater than slow swimming done by people who do it regularly, so they'll burn a little more than I would if I swam at the same speed, because it's harder for them.
No, that's not correct, calorie burn will be about the same for both of them.
The new swimmer will *feel* like they're working harder - but they're not.
0 -
1 -
Regardless of theories, it's been shown that in practice, those who exercise are those who keep the weight off.1
-
Haha let's keep it going until we hit 500 replies! We can do it MFP!
0 -
Here's how I see it. In life, nothing is ever 100% this and 0% that. Yes, weight is reduced faster with just food modification (and hey, even faster if you starve yourself! But I digress.) However, including an exercise routine is going to make your body burn (lose) calories more efficiently and help in many other areas that diet alone cannot compensate for.
^ Well said.0 -
Regardless of theories, it's been shown that in practice, those who exercise are those who keep the weight off.
That's just correlation though.
In another thread someone said it could just be because of a common third factor being discipline. If you've got the discipline to exercise regularly, you probably have the discipline to maintain your weight. No direct dependency between the two, but they appear in the same individuals.
That's my take on that statistic too.0 -
I haven't been active in this community very long. I mostly just used MFP for logging and didn't pay attention to a lot of the other features it had until lately. I think the message boards are a wonderful place to get encouragement, seek advice, and share successes and failures.
One of the patterns I've noticed, however, seems to be the constant arguing about something that couldn't be simpler. Sprinkled all throughout these message boards are topics about whether or not exercise helps with weight loss, whether or not fad diets help with weight loss, whether or not certain foods or smoothies or supplements help with weight loss, etc. The only result of these topics is people trying to twist each others' words around to make each other sound wrong. I don't get why we have to overcomplicate something that is so incredibly simple.
I think it's safe to say that users of MFP are largely not professional athletes, body builders, marathon runners or cyclists. We're not looking for some magical combination of protein, carbs, iron, and fat. We're probably not even looking for six pack abs or gigantic biceps. We just want to get to a healthy weight and look good in our clothes. We want to buck the trend of obesity and get our lives back together.
Back in the day, whenever I would go to my doctor for a checkup or to get meds for a sinus infection or something along those lines, he would get on my case about my weight. He would remind me that my blood tests always indicate fatty liver and that my blood pressure is way too high. He would also tell me how much I'd gained since the last time I saw him. And then finally he would always say, "I know you're saying you exercise, and that's great, but you need to burn more than you eat in order for the exercise to help you."
To me, for the average overweight person, that's really all it's about. The 300 calories I just burned on my bike ride don't just disappear into the air and off into the ether. I burned those by using my muscles to operate a simple machine and carry the weight of that machine plus the weight of my own body around and around my neighborhood for 45 minutes. I burned those calories because I did the work. And when I got back home, I did not eat a quarter pounder with cheese to refuel. I ate greek yogurt and raw walnuts. At the end of the day I will try to be roughly 150 calories in the green on my food log, just to account for any error on how many calories I burned. I also try to keep my water intake at a good level. I have lost 44 lbs. so far using this method. My brother lost 80 lbs. using this method. My dad lost roughly 100 lbs. using this method. I have many other family and friends that have done the same thing, some using MFP, some using other apps. The methodology behind it is sound and couldn't really be simpler.
I think for 99% of MFP users, just forget all the calculators and charts and protein powders. Burn less than you eat whether it's by smaller portions or more exercise. Be honest in your food log. Document everything. You will lose weight. It's very hard work, but it's not complicated work.4 -
Domicinator wrote: »I haven't been active in this community very long. I mostly just used MFP for logging and didn't pay attention to a lot of the other features it had until lately. I think the message boards are a wonderful place to get encouragement, seek advice, and share successes and failures.
One of the patterns I've noticed, however, seems to be the constant arguing about something that couldn't be simpler. Sprinkled all throughout these message boards are topics about whether or not exercise helps with weight loss, whether or not fad diets help with weight loss, whether or not certain foods or smoothies or supplements help with weight loss, etc. The only result of these topics is people trying to twist each others' words around to make each other sound wrong. I don't get why we have to overcomplicate something that is so incredibly simple.
I think it's safe to say that users of MFP are largely not professional athletes, body builders, marathon runners or cyclists. We're not looking for some magical combination of protein, carbs, iron, and fat. We're probably not even looking for six pack abs or gigantic biceps. We just want to get to a healthy weight and look good in our clothes. We want to buck the trend of obesity and get our lives back together.
Back in the day, whenever I would go to my doctor for a checkup or to get meds for a sinus infection or something along those lines, he would get on my case about my weight. He would remind me that my blood tests always indicate fatty liver and that my blood pressure is way too high. He would also tell me how much I'd gained since the last time I saw him. And then finally he would always say, "I know you're saying you exercise, and that's great, but you need to burn more than you eat in order for the exercise to help you."
To me, for the average overweight person, that's really all it's about. The 300 calories I just burned on my bike ride don't just disappear into the air and off into the ether. I burned those by using my muscles to operate a simple machine and carry the weight of that machine plus the weight of my own body around and around my neighborhood for 45 minutes. I burned those calories because I did the work. And when I got back home, I did not eat a quarter pounder with cheese to refuel. I ate greek yogurt and raw walnuts. At the end of the day I will try to be roughly 150 calories in the green on my food log, just to account for any error on how many calories I burned. I also try to keep my water intake at a good level. I have lost 44 lbs. so far using this method. My brother lost 80 lbs. using this method. My dad lost roughly 100 lbs. using this method. I have many other family and friends that have done the same thing, some using MFP, some using other apps. The methodology behind it is sound and couldn't really be simpler.
I think for 99% of MFP users, just forget all the calculators and charts and protein powders. Burn less than you eat whether it's by smaller portions or more exercise. Be honest in your food log. Document everything. You will lose weight. It's very hard work, but it's not complicated work.
0 -
Absolutely agree 100%. Everybody needs some form of exercise. It's also great for the mind, not just the body.WhovianFitNHealthy wrote: »aaron_mc29 wrote: »I agree that it's 80/20, and I can lose weight through diet alone, but I've found that doing both together keeps me more motivated. If I exercise regularly I tend to make better food choices, because I don't want all of that exercise to be for nothing.
That!! I agree and it is the same for me. I will say that you can eat junk, as long as it is within your calorie allowance, and still lose weight. It's not healthy and you may not lose as much fat and you will lose muscle most likely from ONLY focusing on food intake but it can be done.
Personally, I've done it both ways and I prefer to lift and do cardio (mostly in the form of HIIT and LISS), the benefits far outweigh any excuses and I feel amazing while I'm doing it, after, and the results speak for themselves.
So, yes, diet or the food you eat is of utmost importance but to relegate exercise as unnecessary would be a travesty! Exercise, such as cardio, is important for the heart and your body in general. Lifting weights increases fat burning and muscle growth and maintenance which keeps you leaner which sheds weight and fat helping your bones and helping with strength.
Fitness and diet go hand in hand; while diet (the food we eat) is super important and healthier (if it is a proper diet), fitness is very important too-they work together.
Yeah buddy!! Mentally it definitely helps for sure; there's research on the benefits of exercise on people with depression and mood disorders. Personally, it's like therapy and me time; it helped me get through a terrible breakup by improving myself and getting those happy feelings, AKA endorphins!0 -
stevencloser wrote: »
No, it's not. There are physiological changes that come with exercise that make it easier to fuel the body while eating less.
2 -
I think it all comes down to the hypergleemic index being proportionate to the inverse reaction of the BMIHR divided by the caloric intake times the exercise HRM factor squared minus the mo fo calorie I/O derivitave.
and whatever it is I've said here... exercise is pretty darn good for ya.0 -
Anyone here lose serious weight with changes in diet only and little to no exercise?0
-
-
^ That's awesome! Nice job! I'd like to drop 15-20lbs myself. Going to try revamping my diet a bit and see what happens. I take walks at night and lift weights 2-3 times a week but I'm not really looking to go to the gym and run on a treadmill for 60 minutes.1
-
It's about creating a deficit. How people accomplish that is individual. I see a lot of people say it is easier to eat less but that isn't true for everyone. For some it's easier to keep eating the same and increase activity.1
-
Anyone here lose serious weight with changes in diet only and little to no exercise?
I hate commenting on zombie threads, especially one like this that should die, but since I actually read through the whole thing I'll respond...
Yes, I've lost over 130lbs with almost no exercise. About four months into the diet, I occasionally started walking a couple miles, a day or two a week, for maybe a week or two, then nothing for months and months, rinse repeat. I was losing without the exercise so I just couldn't stay motivated to keep it up. I'm trying to walk more now that I've got less than 15lbs to go, but that doesn't change the fact that up until now it's been pretty much free of exercise.3 -
Sorry, but I don't agree with this.
Maybe that's because of my own genetics... But personally working out has been what has drastically changed my body. Even when I go through periods of eating poorly (essentially a dirty bulk) I still do not gain fat and my body changes.
Even when I cut, my diet consists of mostly whatever I want but with different portions and timing. Still, I'm able to manipulate my weight simply by lifting and the amount of cardio I do.
Diet does matter and can contribute to weight loss, but I would highly and always argue that exercise DOES matter a lot. Again, my own genetics may play into my transformation... However, there is no way to say that exercise was not the catalyst for my weight loss.5 -
Cherimoose wrote: »ashleypetrie4 wrote: »You can't out run a bad diet
Not sure i agree with this cliche. Many have lost weight while eating foods perceived as "bad", simply by increasing their calorie output.
"Most studies indicate that .. when combined with dietary restriction, exercise has a synergistic effect and enhances weight loss beyond the effect of diet alone."
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23174547
Yep. You can't outrun a " terrible " diet ... but I eat 2000 cal a day and burn 1000 cal everyday and lose 2-3 lbs a week. Can outexercise a moderately bad diet for sure. Look at all my rail thin runner friends. We eat way more and way worse than you guaranteed and the largest of us is a size 42 -
I agree with you. You can eat your "normal amount" and then exercise burning 500 calories a day, or not exercise and eat 500 calories less, or a combination of both. I think you are arguing semantics though honestly. I think she means you can't exercise and then stuff you face all day and expect to lose. You need to pay attention to how much you eat either way...
Damn I didn't realize this thread was so old2 -
I only exercise to be able to eat more. Oops.1
-
I agree with your friends. You can't outrun a bad diet. It is much harder to run long enough to burn off a candy bar than it is to just not eat it in the first place. Exercise is great for a lot of things, just not weight loss. However, I do like earning a 100cal snack after a good workout. Very satisfying.1
-
It also depends on type of exercise. I have fallen in love with boxing. I burn 400-600 calories per class and have built muscle increasing my BMR. That class absolutely provides my deficit for the day without needing to diet.1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions