The Myth About Exercise

barbarella
barbarella Posts: 609 Member
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Anybody read this recent cover story in TIME magazine?

The author says this about exercise & losing weight:

"The basic problem is that while it's true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn't necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder."

"Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" by John Cloud

http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1914857,00.html

"But there's some confusion about whether it is exercise — sweaty, exhausting, hunger-producing bursts of activity done exclusively to benefit our health — that leads to all these benefits or something far simpler: regularly moving during our waking hours. We all need to move more — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says our leisure-time physical activity (including things like golfing, gardening and walking) has decreased since the late 1980s, right around the time the gym boom really exploded. But do we need to stress our bodies at the gym?"

"In short, it's what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight. You should exercise to improve your health, but be warned: fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain. I love how exercise makes me feel, but tomorrow I might skip the VersaClimber — and skip the blueberry bar that is my usual postexercise reward."

I don't know about this ..... I feel mighty good after a hard workout
and don't dig into the french fries like he says many people do. :laugh:

Replies

  • belldandy1
    belldandy1 Posts: 264 Member
    I read an article in from Men's Fitness that debunked that whole article. The guy who wrote the article basically misrepresented the study. He didn't mention that the people who exercised lost more weight from their midsection. There were a lot of things from the study that he left out to make his point. To me, Time should be embarassed that they published the article. I wish I could find that artilce from men's fitness it was really good.
  • ShellyRGarcia
    ShellyRGarcia Posts: 9 Member
    I don't know about that! Because good stern exercise can boost your metabolism, thus helping you to be able to burn off more calories.....and of course you should eat good and healthy.....less sugar and fat; more protein.

    I think that the article is a scapegoat to feel better about not exercising at all....or maybe this person is scaring themselves silly!

    I work out everyday and feel like I am always eating (all good stuff) and I am losing weight and I feel great. I am not always hungry, just making sure I eat every 2 hours....sometimes I feel like I can't find enough food to do it....or I ask myself "didn't I just eat?" I am eating sandwhiches, protein shakes, peanut butter on bagels, apples, pears, this, that, and the other........it's awesome! I was as hungry before when I was sedentary, now I have a reason to eat this way: I earned it, and I am not gaining now, so I really deserve it!
    :bigsmile:
  • barbarella
    barbarella Posts: 609 Member
    I read an article in from Men's Fitness that debunked that whole article. The guy who wrote the article basically misrepresented the study. He didn't mention that the people who exercised lost more weight from their midsection. There were a lot of things from the study that he left out to make his point. To me, Time should be embarassed that they published the article. I wish I could find that artilce from men's fitness it was really good.


    Thanks! Glad to hear it! TIME should be more responsible.

    BTW: in a related link about "The Science of Appetite",
    there was a picture of french fries that LOOKED YUMMMY! :sad:
  • Carrie6o6
    Carrie6o6 Posts: 1,443 Member
    I find when I exercise im not as hungry as when I dont exercise.
  • Shanta1983
    Shanta1983 Posts: 1,228 Member
    wow this was interesting and yea it seem as though they makin excuses not to excercise since Ive been eating right and excercising better Ive been loosing..Thats bananas:laugh:
  • abatres7
    abatres7 Posts: 146
    I tried just dieting and the lbs were super slow to come off. I then started exercising, and major changes!! So I am totally for exercise. I think we all need it more then we think we do. Some days I get really hungry, but only when I workout really hard. Otherwise, it helps curb my appetite. Thanks for sharing the article info.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    One way exercise helps weight loss is that it ALLOWS us to eat more, right? :smile:
  • Valtishia
    Valtishia Posts: 811 Member
    I would hope it makes you hungry...

    You are burning all these calories and should be putting some back into your body. I think the hunger is your body's way of telling you to put some back. I would be more concerned if I wasn't hungry after exercising cause I would likely end up going into starvation mode and we all know how well that works for weight loss.
  • kimss
    kimss Posts: 1,146
    I also find that exercise decreases my appetite. I love it. I run for 45 min every other day and on the days I don't, I am starving all day. I wish someone would explain that to me.
  • soupandsandwich
    soupandsandwich Posts: 59 Member
    I hate this kind of thing. It's so ridiculous, and it makes it sound like all that matters is weight. No matter that exercise builds muscle, works the heart and lungs, and improves circulation. Who cares, if you don't actually lose weight?
    Bah! Of course, it's important to maintain a healthy weight. But I know we've all seen skinny people, who are a healthy weight on paper, who are not healthy in the least.
    It's not just about weight.
    I could probably lose weight, and lose it faster if I started smoking. And there are many many more unhealthy ways to lose weight.
    And since when is being hungry such a bad thing? I've always thought that if we only ate when we were truly hungry, and stopped when satisfied, most of us would have no weight problems.
    It's not just about weight.
    It's not just about not eating.
    Exercise is so good for you in so many ways.
    Did I mention it's not just about weight?
  • czewwhat
    czewwhat Posts: 8,715
    Anthropologist tell us man was designed to hunt, walk far distances and gather food where he found it, sometimes eating only every few days! Eat when there is food, starve when there is not, we have evolved of course into a more social society eating regularly but our metabolism needs the movement grandpa neanderthal had! I say eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full and use your muscles to burn it up by moving them. The buttons on a video game are not exercise! Get a dog and walk it! They will let you know every time you need to burn calories! Take the stairs, not the elevator and unless it is more than a couple of miles away, walk to get there! you will save your health and the planet at the same time! We don't have muscles so that we look good in photographs, we have muscles to use them!
  • soupandsandwich
    soupandsandwich Posts: 59 Member
    It seems like there are people who love to hear this kind of thing. It justifies their choice to not exercise. That is just what they want to hear -- that it does no good.
    And then they will tell you about the avid jogger who dropped dead of a heart attack.
    Hey -- there are no guarantees, but I would rather do what I can to try and stay healthy, rather than just let my body turn into a pile of blubber and mush, and eventually use one of those hover round scooter things just to get around.
    I know many people have them, because they need them and that they are a lifesaver for them. But I also know some of the people that use them would not need them, if they made the effort to take care of themselves.
    These are the people who would benefit from a walk around the block, or from taking the stairs, but now they won't do it, because Time magazine said exercise doesn't help you lose weight.
    :frown:
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