For anyone thinking that if they exercise then they will lose weight then think again. nytimes.com/2018/04/11/well... presents latest research confirming that it does not. In this case they measured rats who exercised more and less - and monitored their weight. Either way there was little significant change in weight.
The researchers argue that rats who exercise more eat more, and those that exercise less eat less. I think the same can be said largely for humans. In my own case I remember playing squash weekly in my 20's and feeling so good about it I had a regular pint or so afterwards.
So yes, exercise may improve how you look and feel, but don't expect that to register very much on the weighing scales.
Written by
andyswarbs
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I think the health benefits of exercise are amazing, and I much prefer to continue to exercise, both from the point of view of maintaining my health, and also maintaining my weight loss - and I really like this article from Healthline, is very encouraging for me to continue to do so:
"Exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health from the inside out.
Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier and help you sleep better.
It can also improve your skin's appearance, help you lose weight and keep it off, lessen the risk of chronic disease and improve your sex life.
Whether you practice a specific sport or follow the guideline of 150 minutes of activity per week, you will inevitably improve your health in many ways."
I've not been very well this past few days, suffering from food poisoning - but I can't wait to get back to exercising again. I have missed it.
I totally agree with you Zest in that I feel so much better when I exercise and feel lethargic when I don't. I am now working 3 days a week and don't have chance to exercise unless I walk home which I did yesterday (the walk home is 6 1/2 to 7 miles) and I walk as fast as I can. The job I now have involves me being on my feet for nearly 8 hours without sitting down once. I am now exercising on the days I'm not working.
If I don't exercise I can easily put on weight and that is because I eat the same amount whether I'm exercising or not. I very rarely eat any sweet treats (I make my own raw fruit bars) and if I do snack then it's either nuts, dates or coconut, sometimes dried fruit but that is quite rare. I eat porridge for breakfast with almonds and dried fruit with a banana, sourdough bread sandwich at lunch (homemade sourdough) and have salmon with sweet potatoes and vegetables, homemade vegetable one pot meals, homemade bean and beet burgers etc, that is the kind of food I eat.
I am so sorry you have had food poisoning, I can't think of anything worse as it makes you so poorly but really hope you are better very soon.
I have read reports of studies before your post that exercise will not lose weight. So there maybe some truth in it, although it will be hard to convince people.
But I will tell you about a wonder drug. It helps keep the heart healthy, it can lower blood pressure, it can improve your mood, it can reduce pains in your body, it improves your sleep, it helps prevent osteoporosis plus more. This wonder drug cannot be bought but you can get it for free. EXERCISE.
The body is designed to move. To maintain your health then exercise is important. The problem that I think with people who diet is they expect by exercising and not changing their diet that they will lose weight. The best way of losing weight is drastically reducing their sugar and refined carbs intake. Now that coupled with exercise is a recipe for good health.
This has been known for decades. It's really only government officials - rotund people sitting behind desks - who think that if people would just exercise more then they wouldn't be fat. They think this because they've latched onto the "calories in vs. calories out" theory. If you burn more than you consume then you'll lose weight. QED. The theory is demonstrably false from first principles, but they believe it anyway.
Even so, exercise WILL help you to maintain a healthy weight, and if you're eating a weight-loss diet it will help you to lose weight. It's nothing to do with burning calories - it's more to do with the subtle effects that exercise has on your general health. In other words, exercise can't compensate for a bad diet, but it can enhance the effects of a good one.
"I used to play squash and then I drank pints and did not lose weight."
Well driking pints is not a mandatory part of sports.
people overestimate the amount of calories burned in exercise, for sure. Lok at the C25k forum and see how many people are astounded that after 4 weeks of doing 20 minutes of jogging and walkin they have not noticed a significant weight loss.
I lift weights ever day. I do several HIIT sessions a week. My lean muscle mass is way higher than it used to be. My metabolism is way higher than it was when I was less active and had less lean mass. My maintenance calories are about 3000 now, whereas they used to be around 2300. I am cutting bodyfat at the moment and losing about 0.8 kg a week while eating 2500cal/day, which is 200 cals more than my maintenance used to be when I was sedentary.
The exercise may not directly burn the extra calories every day, but the change in my metabolism is a direct result of the exercise.
Weight training has allure for those who crave a defined, sculpted physique with low fat mass. The only down I could think of would be ending up an orthopedic surgeon's table at old age. I have seen some herniated discs and wear and tear. But I guess nobody knows who gets these before it happens.
Hmm. The allure of weight training has less to do with craving a sculpted physique for me than the primal functionality of what we are designed for. I’d rather grow old stronger than weaker.
28,000 people die from falls in the home every year in the US, mainly elderly people. Compare that to the gun death statistics. The main cause of elderly people having to give up independent living is not being able
To use the toilet without assistance. I poop therefore I squat. It’s not all about narcissism.
I never commented with an ounce of negativity. It has allure for a much wider scope as you have aptly described. It was a comment to say, human spine/vertebrae isn't made of steel. . .
People overestimate how many calories are utilised during exercise, & can overeat as a result, however the cardiovascular benefits of aerobic exercise aren't just in regard to calorie consumption.
As much as it's an interesting article, as we grow older, our focus shift from staying trim, and nice looking to maintenance of the bone, muscles, thicker skin, acceptable hair etc. it is well known that active people have far more benefits in a number of ways. Maybe, the article is gearing for obese, inactive people in mind. Running and eating cakes afterwards won't make any difference, I agree.
The key difference being, after hopping off the wheel, mice are not presented with the freedom of choice to go and eat from a table that has a clean cooked meal with lots of protein, vegetables and healthy carbs, or a table with fried chicken and and chips and a 2ltr bottle of Coke!
Personally what I want to weigh is heavily down to my exercise and healthy eating routine both going hand in hand. When one slips both tend to go to the wall. I know that when my lean muscle mass starts displacing fat cells that it weighs more yet takes up less space. Lean muscle will also burn more of your calories off whilst resting...Personally I'd rather watch the inches come off and go by my clothes' fit than watch my weight on scales any day!
Hate to say it but that article could be interpreted by those who have a refusal to move their bodies around as an "I told you so" ...On the the point of you need to burn more than you consume to get into weight loss, if you get your consumption of your daily calories solely by eating Oreos, this is gonna give you a different weight and body type to that of calories consumed in lean protein, vegetables and good low G.I carbs, let alone the affects on your nutrition levels, namely a larger body thsts feeling nutritional deficits and accompanying tiredness and so forth.
I have not met many people who regularly exercise and have it heavily featuring in their lives that are not able to lose weight and control their shape.
Side question, are we really THAT similar to mice? Could they not test this on humans? Really, Im not being funny!
Personally I detest use of mice or indeed any other animal for human benefit. Also, as you indicate they can lead so easily to results that do not apply to humans. A a large dose of salt is definitely warranted.
The problem with trying to understand humans is separation of cause and effect. Are people who look and feel healthy that exercise in such good shape because they exercise or because they are the the kind of people who are healthy etc for other reasons, perhaps genetics, perhaps sufficient income & motivation to exercise, perhaps parents who encourage that sort of life.
On the other hand what is the internal motivation for people who are fat and unhealthy to go down to an exercise studio where they will look and feel very much like a "pig in a poke"? Most would possibly feel too embarrassed to even walk into a fitness studio.
We can possibly rely on epidemiological studies. But these can be criticised as well.
Of course we should rely on theory. But nutrition science in earnest only started about a 100 years ago after World War 1, so in terms of science it is a very young one. Also in the early days at least it was seriously frowned upon, with the high-status jobs in medicine going to jobs backed by pharmaceutical companies or perhaps becoming surgeons.
Meanwhile each of us only has one life. If the rending explosion of vegans grows apace then in 20 and 50 years time we will have increasing evidence supporting - or disagreeing - with the longevity benefits of vegan lifestyles. But right now we have what we have and it is far from perfect.
Personally exercise allows me to walk up that hill without being out of breath, push my son up it in his buggy, it makes me feel in charge of my reflexes, more energized, more nimble and my head is clearer...the motivation is to feel great and to be light on my feet and healthier and more social for my child (feeling better in a bathing suit to take l/o swimming etc...) Your point is entirely right I'm sure as my friend who lost 6 stone has only taken her 7 year old and three year old swimming for the first time this year due to lacking confidence. I personally would feel less of a "spotlight moment" in the gym than in a store trying to buy a pair of jeans that they didn't cater for my size in (plus size clothing ranges are way behind the States in the UK in terms of availability) even at 2.5 stone maximum over weight I feel like I am lugging a half of someone else around with me, that's just my personal feeling.
In terms of cost, my gym membership cost me nothing as I work out in a 4 ft square at home using my body as my weight resistance and throwing the Insanity workouts on YouTube to follow or Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. Most of it is done on the spot! Having room is not an issue!
I've used them successfully to get the winter weight off, plus baby body gone about 6 years in a row. I can do 20 minutes 3 or 4 days a week to keep in shape. I really only eat very badly on a Sunday yet I don't starve myself all week!
I don't pay the gym, not too and from expenses, its not a problem what I wear, my runners are years old! Building that sweat and that fire in my belly in the mornings sets me on a really good path for the day. I definately get natural endorphins.
I'm realising that there is a push towards vegan eating. I personally couldn't do that I love my meats too much. It would need to be a very convincing reason to get me to withdraw from carnivorous activity!
There's nothing wrong with eating some lean meat/fish if you are not eating large amounts every day. After a certain age, the gut absorption tends to become poorer (sadly, a fact of life), worsen by prescription medications and weakening GI muscles/inflammation in GI tracts. If one can manage eating a varied, healthy, well-balanced food, that's the best. I'm almost a vegetarian with an occasional meat dish. I 'm thankful for nature's gift. I'll leave total veganism/HC to trendy, younger people who do not need to bother eating any meat without going nutritionally deficient.
According to UK and US dietitian associations avoiding animal foods aka a vegan diet is sufficient for good human health with no nutrition deficiencies. According to the UN we should all move towards a plant based diet for the good of the planet.
Dr Michael Greger has an article on whether just a little bit of meat is a healthy part of a diet at nutritionfacts.org/2016/10/...
It's the flavour, which enhances the taste of veggies. I dislike those stock cubes full of added enhancers, at times trace gluten without any label. Actual meat itself, I wouldn't care about; I probably wouldn't even digest due to malabsorption.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Starting on weight loss journey AGAIN! Any advice greatly welcomed
For weight loss which is important - eating healthy or eating less?
What should I be eating?
Beginning to eat healthier
