Why exercise won't make you lose weight

[Kronk]

Yeah, the rebuttal is from the perspective of someone with a vested interest in the thing.

Al, the calories burned from muscle vs fat is really very minimal -- I forget if it is like 4 calories more for a pound of muscle than a pound of fat.

I think most people's instincts are pretty good, though: diet to lose fat and exercise to build muscle. Dieting without exercising reduces lean body mass (your muscles break down a bit), where exercising without dieting tends not to lose much if any fat. I've personally been doing the latter, and the Wednesday weigh-in thread will attest that my progress is very slow.

But I did love the Time article talking about the exercise group that went to Starbuck's to get muffins after working out. Heh.

 

[TromboneAl]

Al, the calories burned from muscle vs fat is really very minimal -- I forget if it is like 4 calories more for a pound of muscle than a pound of fat.

You're right -- looks like I've been misinformed on this. Thanks for the info.

The Myth about Muscle and Your Metabolic Rate

 

[RunningBum]

I do not see anything in the article saying do not exercise as it is a waste of time... like a lot of people here seem to be reading into the article...

The magizine cover says

"The Myth About Exercise
Of course it's good for you, but it won't make you lose weight."

It won't make you lose weight. Right there is where Time went wrong. That's probably the fault of an editor, not the article writer, because the lead in to the article says "it doesn't always melt pounds", which I agree with.

It's that front cover sensationalism that's going to lead people to look at it and justify not exercising. It's kind of like if someone gets hit by a bus on their way to make a bank deposit, and the lead to the story being "Saving Money--It Can Kill You!"

And really, most of the article concluded that people weren't losing weight because they were eating crap afterwards. It's not the exercise that's keeping people from losing weight, it's something else, including possibly poor eating habits.

 

[rescueme]

When I was initially diagnosed as a T2 diabetic back in 2001, I was certainly overweight and did little exercise.

The diagnosis scared me, and taking a nutrition course at the hospital helped me to understand that I need to control my "input" better.

For the first year, I was successful in losing close to 50 lbs, and my A1C came back into the normal range. I did not start exercising in earnest (treadmill) till a year later.

What I found that the exercise did not make me lose weight. However, it did release a bit of stress/tension that I didn't turn to food as easily, and of course any doctor will tell you about the relationship of exercise in controlling diabetes.

So for me (and only for me!) exercise did not make me lose weight. However it did help control my diet, which helped me lose/control my weight.

Eight years later, I'm still controlling my T2 with just diet/exercise (no pills or insulin). While I know the natural progression of the disease will require it in the future, I'm trying to hold it back for as long as I can...

 

[Alan]

So for me (and only for me!) exercise did not make me lose weight. However it did help control my diet, which helped me lose/control my weight.

This is similar to my experience. In 2002 I changed my diet and started exercising - walking on a treadmill and outside was the limit - and went from 210 to 170 in 6 months - wonderful.

A couple of years ago I started to exercise seriously - really vigorous aerobic exercise plus weight training. My overall fitness increased tremendously and I feel great. I had a stress test last year and went for 15 mins on the treadmill. 5 years ago at my last stress test I managed 12 minutes (still good). Looking back over my annual medical records my heart rate at the medical has been the 60's and 70's. This last 2 years is was in the 40's

My weight is pretty well the same - 173 this morning.

 

[BunsGettingFirm]

I'll bet that Time article will cause over 1 million people to stop exercising.

Concerning the calories in/out equation, you have to remember that when you build up those muscles, they are going to be sucking up more calories, even while you are sleeping or watching TV.

No, but I am going to try a different routine for a couple of weeks. Instead of hammering myself silly on the ski machine, I'll walk more and dance more and eat the same and see what happens.

 

[Ronstar]

I alternate days of running and weights and have lost 13 pounds since May, but I feel what the article describes as exercise depleting my brain's self control muscle. I'm eating more calories than I did before I increased exercise

 

[Cattusbabe]

The time article is nonsense IMO. Sure calories count. Eat more than you use, you gain. Eat less than you use, you lose. For some folks vigorous excercize can increase appitite. So what. Eat healthy low calorie, nutrition dense food. Problem solved. I have been battling my weight forever and it was not until I got serious about aerobic training (power walking) and strength training (kettlebell) that I started to see sustainable results.

All the meal plans in the world will not work unless you get moving. They go hand in hand.

 

[novaman]

Here is another rebuttal

This guy went and looked at the study referred to in the article and found that the author of the Time Magazine article either misread the results of the study or conveniently ignored them.



Is Exercise a Waste of Time?

 

[Midpack]

Most of us here are "experienced" in the ways of the world, and most already realize this simple truth. Selling someone a product or idea by telling them what they want to hear will trump "the truth" far more often than not. It's what the billion dollar world of advertising is built on. Magazines, TV networks, non-fiction authors, car salesman, etc. know this - it's sales 101. TIME is less concerned about the truth than they are about selling magazines.

• How many more diet plans that promise 'you can lose weight and eat whatever you want and never exercise' do we need to see?
• How many more magazine covers that feature 'you can still have a good retirement even if you're 55 and have ZERO net worth' do we need to see?
• How many more '10 best stocks to own right now' do we need to see?

None of them work for the reader, but they work beautifully for the sellers over and over and over...

 

[Cattusbabe]

More food for thought:

Why we gain weight: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity

This is a video of a talk given by Gary Taubes at Dartmouth. Taubes is the author of the book good Calories bad Calories. His talk lasts about an hour. I found it very interesting.

 

[TromboneAl]

That was a very interesting and convincing talk, thanks. To summarize, here's my understanding:

1. The "weight gain = calories in - calories out" equation is not a useful concept, since the two sides of the equation are just two ways of saying the same thing. It's like saying that alcoholism is caused by drinking too much.

2. Fat accumulation isn't caused by overeating, overeating is caused by fat accumulation. That is, your body is accumulating fat, and the fat cells are driving you to either eat more or be less active.

3. Fat accumulation is related to the consumption of carbohydrates via the increased production of insulin.

​

4. The increase in obesity in the country over the last 30 years is a result of the emphasis on low-fat diets, which are generally higher in carbohydrates.

 

[Nords]

I think that as people exercise to the point where they're building muscle and burning more calories for more exercise energy, they'll stop losing weight or even gain it. Michael Phelps and Lance Armstrong would be extreme cases of this "problem".

When weight stops dropping, the difference is in body measurements (waist/hips/chest/arms) and not on the weight scale.

 

[mews]

Nords, you have a good point - I have been the same weight on the scale at different times in my life, but worn different sizes and been very different shapes.

150 pounds of glup and 150 pounds in hard training are two separate bodies!

ta,
mew

 

[Alan]

Nords, you have a good point - I have been the same weight on the scale at different times in my life, but worn different sizes and been very different shapes.

150 pounds of glup and 150 pounds in hard training are two separate bodies!

ta,
mew

I agree. We're having a long weekend visiting with our son in Texas and this morning I played 3 hrs of singles tennis with a good friend who is very well matched with me and I was EXHAUSTED, but man, what a high!!!

This afternoon he called me and we are going to play again at 6:30am in the morning (Sunday) as it will be 6 weeks before we can play again. Do I expect to lose weight? - no, I am doing it because it I really enjoy it and feel it is good for me in so many ways other than weight control. Incidentally he plays a lot more tennis than I, is in his 60's and is well overweight. He said he and his wife plan to sign up to Weight Watchers once they get back from an upcoming vacation in the US Virgin Islands - he recognizes that exercise just doesn't do it and he needs to start cutting the calories.

 

[summer2007]

I don't know how many of you watch Dancing With the Stars but most of the stars loose weight.

Also something I have noticed is that people who are active tend to be slimmer than those who are not.

I'm skinny and I have been active my whole life.

Just thinking about it I don't see many people who are active and get outside and exercise that are seriously overweight.

I guess what I'm saying is I think if you want to have the best shot at being in shape exercising is important.



Jim

 

[TromboneAl]

Here's a better summary of the Good Calories Bad Calories book:

Read an Excerpt: 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' - ABC News

The ideas in this book are the first to give me a satisfying explanation of why we are so obese now, as compared with 50 years ago. I'm not completely on board with his conclusions, but I'm getting there.

 

[Alan]

Here's a better summary of the Good Calories Bad Calories book:

Read an Excerpt: 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' - ABC News

The ideas in this book are the first to give me a satisfying explanation of why we are so obese now, as compared with 50 years ago. I'm not completely on board with his conclusions, but I'm getting there.

Good summary, and he certainly challenges conventional wisdom with point number 5.

As I emerge from this research, though, certain conclusions seem inescapable to me, based on the existing knowledge:

1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilization.

2. The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin secretion, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis—the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body. The more easily digestible and refined the carbohydrates, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being.

3. Sugars—sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful, probably because the combination of fructose and glucose simultaneously elevates insulin levels while overloading the liver with carbohydrates.

4. Through their direct effect on insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches, and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes. They are the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer's disease, and the other chronic diseases of civilization.

5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating, and not sedentary behavior.

6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child to grow taller. Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss; it leads to hunger.

7. Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and fat metabolism. Fat synthesis and storage exceed the mobilization of fat from the adipose tissue and its subsequent oxidation. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this balance.

8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated—either chronically or after a meal—we accumulate fat in our fat tissue. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and use it for fuel.

9. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. The fewer carbohydrates we consume, the leaner we will be.

10. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

 

[Nords]

The ideas in this book are the first to give me a satisfying explanation of why we are so obese now, as compared with 50 years ago. I'm not completely on board with his conclusions, but I'm getting there.

I thought people were skinny 50 years ago because food was still relatively scarce (especially relative to today) and because everybody smoked.

8. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated-- either chronically or after a meal-- we accumulate fat in our fat tissue. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and use it for fuel.

I don't know enough about the condition, but does this imply that Type I diabetics should be lean?

 

[Alan]

I don't know enough about the condition, but does this imply that Type I diabetics should be lean?

Interesting observation. I know 4 type I diabetics and they are all slim.

 

[Rambler]

With type I, wouldn't it depend on how much and the macro nutrient content of what they ate and how much insulin they shot up? I suppose if they had their eating and insulin under control, they would be slim. (I don't know any type 1s). The type 2s I know are all heavy.

R

 

[TromboneAl]

I thought people were skinny 50 years ago because food was still relatively scarce (especially relative to today)

Me too. In the talk, referenced above, he has arguments against that.

I don't know enough about the condition, but does this imply that Type I diabetics should be lean?

Yes. Individuals with type 1 diabetes are usually thin.

 

[Martha]

I don't know enough about the condition, but does this imply that Type I diabetics should be lean?

Not after they are treated with insulin because the insulin makes you gain weight. In fact, that is a problem with being insulin dependent. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/insulin-and-weight-gain/DA00139

 

[novaman]

More food for thought:

Why we gain weight: Adiposity 101 and the Alternative Hypothesis of Obesity

This is a video of a talk given by Gary Taubes at Dartmouth. Taubes is the author of the book good Calories bad Calories. His talk lasts about an hour. I found it very interesting.

Thanks so much for posting this video. It has really opened my eyes!!

 

[HFWR]

Here's a better summary of the Good Calories Bad Calories book:

Read an Excerpt: 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' - ABC News

The ideas in this book are the first to give me a satisfying explanation of why we are so obese now, as compared with 50 years ago. I'm not completely on board with his conclusions, but I'm getting there.

I think of it as another data point, not a reversal.