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Conclusion of this study is that while exercise might be very important for cardiovascular fitness, it has an insignificant impact on weight loss, and in some case may trigger weight GAIN.
Ultimately it's reducing caloric intake to lose weight and portion control to maintain the loss.
Not sure where the myth of weight loss via exercise came from.
The other thing this article gets into the the nonlinear nature of weight loss. In other words, if you maintain a specific reduced calorie intake, your weight loss will not be constant over time (the Wishnofsky model), as the body tends to compensate and change the energy expenditure balance.
Most people will not gain weight exercising. If you're talking about weightlifting, you'd have to follow a specific protocol to get any gain. The gain would also be muscle, which IMO, is what you'd want not flabby fat.
Exercise was never meant to substitute eating a well balanced, healthy diet. NEVER. It is meant to be a companion to healthy eating and those who exercise and diet do (and look better) than those who just diet. I did both and because I exercised, I had far fewer plateaus in the course of a 70 lb loss (one), I had minimal loose skin and instead have nice firm muscles, and I looked FIT. Fit is not just being skinny. People can tell that I work out and I do. I work my butt off.
There's so many benefits to having exercise in one's arsenal, it's a total disservice stating that it's "insignificant" and probably music to sedentary people's ears who just want to lose and not do any sort of physical work. Anyone who actually exercises will tell you that for weight loss and overall improvement in health, you reduce calories AND you work out.
As for linearity, well weight loss is never totally linear anyway.
sooner or later, you can only restrict but so much. as you get thinner, you have to eat less. for many dieters, that becomes grueling and unacceptable. why do that - eat 1200 calories - when you can work out and eat 1400?
Very true. Many women are what I guess you could call "skinny/weak".
I'll give you a good example... Jan (Laurel Coppock) from the Toyota commercials.
She's thin but has no muscle tone at all.
People can tell that I work out and I do. I work my butt off.
I just got home from my group exercise and there are several women similar to you in the class.
They do work very hard... there's a lot of jumping around. I get tired just watching them.
I'm a "glider" that stays on the ground and don't even think about trying to keep up.
Maybe 35 years ago, but not now...
I think many novice dieters/exercisers can gain weight while exercising. For me, exercising at a certain level quite significantly increases my appetite. I mean, it's noticeable. If I wasn't attuned to that or prepared for it, I'd increase my appetite.
Additionally, people tend to way over estimate their calorie burn and then think they can eat those calories back for a net of zero. This also will cause weight gain. I've seen it happen, believe me.
Ha - you beat me to this topic, didn't see this thread.
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