Want to lose weight? Stop exercising.

[Rob_Merritt]

Exercise is great. Makes you health, your heart stronger, and improves your mood. As a tool for losing weight, it isn't all that useful. Exercise and the majority of people end up being hungry and eating a lot more than if they just sat around watching TV.

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/diet_and_fitness/article6878496.ece

That said, I've never lost significant weight without exercise but then maybe it was the life style change in general that had more impact. That said, I may talk to my doctor about my options since I haven't been able to really exercise for the past couple of years.

[Hunty]

I don't think it's a case of "stop exercising". The article says if you do a load of exercise and then eat more, you're unlikely to see a change. It's just your usual lifestyle pages attention-grabbing headline on top of some fairly standard arguments. Diet, in terms of appropriate quantity and quality, and exercise. If your weight is at an equilibrium and you want to change it, maintain one and alter the other as appropriate. Common sense stuff. It's the willpower and everything being so damn delicious that makes it hard to balance the books for some people.

[Griddle]

The minute cheese ceases to make me fat, I'll be thin, LONG LIVE CHEESE!!!

[Lorini]

The study that started all this was first published in Time Magazine. Here is the LA Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/08/exercise-weight-loss.html) response, which basically says if exercise made you fat, why are athletes all thin? I have no clue why Time didn't vet that article a lot better. In the end, it's simply calories in/calories out. This is why I'm still tempted to trademark my new diet called "Eat Less, Move More". This diet will have the backing of thousands of doctors around the world, has been shown to work since before the birth of Jesus, and is very easy to do. I'll go on the speaker circuit, charge everyone $100 to listen, and make millions, I'm sure.

[WarrenM]

That's fairly basic stuff. If you burn an extra 500 calories exercising and then eat 600 extra calories because you're really hungry afterwards you've basically wasted your time, in terms of weight loss.

[Damien Falgoust]

Not to mention that weight is kind of a stupid metric to use to gauge fitness. It's much better to use bodyfat percentage. I'm disgusted if I put on 10 pounds of fat, but elated if I put on 10 pounds of muscle, even though the scale wouldn't show any distinction between the two.

[Hanzii]

Yeah, it's a stupid point that has been brought up in all the other dieting threads and then quickly shot down.

As I've mentioned before, I was in a medical experiment as part of a control group where one group (the one they were looking at) kept the caloric intake leveled but exercised a lot more, one group (mine) didn't exercise but lowered caloric intake by quite a bit, one group exercised, but ate more and the last group did fuck all.

The goal was to have the main group and my group lose the same amount of weight on average, but then look at a number of other factors to gauge if one weight loss was "better". The test clearly showed that the group who lost weight and exercised were healthier (cholesterol, insulin and a number of other factors I'd have to look up).

[Tim James]

“I don’t think they’re hungry, I think it’s a reward issue,” Church says.I'm not sure what normal cardio exercise does to true appetite, but dedicated weightlifting will obviously ramp it up through the roof. The bitch there is you can't merely avoid junk food; I found that I had to make a conscious effort to consume food that offered the most nutrients for the calories. There are other problems with gaining fat while weightlifting but that's not a concern for the average overweight person.

I've finally reached the point in my life where I've gained a few pounds from my normal weight. I haven't exercised consistently in a while but still blame it on the availability of junk food. My wife took over grocery shopping and loves to buy the stuff, take one bite, and then let it sit for a week until I gobble it up. :)

[Eightball]

That's fairly basic stuff. If you burn an extra 500 calories exercising and then eat 600 extra calories because you're really hungry afterwards you've basically wasted your time, in terms of weight loss.

Yeah, generally. But exercise does increase your basal metabolic rate, so in addition to the number of calories you burn from the exercise, there's some additional burning of calories that occurs afterwards.

[Bill Dungsroman]

You can also eat foods that aren't loaded with calories.

Second, exercise makes people eat more. “I don’t think they’re hungry, I think it’s a reward issue,” Church says.

Oh good well whatever you think certainly qualifies as empirical evidence.

[Reed]

Yeah, it's pretty simple. Exercise can make you hungry + people often eat some ice cream or whatever that night as a reward (I used to too sometimes before I really started thinking in basic terms of calories consumed vs burned). Which can completely void whatever calorie deficit they might have achieved. But of course the exercise will still have been beneficial, just maybe not weight loss wise.

I'm not sure what normal cardio exercise does to true appetite, but dedicated weightlifting will obviously ramp it up through the roof. The bitch there is you can't merely avoid junk food; I found that I had to make a conscious effort to consume food that offered the most nutrients for the calories.
Indeed. Consuming all of it with clean calories is tough. About a year ago I did Mark Rippetoe's program, eating 4000-5000 calories/day and trying not to put on much fat weight. So I was very strict with the diet, spreading the calories out over the day (every 3 hours) and eating only good fats. In addition to feeling like a 2nd job, it got pretty boring after a couple months since I didn't want to put more time into the diet. So I largely stuck with the same stuff every day.

[ElGuapo]

I've never been really hungry after exercising. Ever. I mean, extra hungry, from exercising, not just because it was dinnertime, or 7 hours after I ate last, or whatever. Except maybe after running 20 miles, but that was because it took hours and hours and I just got hungry as normal. This is just me, your experience may vary.

I don't buy that exercising makes you hungry. Maybe on some macro level. But I do think it's a valid argument that it's way easier to lose eight by eating less caloric food than yo exercise. You have to run for an hour at a moderate pace to lose 500-600 calories, which is the same as not having a handful of cookies or a large croissant with butter. Or two 20 ounce bottles of coke. I mean, cut out a few cookies or bottle of coke, or run for an hour. That seems like an easy effort choice (though admittedly it takes a lot of willpower).

[Tim James]

Indeed. Consuming all of it with clean calories is tough. About a year ago I did Mark Rippetoe's program, eating 4000-5000 calories/day and trying not to put on much fat weight. So I was very strict with the diet, spreading the calories out over the day (every 3 hours) and eating only good fats. In addition to feeling like a 2nd job, it got pretty boring after a couple months since I didn't want to put more time into the diet. So I largely stuck with the same stuff every day.Watching all that was an interesting... exercise... at one point in my life but now I just lift weights casually out of enjoyment without getting real dedicated to it. I still get very cranky with low blood sugar but have finally gotten into the habit of carrying hard candy around, so I'm able to calm down my hunger while avoiding the quick calorie dumps from oversized junk food portions.

[noun]

If the amount of calories you burn through exercise is greater than the amount of calories you eat then you will be hungry. This is indisputable. Your body will want to replace what it lost. The trick is feeding your body what it really needs to achieve your goals. Want to build mass? Match your caloric loss with a ton of high protein, high carb food. Want to lose a lot of weight? Eat lots of vegetables and cut out empty carbs and fats. Want to gain muscle AND lose fat? This take a lot more work and experimentation as you find the foods that let you keep the muscle with a minimum of fat.

[ElGuapo]

Yeah, true, but if the average person eats say, 2000 calories a day, they would have to run at a brisk pace for 3 to 4 hours per day to offset that amount of calories. Even if you were only consuming 1200 calories a day, that's still 2 hours of brisk running, per day. That's a whole lot of exercise while not eating a whole lot.

Of course you also burn calories just existing and walking around. But I bet you have to exercise a lot for it to actually make you hungry. I suspect if you get hungry after exercising a moderate amount (say 30 minutes on a cardio machne at the gym), it's just because you haven't eaten in a while.

[noun]

Sure, but just like caloric intake is cumulative, so is exercise. Let's say you walk to and from the train station, sprint a block to catch a bus, walk a few flights of stairs while at the office and then move some furniture BEFORE you do your official running for the day. It all helps.

On the other hand, if you eat 2,000 calories a day and literally don't move at all (go straight to your desk and sit in front of a computer for 15 hours) you need to lower your caloric intake. Chances your body is already trying to make you do so. Have you ever skipped lunch and had a light dinner just because you weren't that hungry?

[Destarius]

I would add to caloric intake the need to space out your meals. Never put your body into starvation mode. You'll just drop metabolic rate and store fat.

[ElGuapo]

Have you ever skipped lunch and had a light dinner just because you weren't that hungry?

No.

OM NOM NOM.

http://www.damenamedredd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/turtle_om_nom_nom.jpg

[ElGuapo]

Anyway, joking aside, we are getting way off topic. The title of the thread and article, I find misleading.

But the first sentence (byline, really) is pretty accurate, I think:

In the fight against obesity, we’re urged to get off the couch. Yet new research claims that diet is what counts

[Tim Partlett]

In the end, it's simply calories in/calories out.

Exactly. This article is retarded. I should make my own counter study that concludes: Eating less doesn't make you lose weight. Then I can argue that if you eat less, but also do less exercise, you won't lose any weight...

[Alan Au]

I find that the important part about exercise isn't that you lose weight, but that you redistribute the weight you've got.

- Alan

[Enidigm]

The fastest way to lose weight is to exercise all day long and eat nothing.

Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? I'll call it the "plantation" diet!

[Case]

I think the amount of exercise is a factor. Long distance runners, competitive swimmers and other endurance athletes often have metabolisms that just burn up what they eat even when sitting still. This, despite lower heart rates.

Someone that exercises about a 1/2 hour a day, 4-5 days a week won't substantially alter their metabolism. Someone that runs 6-10 miles a day, 6-7 days a week, will.

[Tim James]

If the amount of calories you burn through exercise is greater than the amount of calories you eat then you will be hungry. This is indisputable.Is this true? You can't eliminate hunger and reduce calories by eating foods that make you feel full or whatever?

[Destarius]

Someone that exercises about a 1/2 hour a day, 4-5 days a week won't substantially alter their metabolism. Someone that runs 6-10 miles a day, 6-7 days a week, will.

You're going to come up with a citation for that, because if you're building muscle through effective consistent half-hour exercise sessions, you're going to change your metabolic rate. If anything what I've read suggested the contrary is true - that running (aerobic exercise) isn't as effective a basal rate factor as changing your muscle mass.

[walTer]

"Swimming sensation Michael Phelps has an Olympic recipe for success - and it involves eating a staggering 12,000 calories a day."

That said, does the 30 min/500 calorie burn I get on the elliptical 5 days a week have very little effect on my weight/metabolism then? Because right now I can barely move and my shirt is quite liberally sweat covered.

[Wallapuctus]

Well of course it has an effect. But, to maximize your workouts you should change up what do you. Like, don't do the elliptical every day, use the bike, jog, rowing machine, stair master, whatever. Don't get comfortable in a routine, because then the benefits start to wane. Make your body constantly have to adapt to new things.

Oh, and don't "congratulate" yourself for working out by eating a pie 6 hours later.

[walTer]

1/2 a pie...oh and a beer :)

But yeah that is a definite no no.

[Shadarr]

Anyway, joking aside, we are getting way off topic. The title of the thread and article, I find misleading.

But the first sentence (byline, really) is pretty accurate, I think:
In the fight against obesity, we’re urged to get off the couch. Yet new research claims that diet is what counts

If the purpose of the fight against obesity isn't to make people healthier, it's not a fight worth having. A lazy-ass 150 pound couch potato with a weak heart is not better for society than a 250 pound "obese" person who exercises five times a week.

[Jason McCullough]

http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/useless/feather1.gif

[ceolstan]

I have to get a kick out of people who say that the muscle will turn to fat. NOOOOOOO!!!!! It can't! Muscle and fat are different tissue types! Fat doesn't turn into muscle nor does muscle turn into fat.

Basic weight loss/weight gain have to do with calories in/calories out. That said, if you have greater muscle mass, you will tend to have a higher metabolism, which means you need to eat more to maintain what you have. Even so, having a higher metabolism doesn't mean that you can eat absolutely anything. It just means that you may need to eat more. And, of course, if you trained like Michael Phelps, you could eat like Michael Phelps.

At my most fit, I was running a long run of over 10 miles once per week and lifting 3 times per week. I had a good weight, but even so, to get down any further, I'd have needed to diet. Now, several pounds heavier, I am watching what I eat. As for exercise, we now have a Border Collie. 'nuff said.