While the exercise myth for weight loss still appears in
high-profile initiatives like the first lady's Let's Move! Campaign, more and
more individuals learn and experience that the role of exercise in weight loss
has been wildly overstated.
Message that exercise is not important in helping people lose weight is getting more support in research and in media.
I always pointed out that exercise was good for your health. At the same time I also dared to say that exercise wasn't necessarily helping us lose weight. My simple truth that that you don’t have to exercise to lose weight was not getting me many new online friends.
This statement was considered too controversial on some weight loss forums. It even got me banned from a website that declares that it “helps facilitate honest conversation about weight loss”.
Can you lose weight without exercising? Of course you can. Physical activity is a minor component to the economy of weight loss. The critical component is what you eat.
Message that exercise is not important in helping people lose weight is getting more support in research and in media.
I always pointed out that exercise was good for your health. At the same time I also dared to say that exercise wasn't necessarily helping us lose weight. My simple truth that that you don’t have to exercise to lose weight was not getting me many new online friends.
This statement was considered too controversial on some weight loss forums. It even got me banned from a website that declares that it “helps facilitate honest conversation about weight loss”.
Can you lose weight without exercising? Of course you can. Physical activity is a minor component to the economy of weight loss. The critical component is what you eat.
I agree with you that exercise is excellent for health but not that important for weight loss. By preventing cancers, improving blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar, bolstering sleep, attention, energy and mood, and doing so much more, exercise has indisputably proven itself to be the world’s best drug – better than any pharmaceutical product any physician could ever prescribe. Sadly though, exercise is not a weight loss drug, and so long as we continue to push exercise primarily (and sadly sometimes exclusively) in the name of preventing or treating adult or childhood obesity, we’ll also continue to short-change the public about the genuinely incredible health benefits of exercise, and simultaneously misinform them about the realities of long term weight management.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Weight loss is not likely to happen without dietary restraint.
ReplyDeleteI noticed that people who write about this subject are more willing to acknowledge that exercise has no significant impact on weight loss.
ReplyDeleteExercise is excellent for health but not that important for weight loss - great point. I think we are shifting to that line of thinking.
ReplyDeleteExercise is not the MOST important for losing weight, but I would say that developing a habit of light exercise or movement is another factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially for people that sit for the majority of the day. However, some light exercise combined with healthier eating has a great effect on the body and you will feel healthy. If I don’t do some kind of movement/exercise after sitting for a long time, I feel awful.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe exercise isn’t necessary for weight loss, building muscle mass is good for burning fat. In my experience, if I change what I eat, I will lose weight, but I want to build lean muscle mass to tone my body and look better. I don’t want to lose weight and then look ‘skinny fat’. That’s when you’re skinny but lacking muscle tone. I’d rather be thick and toned than ‘skinny fat’.
ReplyDeleteDietary changes are especially important for any weight loss plan. People who are trying to lose weight by dedicating hours each day to exercise may get discouraged when the pounds don't magically melt off. Instead, it's better to focus on making changes to your diet, such as eating more vegetables and cutting back on refined carbohydrates.
ReplyDeleteExercise by itself will not lead to big weight loss. What and how much you eat has a far greater impact on how much weight you lose.
ReplyDeleteWhile many doctors may encourage their patients to exercise to shed a few pounds, most doctors appear to miss the real point of exercise, which is to enhance the quality of our lives, regardless of our size or weight.
ReplyDeleteIncluding exercise in our daily lives should be the goal for everyone. And that should be exercise for the sake of exercise, not for weight loss. The problem with linking exercise almost exclusively to weight loss — instead of highlighting the exponential benefits of staying physically active — is that in the long run, exercising with the goal to primarily lose weight usually ends in failure. Once the honeymoon period ends, most people fall off the wagon, regain the weight, and never get back on again. That’s why I want doctors to stop telling people to exercise to lose weight, and instead tell everyone to exercise for the health benefits.
When it comes to weight loss and maintenance, exercise is not a necessary component. Nutrition is. Nobody should be lethargic. If you have a desk job you should walk 20 or 30 minutes a day. If you want to get strong, really healthy, and have vibrant organs and really good brain activity, put exercise in there but it's not about weight loss and weight maintenance.
ReplyDeleteI work out 6 to 7 days a week so I’m a big proponent of getting exercise. No doubt, physical activity is great for building strength and maintaining muscle mass, elevating mood and preventing against a host of chronic diseases. But, sadly, it does not promote weight loss.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right. A 2015 study from the Loyola University Health System found that, contrary to popular belief, exercise does not help a person lose weight.
ReplyDeleteIt looks that media are changing.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.self.com/story/myth-of-running-and-weight-loss