Role of exercise in weight loss

Exercise is one of the healthiest things that you can do for yourself. While exercise is extremely important, it does not lead to significant weight loss on its own. Many people believe that weight loss without exercise is impossible and they expect a lot of weight loss from exercise alone. They formulated this opinion independently or were lead to believe, that the solution must be found in the gym.

I think it is important to have realistic expectations about what exercise can and cannot do for weight loss. Exercise alone as a weight loss method is particularly ineffective without paying attention to food intake. Individuals who think that they can lose weight simply by increasing their exercise program and not controlling their food intake are almost always embarking on a futile journey.
For people who are already overweight, even 60 minutes of physical activity each day may not be enough to halt weight gain.

It takes about an hour on the treadmill for a 170-pound man to burn off a donut or a medium bagel (without butter or cream cheese). Without making any dietary changes the same 170-pound man would have to walk additional 10 miles per day In order to lose 2 pounds per week. It would take this man more than five hours of active playing basketball to lose a pound. This is a lot of exercise and time.  

My view is that exercise is not an effective stand –alone weight loss solution. We cannot lose weight by exercise alone. I also believe that the most effective tool for successful weight loss is to change what we eat. The fact is, nothing causes us to lose weight and to burn fat faster than the foods we eat and don’t eat. Following a sensible eating plan and sticking to it matters most.


Aerobic exercise vs resistance training

Aerobic exercise burns more calories than resistance training but its impact on weight loss is minimal. Some find it hard to accept but exercise isn't necessarily helping us lose weight.

Resistance training is great for improving strength and increasing lean body mass. But if you are overweight, and you want to lose weight, you need to know that exercise has a disappointingly small effect on weight loss. Exercise is great for our physical health and state of mind, and aerobic exercise may be the better choice.

According to the study published in published in the August 25 issue of the American Journal of Physiology, running beats weight lifting for losing weight.

The researchers found that aerobic exercise burned 67 percent more calories than resistance training but the report did not did not mention that even if you exercised every day, in order to achieve any noticeable weight reduction, you would have to do it for hours each day.

The study at the Duke University Medical Center compared the effectiveness of aerobic exercise (such as jogging), resistance training (such as weight lifting), or a combination of the two activities.

Aerobic exercise significantly improved risk factors for heart disease and diabetes Resistance training didn't deliver these benefits. Aerobic exercise plus resistance training achieved results similar to aerobic exercise alone, the investigators found.

The role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly overstated. When it comes to shedding pounds, it is what and how much we eat that counts most. There are certain foods we should eat and certain ones we should avoid. If you we change what eat and how eat, we will be able to lose weight.

Physical activity (unless done vigorously like a professional athlete) is not a minor component to the economy of weight loss. Exercise is great for our physical health and overall wellbeing, but it has a small effect on weight loss. The critical component is what food we eat.

Why the weight loss industry has not worked for so many

A majority of adults in the United States are overweight or obese and millions of Americans are trying to lose weight. Did you ever think about why the weight loss industry has not worked for so many dieters?

We would all love a shortcut to weight loss, so we seize on one when it is offered to us and we spend lots of money each year on weight loss products and services. The diet and weight-loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry.

There are people who stand to make a lot of money by confusing us about weight loss. They know that we are eager and desperate to lose weight. Their hopes of getting us to buy their diet foods and pills rest on convincing us that we will need experts and special help to achieve weight loss.

They are not interested in the delivery of permanent results. If they showed us how to lose weight and keep it off, we wouldn’t have to keep purchasing their products, attend their meetings, and buying their special foods. The industry is predominantly driven by profit and it is built on repeat business.

They thrive on our failure. They need us to keep coming back to them for business, keep spending money on their products, services and advertised “solutions."  It would be a very short-lived business if we all succeeded the first time. Their whole business model depends on our failure.

How did you do this summer?

Summer is when people gain the most weight and get out of shape. How did you do this summer?

It is never too late to become a better you

I am a living proof that it is possible to lose weight without exercise, no matter what your life, your current situation looks like.

The possibilities are within your control. I did it, naturally – you can, too! The process is simple and you can begin this very moment – right now.
I posted my strategies and what I do on a daily basis to share with you how I made my body transformation on the Eat like Me page.. http://www.ilostweightyoucantoo.com/eat_like_me.html

Just because you are struggling

Just because you are struggling does NOT mean you are failing. Every great success requires some kind of struggle to get there. Don't blame yourself if you aren't perfect. Accept that you made a poor choice, but don't let that poor choice influence the rest of your plan.



Two-thirds of us are either overweight or obese.

Two-thirds of us are either overweight or obese. The exact numbers are: 68.8% of adults in the U.S. are overweight or obese; 35.7% are obese.

35.5% American women are overweight compared to 32.2% of American men.

According to the US Census Bureau, there were 308,745,538 of us in 2010.  That would mean 210 million Americans are overweight and 105 million are clinically obese.

At least 5 million people in the United States are 100 or more pounds overweight! Most of these people suffer in silent frustration. It doesn't have to be this way! 

Being overweight is not caused by how much we eat but what we eat. What makes us overweight is not that we eat so much more, but that we get our calories from refined carbs, fat, or mostly low-nutrient food.

As long as we are eating empty calories and fatty foods, it is difficult to lose weight healthfully.