Does Exercise Make You Fat?
Time magazine came out with an article, Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin. Of course the mainstream media picked up on it too & I have been hearing all these news people give their 1-2 minute version of this article without even thinking it through or thinking about the consequences of telling people that exercise might not help them lose weight & may even make them gain weight. Personally, without giving all the facts, I find this very irresponsible. I heard Hoda & Kathie Lee talk about this on The Today Show last Friday. As much as those two are entertaining AND Hoda exercises, they just gave "the blurb" without explaining what exercise can do for you!
Now, I have said over & over that food does play a HUGE part in weight loss! There is no doubt about that BUT exercise can not only help with weight loss but it is crucial for health reasons too.
First, let's talk about calories. There are 3500 calories in a pound of weight. If you want to lose 1 pound per week, then that averages out to reducing your calories by 500 per day in a week (500 x 7 days = 3500 calories). So, do you want to reduce your food intake by 500 calories per day OR maybe reduce it by 250 calories and exercise off 250 calories. Now, if you want to lose 2 pounds per week than we are up to cutting calories by 1000 per day over a 7 day period. Do you want to cut 1000 calories worth of food per day OR maybe cut out less than that & exercise a bit more to burn off some other calories? I certainly DO NOT want to be forced to eating 1000-1200 calories per day only!!! I have been there & it is no fun. No treats, always hungry, feeling like I have to watch every morsel I eat... NOT! I ain't going there!
The other part of the equation is the health benefits. If you sit around all day & get no exercise, what about your arteries, cardiovascular, heart & lung health? What about the importance of resistance exercise for bone health & preventing Osteoporosis? What about the example we are setting for children that are way too inactive now with obesity rates climbing like crazy! Don't we want to talk about that!!!!
The article had one paragraph that said this:
"Today doctors encourage even their oldest patients to exercise, which is sound advice for many reasons: People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases - those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses. But the past few years of obesity research show that the role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly overstated. (Read "Losing Weight: Can Exercise Trump Genes?")"
Then then went on to say this:
"In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless," says Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn't as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser - or, for that matter, from magazines like this one.
Again, yes, food is a major part of weight loss BUT don't go out there telling people that exercise makes them fat because they want to eat afterwords! I eat after I exercise but it is healthy & I portion control & I don't make excuses for why I can eat more CRAP now that I exercised.. like the people in this article! From the article again: "They're like, 'Ah, I'm running an hour a day, and I'm not losing any weight.'" He asks them, "What are you doing after you run?" It turns out one group of friends was stopping at Starbucks for muffins afterward. To me, what are all these people eating that they are not losing weight??? Are they making excuses, do they have any idea of how much they are eating in general anyway??? We all know about how if you have the guts to log your food, you will most likely find out that you are eating WAY MORE than you thought you were eating!!!!
If you are trying to lose weight anyway, why do you think it is just fine & dandy to go eat a Starbucks muffin afterwards just because you exercised? Here in California, chain restaurants with a certain amount of locations have to now provide pamphlets of the nutritional content on tables and places like Starbucks have the paper ones available. SO, because you exercised it is OK to eat a Starbucks muffin with anywhere from 350 to 490 calories and 9 to 28 grams of fat. STUPID reasoning!!
I have said before that I exercise more so I can eat more... BUT, I eat more healthy stuff!!! I don't stuff myself with artery clogging food! PLUS, exercising allows me the ability to enjoy as well. If I did not exercise, I would most likely be eating at the most, 1200 calories per day, none of my healthy treats at night, less of my beloved HEALTHY bread & way less of my super fun treats.... how fun is that.. NOT!!!! On top of all that, what about my health! Who knows how sick I would be without my exercise! And with the incidences of pre-osteoporosis showing up in people in their 20's, kids being heavier than ever with adult diseases. News organizations need to think about that & be responsible in the reporting of this type of stuff!
Just another quick comment. Yes, when I first lost weight, I just changed my food & lost weight without exercise back in my teens. BUT, when we lose weight without resistance exercise, we just become a smaller version of our heavier self. With weights/resistance exercise, not only will you burn calories but the effect continues afterwards. You can shape your body, have muscles if you want them OR at least tighten up the saggier skin. OR you can shape your body. For example, if you have a larger hip area & smaller shoulder area (pear shape), weights can balance that out!
OK, I have ranted on about this & I want to know what you think about this. Again, I do want to emphasize that food is at the least 65% of the battle but exercise is about way more than just losing weight. Tell me what you think.. agree, disagree.. I want to know!
PS: Thx Margaret for sending me the article!
I'm totally on your side. People can be idiots sometimes and misrepresent the facts, which is terrible.
When I was on vacation, I barely had time to exercise, so I made major reform to my diet, which I needed to do anyways. I actually lost weight in that time (yay!), but my muscles were stiff and I was a little meanie (a short fuse). I need my exercise to stay balanced!
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I am so with this! Plus, when we lose some muscle, even a little, we lose weight because muscle weighs more than fat! Like you, I get sore, stiff, "backed up" if you get my drift!
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I get so sick of the so-called experts and others assuming that people, especially women, exercise only for weight loss. Don't get me started ...
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You are so right on!
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I think I'd rather see you writing for Time magazine! You understand it all much better, and don't have their agenda.
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I am so with you on this! And just look at this: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810024825.htm
!!!!
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Thx Annabel. Good article!!!
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I think it's somewhat irresponsible as well. I also think that what counts as exercise is a wide range. If my only exercise was a 30 minute slow walk daily, it probably wouldn't really contribute to weight loss, but an hour of cardio + hour of weight training at least means I can be looser with food. But not too loose, which I think is the mistake that may be causing the confusion here. Two hours at the gym doesn't mean that I can eat a burger and fries for lunch and still expect weight loss, as you said. The two hours at the gym may somewhat stop me from gaining, but to lose I still gotta watch the food.
And the health benefits of exercise independent of weight loss are numerous, and absolutely important.
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Julie, thx for this comment! I am with you!
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Jody - I saw this article and was surprised at the tone and the slant of it.
I exercise for many reasons, weight maintenance, health and appearance. And other emotional benefits as well.
I agree with Dr. J - you should write for Time!
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You go girl...People think they can just eat whatever they want, exercise and lose the weight. They need to get their story straight and know the facts!!!!!
And I'm with DrJ - you're all over this, much more than Times!!
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DR. J, Diane and Amanda, thank you!!! If I wrote as well as some of you out there, I would try that BUT I am just a regular ole blabber!!! Not too good with grammar, writing eloquently & all that like lots of you out there!
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Excellent clarification Jody!
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I meant to read this article. I knew it would be a bunch of hooey.
When I lost my weight, I "only" averaged 1.5 pounds a week, but because I was working out so much, I was dropping sizes every month or so. (I missed 12s all together.(*G*) Not to mention that I felt more energetic and that exercise HELPED me manage my hunger.Sheesh.
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