The myth of exercise and weight loss

[ElfiePoo 109]

To lose weight your ass needs to exercise!! .

I'm putting this here because I didn't want to derail the thread it was in.

Also, I am not arguing against the merits of exercise or, alternatively, an active lifestyle. I am merely exposing a myth that one *must* exercise to lose weight.

Recent research has proven that's not totally true...and plain logic shows it's not true. Losing or gaining has to do with calories in vs. calories expended. Now, there's no denying that exercising will help you burn those calories faster...or allow you to continue with the 2 lb a week weight loss but be able to eat more. But you can lose without exercising.

For example, to maintain my weight of 229 pounds at my age, height and activity level, I would need around 1700 calories per day. To maintain a weight of 140 pounds, everything else being the same, I would need 1550 calories per day. So if I eat 1550 calories a day *now*, I will lose weight but slowly.

If I want to lose weight a bit more quickly without exercising, I can drop my daily calories to 1200 and lose about 2 pounds per week. As I get closer to my goal weight, the amount of calories needed to maintain the current weight vs the goal weight becomes less, which means I will lose more slowly...but I will lose...and without exercise.

I can still lose weight faster without exercising though...keeping in mind that I think of 'exercise' as as a formalized regimen such as aerobics, Pilates, going to the gym, walking 30 minutes each day, etc. Instead I could just increase my daily activity through gardening, lawn mowing, leaf raking, snow shoveling, washing walls, scrubbing floors, backpacking, cross country skiing, hiking, dancing, etc.

But if I choose to do neither, I will still lose...just more slowly.

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Edited February 8, 2010 by ElfiePoo
Bolding for those who 'missed' it.

[Humming Bird 275]

I agree with you Elfie. Exercise is my downfall and I admit I should be doing more of it. That being said, look at the weight I have dropped with almost no exercise.

I'm not telling anyone to do it without exercise, but I agree with what you said.

[heidi05 6]

hi i do agree with the excersie thing but if you think about it every movement you make weather it be getting dressed having a shower or playing cards withtthe kids, it is all movement which is excerciseing a part of your body, i have fibromyalgia so exstensive excersie is difficult but i am excersing everytime my body moves however small that may be.

[delfinajones 1]

I agree and what works for me is just staying busy rather than exercising. Cleaning the house, walking, gardening- activities I can easily keep up. When I had a personal trainer it seemed to make me feel I had the right to eat more and it was not good for weight loss as I would have had to exercise hard for an hour to burn off an ice cream bar. I know for some going to the gym also helps their mood but I would agree with you. Pls in the back of my mind I am saving it for a plateau period. Something I can do to shake up the scale.< /p>

[heidi05 6]

my hubby bought me a wii fit plus with some other games too i play those doesnt feel like excercise but 2 hours later an i burn 300 cals just playing boxing its awesome and i dont feel like it a chore it enjoyable, it works for.

[sandi1011 0]

I agree completely!

Also do you guys stick to 1 cup of food at a meal...I do not I eat regular meals and lose about 1 pound per week....Slow but steady.

[minimeme 1]

My boyfriend always says, "loosing weight is 80% what you put in your mouth. How good you look afterwards is 80% exercise". He looks damned good. So I am gonna go with what he says. (not trying to say anything about what was posted, just adding on)

[BetsyB 9]

I'm glad you can lose without exercise. I can't. Not a pound, not an ounce, not a gram without vigorous, daily exercise.

I'm fine with whomever wishes not to exercise, but really take exception with the sort of blanket statement that its necessity is a myth. It's necessary for optimal health. It's essential to a balanced, healthy life.

And for many of us, it is crucial to weight loss. If I'd accepted this 20 years sooner (you know, back when I was insisting the same thing you're saying now), I would never have yo-yoed up to the point of requiring bariatric surgery.

Exercise is a critical part of the equation, health-wise. For some of us, it is critical to weight loss. (And really, skipping it WILL ultimately affect yours, whether its while losing, during maintenance, or as you see the scale climb back up because you've lost muscle mass as you've lost weight, and therefore have a far lower metabolic rate.)

You don't have to believe it if you don't want to. And you don't have to do it.

But it's a truth, not a myth. Also equally as true is that ANY physical activity = exercise. If you're not considering your gardening, etc. to be such, then you're not only passing on faulty information, but also shortchanging yourself, by using inaccurate labels.

Edited February 7, 2010 by BetsyB

[kagead 0]

I am not a fan of exercise but I do it (probably not as often as I should, and usually very grudgingly :thumbup:) I hope my attitude toward it changes for the better once I am banded and see some results!!

That said, my mom had Lap-Band® surgery 2 1/2 years ago and lost 130 lbs. in a little over a year and never did one single minute of exercise. She was vigilant about what she ate and was lucky to find restriction after 2 fills.

She had a TT and BR in April of '09 (lost another 8 lbs. right there) and has been maintaining within a few pounds with no problem, and no exercise at all.

If I have learned one thing from this forum, it is that each of us is so very different and what works for one, most definitely will not work for all, but the idea exchange sure is interesting!

kagead

[Vivinthewoods 0]

Although this thread is about WL & exercise, I think it is also important to remember some of the other added benefits we get from exercising, that will make for a healthy body.

Exercise will: -

1 - strengthen muscles

2 - increase bone density

3 - tones muscles

4 - increase blood flow to the brain

5 - heart will work more efficiently

6 - improves balance - very import as we age

7 - improves metabolism - even at rest you will burn calories at a higher rate.

8 - helps you loose inches

Just a few of the of the advantages of exercise! Then throw in that you will loose weight faster - its a win win thing.

Viv - (burning 500 cals a day and loving it!)

[btrieger 21]

#9. You don't eat and get in trouble while exercising

#10. Exercise warms you up on a cold day.

[HiMow 0]

to be honest I have yet to exercise a single minute during the weight loss I have achieved so far. In fact, I lay in bed most of the day. Sometimes the whole day (I have other things going on with my health) You don't HAVE to exercise. But if I dont start soon I might get flabby.

[vlp1968 83]

Just my two cents- excersise may not be necessary to loose weight but is vital. If your not working out- your loosing muscle which equals a lower metabolism. On the other hand, if you are working out you are gaining muscle- which equals a higher metabolism. Not to mention excersise helps control blood pressure, diebeties, heart disease. The list just goes on and on. It is too valuable a resource not to take advantage of.

[btrieger 21]

I don't want to let the cat out of the bag but Heidi already did.

You are exercising more than you realize by just walking around the house; the supermarket or the office. Every time you get out of bed or stroll to the bathroom is exercise.

[illuminationlady 7]

I have trouble with any exercise. I do my daily household chores, garden, etc. But I need knee replacement surgery on both knees. The problem is that the surgeon won't do the surgery until I'm under 200 lbs. Therefore, I have to rely on myself and what goes into my mouth. And the weight is coming off slowly. I don't argue that exercise is good for you. It's just very difficult for me to find anything (except maybe swimming) that doesn't hurt me greatly. But as the OP stated, and I'm living proof, the weight will come off if you eat less, even without exercise.