Can't lose weight with exercise?

[gmanbat 5,889]

Help! Why can't I lose weight with exercise?

By smoothie, a large oatmeal cookie, or a large red velvet fro-yo cancels out more than half of your hard work, whittling your calorie deficit down to less than 300.

Tip: On workout days, stick to your usual healthy eating routine, or if you have the urge to splurge, create some balance—instead of tacking a cookie onto your sandwich order, ditch the bread and opt for a salad topped with lean Protein, to make room for those cookie carbs.

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2. Do focus on the benefits that indirectly affect your weight

Even if exercising didn't burn a single calorie, it's still essential for good health, and a smart weight loss strategy. In addition to building muscle, numerous studies have shown that being active reduces stress, and improves sleep quality, two factors that strongly influence your metabolism. One study, which tracked over 60,000 non-obese women for 16 years, found that those who slept five hours or less per night had a 30 percent greater risk of packing on 30 pounds, compared to those who slept a solid seven hours each night. Another Yale study found that non-overweight women who are vulnerable to stress are more likely to carry excess belly fat.

Tip: Rather than obsessing over the calorie reading while on the elliptical, visual yourself happily relaxed and sleeping soundly, two states that translate into a healthier (and thinner) you.

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In addition to "I earned this" splurges, some research shows that exercise may trigger subconscious additional eating. In one study, moderately active women were divided into one of three groups. The first didn't exercise, while the other two burned 350 calories, working out at different intensities. Those who performed the high-intensity training ate more in the meal that followed the workout than both the low-intensity exercisers and the non-active group.

Tip: If you think you may be unknowingly sneaking extra nibbles, especially after a workout that really got your heart rate up, track yourself. A recent Kaiser Permanente study involving over 1,600 people found that those who kept a food journal seven days a week lost twice as much weight over six months, compared to those who weren't regular recorders. Rather than self-policing, think of tracking your intake as simply a way of raising your awareness. Nearly every client I've ever asked to keep a food diary has found that it resulted in some big light bulb moments, such as suddenly realizing how many free samples or bites from their kids' plates they take, or how few veggies they actually eat.

Health.com: The 25 Best Diet Tricks of All Time

4. Do make it recreational

You may not think of lawn badminton as "exercise," but an hour of this activity burns 300 calories, four and a half times more than sitting. One of my clients was surprised that after a day of antiquing, her jeans fit looser, something she doesn't typically experience the day after her usual workout. Turns out, she had stood or walked for five hours straight, which resulted in burning more calories than her usual eight hours at a desk and one at the gym.

Tip: Whether it's organizing a game of softball, playing catch with your kids, or going for a family bike ride, find ways to build more movement into each day. Researcher shows that people with dogs walk them a total of five and a half hours a week. By comparison, those without canine companions spend an average of one hour and 20 minutes exercising each week, and nearly half aren't active at all.

5. Don't decrease your activity the rest of the day

French researchers recently found that after high intensity exercise sessions, obese teens compensated by decreasing their activity levels later in the day. Another in older adults found that while exercise improved heart health, it didn't result in burning more daily calories, due to a decrease in activity for the remainder of the day.

Tip: If you're not sure if you may be offsetting your workouts with more rest, start a daily activity log. Much like a food diary, it will help you get to know your patterns. If you find that you're more likely to go to bed early, or get sucked into a TV trance on the days you work out, try to notice any patterns. Some workouts may leave you more energized than others, or maybe breaking up your routine into two shorter sessions is a better match for your body chemistry.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/28/help-why-cant-lose-weight-with-exercise/print#ixzz2OqEgj35d

[joatsaint 2,814]

Thanks for posting this. I know about that temptation to splurge and overeat after a workout. Although I knew the workout really didn't burn a thousand calories, I wanted to reward myself for making the effort.

[Geminidrive 389]

Excellent post!

[PdxMan 4,292]

That is a great article. Thanks for bringing it here.

One thing I would add is if you are working out, then … WORK! So often I see the same folks at the gym on the elliptical moving at such a slow speed. Now, I understand some people have physical restrictions, but I don’t think that applies to everyone. And each of us have difficulty giving 120% effort at the gym. I will definitely admit I have phoned in a spinning session.

The problem is, you credit yourself with burning 500 calories when, in actuality, you burned more like 300 … and then you commit the sins listed above. If you want to make your cardio workouts count, my suggestion is to calculate your target heart rate, get a good heart rate monitor, and always try to maintain this heart rate during your cardio workout.

… and of course, follow the guidelines pointed out in GMan’s post.

[hadouni 301]

This is so true. I've taken up jogging in the last two months and got a quick drop of 5lbs but haven't done much more. Now the scale bounces between 173 & 175. Really, I should be more like 155-160 if I want to get to goal weight... brutal!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

This post hits on some great points. However, the most important point is learning to eat optimally for your body to function optimally.

Getting weight loss results is like 80% good diet and 20% exercise. It took me a while to figure this out in my life. Presleeve, I would exercise like a fiend, but was not getting any results and in fact was gaining a small amount. I was like WTF. Here I am busting myself on the ellyptical for like 2 hours and it was not helping drop the weight.

The reason was my diet was screwed up. I knew it was screwed up but kept rationalizing my bad eating habits from working out. Bad eating habits like popcorn, donut holes, brownies, Cereal to the obsess. Got really tired of this and gave up the exercise, but not the bad eating. Ballooned me 100 lbs in 6-8 months. Literally. And really compounded my mental stability issues.

That is why I am so glad we have the time post sleeve to get our diets right and ideal before jumping into a regular exercise routine. This is important for everyone who thinks losing weight and maintaining can coexist with bad eating habits and mediocre exercise. Progressively, I am pushing myself athletically in ways I could only dream about before. As Pdxman so wisely states, it is good to really WORK hard when you are exercising. Push through to the edge of pain / fatigue. If you feel like your exertion < 80%, notch up your intensity. Progressively you will get stronger and be able to do more and more as you get real results and your confidence climbs.

A personal recommendation is to lose the weight all the way until near goal before going tough to the nails on your work outs because 1) it will be easier and 2) it will be less stress on your body. This is just an opinion and you can take it or leave it.

An added benefit is that good eating really optimizes not only exercise results, but also mental balance, ability to focus and concentrate, sleeping well, good energy response during the day and much more. The benefits go on and on and on.

Please consider good eating habits and goal driven hard work out sessions!

[gmanbat 5,889]

On the button, Fiddleman.

I used to go the gym before I had the cancer battle and work out heavy duty. I told myself, "There is a real muscular guy under that layer of fat." I had strength but I didn't have health. I considered myself like a sumo wrestler I guess.

80/20 is about right. Exercise and a smart nutrition program compliment and bolster each other like 2 mountain climbers that take turns pulling each other up. One gets lazy and the other has to carry a double load. If they both get lazy....ahhhhhhhhhhh..spat!

[coops 1,790]

Yep fiddleman, I totally agree with you!

As I was first trying to lose I would work out 4-5 times a week plus walking and I lost at an incredibly slow rate- then I injured my back and physically couldn't exercise, my weight did not change. I didn't record cals burned, or eat them afterwards... Thought this was self defeating. The only thing I was really aware of was being hydrated.

I truly think, for weight loss, it is 80-20 food choices and exercise.

Now, saying that, I do have good tone and visible muscle, especially in my calves and a little on my thighs (more fat there though) so I do not regret training and, when I am ready, I will build myself back up to the boxing gym where I used to kick ass and thoroughly enjoy it. This time though it won't be for weight loss but for strength and fitness.

[coops 1,790]

Oh and great info gmanbat!

[Egadzman 13]

food is such a huge part of it. I ride 3000-4000 miles per year and I'm getting sleeved this summer (hopefully!)..proving that you can eat your way through any exercise program. Everyone is different. If I'm working out(riding) 2 hrs or less I really don't need to eat more beyond my normal diet. You need to journal and track exercise and food and watch how it affects your weight over a long period. For me I hope the sleeve gives me another tool to slow down my eating and to trigger that full feeling.

[buplee 556]

Sleeved on 2/19 and still recovering from extensive spinal surgery three months before being sleeved. I just got approval to start exercising and hope the scale will start to move more.

[Lighter&Faster 1]

In general, that is all good information.

However, there don't seem to be many people in exercise that know what they are doing when it comes to Bariatric patients. If you live around Denver, go see Dr. Wolkodoff. I did and his testing and advice resulted in doubling my weight loss per month.

I am sorry, but most personal trainers don't have the scientific background and knowledge to help us. If you are exercising and not getting results, see someone who can figure out what the problem is, don't give up on exercise, way too many reasons to use exercise the rest of your life!