Exercise really is not the best way to lose weight (doctor, stomach)
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I have been saying that on this forum for a while. People always give me flack for it but it is true. There are very good reasons to exercise.
1. To keep your heart healthy
2. To improve your bone density
3. To lower your blood pressure
4. To improve your bloodwork (cholesterol, triglycerides)
5. To improve your blood sugar
6. To improve your mood
7. To improve cognition (especially good as we age)
8. To maintain weight
But in order to lose weight you need to change your diet.
But how much exercise really IS necessary to keep ahead of a moderate diet. A walk a day?
This is going to be very, very individual. It is impossible to give a single general answer this question and have it be accurate for all, or even most, individuals.
1. What do you mean by "a moderate diet"?
2. How fast/far are you walking?
3. Is this an easy walk - along concrete or macadam, flat? Is it hard...up and down hills, over rocks, climbing, going around a trail, going uphill? Somewhere between these two extremes? Will stairs be involved?
4. Are you already overweight? Underweight? About right?
5. What sex are you?
6. How old are you?
7. What extenuating physical conditions, if any, do you have?
8. If you're a woman, are you menopausal? Perimenopausal?
9. Are you under 21? Over 40...? Or...?
To "keep ahead" of a moderate diet - are you talking about maintaining? - you will need to use one of the standard calorie calculations, be very honest about your current weight and VERY honest about your (pre-walk) activity level, and be VERY honest about the intensity, length and frequency of these walks, then eat the amount of calories recommended. Try this for two weeks and see what happens. If you're gaining, you need to cut back from that calculation. If you're maintaining - not losing - give it another two weeks and see if you start to lose. If you do, but you don't WANT to lose, up the calories a hair. And so on...you will need to tweak this to you, to your own body, your own lifestyle and so on. There IS NO one answer to this question that fits everyone.
For fat loss? Technically, you just need a calorie deficit. But you can definitely tone things up and may measure "smaller" depending upon what type of exercise you do, if you work out. I am thrilled with my workout body (so to speak) v. the same weight without working out. I was frumpy before at this weight and am more toned, shapely and hour glass-y now. My waist measures almost two inches smaller.
It's really up to you and YMMV regardless. But if you want to start eating at a calorie deficit you need to know how much you're eating first.
Naturally, I don't think I eat all that much. But isn't that everyone? Guess I need to eat even less or move more, but now I hear that it doesn't matter if you move more or not...
No idea! I just know that I'm too sedentary. But to hear the "never exercise" faction, that shouldn't matter; only caloric intake?
Exercise is a part of losing weight, but the most important thing is changing how and what you eat. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain. If you eat the same number as you burn, you stay the same weight. There has to be a deficit in order to lose weight. Use the BMR calculator I posted earlier to figure out what you burn by just existing. Then look at the chart that tells how much you burn with exercise.
well, that depends on how much weight you have to lose and what your ultimate goals are.
I maintained a bmi of 18.5 for the last decade by simply eating very little, of whatever I wanted. I lived on about 1200 calories of coffee, bread, yogurt, and cheese for the most part, with a tiny bit of chicken or nuts or a piece of fruit thrown in. My stomach shrunk and I was never hungry. I did a bit of cardio a few times a week. I weighed 110 lbs and while I looked decent clothed, I sort of looked like crap undressed - the definition of skinny fat, flabby, cellulitey, and soft all over.
After having my second child my weight went up a bit and my crappy diet, which I've cut down even more in desperation., wasn't working to get me back to my pre-preg body. I started to pull it together and picked up strength training. I've only been at it for about four months but the results, with not even being too consistent due to kids, health issues, etc, are still great; at 8 lbs higher than my pre-preg weight, I look visibly better, more firm, toned, my butt doesn't look like jelly for the first time in my life, my love handles are gone, even my weird barrel-shaped ribcage looks better. I know I still need to clean up my diet and get more protein, but I'm getting better and the results beat out any hours of cardio or years of eating like a bird that I've ever done.
So yes, for losing pounds on the scale, exercise doesn't matter. For actually changing body composition and looking better, exercise - strength training in particular - matters a whole lot.
I don't believe exercise alone can cause weight loss. While dieting alone can theoretically cause weight loss, I don't believe that it will achieve sustainable weight loss and the effects are usually temporary. Dieters often end up resorting to poor eating habits, don't truly learn how to eat other than "starve", and end up regaining lost weight. I did lose some weight cutting back on calories but I quickly hit a plateau. I could deprive myself more food or I could start "moving more" in addition to "eating less". I chose the latter. It's all about the caloric deficit and the best results are achieved by eating less and moving more. Working out improves overall well being and actually encourages healthy eating. It helps with body composition. It also makes you feel good as you are making progress.
I am a big fan of weight training. it can be downright addictive.
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Have you calculated your calorie needs? They won't be exact but they're your jumping-off point.
Guess I need to eat even less or move more, but now I hear that it doesn't matter if you move more or not...
