"Why exercise won't make you thin"

I read this article and it really made me upset. I've just embarked on an exercise routine to mainly lose weight, but also to be healthy. I feel so demotivated now! I would love to know your thoughts...

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

The link you posted isn't working...

Ahh it won't let me put the whole thing as a link! Just copy and paste it into your browser...

Well, basically exercise has nothing to do with losing weight, it never did. Calorie restriction is what allows someone to lose weight. I couldn't get the link to work.

Well, basically exercise has nothing to do about losing weight, it never did. Calorie restriction is what allows someone to lose weight. Exercise and diet is mostly about body composition and the way someone would look when it's done effectively and that is the reason why you shouldn't let that article effect your reasoning.

I got the link to work (cut and paste).  It's not earth shattering news.  Losing weight is all about calories in being less than calories burned.  If you burn more calories with exercise, but then turn around and eat more calories than you burned, you're going to put on weight.  It's that simple.  It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure it out.

So keep on exercising AND calorie counting.  By controlling your portions and what you eat, you can lose weight effectively.  With or without exercise, for that matter. 

BTW, just because exercise won't (by itself) make you lose weight, it will make you healthier in the long run.  Similar to eating healthy food vs. eating junk food (for the same number of calories).  So keep doing your exercise.  It's a good thing, and in the end, you'll be better off because of it.

Clint

 

I like some forms of exercise and I find that if I get enough exercise and count my calories that I do lose weight.  It also helps me to realize that I shouldn't have an ice cream cookie sandwich everyday or even every other day, the muffin can be happily substituted for a spinach wrap and non-fat lattes are fine without the extra syrup.

When you think about it, 10 minutes jogging on the treadmill is equivalent to a tbsp of butter....I can easily go with 1/2 of it or skip it most of the time when I think about it.

As you get better at eating healthy foods more often and less processed foods, I think you'll find that you do have room in your calories for a treat every couple of days if you want it but that you don't always want it and would prefer to save it for another day.

The problem as I see it is that treats and festival foods have become daily habits, frequently even having dessert after every meal.  Change your dessert to a piece of fruit and you'll see some big changes, both in actually enjoying treats when they're rare, but also in having more calories available to consume or less exercise to do to compensate even when you go a little high on your calories.

Yea, that's an old article. Way to support lazy people TIME magazine! The article, IMO, is saying most people lack self-control and think they deserve rewards for small accomplishments. Kind of like giving trophies to all the losing teams in little league...

But it's true.  Most people *do* think they deserve rewards for small accomplishments.  Most people also seriously overestimate how many calories they burn during their workout and seriously underestimate how many calories they consume (particularly anyone who drinks sugary drinks).  For the average person, taking up "going to the gym" will not make them lose weight.  That doesn't make going to the gym a bad thing.  It just means it needs to be supplemented with good food choices and calorie control.

You do deserve a long hot shower or a bubble bath for going to the gym, but saving the donuts/cupcakes/cookies for once a week is smart.

There are about 3 threads on this one article already.

Original Post by merylwhite1:

There are about 3 threads on this one article already.

actually 5 now, haha.

and goalof59, get that de-motivation out of your head, just because the times wrote about, shouldn't interfere with your motivation to be healthy at all, its not like they are chocolate cake with some baileys.

See for example this thread and this one - Rassuvin and Church were livid about the quote abuse from the "journalist*" to support exactly the wrong conclusion about what their research means.

 You'll also note that Cloud's personal exercise regime is solely based on endurance training with maaaybe a foray into strength endurance in one of his bodyweight classes. Which is the mark of a person with a head full of Shape/Self/Cosmo-style fitness misinformation, marketing and outright balderdash who should go to some remedial exercise physiology classes just as soon as he's done with the remedial reading classes to get over his functional illiteracy problem.

 

*whose other notable accomplishments include writing a fluff piece on Ann Coulter which had about the same level of accuracy and connection to reality that this article does; namely that "Mr. Cloud has used the powerful and influential pages of Time magazine to declare Ms. Coulter’s work “mostly accurate” while admitting that neither he, nor Time’s minions, did the necessary work to defend that pronouncement." - it's also why Time doesn't put his email address out there, any response goes straight to the editorial team.

For the truth (from a Dr) behind this news story look here:

http://www.badscience.net/2009/08/health-warn ing-exercise-makes-you-fat/#more-1334

 

 

Original Post by vwiggins:

For a drs opinion on this new story look here:

http://www.badscience.net/2009/08/health-warn ing-exercise-makes-you-fat/#more-1334

 

 

 thanks. even though this topic keeps coming up over & over, we always seem to get some new links about this.

Original Post by melkor:

*whose other notable accomplishments include writing a fluff piece on Ann Coulter which had about the same level of accuracy and connection to reality that this article does; namely that "Mr. Cloud has used the powerful and influential pages of Time magazine to declare Ms. Coulter’s work “mostly accurate” while admitting that neither he, nor Time’s minions, did the necessary work to defend that pronouncement." - it's also why Time doesn't put his email address out there, any response goes straight to the editorial team.

 UGH.

As a FAR left liberal dem, I don't despise Ann Coulter at all. As a matter of fact, I think she's good for us democrats. She epitomizes all the nasty, negative, racist, homophobic, sexist bullsh*t that the republican party stands for. Liberals could not have painted a better picture of the republicans or selected a better spokesperson to represent them. Let's encourage her to spew her venom as much as she wants. It's like having Charlie Manson speaking for Ginzu knives or for the NRA. After watching her one time, anyone with half an ounce of sense would be so disgusted with republicans that they would race to the nearest Hillary Clinton fan club and sign up.

Well yes, exercise alone won't make you thin.  But it can certainly help your body's calorie burning ability.  It's called METABOLISM and what it means basically is that a pound of muscle is a twitching, moving living thing that uses up more calories than a pound of fat that basically lays there looking gross.  Maintaining a constant calorie intake (precise and constant) and depending only on exercise to lose weight -- you will see weight loss in the long run as you build muscle.  But restricting your calories (which is the FASTEST way to lose weight) and then adding exercise is like adding BAM!!! to your lifestyle.  Kicks it up a notch.  So don't let the folks that see things only in black and white ruin your efforts -- life just doesn't work that way!  Count your calories and give your bod a little BAM!!! with exercise! It's the fastest and healthiest way, baby!

(I don't really watch Emeril -- just saw enough of him in his hey-day to learn to love the BAM!! concept).

I saw a while ago that The Biggest Loser responded to this article. 

" ... I don't think it's the people out there running 5Ks, paddling kayaks and going hiking that are doing the majority of the overeating in this country."

"...as Mr. Cloud sees it, exercise can make you succumb to the 'lip-licking anticipation of perfectly salted, golden-brown French fries after a hard trip to the gym'. And when exactly did 'fuel your body' become 'lust after fries'?"

I think the TIME article was aimed and woefully misinformed people, who think that working out gives them license to eat whatever they want. Still, they don't bother to explain how exercise can be an essential tool as long as people are eating a reasonable diet. And that makes me maaaad.

Original Post by fitnessgirll:

She epitomizes all the nasty, negative, racist, homophobic, sexist bullsh*t that the republican party stands for.

Oh, fitnessgirl, I'm disappointed in you...  That's like me saying that Democrats never work a day in their life.  They either sit around he table with a silver spoon in their mouth, or they are standing in line in their bathrobes and bunny slippers waiting on their welfare check.  Of course, this is in between JAM sessions to figure out more ways to get the government to spend more money on them for doing nothing....  (generalities are almost never true).

Please be careful with the width of the brush you choose....

An article I read in triathlete magazine said that an athletes body is 70% of what they put in their mouth and 20% exercise.  The rest is mental toughness!!!

I don't think exercise alone can make you thin, but it's proven that those who exercise regularly are less likely to gain weight, plus they will be healthier overall.  I'm actually trying to get away from the number on the scale, and instead focusing on the "fit, but fat" approach -- if I eat right and exercise regualrly, my overall health will be better and my outlook on life will improve, which may decrease the amount of "stress eating" that I do, which will hopefully lead to gradual weight loss over time. 

I think the problem that most of us have is that we think that if we work out, we can eat whatever we want.  I have a colleague who has been going to the gym 4 times a week, but she hasn't lost a pound.  Why?  Because she's still eating McDonald's every day and she hasn't changed her eating habits.  So, she's more fit, but she thinks exercising gives her a license to eat more, and that's not how it works.  But hey, at least she's not gaining, right?

i dont have to read the link to get the idea of what the article meant... its like... whats the point of exercising if ur eating tons of cals.. cal restriction and exercise will cause u to lose weight but not exercise alone