"Why Exercise Doesn't Lead to Weight Loss" - Study Dispels Idea that Exercise "Revs&q

Very interesting read. I've read before that diet has WAY more of an impact on weight loss than exercise but never read a very good explanation of why (other than that unless you're running a half marathon every day you can't catch up with bad eating.)

Apparently there is no such thing as an "afterburn--" the idea that if you exercise (esp in the morning) you will continue to burn calories all day and increase your metabolism. Of course exercise has may other benefits.

"Perhaps just as important, bear in mind that exercise has benefits beyond weight reduction. In the study of obese people who took up exercise, most became notably healthier, increasing their aerobic capacity, decreasing their blood pressure and resting heart rates, and, the authors write, achieving “an acute exercise-induced increase in positive mood,” leading the authors to conclude that, “significant and meaningful health benefits can be achieved even in the presence of lower than expected exercise-induced weight loss.”"

Interestingly, another study showed that there may be something to the old "fat burning" heart rate range--and idea that had largely been written off in recent years.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/phys-ed-why-doesnt-exercise-lead-to-weight-loss/?em

I think a lot of people get in trouble by thinking that a 10 minute walk is going to allow them to eat half a pizza. It just doesn't work that way. The VAST majority of calories burned in a day are used by functions you don't even think about... like thinking, and breathing, and keeping your body functioning.

Exercise just doesn't really burn that many calories. An average person burns about 100 calories by walking or running a mile. That's only 10 M&Ms. Whoop-dee-do.

While it's definitely possible to exercise enough to eat whatever you want, the amount of exercise required for that is so extreme that most people can not handle it. To be honest, I wouldn't recommend doing it anyway. This is where I'm at right now because I'm training for a marathon. I haven't counted a calorie in months, but I know I'm not getting the absolute best nutrition, and I could definitely be losing faster if I was tracking my intake.

That's why controlling your diet is so important. Relying on exercise alone is an uphill battle.

Agreed.

There is a very funny video of a guy running, trying to outrace a Big Mac. Obviously it's a set up but the idea is to show that you'd basically need to run a marathon to burn off a Big Mac.

Also, studies have shown that people trying to lose weight underestimate food untake and overestimate cals burned with exercise.

I think that the important statement is here.

"Perhaps just as important, bear in mind that exercise has benefits beyond weight reduction. In the study of obese people who took up exercise, most became notably healthier, increasing their aerobic capacity, decreasing their blood pressure and resting heart rates, and, the authors write, achieving “an acute exercise-induced increase in positive mood,”

Exercise contributes to the success of the diet, it doesn't cause weight loss by itself. (Unless like Divided said..you do a LOT)