-Diablo's Journal, 10 October 2019

Why you shouldn't exercise to lose weight, explained with 60+ studies


"It's hard to create a significant calorie deficit through exercise
Using the National Institutes of Health Body Weight Planner — which gives a more realistic estimation for weight loss than the old 3,500-calorie rule —the NIH's Kevin Hall created this model to show why adding a regular exercise program is unlikely to lead to significant weight loss.

body weight planner
National Institutes of Health Body Weight Planner. Javier Zarracina/Vox
If a hypothetical 200-pound man added 60 minutes of medium-intensity running four days per week while keeping his calorie intake the same, and he did this for 30 days, he'd lose five pounds. "If this person decided to increase food intake or relax more to recover from the added exercise, then even less weight would be lost," Hall added. (More on these "compensatory mechanisms" later.)

So if one is overweight or obese, and presumably trying to lose dozens of pounds, it would take an incredible amount of time, will, and effort to make a real impact through exercise.

That's why Hall thinks researchers find again and again that exercise can help maintain weight loss, but it doesn't help people lose weight. "You need a huge volume of exercise to [burn enough calories for weight loss]," he said. "But to maintain weight loss does not require a deficit of energy."

6) Exercise can undermine weight loss in other, subtle ways
Exercise can even undermine weight loss in subtle ways. How much we move is connected to how much we eat. As Hall put it, "I don't think anybody believes calories in and calories out are independent of each other." And exercise, of course, has a way of making us hungry — so hungry that we might consume more calories than we burned off.

One 2009 study shows that people seemed to increase their food intake after exercise — either because they thought they burned off a lot of calories or because they were hungrier. Another review of studies from 2012 found people generally overestimated how much energy exercise burned and ate more when they worked out.

"YOU WORK HARD ON THAT MACHINE FOR AN HOUR, AND THAT WORK CAN BE ERASED WITH FIVE MINUTES OF EATING AFTERWARD"

There's also evidence to suggest that some people simply slow down after a workout, using less energy on their non-gym activities. They might decide to lie down for a rest, fidget less because they're tired, or take the elevator instead of the stairs.

These changes are usually called "compensatory behaviors," and they simply refer to adjustments we may unconsciously make after working out to offset the calories burned."

https://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories

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3459 kcal

Fat: 111.42g | Prot: 226.52g | Carb: 426.37g.   Breakfast: Orville Redenbacher's Smart Pop! 94% Fat Free Kettle Korn Single Serve, Dannon Light & Fit Greek - Vanilla (Cup), McDonald's Breakfast Burrito, Pears , Quest Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Protein Bar, Doritos Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips (28g), Sweet 2 Eat Peaches, 1% Fat Milk. Lunch: Muscle Milk Pro Series 50 Knockout Chocolate (Bottle), Trader Joe's Real Italian Cannoli, Pears , Pure Protein Chocolate Deluxe High Protein Bar (Small). Dinner: Jack's Original Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza, Muscle Milk Strawberries N' Creme Protein Shake (11 oz). Snacks/Other: Pumpkin Pie. more...

3452 kcal

Activities & Exercise: Weight Training (moderate) - 1 hour and 10 minutes, Bicycling (leisurely) - <10/mph - 3 hours and 35 minutes, Resting - 11 hours and 15 minutes, Sleeping - 8 hours. more...