-Diablo's Journal, 10 October 2019

This is why lifting is superior overall. If you're just going to make up the extra calorie burn by moving less or eating more, at least you will be gaining muscle while you lose fat improving your health via a better body composition. Also, you won't be wondering why you don't look much better after losing a lot of weight. 

That sucks. Still going to the gym this morning. This article will be right up jiz's alley. 

I still think this article applies mostly to those who don't count calories. For example, the people we see day in and day out on the ellipticals who looks the same all year. 

100% this has to be generalized for people who aren't tracking, the number of people that think a little light cardio is going to offset the 1k calories of extra junk they shove down their throats is staggering.  

It's interesting how many people who don't track what they eat think exercising is a weight-loss cure all. Working out does off a metabolism boost, but not that much. I recently got a gym membership, but I'm counting my calories too. Calories in/Calories out 

Exercise is sure not the fix to lose weight, for reasons stated in the article- yet it's unbelievable how many times I've continued to hear the whole "just exercise more" crap from doctors. Some varied exercise for the sake of health, and maintaining/build strength is a good thing. Plodding away to try and compensate for a brownie, not so much. 

Eh, scientific studies about this stuff change every decade, same with its opinions on what foods are healthy to eat. I know when I do exercise with the cutting of calories, it does seem to make a difference. Even if not for dieting purposes, it's good for stretching and toning the muscles while losing the pounds from the diet. 

Great post diablo! 

Yes I never exercised to lose weight. Exercising is extra. I don’t exercise to be able to eat. I don’t say “ i exercised this much I deserve this much food” 

People that know this are obvious successful at weight loss 😏 

Great Diablo, that blows my theory out the water! 😁 

Yes Shir 👏🏻 Good job listening to the ones that have succeeded. keep at it and soon you will understand us, you will be on the other side 😏😉 

If all you're doing is adding in a work out, then yes, I agree. However, exercise is still important for more than just weight loss or maintenance. It's a part of the solution, and a big part of maintenance. Start moving, keep moving. Pay attention to what, how much, and when you eat.  

Being really hungry when I work out is the main reason I held off on working out while trying to lose weight via cutting calories. I went from 210 to 166lb just walking an hour a day 5 times a week and eating 1400-1600 cal on average per day putting me at about 1200. Once I hit 165 though I wasn't as diligent and was plateauing hard and sometime gaining and losing the same 3 lb week on and off being good and "cheating" much more frequently due to diet fatigue. I just wanted some damn cocktails/wine, cake and ice cream, lol so over the summer ended up often eating think will be maintenance for me once I hit my goal of 1700-1800 and so as I am looking to be 140lb it wasn't working. So I decided to kick my own butt, stick to 1400 cal and to add a bit of jogging to my walk, lifting weights 8lb for a few reps only and doing a few reps of resistance style exercises(barre/squats/lunges) 5 days a week, started IF 16:8 during the week and I haven't noticed being hungrier and I have taken off the 3lb I put on last week during a retreat for work lol. 

Good read, comments, Vox article. Thanks. I especially like the quote from the BMJ journal (free) referenced in the Vox article - you can't outrun a bad diet. Two years ago I was 220, waist 38. Keto jump started a 15 lb loss, but not really sustainable for me. From there, I made some drastic changes in the type of food I was putting into my body - I read a lot and learned how to start eating clean, cut out refined sugars, refined grains, overly processed food, highly polluted foods (commercially grown with chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, highly processed with thousands of artificial preservatives, coloring, flavorings, additives). I started reading labels for hidden sugars, corn syrups. Cut out fast food, pizza, soft drinks, fast carbs - sweets. I've always regularlly exercised, cycling, just average, but enough to be considered moderately active. The clean eating over those two years gradually took off another 20 lbs. Two months ago I decided to launch all out war on taking off another 13 pounds, to 172, cycling 200 miles per week, 40 mile rides. I track my food with FS religiously, because I believe that honest visual feedback of what is exactly going into my body is crucial to keeping up good eating habits. I can tell you that the increased riding over almost two months now pretty much verifies the Vox article. I dropped 8 pounds over five weeks, that's with my FS cal deficits showing a consistent -1,000 p/day. Not anywhere near what the calorie in, calorie out formulas would predict. Last three weeks, continue 200 mile weeks, 4 hour rides - scales moved only 2 lbs. So, what's up here? My body has gradually shown a refueling mode in calorie intake, still eating 90% clean food. My body is intuitively adjusting to intense exercise, refueling mode, even energy conservation modes. Here's what's worth noting though, which you sort of point out by saying that lifting increases muscle mass. The scales aren't moving much, but my body is drastically changing - last three weeks, 2 pounds down, but a full 3 inches off my waistline, and the little rolls of fat storage just under my belly skin, gone - gone - gone - not there. My body is becoming leaner. I give myself full permission to refuel, given 40 mile rides. I recently did my first 105 km ride the other day and my recovery-refueling day was 4600 cals. Perfect to store up those glycogens for the next day ride. The cycling takes more of a way to achieve ultimate fitness, than a way to lose weight. And, I agree that the bulk of suppliments have marginal effects, but I am religious about digestive support - daily support with robust probiotics, lots of various fibers for those friendly bacteria to eat, lots of water for the body, religious digestive enzymes with every meal. I have literally cured a sick, poorly functioning colon of most of my life in two years of robust digestive support. I think the two most important variables in healthy weight (loss) management is Eating Clean food with robust digestive support, exercise is the icing on the cake. Just my 2 cents there. 

I have no vested interest in promoting this book, but I do recommend it for anyone who wants to explore more about Eating Clean - Food: What The Heck Should I Eat by Dr. Mark Hyman. Like any clean eating fanatic, he has his particular slant, but he has done some thorough review of decades of food research, pointing out contradicting research, flaws, newest research. But, more importantly, he takes every food group, one by one and shows us exactly what's in the food we eat, especially how conventional commercially produced food is grown, processed, and what's in it. 

101% agree ! 

I can attest to this, got my butt kicked for two years doing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu off and on. I swear to God, we're talking 600+ kcal workouts, absolutely exhausting. Weight loss was minimal, as I simply shoved everything I could down my pie hole! Now that I'm combining it WITH calorie counting and proper nutrition, the weight is coming off. 2500+ kcal of extra energy burn a week is significant. 

I lost most of my weight without going to a gym, all calorie deficit. Then joined a gym and started seeing my body composition completely change, while not really losing scale weight. I call it scale weight cause my measurements kept going down even though the scale wasn't. Muscle really is denser than fat. (Cause a pound is a pound). @rosio. I do the same thing! I never eat the calories I burn at the gym, cause I always felt it's really hard to track what I really burnt. I give that tip to all who ask. This is what I've learned in the past year and a half, calorie deficit equals weight loss, resistance training builds muscle and definitely changes your body composition. Great article diablo! 

Thanks everyone. And Shirfleur, you can still increase your deficit with some exercise, just be mindful that the exercise isn't causing you to eat more than you did before. I wouldn't have lost 5 pounds in a month eating 3100 calories a day if increasing my activity didn't work. But there is hardly a time in the day where I am not standing or exercising lol. Increase your NEAT and you can continue eating as much as you are now to lose a little more even with a smaller body.