I thought Exercise was KEY to weight loss, but the research does not bear this out!
Exercise is very beneficial for our health.
Actually, it may be more accurate to say it’s important for us to move our bodies and use our muscles.
The idea of going out to a dedicated place to engage in a particular exercise routine is a more recent idea in human history, and may appeal to some people more than others, and that’s fine.
I loved various exercises at the gym myself.
Research does show there are various important health benefits associated with regular exercise.
People who exercise more have better blood pressure and blood sugar and are at reduced risk of tpe 2 diabetes, stroke and heart attack.
Exercise boosts our immune system and strengths muscles and bones. It helps us retain function, balance, and coordination. It contributes to longevity and helps our thinking, memory and learning.
Many of us also find that exercise improves our mood, gives us joy, and strengthens our sense of confidence. It’s good stuff!
And, in addition to recognizing exercise as important for health, I used to believe –firmly and fervently– that exercise “works” for healthy weight loss, when combined with “a healthy diet” and probably “eating less.”
It always seemed to work for me. If I put on some extra weight or fat, I would increase my workouts and it would seem to correct the problem. And that was a happy situation because I enjoyed exercising and having muscle tone.
But, then, in my 40s, it all stopped working for me. I mean, for over 10 years, even though I wasn’t getting weight loss with exercise any more, I kept trying and trying anyway.
It’s the definition of insanity, right?
But, it’s what so many professionals tell us, and articles, and certainly the people selling gym memberships and fitness trackers and on and on. And it DID seem to work in my 20s and 30s.
When I got good and frustrated with doing the same things over and over and getting lousy results, I finally made it a research project. I abandoned the popular media books and articles and went straight to the research literature, with the eye of a scientist trained in evidence-based practices.
When we define our desired results as “healthy, sustainable weight loss,” what do we discover is proven to “work,” predictably and reliably?
And, once I scoured the research, I discovered that the approach of “eat-less-exercise-more” does NOT turn out to be a consistently effective approach for sustainable weight loss.
In this video below, I explain what the research shows about the disappointing effects of exercise for weight loss — it turns out exercise and body weight are nowhere near as clearly or powerfully linked as we’ve been led to believe.
We find very well-designed, well-controlled studies showing less weight loss than expected associated with increased exercise.
Or, as in the Biggest Loser example, we find the weight loss is only temporary.
This sounds just like what we find with calorie cutting diets! And, likely, for the same reasons.
Our bodies need far more highly nutritious foods than we are giving them. And approaches focused on FORCING our bodies to release excess weight are likely to backfire. After all, our bodies are designed to survive, to maintain homeostasis, and, certainly, to protect us from starvation.
In the case of increasing our exercise, we’ve all noticed we tend to get more hungry. Research shows people tend to increase their food intake when they increase their exercise. In other words, we engage in behaviors that compensate for our efforts to reduce calories.
But, even in research conditions that prevent that behavioral compensation, it appears that our bodies also initiate processes to compensate for increasing exercise.
There were several big surprises for me in the research, and I share them here, so check it out.
As one wise woman I’m helping with healthy eating and weight loss just told me today, “with my current super-demanding schedule, I’m SO grateful for the energy I get from eating this way.”
She’s just been eating this way for 4 weeks, and already characterizes her energy improvement as moving from 4 – 5 out of 10 to 7 out of 10! Her sleep has also already improved, along with reductions in pain and inflammation, and she’s already released 8 pounds.
And she emphasizes that it’s not actually hard to do. She says “I really enjoy eating this way and feel so grateful for it already– it’s an answer to my prayers!”
Check out the video below to hear me summarize:
- some of the research findings concluding that exercise does not reliably contribute to weight loss,
- what we understand about WHY this is so,
- why we came to BELIEVE exercise was key to weight loss and what DOES work
So let’s exercise for our health and energy levels, to sleep better, and just to enjoy living in our bodies. But let’s not use it as a weight loss strategy.
