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Why exercise won't help you lose weight and what actually works

Summer Sweetie

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March 17, 2021, 11:48 AM CDT / Source: TODAY
By A. Pawlowski


Of all the wonderful things exercise does for your body, more evidence suggests losing weight isn’t one of them.

Your daily activity level has almost no bearing on the number of calories you burn and burning more energy doesn’t protect against getting fat, Herman Pontzer writes in his new book, “Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy.”


“Your brain is very, very, very good at matching how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn,” Pontzer, an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, told TODAY.

“The person who has a sedentary lifestyle and the person who has the active lifestyle will burn the same number of calories.”


What? We’ve all been taught the more you move, the more energy you burn, helping with weight loss. But that’s the wrong view of the human body’s flexible metabolic engine, Pontzer says.

A person starting that new Peloton program, for example, and exercising like crazy will burn more calories at first, but her body will adjust over the course of a couple months and begin to spend less energy on its many other tasks, like inflammation and stress reaction, until things are back to the way they were, he noted.


How does Pontzer know? He studies the Hadza people of Tanzania, hunter-gatherers who walk for miles every day foraging for food. They’re incredibly physically active, moving more in a day than most Americans do in a week, so Pontzer and his colleagues were sure they’d be burning a crazy amount of calories. Yet when the researchers measured how much energy the Hadza burned, it turned out to be the same amount as sedentary urbanites in the West.

“That was a big surprise and a nice example of just how counterintuitive it can be,” Pontzer said. The results show our metabolic engines constantly adjust, making room for increased activity so that ultimately, daily energy expenditure is kept within a narrow window — whether you walk all day or don’t do much at all, he writes.


To lose weight, people are better off eating less than being more active, Pontzer noted. “Really the only strategy that seems to work well is to focus on your diet,” he said. “We've known for decades that exercise is a really poor tool for weight loss.”

Not everyone agrees. Programs that combine both diet and exercise result in a 20% greater weight loss compared to diet alone, said Deborah Riebe, a professor of exercise science and associate dean of the college of health sciences at the University of Rhode Island.




She recommends a combination of eating less along with getting adequate levels of exercise to maximize weight loss in people who are overweight or obese. Physical activity also appears to be a critical component to prevent weight regain, Riebe said.

Both diet and exercise are needed to slim down, added Maya Vadiveloo, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island.

Still, many people wrongly believe obesity is entirely due to lack of exercise when the fact is “you cannot outrun a bad diet,” researchers wrote in an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Pontzer agreed, noting we’re surrounded by processed foods with added oils and sugars that are designed and focus-group tested to affect our brains in ways that are almost addictive.

Here are more findings from his book:

Don’t count on foods ‘boosting’ metabolism
Grapefruit, cayenne pepper, chili powder and green tea don’t boost your metabolism, and even things that do rev it a little bit, like coffee, have such a tiny effect that an extra bite of food would erase it, Pontzer said.

“The bigger question here is: Would a faster metabolism actually help you keep weight off? And there's no evidence for that,” he noted. “If you boost your metabolism a little bit, your brain will go, ‘Oh OK, we better eat little bit more’ and you wouldn't lose anything at all.”

To lose weight, find a diet that works for you

That means eating in a way that helps you feel full on fewer calories, but since our brains are wired so differently and we all have different backgrounds and love different foods, there’s no one diet that works for everybody, Pontzer said.

Staying away from ultra-processed foods found in the snack aisle, and instead focusing on protein and fiber are good ways to start.


A ‘Paleo’ diet looks different in the real world

The Hadza people of Tanzania studied by Pontzer offer a glimpse into how ancient humans may have eaten. They hunt for meat, and forage for tubers, berries and honey, which turns out to be a high-carb/low-fat diet. They get 65% of more of their calories from carbs while fat makes up less than 20%.

They have incredibly healthy hearts, don’t develop obesity and stay at the same weight their entire adult lives.


All diets work if you stick to them

That’s hard to do, of course. Modern foods are “too delicious” and designed to be overeaten, Pontzer writes. When not sure exactly how much to eat, humans have evolved to err on the side of eating more.

But whether you choose low-carb, low-fat, vegan, intermittent fasting, Paleo or Mediterranean, whichever diet allows you to eat fewer calories over the long-term will help you lose weight.

Keep exercising
Pontzer worries that people who are motivated only by weight loss will stop working out. But exercise is critical for making your body stronger and fitter, and for avoiding disease, so it’s important to stay active.

“If you want to keep your heart healthy, if you want to keep your mind sharp, if you want to be able to age into your 50s and 60s without kind of falling apart, then you really need exercise in your life and the more the better,” he said.

Why exercise won't help you lose weight and what actually works
 

Jamexican

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So Im on a "lifestyle change" right now, I dont want to call it a diet cause diets have an end date, just want to change some stuff. I stopped eating processed fast food, cut out soda and juice completely and was exercising like crazy. But Im a mom and life got hectic, and the GA weather didnt help cause Im not sweating out my relaxer, so I went like 10 days without working out. Mentally I felt bad about it cause I felt "lazy" cause if Im not working out Im just gaining the weight back, right? Wrong! Every time I got on the scale I was still losing weight, all I did was change what I put in my body.

I say all of that to say your diet is like 90% of losing weight. Working out probably helps out mentally more than it should be used as a weight loss tool.
 

my_marlon

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I recently started back using My Fitness Pal to track what I eat because I haven't been losing weight despite my best efforts.

When I tell you I was SHOCKED at how many calories were actually in my "healthy" meals and how much I overeat on the weekends... :cry:

Now I realize I have to do an overhaul because my BMR is way too low for me to eat like this and no amount of exercise will make up for it. (n)
 

Triela

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They do say that abs are made in the kitchen and you can't outrun a poor diet.
 

Jamexican

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Also, go get yourself a food scale. I got a good one on Amazon for like $20. And weight out everything you eat that's not prepackaged/frozen. It helps control portions even better. You'll be even more shocked at how much we eat on a daily basis.

I recently started back using My Fitness Pal to track what I eat because I haven't been losing weight despite my best efforts.

When I tell you I was SHOCKED at how many calories were actually in my "healthy" meals and how much I overeat on the weekends... :cry:

Now I realize I have to do an overhaul because my BMR is way too low for me to eat like this and no amount of exercise will make up for it. (n)
 

CapoModa

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My best advice (if you’re also looking for the aesthetics): if you’re losing over 50 lbs and actually want the look of “fit and toned” pick up some heavy weights and weight train. Put in the work and build some muscle.
 

CapoModa

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It’s an amazing difference what a proper foundation of nutrition knowledge will do for you. I had close relations with farming communities growing and so I always had access/knowledge different kinds of vegetables. But it wasn’t until freshman year in my first nutrition class that I wasn’t eating nowhere as clean as I thought. And then I get older and realized just how many other people have noneeee of that knowledge. Like absolutely none. It’s mind blowing considering that we eat everyday.
Anyways, put in the work. Do the research. It’s beneficial to you and your longevity.
I always know when someone has not put in the work when they definitively decide that eating healthy just means going vegan/vegetarian. Far from the truth.
You can be plant based AND still meat :)
 

CapoModa

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I keep talking sh!t, but I get so happy when bw start having these important conversations.
My other tip: find other people around you that value balanced nutrition. It makes a WORLD of difference when trying to normalize certain eating habits on a day to day. If all your besties are self indulgent, when you hangout with them you’re way more likely to say “okay, it’s just one night” and that eventually builds up.
 

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Caloric deficits don't necessarily mean eating.less
Great point! A lot of people eat with their eyes, so for them dieting means having less on the plate. But you can have a mixing bowl of salad greens with cucumbers and sliced celery and eating nothing in calories.

I’m a bored eater, so I’m just learning how to snack better. Lol it’s easier than trying not to bored eat, that’s for sure :cry:
 

Jamexican

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I was a bored eater as well. What I did was when I wanted to eat anything bad I'd grab 1 cup of water and try to drink as much of it as possible. Dont force yourself to drink all of it, but just as much as you can and then wait 15 mins.

After 15 mins if you are still thinking about that snack you can grab it but moderate the portion size.

This usually works for me cause as Im waiting my 15mins I usually forget all about my snack craving and when I finally remember "hey I wanted that snack" its time for me to eat lunch/dinner.
 

DeeWins007

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This is actually true. I have been working out for years and have not really lost weight. Just inches. Last year I limited my portion size and started losing weight. These are facts!
 

GigiLaMoore

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Not eating everything that's not nailed down helps. But, yes, exercise can't do what people think it can do. It is important, though. I had an ex-boyfriend who would be like, "I burned 1500 calories on the exercise bike". I had to tell him that machines at the gym are not accurate but even if they were, if you turn around and order a salad with croutons and ranch dressing and then a big meal with coleslaw and macaroni and cheese as your sides, you just killed all your progress.

We have all this information, yet people are still very ignorant about healthy eathing and exercise.
 
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diamanteview

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Caloric deficits don't necessarily mean eating.less

For sure. Low calorie high density foods allow you to eat alot while actually intaking very little energy. So you have to eat more of them to stay alive. Couple that with actually learning how to cook(specifically season food) and it isn’t too bad. Also small things like not drinking juices/sodas as much and changing to smaller plate sizes also help.
And for some people who know that calories are the biggest thing but still fail, sometimes counting them isn’t always good. So yeah focusing on what you’re eating may actually help instead.

Pontzer worries that people who are motivated only by weight loss will stop working out. But exercise is critical for making your body stronger and fitter, and for avoiding disease, so it’s important to stay active.

“If you want to keep your heart healthy, if you want to keep your mind sharp, if you want to be able to age into your 50s and 60s without kind of falling apart, then you really need exercise in your life and the more the better,” he said.

Glad she also included this because I imagine some would actually start saying exercise is not necessary whatsoever.
 

SpurgeonRose

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A trick I've learnt over the years, lentils. Any which way.


The body usually follows pretty soon after
 
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Caloric deficits don't necessarily mean eating.less
And you can include junk food and desserts in your calorie deficit plan. You don't have to cut out food groups or ingredients to eat in a calorie deficit. You can eat more volume if you eat primarily whole foods, but balance makes it all more sustainable for the long-term.
 

OceanBreeze9

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I do agree that change in diet and less food intake will make differences in your weight, meaning that you will lose weight. Where I disagree is that exercise will not assist in weight loss.

It depends on which type of exercise and/or fitness you are into and how much time you spend doing it. Aerobics, for example, is known for burning fat. Any form of constant movement (usually at 30 minutes, minimum), especially at high impact is bound to make a difference in your body size.
 

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I lost over 100 pounds a few years ago by not exercising and eating less. I tried walking 2 miles a day, but when I saw that a mile didn't burn even 1,000 calories I realized that it would be more efficient to eat less. I talked to a few doctors and they verified it after hemmimg and hawing. I went on a really low calorie, low carb diet and the weight melted off, and that's how I had baby # I lost count. I advise all of my friends and family to do this method, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose.
 

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March 17, 2021, 11:48 AM CDT / Source: TODAY
By A. Pawlowski


Of all the wonderful things exercise does for your body, more evidence suggests losing weight isn’t one of them.

Your daily activity level has almost no bearing on the number of calories you burn and burning more energy doesn’t protect against getting fat, Herman Pontzer writes in his new book, “Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy.”


“Your brain is very, very, very good at matching how many calories you eat and how many calories you burn,” Pontzer, an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, told TODAY.

“The person who has a sedentary lifestyle and the person who has the active lifestyle will burn the same number of calories.”


What? We’ve all been taught the more you move, the more energy you burn, helping with weight loss. But that’s the wrong view of the human body’s flexible metabolic engine, Pontzer says.

A person starting that new Peloton program, for example, and exercising like crazy will burn more calories at first, but her body will adjust over the course of a couple months and begin to spend less energy on its many other tasks, like inflammation and stress reaction, until things are back to the way they were, he noted.


How does Pontzer know? He studies the Hadza people of Tanzania, hunter-gatherers who walk for miles every day foraging for food. They’re incredibly physically active, moving more in a day than most Americans do in a week, so Pontzer and his colleagues were sure they’d be burning a crazy amount of calories. Yet when the researchers measured how much energy the Hadza burned, it turned out to be the same amount as sedentary urbanites in the West.

“That was a big surprise and a nice example of just how counterintuitive it can be,” Pontzer said. The results show our metabolic engines constantly adjust, making room for increased activity so that ultimately, daily energy expenditure is kept within a narrow window — whether you walk all day or don’t do much at all, he writes.


To lose weight, people are better off eating less than being more active, Pontzer noted. “Really the only strategy that seems to work well is to focus on your diet,” he said. “We've known for decades that exercise is a really poor tool for weight loss.”

Not everyone agrees. Programs that combine both diet and exercise result in a 20% greater weight loss compared to diet alone, said Deborah Riebe, a professor of exercise science and associate dean of the college of health sciences at the University of Rhode Island.




She recommends a combination of eating less along with getting adequate levels of exercise to maximize weight loss in people who are overweight or obese. Physical activity also appears to be a critical component to prevent weight regain, Riebe said.

Both diet and exercise are needed to slim down, added Maya Vadiveloo, an assistant professor in the department of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Rhode Island.

Still, many people wrongly believe obesity is entirely due to lack of exercise when the fact is “you cannot outrun a bad diet,” researchers wrote in an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Pontzer agreed, noting we’re surrounded by processed foods with added oils and sugars that are designed and focus-group tested to affect our brains in ways that are almost addictive.

Here are more findings from his book:

Don’t count on foods ‘boosting’ metabolism
Grapefruit, cayenne pepper, chili powder and green tea don’t boost your metabolism, and even things that do rev it a little bit, like coffee, have such a tiny effect that an extra bite of food would erase it, Pontzer said.

“The bigger question here is: Would a faster metabolism actually help you keep weight off? And there's no evidence for that,” he noted. “If you boost your metabolism a little bit, your brain will go, ‘Oh OK, we better eat little bit more’ and you wouldn't lose anything at all.”

To lose weight, find a diet that works for you

That means eating in a way that helps you feel full on fewer calories, but since our brains are wired so differently and we all have different backgrounds and love different foods, there’s no one diet that works for everybody, Pontzer said.

Staying away from ultra-processed foods found in the snack aisle, and instead focusing on protein and fiber are good ways to start.


A ‘Paleo’ diet looks different in the real world

The Hadza people of Tanzania studied by Pontzer offer a glimpse into how ancient humans may have eaten. They hunt for meat, and forage for tubers, berries and honey, which turns out to be a high-carb/low-fat diet. They get 65% of more of their calories from carbs while fat makes up less than 20%.

They have incredibly healthy hearts, don’t develop obesity and stay at the same weight their entire adult lives.


All diets work if you stick to them

That’s hard to do, of course. Modern foods are “too delicious” and designed to be overeaten, Pontzer writes. When not sure exactly how much to eat, humans have evolved to err on the side of eating more.

But whether you choose low-carb, low-fat, vegan, intermittent fasting, Paleo or Mediterranean, whichever diet allows you to eat fewer calories over the long-term will help you lose weight.

Keep exercising
Pontzer worries that people who are motivated only by weight loss will stop working out. But exercise is critical for making your body stronger and fitter, and for avoiding disease, so it’s important to stay active.

“If you want to keep your heart healthy, if you want to keep your mind sharp, if you want to be able to age into your 50s and 60s without kind of falling apart, then you really need exercise in your life and the more the better,” he said.

Why exercise won't help you lose weight and what actually works
I have lost 60 pounds over the last 8 months with zero exercise. I eat one meal a day every single day at 11:00 am. I have had 4 days in the last 8 months where I are 2 meals in one day. The rest of the days we ONE MEAL. I eat whatever I want during my meal.

I ordered a Peloton Tread a few months ago and it will be delivered next week!!! I plan to start walking 3 miles a day. My goal for exercise is mobility. I see too many overweight, black people in their 50s and 60s that can barely get around. I don't want that for my future.
 

Shortee

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I have lost 60 pounds over the last 8 months with zero exercise. I eat one meal a day every single day at 11:00 am. I have had 4 days in the last 8 months where I are 2 meals in one day. The rest of the days we ONE MEAL. I eat whatever I want during my meal.

I ordered a Peloton Tread a few months ago and it will be delivered next week!!! I plan to start walking 3 miles a day. My goal for exercise is mobility. I see too many overweight, black people in their 50s and 60s that can barely get around. I don't want that for my future.
The only way I’ve been able to lose weight is by eating 3 small meals a day. If I skip a meal I will begin to start gaining weight. I always struggled until I started eating 3 small meals a day. I used to do intermittent fasting and Pilates, I was at my highest weight. I had to stop exercising and started eating 3 small meals. My meals consisted of meats and vegetables 2x a day and fruit and seeds in the morning. I was eating beef after giving it up over 10 yrs ago. My cholesterol dropped and I lost weight.
 

Digging4gold

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The only way I’ve been able to lose weight is by eating 3 small meals a day. If I skip a meal I will begin to start gaining weight. I always struggled until I started eating 3 small meals a day. I used to do intermittent fasting and Pilates, I was at my highest weight. I had to stop exercising and started eating 3 small meals. My meals consisted of meats and vegetables 2x a day and fruit and seeds in the morning. I was eating beef after giving it up over 10 yrs ago. My cholesterol dropped and I lost weight.
So basically you're eating a low carb diet? I lost 40 pounds on Atkins years ago and I gained it all back. It wasn't sustainable for me. Eating one meal a day allows me to eat whatever I want. I never have to deny myself something or count calories.
 

divineheauxx

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Diet is 80% and exercise is 20% from what I have read. Just watch your portions. You don't have to eat everything on the plate no matter what society tells you. You also don't need to have 3 meals a day. Thats BS. Do your research, it's all out there.
 

Monikernamesake

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Turn your kitchen light off! It’s symbolic to your brain it means no more eating for the night!
 

Monikernamesake

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Eat your largest meal in the morning, medium meal for lunch and smallest meal at night. Drink alkaline water. Just my 2 cents.
 

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