Weight Loss Myths: Exercise and Weight Loss

I wanted to touch on something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. For many years, I have wanted to lose weight. I would start all excited and dedicated, only to lose my oomph and fail. It seemed like whatever I did, I just wasn't doing "enough."

Exercising was incredibly painful for me and it frustrated me. Trips to the doctor to address my pain, and discussions with others about it always resulted in me getting the same comment: "Your weight is causing the pain. Exercise and lose weight, and the pain will decrease." I was told by several "sources" that I needed to work out for at LEAST one hour a day in order to lose weight, and straight through the hour was recommended. This was NOT an option when I could barely walk 10 minutes with out excruciating pain, numbness and discomfort.

After a scary ambulance trip to the ER in December, I found out my potassium was incredibly low. This low potassium level had been the cause of my pain and muscle spasms for years, and went undiagnosed until it dipped so low I thought I was dying.

Now that my potassium levels are on target, I am able to get out and move more, and have even taken up running as you know from reading my prior blog entries. What I found out about exercise (now that I can do it!) is that exercise alone is not going to help you lose weight. In fact, you burn a lot less calories exercising than you think you do. For example, according to the exercise calorie calculator located here, I burn only 180 calories running 15 minutes straight at 5mph weighing 198 pounds. If I walk at 3.5mph for 30 minutes, I burn 360 calories. There are many calculators available and I get similar results using some of the others.

Borrowed from Pinterest

 

If you are taking in 3,000 calories or more a day, if you are exercising 30 minutes every day, you are not going to see the loss you want. In fact, you may not see much of a loss at all. You just won't be burning enough calories to do so. The truth is you need to eat to lose weight, and exercise to get fit. If you are not tracking every bite you take, every sip you drink (other than water) you can easily reach 3000 calories or more a day.This is why, in the past, I was unable to lose anything. I did not create a calorie deficit.

 

In order to lose weight, you need to have a caloric deficit. The best way to achieve this, is to find out what your BMR is and there are multiple online calculators for that. You can then find (based on your activity level) what your daily caloric goal is to maintain your current weight. If you are sedentary and do not exercise, you absolutely can and will lose weight as long as you calculate your BMR and created your deficit. For nutrient and health reasons, you should not go under 1200 calories a day. In all honesty, the BMR rate I calculated for was for a 135 pound woman, which is my goal weight. This allows me to have a calorie deficit that has led to the weight loss success I have had. If you calculate your BMR at your current weight, you will need to take in roughly 500 calories a day LESS than what your calculated BMR is in order to lose 1 pound a week.

 



Exercise alone will not lead to weight loss. It is your caloric intake that determines whether you lose, maintain or gain.

While you are losing fat, however, dieting also leads to the loss of muscle tissue. And THIS is where exercise comes in. Exercise helps preserve and build your muscle tissue, which also helps you burn calories more efficiently. If you lose weight by dieting alone, you can wind  up being a "fat skinny person," jiggly and untoned. Exercise will tone your body and lead to a healthier and fitter you.

So in summary, exercise alone will not lead to weight loss. Your eating habits determine your weight loss success. You should eat healthy and within an acceptable calorie limit to lose weight and exercise in order to tone your body (strength training) and gain cardiovascular and lung health (cardio).