Time.com Reports: Why Exercise WON'T Make You Thin....

I heard people at work talking about this awhile ago. Someone (fat and dumb) literally said "So, if I stop working out than I'll lose more weight cause I wont be hungry!"

I then had to go to the hospital because blood was pouring out my ears.

I didn't read the article, but I'll tell you from personal experience that when it comes to weight control, diet is all the matters.

In July 2008 I weighed 260 lbs. I spent the next 4 months eating 1200 calories a day with no exercise (though I did like things, like take the stairs instead the elevator). I lost about 60 lbs. At that I started working out some and continued to eat a low calorie diet. I got down to about 160 lbs 4 months later (100 lbs loss in 8 months). I know run 50-60 miles most weeks and spend several hours a week cross training. I continue with good dietary habits.

When it comes to 'fitness,' aerobic exercise is the key. When it comes to 'weight control,' low calorie diets are the key.

The idea that you can exercise and eat whatever you want is a myth. A nutritional strategy is just as important as an exercise strategy.

Runners are notorious for eating burgers and fries esp. after a long Sunday run.

Out.

Dumb article. Time magazine really needed to say that if you eat more after working out you won't lose weight? DUH.

And exercise increases appetite when you are eating junk to begin with. If you fill up on processed starches and sugars all day, exercise will just exacerbate the blood sugar crash. If you eat a good balanced diet with lots of fruits, veggies, lean proteins and whole grains, exercise can actually supress hunger.

This article was discussed a few weeks ago and I think the consensus was that it's not just dumb, it's plain dishonest.

And you CAN lose weight just through exercise, if it's vigorous enough exercise. I did. There was no other factor.

Because they've never ever been hungry the fatties can't distinguish between actual hunger and the feeling like eating.

This confusion makes them eat when they actually don't need to.

To affect a weight loss one should not eat or drink sugared drinks after exercise ....instead should let the body replenish the lost blood sugars from the fat stores.

I don't think the sports industry helps matters with sugary sports drinks, powerbars, protein shakes, etc.

Out.

Thanks for the anecdotal single point of data. I'll take the blind studies across diverse groups of people, doing varying amounts of exercise and not changing their diet.

The article doesn't say you "CAN NOT" lose weight through exercise, just that most people don't and it explains why.

It's not 50/50, diet/exercise. Not even close. Diet is overwhelmingly more important, even if you are cranking out 100mpw.

Also, if you are under 40 yrs old, you can have no opinion on this subject because you don't know what the F*U*C*K you're talking about. I could eat whatever I wanted and however much I wanted up until my mid 30s, and I never gained a pound, whether I ran 50 miles that week, or was off with an injury. Things started changing in my late 30s, and by 40 exercise has zero effect unless I control my diet.

Since I suspect many LetsRunners are 20-30 and can eat anything, I don't care what you think you know. You're wrong.

You know food lovers will find any excuse to eat. If hardcore runners will tend to reward themselves after a long run, you think food lovers will stand a chance? I just ate a moo shu pork and two slices of pizza and a chocolate bar. I might raid the freezer next.

Since I suspect many LetsRunners are 20-30 and can eat anything, I don't care what you think you know. You're wrong.[/quote]

and you sir are an ignorant sack of shit.

I am in my 50s and have been through many ups and downs - blimping out to 200 lbs several times and dropping to as low as 160 once, but usually to about 170 where I'm at now.

I find diet and running go hand-in-hand. When I start running again, I don't want to see the effort go to waste and running after work gives me less time to eat anyway. When not running, I have more time to sit around thinking about eating - and so I eat.

I simply can't stay at 170 when I don't exercise. I find that I gain weight at about a pound or two per month when not running regularly and before I know it, a couple of years have passed and I'm pushing 200. Then I lose it at a pound or two per week by running regularly again and cutting out the snacks. The only way for me to stay at 170 is to keep running and eat sensibly.

I've trained a lot of people.

Those who lost the most weight included a healthy diet lower in carbs, higher in fat and protein. I've seen people work out hard as shit for 5 days a week and not lose much if any weight. In fact one of my best clients couldn't do anything but walk with his dog for 4 months because of a shoulder injury and he lost 60 pounds in less than a year.

Diet > Exercise.

Diet + Exercise > Diet or Exercise Alone

Not everyone is a genetically gifted runner who are typically naturally lean.

Alan

Kilgore - it's nice to see you back. I used to enjoy reading your blog a few years ago, and then you suddenly shut it down. Any chance you will get one started again? I loved your rants about god, ultrarunners, etc.

Clowns of the Purple Sage wrote:

This article was discussed a few weeks ago and I think the consensus was that it's not just dumb, it's plain dishonest.

And you CAN lose weight just through exercise, if it's vigorous enough exercise. I did. There was no other factor.

Agreed. By the time I was 30, I hit 190 lbs. I dieted and got down to 165 and it was painful. I was hungry all the time and eventually ballooned back up to 190. I started running and just ate when I was hungry. At 50-60 mpw, I've maintained 165 for 3 years without thinking about it.

Agreed. I have lost 20 lbs recently by just running and biking, not changing my eating habits. I'm sure it would have come faster if I had changed my eating habits. But I was ballooning without all the exercise.

not a dieter wrote:

Clowns of the Purple Sage wrote:

This article was discussed a few weeks ago and I think the consensus was that it's not just dumb, it's plain dishonest.

And you CAN lose weight just through exercise, if it's vigorous enough exercise. I did. There was no other factor.

Agreed. By the time I was 30, I hit 190 lbs. I dieted and got down to 165 and it was painful. I was hungry all the time and eventually ballooned back up to 190. I started running and just ate when I was hungry. At 50-60 mpw, I've maintained 165 for 3 years without thinking about it.

That's great, but by the time you're my age (54), I bet you'll have gone a few more rounds (to 190-200 and back again). And it gets more painful each time.

lost weight wrote:

That's great, but by the time you're my age (54), I bet you'll have gone a few more rounds (to 190-200 and back again). And it gets more painful each time.

Sounds like I have something to look forward to. I'll be sure to post again in 16 years and let you know how it went.

ilgore wrote:

I don't think the sports industry helps matters with sugary sports drinks, powerbars, protein shakes, etc.

Out.

You're right about that. I added fifteen pounds in several months when I simultaneously dropped down in mileage from 100 to 60s and started drinking a lot of gatorade and eating a lot of potato chips because of frequent dehydration. After raising the mileage back to 100 and dropping almost all the gatorade and chips, I lost the fifteen pounds in just a few weeks with no other dietary changes. And the dehydration was less frequent as well, because it is really depend on the literal sense of the word, water. I would drink a couple big glasses in the morning and a couple right after finishing a run, and then substantially before bed, and the dehydration headaches went away. I also added a bit more salt to meals. It is more about the timing of the water than the total quantity. So, all those empty calories were totally unnecessary.

But about the general weight loss issue, don't tell me that they are testing it by reference to people exercising the equivalent of fifty or more running miles per week. It is hard to maintain weight on that amount of exercise unless you are adding a lot of the aforementioned empty calories from processed foods and drinks.

No they aren't. You don't know what you are talking about. We eat a huge breakfast but it doesn't consist of burgers and fries.