
Exercise as a Weight-Loss Strategy - hvo
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/well/eat/exercise-as-a-weight-loss-strategy.html?mabReward=ART_TS2&recid=ad1553f4-3efc-4e82-4623-f52a714ca837&recp=0&moduleDetail=recommendations-0&action=click&contentCollection=Politics&region=Footer&module=WhatsNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&src=recg&pgtype=article
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hprotagonist
"yes it's not as simple as calories in/calories out, but calories are still
the most important" :
[http://physiqonomics.com/calories/](http://physiqonomics.com/calories/)

tl;dr: outrunning your fork is _prohibitively hard_.

In my personal experience, weight loss and fitness are not orthogonal, but
they aren't the same vector, either. In agreement with the NYT link, I
exercise because I want to be fit, because I want to prevent injuries, because
I don't like being depressed, and because I want to do the previous items
until I'm 90. Personal vanity is real, but secondary.

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ryanbrunner
I really can only speak in anecdotes, but almost to a person, people I know
who have combined improving their diet with exercise have been far, far more
successful in both the short and long term in losing weight and improving the
way they look. Everyone who has focused on diet alone tended to look miserable
and weren't successful in the long term, even if they managed to lose a good
amount of weight initially.

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subpixel
A few years ago a trainer told me "you can't out exercise a bad diet" and I've
found that to be the wisest words I've ever heard in a gym.

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Grokzen
This is so true. I think it was Dr. Robert Lustig that said something like "it
has never been proven that exercise alone can make you loose weight".

You allways need to combine better diet with exercise. Think about how much
you would have to do to burn off 1000 calories through exercise vs reduce your
food consumption with the same ammount.

I find that light exercise is really good for my brain.

For some realted information regarding diet and exercise you should look up
some of the presentations done by Dr. Robert Lustig. "Fat Chance: Fructose
2.0" is a good one for example.

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AstralStorm
The fructose fixation is not warranted enough but is not baseless. The main
argument still stands.

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csours
Ok, now what about Exercise as a Health Strategy, including Mental Health.

Your brain is part of your body, as it turns out, not just a computer that
your body carries around.

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mnm1
It's the only thing that's worked for my mental health well being. I'd say
there is no doubt it works for mental health from my experience and the
experiences of others who exercise. I also lost a ton of weight when I
approached it this way because I do it for the immediate effect rather than
the long term weight loss and it absolutely controls my appetite.

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bmcusick
Losing weight is about two rates: your calorie consumption and your calorie
burn.

Calorie consumption is easy to see. It's how much food you eat. The numbers on
the nutrition label might not be perfectly accurate but they're good enough
for dietary purposes.

Calorie rate is where the confusion sets it. Most people think you burn
calories by exercise, but by far the greater amount of calories are burned by
metabolic activity like keeping your body heat at 98 degrees, digesting food,
thinking (brains burn a lot of sugar), and general maintenance (e.g.,
replacing skin).

The point of exercise isn't to burn calories through muscular effort. It's to
keep your insulin response good and blood sugar in the good range, which in
turn keeps the flow of calories in your blood directed to your muscles and
organs, and to get your fat cells to release excess calories when they need
to.

People who only diet and don't exercise, or do exercise but diet way too much,
like on the Biggest Loser, usually see their metabolic activity levels drop
through the floor. Besides making it harder to lose weight over time, this has
knock on effects on your health that are terrible. Your body also loses as
much lean mass as it does body fat.

I've finally put it all together and have lost almost 40 lbs over the last six
months. I'm down three pant sizes and almost down a fourth, and my weight loss
has been consistent and steady, and I feel like I can keep this up as long as
I need to. The "secrets" are pretty simple:

Reduce Consumption: I skip or eat a very small dinner 6 days out of the week.
When I'm really hungry I just eat a ton of vegetables until I'm physically
full. Breakfast and lunch are normal and on Sunday I feast. Basic intermittent
fasting/feasting protocol.

Keep Burn Rate Up: Sleep a lot. Avoid stress. 1-2x/week do a very intense
bodyweight exercise routine; all sets to failure. Never do cardio.

