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A new article in the New York Times proves what I have long believed: that dieting is much more important to weight loss than exercise.
Many people know the cardinal rule that losing weight essentially comes down to "calories in vs. calories out."
I burn an average of 250-400 calories each time I workout (and that's after a hard workout). At the same time, an average slice of pizza also has 250-400 calories. So with those factors in mind, here are some possible scenarios:
1. Skip the workout and eat the pizza: gain weight.
2. Do the workout and eat the pizza: maintain weight.
3. Do the workout and skip the pizza: lose weight.
In the "do the workout" choices, you see that the only way to lose weight is to skip the pizza. Even if you're working out really hard, you still have to eat healthy. But it doesn't go both ways. On the flip side, you can still lose weight by not working out and just cutting back on high calorie foods.
That's scenario 4. Skip the workout and skip the pizza: lose weight.
The NYT article outlines studies proving why exercise has an unsubstantial effect on losing weight.
Now I'm not saying that exercise isn't beneficial. I am merely saying it should be a supplement and not a baseline for your weight loss. The article does point out the many other benefits of getting a good burn like diminishing stress, healing your heart, and improving happiness.
Additionally, it says that exercise, when performed in the fat-burning zone (see It Pays To Run Slow), can help smooth out problem areas and help maintain overall weight loss.
"Exercise seems to aid, physiologically, in the battle to keep off body fat once it has been, through resolute calorie reduction, chiseled away."
Bottom line: Losing weight is possible by dieting alone but not by exercise alone. You will never be able to exercise enough to lose weight and simultaneously eat junk food.
Many people know the cardinal rule that losing weight essentially comes down to "calories in vs. calories out."
I burn an average of 250-400 calories each time I workout (and that's after a hard workout). At the same time, an average slice of pizza also has 250-400 calories. So with those factors in mind, here are some possible scenarios:
1. Skip the workout and eat the pizza: gain weight.
2. Do the workout and eat the pizza: maintain weight.
3. Do the workout and skip the pizza: lose weight.
In the "do the workout" choices, you see that the only way to lose weight is to skip the pizza. Even if you're working out really hard, you still have to eat healthy. But it doesn't go both ways. On the flip side, you can still lose weight by not working out and just cutting back on high calorie foods.
That's scenario 4. Skip the workout and skip the pizza: lose weight.
The NYT article outlines studies proving why exercise has an unsubstantial effect on losing weight.
Now I'm not saying that exercise isn't beneficial. I am merely saying it should be a supplement and not a baseline for your weight loss. The article does point out the many other benefits of getting a good burn like diminishing stress, healing your heart, and improving happiness.
Additionally, it says that exercise, when performed in the fat-burning zone (see It Pays To Run Slow), can help smooth out problem areas and help maintain overall weight loss.
"Exercise seems to aid, physiologically, in the battle to keep off body fat once it has been, through resolute calorie reduction, chiseled away."
Bottom line: Losing weight is possible by dieting alone but not by exercise alone. You will never be able to exercise enough to lose weight and simultaneously eat junk food.
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