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Exercise won't help you lose weight - article

ChrisSamsDad

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446
Location
Eccles, Lancashire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Tablets (oral)
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UKIP, royalty, football, gin, goat's cheese.
Came across this artcle: http://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories - gist of it is that there have been very many studies which show that exercise alone won't help you lose weight - when you exercise, you rest or eat more to compensate and your body metabolism alters. It does emphasise that exercise is very good for you, and can help a bit if you're dieting too.
 
Yes, even if you can overcome the temptation to reward yourself with a cream bun after going to the gym, significant weight-loss through exercise needs to be longer and harder than most people are willing to sustain for long periods. This article http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/magazine/18exercise-t.html?_r=0 gives the example of 2 weight-loss groups - one group used diet alone and reduced calories by 25%, the other group used diet and exercise by reducing their calorie intake by 12.5% and increased their exercising by 12.5%. Both groups lost about the same amount of weight but the exercise group were having to do 1 hour a day of moderate exercise which seems a lot harder than cutting an extra 12.5 of calories.

However, there is evidence that exercise is useful in preventing weight gain, also discussed in the article.(Plus all the other benefits of improving mood and reducing risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer.)
 

A seem Malhotra's (UK cardiologist and LCHF proponent) mantra is....

"You can't outrun a bad diet"



Diagnosed 13/4/16: T2, no meds, HbA1c 53, FBG 12.6, Trigs 3.6, HDL .75, LDL 4.0, BP 169/95, 13st 8lbs, waist 34" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

2/6/16: FBG AV 4.6, Trigs 1.5, HDL 2.0, LDL 3.0, BP 120/72, 11st 11lbs, waist 30" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

Regime: 20g LCHF, run 1 mile daily, weekly fasting.

4/6/16: Best BP 112/64....yeah!!
 
A while back there was a similar article showing that age makes quite a difference.

Once you get past a certain age (40? 50?), exercise alone won't do it, but diet alone will. Although exercise is, of course, of great benefit in many ways. Sorry, haven't kept the link, and I have no memory of where it came from. I will flag @Totto because I believe she was involved in the discussion and may remember the article.

If anyone DOES have the link I would love to read the article/study again. And this time I WILL keep the link. I get rather tired of the Energiser Bunnies telling everyone that everything, including World Peace, can be solved by a good workout.
 
You can kid yourself that diet alone is fine.
It may be for some, but it depends on what you are trying to achieve.

Exercise builds muscles, diet doesn't. Muscles use glucose.
For me, exercise keeps me low in BG for days afterwards.
There are many other benefits of exercise.
Without being rude, you always have to ask, for balance, the BMI, shape, whatever, of posters in the for or against. I speak as someone who was fat, and got type 2, I dieted, exercised, and lost the fat, and reversed type 2. I exercise now, and I feel a whole lot better when I do.
(After I recover, obviously)

Have a look at
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Whybeactive.aspx
 
Well the sort of moderate exercise advocated there was what was keeping me fatter. I have recently been told that I have adrenal fatigue and all that pushing myself to walk miles at a brisk to moderate pace simply increased the cortisol in my system and made me fatter round the middle. Any exercise that I have to recover from is harmful to me.

You forgot the most important question to ask as well....male or female? We ladies have hormonal problems that you men don't. It makes a heck of a lot of difference and is why diet is so important to us.
 

Haha....I laughed so much at your concluding statement, I nearly wet myself


Diagnosed 13/4/16: T2, no meds, HbA1c 53, FBG 12.6, Trigs 3.6, HDL .75, LDL 4.0, BP 169/95, 13st 8lbs, waist 34" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

2/6/16: FBG AV 4.6, Trigs 1.5, HDL 2.0, LDL 3.0, BP 120/72, 11st 11lbs, waist 30" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

Regime: 20g LCHF, run 1 mile daily, weekly fasting.

4/6/16: Best BP 112/64....yeah!!
 

Maybe it's important that all posters post from a purely gender specific viewpoint, and declare it then?
Then again, whenever I go , the gym is full of both sexes.

As to the brisk to moderate pace, I tend to go off heartbeat.
Warm up on the treadmill, to get from my usual 60bpm, up to about 90bpm, a period of intensive running, to at least get to 140bpm, then back down to 100, and vary between 90 and 140 after that. Then an assortment of other tortures, cycling, rowing, various ski and step, and of course, resistance machines.
And finish with the sit ups.

Both sexes tend to be doing the same sort of thing, having said that.
The depressing thing is the calories used readout though, it is a little amount, but then again, calories aren't equal, I'm doing it for the muscle, and the overall improvement in body that exercise gives me.
 

You can't deny, energiser bunnies last a lot longer than zinc carbon.
 

Do you do any resistance?

I've read numerous reports suggesting this type of exercise helps manage the glucose burn optimally and works well alongside cardio


Diagnosed 13/4/16: T2, no meds, HbA1c 53, FBG 12.6, Trigs 3.6, HDL .75, LDL 4.0, BP 169/95, 13st 8lbs, waist 34" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

2/6/16: FBG AV 4.6, Trigs 1.5, HDL 2.0, LDL 3.0, BP 120/72, 11st 11lbs, waist 30" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

Regime: 20g LCHF, run 1 mile daily, weekly fasting.

5/6/16: Two BP readings now 112/64 & 112/66
 

About 50/50.

It certainly seems to lower BG, and keeps it down afterwards.
 
I find (due ot health issues) that walking at a moderate pace, or swimming steadily does the right things for me. Anything which involves me getting a raised heart beat or sweating profusely harms me for days, and raises my bg.

I also do exercises, ballet and stretching exercises, in the water in between swimming laps.Its a great way to tone up without harming myself. YMMV
 

Are you low carb?
 
I'm low carbing and find it generally lowers my BG, which is good, and I have can a carb heavy meal before I got to the gym and measure bloods during and after the exercise. Yesterday had 3 pieces of toast and jam for breakfast then went to gym, one hour later 5.4, 2 hours 4.4. Plus I actually enjoy going, working up a sweat and feel great afterwards, it's all to do with Dolphins apparently, plus I go with lovely wife of 37 years, who's a total babe in lycra now, having followed me in low carb diet.
 
SunnyExpat said:
It seems to, yes.
Click to expand...
in what way? I dont understand your comment. Do you mean if I was low carbing it would have one effect, or if I wasnt low carbing it would have another effect? and what would those effects be?
 
serenity648 said:
in what way? I dont understand your comment. Do you mean if I was low carbing it would have one effect, or if I wasnt low carbing it would have another effect? and what would those effects be?
Click to expand...

Low carbing tends to make you physiologically insulin resistant.

So, you low carb, and your body protects itself by shutting down normal pathways for your muscles to use glucose.
When you exercise, if you increase your heartrate, or sweat, or any other physiological sign of exertion, you naturally release glycogen stored in the liver. (Even low carb produces a store). You can't use it, so your BG spikes as your muscles don't use it as it was intended.

I don't low carb to that degree, as I want to use my liver.
If I miss a few meals, or work hard, or play hard, or exercise, I depend on my liver dump. I'm not insulin resistant, either physiologically or type 2 anymore, so I don't spike any more than a 'normal' person.
My BG doesn't dip, as my liver dumps, and it doesn't peak, as my muscles use it.

So, when I exercise, I can double, or treble, my resting heart rate, indeed, I try to, and my BG is better for it.
 
I didn't think anyone was suggesting diet alone was fine. I thought the point being made was that losing weight by exercise alone is very difficult so it's best to combine it with diet. Obviously exercise has additional benefits apart from weight loss, and particularly relevant to type 2 diabetics is the improvements in insulin resistance and HbA1c.
 
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