Is Exercise really necessary when you are on a diet?

[The Crypto Guy]

I work evening shifts and I’m done around 10pm.
I’m not hungry after 530 tbh and I discipline myself on that.

You’re a better man than I am then

 

[tarheelhockey]

I walked a mile to the stadium Sunday and a mile back. When I got home I had gained 3 pounds. So unless that's muscle mass exercise isn't doing shit. Went from 148 to 152 almost immediately.

"It's water weight bro."

It's still 151 today. f***ing weight loss man. And by the way, do you all have tips on when to weigh yourself? I weight myself constantly and track the figures in a excel spreadsheet. I develop these wacky theories that I have to "purge" my body before weighing myself, meaning everything in the body that is causing weight is all let's say "expunged" from the system, including fluid waste. How do I account for food intake that's in the stomach, cause obvious that weighs something lol

I've reviewed the science and it's not working. Science tells us exercise will contribute to weight loss. But I exercised and gained weight.

It happens constantly even with caloric control. That's why I made the damn thread. Now if you want to hurl insults fine but I'm just reporting what I see off analytics and weight trends from regular weight tracking. And the numbers indicate no loss due to exercise. Trust me. In my old age if I exercised and lost weight I wouldn't complain. I'd be exercising every day. But I'm not seeing any weight loss with a 2000 calorie diet. I only saw it when I reduced it to 1200 or so. It's as you said, it's not hard. I limited my caloric intake. Exercise wasn't a factor and shouldn't be because it's not doing anything.

So a couple of things here.

First, it's a good idea to track your calories/exercise very closely and a bad idea to track your weight closely. Tracking the calories and exercise gives you clear accountability and feedback on your decision making, which leads to better choices. Tracking your weight closely is just going to frustrate you, as it's completely natural for your weight to fluctuate day by day, hour by hour, for reasons that are not under your control. If anything, it's more likely to lead to poor choices as you react to deceptive information.

My recommendation would be to check your weight one time a week, at the beginning of the day. Other than that, leave it alone. There is no functional difference between 150lb and 151lb over a 24 hour period. All you need to see is the long term trend.

Also, you mention your frustration at being unable to lose weight at 148lb. Obviously your goals are your own business and a matter of personal motives, but it's at least worth noting that you're already at a healthy BMI for a man of more or less average height (say in that 5'5" to 6'0" range). At some point when you hit that range, losing weight begins to conflict with adding healthy muscle mass. So exercise and weight loss kind of work at odds with each other if you're already in a healthy weight range. And between the two, exercise is probably the one you'll want to prioritize if you don't have a problematic weight. Of course you still want to maintain a healthy diet, for its own sake, but not necessarily for the purpose of weight loss.

 

[blue425]

The absolute greatest thing a human can do for longevity is maximize the amount of natural muscle tissue on their frame. The benefits are incalculable. Stop worrying about weight.

EDIT - Added the word natural. I am not endorsing steroids: )

 

[DingDongCharlie]

Great, because I weighted myself today and I am 149, lowest in months. So I will retire from daily exercise and continue my low calorie diet. Thanks

So your more concerned with the number on the scale than your actually physical health overall, strength, endurance and cardiovascular health. Good for you I guess, this seems morinic in my opinion though. Part of that lower number is probably due to a loss of lean muscle also.

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

So your more concerned with the number on the scale than your actually physical health overall, strength, endurance and cardiovascular health. Good for you I guess, this seems morinic in my opinion though. Part of that lower number is probably due to a loss of lean muscle also.

Math doesn't lie. Science and the eye test has a chance to lie every time.

 

[SirClintonPortis]

In actuality, obesity is actually a measure of a body's durability and capacity to handle overeating before the issues hit the fan. It appears evident that Americans of English, French, etc stock are simply able to gain weight more easily but also have considerable amount of capacity to hold that weight before the heart attacks and insulin resistance really set in.

But the focus on weight and BMI is harmful to Asians because people see "BMI good, no prob" when the Asian is already diabetic or prediabetic when using BMI, which is based on observation of Western fat people.

Me in particular, actually have none of the issues so commonly cited. I hate salt, have genetically low blood pressure, and zero history or risk of heart attacks. Nevertheless, excessive visceral fat, diabetes, and colon cancer are issues that could affect me without dietary intervention, even though I am currently 6ft, 125 lbs, and a male. And in my prior 33 years, only limited by capacity to eat, but not the type of foods I liked, which isn't too different from what obese people liked...not as bad, Gatorade, Muscle Milk quality rather than Twinkies, but it's still suboptimal.

Medicine exploits all the red herrings Westerners have so that they continue to screw themselves up while thinking they've fixed the problem. Reduction of salt helps, but the constant consumption of sugars and starches even without salt will still prevent lipolysis and cause blood vessel inflammation.

Calories in and calories out is not necessarily an incorrect paradigm, but it leads people to infer the matter of calorie control is strictly a left-brained activity with no hormonal influence, which the exact opposite of how sexual desire is treated. In addition, a false equivalence is attributed to the types of macros eaten, which is entirely inaccurate.

Though this little scientific fact is clearly settled and established, it isn't broadcast in health class or health documentaries. It's that the release and increase of insulin levels INHIBITS LIPOLYSIS, or essentially the metabolism of fats. So, while most monkeys eat up a bowl of pasta, fruit or granola bar, or Gatorade before running or lifting weights, they don't realize they have just switched their bodies to preferentially burn glucose over fat. Ironically, the only side of the dietary world that encourages letting lipolysis halppen is the keto/carnivore crowd.

Exercise is essentially the food industry's way to enslave the populace into laboring without producing fruits of labor. Let's just burn all that energy from that fertilized with nitrogren and phosphorous food consumed for...nothing in return except to the human doing the physical stimulation with nothing produced.

 

[Eyeseeing]

No one has yet explained why I need to exercise and why I can't just lose weight off a diet.

I'm not seeing much benefits of exercise, other than it "should help lose weight". But that's not true. I exercised every day for a year and didn't lose a pound.

Cardio is important for well being, your heart and lungs will thank you.
Resistance training builds muscle , the more muscle mass you have the more calories you will burn at rest.
You can diet and lose weight by itself but incorporating exercise is not only the healthiest route to weight loss but you will look and feel better.
1000 calories a day wouldn’t sustain a 12 year old girl,that’s not the way to do it

 

[GKJ]

If you’re exercising every day and going nowhere, it’s partially because your body is at a space it’s comfortable in. Exercising isn’t serving to lose weight at some point, it may even be an adjustment to expect it and appropriate resources.

I did it every day for a year and a half, combined with better eating habits. Now I’m 5-7 193-196 and haven’t been able to get solidly past that point even though I went from being able to run 3.5 miles a year ago to 7-10, sometimes up to 12 while being around 1500-2200 calories a day (depending on my activity), which sucks because another 10 pounds gets me to 100, but it probably just means I need to incorporate other exercise because my body thinks it needs to be where I’m at to be comfortable.

 

[x Tame Impala]

The absolute greatest thing a human can do for longevity is maximize the amount of muscle tissue on their frame. The benefits are incalculable. Stop worrying about weight.

That settles it then

 

[hotcabbagesoup]

If you’re exercising every day and going nowhere, it’s partially because your body is at a space it’s comfortable in. Exercising isn’t serving to lose weight at some point, it may even be an adjustment to expect it and appropriate resources.

I did it every day for a year and a half, combined with better eating habits. Now I’m 5-7 193-196 and haven’t been able to get solidly past that point even though I went from being able to run 3.5 miles a year ago to 7-10, sometimes up to 12 while being around 1500-2200 calories a day (depending on my activity), which sucks because another 10 pounds gets me to 100, but it probably just means I need to incorporate other exercise because my body thinks it needs to be where I’m at to be comfortable.

This. is. where I'm at too. Have you found a way to break that point? I play beer league hockey and ultimate frisbee four times a week, lift once.

 

[GKJ]

This. is. where I'm at too. Have you found a way to break that point? I play beer league hockey and ultimate frisbee four times a week, lift once.

Not yet, but other things are starting to occupy the time I was able to put into that, including the weather. Just have to rebalance things.

 

[Our Lady Peace]

Yes. Strength training with proper form, for example, is good for joint, tendon, muscle, and bone strength/longevity.

 

[DailyKaizen]

Excellent conversation here and the OP @John Price has been furnished with excellent answers and quality information.

Is anyone here familiar or a fan of David Goggins and his story…and journey to get fit?

Say what you will about him but who we admire and respect very much affects our own habits.

Daily Decisions Determine Destiny

 

[Joey Banana]

Honestly, there's a reason obesity is a huge societal problem.The deck is stacked against the human body, so if any individual finds a solution for themselves that isn't self-destructive - i say stick to it. The generally accepted wisdom clearly isn't moving the needle whatsoever, so you do what works for you.

My path was entirely different. For me, physical activity is the only thing that works. I try to eat moderately healthy because a balanced diet makes me feel and perform better. But my weight loss was all sweat, no broccoli.

 

[GKJ]

Honestly, there's a reason obesity is a huge societal problem.The deck is stacked against the human body, so if any individual finds a solution for themselves that isn't self-destructive - i say stick to it. The generally accepted wisdom clearly isn't moving the needle whatsoever, so you do what works for you.

My path was entirely different. For me, physical activity is the only thing that works. I try to eat moderately healthy because a balanced diet makes me feel and perform better. But my weight loss was all sweat, no broccoli.

I realize how much later this is, but also it is working against our anatomical nature. Imagine having one ‘good’ breakfast and/or dinner a day and now only having that over the course of a week with maybe only wild fruits/vegetables or something as “snacks” in the interim. Until relatively recently in the history of mammals, that was how humans ate and there has not been enough time for natural evolution to adjust to how humans eat now.

 

[Slats432]

I have done two 50 lb weight losses in my life. One was about 12 years ago and one was about 2 years ago.

Here are the keys.

1. Exercise is essential. It does more than burn fat. It produces brain chemicals that assist in the process of healthy living. And exercise means sweat. Not just walking.
2. Cut sugar, as far as it will go. Most can't go to zero but close to zero helps.
3. Do not snack after 7PM. If you need something, fruit or as low cal as you can get.


Good luck to all.

 

[toddkaz]

https://media.tenor.com/i8OMlZpe19AAAAAd/moneyball-gets-on-base.gif

 

[John Price]

 

[Dubi Doo]

Just do a slight diet and a lot of cardio. Once you get to a lower weight, then start doing strength workouts. Muscle adds a lot of weight!

 

[Dubi Doo]

I have done two 50 lb weight losses in my life. One was about 12 years ago and one was about 2 years ago.

Here are the keys.

1. Exercise is essential. It does more than burn fat. It produces brain chemicals that assist in the process of healthy living. And exercise means sweat. Not just walking.
2. Cut sugar, as far as it will go. Most can't go to zero but close to zero helps.
3. Do not snack after 7PM. If you need something, fruit or as low cal as you can get.


Good luck to all.

I believe walking is still a good cardio workout and burns calories; you just have to do it for a much longer duration than jogging or running.

 

[Slats432]

I believe walking is still a good cardio workout and burns calories; you just have to do it for a much longer duration than jogging or running.

To lose weight you must sweat. Walking is a good choice when you can't do more than that.

 

[LarKing]

To lose weight you must sweat. Walking is a good choice when you can't do more than that.

That isn't true. It's simply burning more calories than you take in with all other health factors assumed normal.

 

[Doublechin]

For the past year or so I been doing weight lifting 4 times a week(dumbbell exercises at home) 4x5 sets and hitting 12k steps a day. I also snowboard during winter and play basketball during summer.

That plus tracking calories as best as I can, I'm in the best shape in my adult life physically and fitness wise.

I don't think all the exercise would have mattered without trying to mainly be at a deficit, recently I'm more into maintenance or even surplus on weight lifting days

I've gone from a 30% BF to around 16 now

 

[EpochLink]

I gym about 4-5 times a week, each day is a different set routine.
I always do about 20 minutes of cardio plus stretching before each set.
As for my diet, I eat between 9-5 and nothing after that which I kick in my fasting.
Past year, my water weight has dropped off and I feel much lighter on my feet.
I cut out all the excess and it's show a big improvement.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Just do a slight diet and a lot of cardio. Once you get to a lower weight, then start doing strength workouts. Muscle adds a lot of weight!

Why wait to start building muscle?

The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll require, so you could still be eating a decent amount while maintaining or losing weight.