The cover story of the August 9, 2009 issue of Time Magazine was, “Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin.” This article stirred debate about the role of exercise in controlling body fat. ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) felt compelled to issue a statement responding to the suggestion that exercise is not a central component to turning around the growing epidemic of obesity in America. Many health experts feared that Americans would not initiate or would quit their exercise programs at the suggestion that it was not going to help them control their weight.
People who actually read the article would learn that the author John Cloud was basically saying that exercise does not allow you to eat anything you want. He makes the point that all too commonly people will stop off at their favorite coffee shop and reward themselves with a coffee and muffin after exercise. The problem is that the calories in a half of muffin often are more than the calories many people burn in their 30-minute exercise session. If you eat the whole muffin, over time, you will not lose weight, you will gradually gain weight!
How often do you see people on the elliptical trainer drinking a 16 ounces sports drink during their 30 minute session? A 170 lb individual at a typical effort level on an elliptical trainer will burn about 250 calories. 16 oz of sports drink alone will put back 40 percent of those calories. The truth is that water is better for most exercise sessions under an hour. A person who has exercised will feel increased appetite and consume more calories than they would have had they gone for an easy 30 minute walk. With only 150 calories to spare from their exercise, it seems likely that the person will easily eat those calories and more. Then they wonder why they gain weight at the end of their first month of exercise. This problem is made worse by the fact that the unconditioned individual may actually burn fewer calories the rest of the day, because they are tired from their exercise.
The John Cloud article can help you avoid common pitfalls people make when they begin an exercise program to lose weight. The fact remains that most people who are successful at steady body-fat loss do have an exercise program. However, all people who are successful have one thing in common: They burn more calories than they consume. It is a numbers game. There are 3,500 calories in a pound of fat. If you have a deficit of 500 calories a day (from eating less or exercising more), you will lose one pound of fat in a week (7 X 500=3,500). The duration and intensity of exercise will affect the increase in appetite that many people experience. (See my blog “Exercise and Weight Gain: Success and Failure”)
Keeping a diary of all food intake has been a tool used by professionals for many years. Now online calorie counters make it easier to track your calories consumed and expended. There are even applications available for iPhone that will track your daily balance of calories out and in. I think these programs are valuable for people as an educational tool. They are fairly accurate and quickly expose misconceptions. You may learn that the handful of nuts you eat midday are your real enemy. Or you may be surprised by the number of calories you burn in your exercise. One thing is for sure, you should keep moving. Obese people sit on average two hours a day more than thin people. Just keep moving. After dinner, get out the door and go for a walk. You may find that you feel full and avoid the snacks that turn your day into a plus calorie day. If you want to make a dramatic change in your body fat, you will have to make a dramatic change in your caloric balance. Keeping the same patterns will not result in changes to your health and body-fat composition. The tools available to day to help track your balance make a lot easier to identify and resolve roadblocks that keep you from achieving your goals
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