Why Doesn't My Weight Go Down ?

[witold]

Loosing weight is simple in principle. It's executing the plan that is hard.

First calculate your Base Metabolic Rate. For men, it is: 66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

It is true that some people have a little higher metabolism and others a little lower. If you feel like you have low metabolism and this is the problem, then just adjust your caloric intake downwards.

Now that you know how many calories you need to maintain weight, you know what you need to do to lose weight. Each pound of fat is 3,500 calories. If you create a caloric deficit of 500/day, you will lose about 1 pound of fat in 7 days. Simple. How long does it take you to notice you lost 1lb of weight? Now you know how long it will take to lose 20lbs IF you sick to the diet *perfectly*.

The reason why exercise is a good idea is that it's a lot easier to exercise than to shave off 500 calories each day. The key is incorporating regular exercise into your lifestyle. It doesn't have to be very structured or very difficulty. Taking a decent paced hour walk in the morning and hour walk in the evening will help a lot. (roughly about 500 calorie deficit for 180lb individual)

Don't get hung up on the minutia of this strategy and that tip. You can incorporate those things later as your goals become more difficult. The only tip I would give is to eat a lot of low caloric density foods that fill you up and drink lots of water. It will relieve the feeling of hunger. Stay away from high caloric density foods like carbs (rice, deserts, breads) and anything fried. Those things will just kill your daily caloric intake because small amounts on the plate still equal to a ton of calories.

[robblok]

Loosing weight is simple in principle. It's executing the plan that is hard.

First calculate your Base Metabolic Rate. For men, it is: 66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

It is true that some people have a little higher metabolism and others a little lower. If you feel like you have low metabolism and this is the problem, then just adjust your caloric intake downwards.

Now that you know how many calories you need to maintain weight, you know what you need to do to lose weight. Each pound of fat is 3,500 calories. If you create a caloric deficit of 500/day, you will lose about 1 pound of fat in 7 days. Simple. How long does it take you to notice you lost 1lb of weight? Now you know how long it will take to lose 20lbs IF you sick to the diet *perfectly*.

The reason why exercise is a good idea is that it's a lot easier to exercise than to shave off 500 calories each day. The key is incorporating regular exercise into your lifestyle. It doesn't have to be very structured or very difficulty. Taking a decent paced hour walk in the morning and hour walk in the evening will help a lot. (roughly about 500 calorie deficit for 180lb individual)

Don't get hung up on the minutia of this strategy and that tip. You can incorporate those things later as your goals become more difficult. The only tip I would give is to eat a lot of low caloric density foods that fill you up and drink lots of water. It will relieve the feeling of hunger. Stay away from high caloric density foods like carbs (rice, deserts, breads) and anything fried. Those things will just kill your daily caloric intake because small amounts on the plate still equal to a ton of calories.

I like what your saying but i dont agree about how easy it is too burn 500 cals.. Its quite hard i do hard heavy lifting and i doubt that that burns 500 cals in the 45 min i train. So how can doing something a lot less intensive burn more

[moe666]

Even cycling for 1 hour is a stretch to burn 500 calories. In Mar. I spent a month at Wat Tam Wua monastary meditating we ate the same food as the monks and only two meals a day. Walking meditation twice a day for 45 min. a session and 1 hour of sweeping a day. I lost around 20 to 25 lbs in the 30 days. The diet was mostly rice and vegetables, some fruit, and very little protien. To my suprise I was never hungry after the lunch meal.

Edited May 25, 2010 by moe666

[besth]

I've never smoked but I'm in the same boat re making changes but not seeing wieght loss.

Its a simple equation, take in less calories than you burn. If you need to burn more, do so. If you can take in less do so. It really is that simple. just don't confuse simple for easy.

I understand your argument and agree with it but I don't understand this (numbers used for illustration):

Eat 1000 weigh 100 = stable weight (when smoking, stable weight for years)

Eat 1200 weight 120 = increasing and then stable weight (i.e. weight increasing and then stable after quitting smoking)

Eat 1000 weight 120 = stable weight (this should not be happening, weight should fall back to 100 as only eating 1000 - why not ?)

If the 120 body needs 1200 input then giving it only 1000 input should make it fall back from 120 to 100 but it isn't happening and I want to know why ?

Mercury, I'm afraid that it doesn't work that way.

The key point is (using your numbers), "Eat 1000 = stable weight" (at the time you quit smoking, "100")

When you ate more ("1200"), your weight increased (to "120", but it would have kept going up if you had gone on eating "1200").

Then you reduced your intake back to "1000", so your weight became "stable weight" again, but this time you were at a "120" weight.

To get your weight back to "100" you would need to eat "less than 1000" for a period of time, until you reach your target weight again. Then you can go back to the "Eat 1000" and maintain it.

[simon43]

I'm really confused about calories and weight loss. I understand the basic principle that if you eat less calories than your body needs to maintain a particular weight, or exercise to burn some of these calories, then the weight has to come off.

Well, that does not seem to occur in my case

I weigh 75kg, but want to lose about 5kg (my body size is 'compact', and my ideal weight would seem to be around 70kg)

I've used the excellent livestrong website which indicates that my daily calorie intake should be about 1,000 calories. I enter all my daily food items and find that my daily calorie intake is about 800 calories (sounds very low, but I have always eaten very little throughout my life). What's more, I jog every morning and this burns off about 200 more calories.

Despite this 'equation', I do not lose weight!

I don't drink or smoke, eat salads, fresh fruit, roughage etc, sleep about 6 hours every night (the level that my body is happy with).

So, what am I doing wrong here?

Advice welcome

Simon

[robblok]

I'm really confused about calories and weight loss. I understand the basic principle that if you eat less calories than your body needs to maintain a particular weight, or exercise to burn some of these calories, then the weight has to come off.

Well, that does not seem to occur in my case

I weigh 75kg, but want to lose about 5kg (my body size is 'compact', and my ideal weight would seem to be around 70kg)

I've used the excellent livestrong website which indicates that my daily calorie intake should be about 1,000 calories. I enter all my daily food items and find that my daily calorie intake is about 800 calories (sounds very low, but I have always eaten very little throughout my life). What's more, I jog every morning and this burns off about 200 more calories.

Despite this 'equation', I do not lose weight!

I don't drink or smoke, eat salads, fresh fruit, roughage etc, sleep about 6 hours every night (the level that my body is happy with).

So, what am I doing wrong here?

Advice welcome

Simon

Simon, the numbers don't always work. I should burn through calories fast (Big muscular guy 100+kg) But im trying to loose some extra fat to make my muscles come out better. I should burn at least over 2500-3000 cal. BUt i dont.. i eat only 1800 cals or less and still i loose weight slowly or not. So numbers dont always add up.

In your case you might really have put your body in starvation mode (then you wont loose any weight its something that we picked up while evolving). You could let a dr check your thyroid to see if its not too low. If so its hard to loose weight too.

Edited September 15, 2010 by robblok

[Sheryl]

Agree with recommendation to check thyroid, if really consuming only 1,000 cal a day and still no weight loss.

Any chance you are retaining water? As that would also affect weight.

[simon43]

Hi Sheryl, I don't think it's water retention. I drink a lot of water and fruit/veg juice everyday and I seem to 'process' it normally.

My low calorie intake is a characteristic that I've had for as long as I can remember. But I agree that it would be good to have my levels checked.

Simon

[jaideecm]

I've never smoked but I'm in the same boat re making changes but not seeing wieght loss.

Its a simple equation, take in less calories than you burn. If you need to burn more, do so. If you can take in less do so. It really is that simple. just don't confuse simple for easy.

Here are my photos before and after. I lost 36 kilos in just 8 months and had fun doing it.

No drugs, just smart eating end excercise. I feel great at 63 years young.

Cheers,

Randy

[richard_smith237]

I've had similar issues here. I never smoked much (less than 2-3 per day and maybe 10 when out socializing at weekends).

I quit smoking 4 months ago, my diet and exercise didn't change - I put on approximately 6 kgs in 4 months. I can only assume that the occasional cigarette helped maintain a higher metabolism (is this possible?).

Now, I walk 45mins to an hour each day, every couple of days I run interval training (i.e. 2 mins slow, 2 mins fast) on a tread mill, and complete a 20 minute (upper body) weights routine 5 days a week. My diet has not changed with the exception of cutting out rice and bread, and cutting down on potatoes and pasta.

In one month I don’t feel I've lost any of the fat that has built up. I'd guess I'm now 10 kgs over weight (I'd like to get back to below 85 kgs (I'm 183cm in height).

The only thing I can do is to keep at it. It doesn't bother me much - but I'd like to feel more trim and not stretch the clothes which fit me well a year ago !

[robblok]

I think many people face this problem. Im loosing weight again but it goes real slow. I am really giving it all cardio, diet, weightlifting. But i accept that it will be slow.

@richard, are you sure your not putting on muscle or were you already working out before the weight gain.

I am a little shorter then you im around 180 cm and 100kgs. I do have some fat but nothing in the way of a beer belly. My chest is still bigger as my belly and so are my upper abs. I just want to loose more fat to give my muscles a better look. Ideally i would want to go to 90kgs I should look real ripped at that weight.

The reason im telling you this is that weight does not tell the full story. You could be loosing fat. Though you should notice it a bit around the waist then.

[23962323]

Put this on another thread,download the BBC "The truth about exercise". It is true some people (,quite a few actually ) are immune to weight loss with concentrated exercise,in short gym work is no good. Picking up the daily general level of movement plus very concentrated bursts of energy ,about 2 minutes worth 3xs a session did the most good and that was only to change blood composition.

Cannot get fat on fresh air for sure,it comes off eventually

[robblok]

Put this on another thread,download the BBC "The truth about exercise". It is true some people (,quite a few actually ) are immune to weight loss with concentrated exercise,in short gym work is no good. Picking up the daily general level of movement plus very concentrated bursts of energy ,about 2 minutes worth 3xs a session did the most good and that was only to change blood composition.

Cannot get fat on fresh air for sure,it comes off eventually

Im pretty sure exercise does many good things for the body. But diet is much better for fat loss. But when the two come together it works even better. I am sure this is one of those research pieces helping people to stay lazy. Probably totally out of context but it will keep many from going into a gym.

Its not all about weight loss.. how about cardiovascular fitness. Or not getting flabby when you finally loose the weight. So many benefits of exercise and then you get something this stupid on tv.

[richard_smith237]

I think many people face this problem. Im loosing weight again but it goes real slow. I am really giving it all cardio, diet, weightlifting. But i accept that it will be slow.

@richard, are you sure your not putting on muscle or were you already working out before the weight gain.

I am a little shorter then you im around 180 cm and 100kgs. I do have some fat but nothing in the way of a beer belly. My chest is still bigger as my belly and so are my upper abs. I just want to loose more fat to give my muscles a better look. Ideally i would want to go to 90kgs I should look real ripped at that weight.

The reason im telling you this is that weight does not tell the full story. You could be loosing fat. Though you should notice it a bit around the waist then.

The weight gain due to muscle increas is understood - But we all know when we are carrying too much fat and starting to "Pinch" too much...... The chest is still larger than the waist, the waist however is growing !!... I need to stop that !

[robblok]

Then you will have to cut down on what your eating. Training is good for your whole body but not a real effective way to loose weight. It does certainly help but the most important thing is trying not to eat too much.

Do you eat out a lot or can you prepare your food yourself ?. I got a nice calorie counter for iphones ipads ect. For me it works great. Now i dont use it so much anymore because i eat the same stuff most of the time. When i add new things i start logging again.

[poanoi]

This worked for me:

I had spaghetti with tuna & tomato and lotsa spice for breakfast & dinner,

and youghurt with low fat cheese mix in evening if i was very hungry.

Then i kept living on that diet and nothing else for half a year.

I went from 120 kg to 84.

Btw i did nothing but sleep & play computer during that time

Edited March 12, 2012 by poanoi

[23962323]

Put this on another thread,download the BBC "The truth about exercise". It is true some people (,quite a few actually ) are immune to weight loss with concentrated exercise,in short gym work is no good. Picking up the daily general level of movement plus very concentrated bursts of energy ,about 2 minutes worth 3xs a session did the most good and that was only to change blood composition.

Cannot get fat on fresh air for sure,it comes off eventually

Im pretty sure exercise does many good things for the body. But diet is much better for fat loss. But when the two come together it works even better. I am sure this is one of those research pieces helping people to stay lazy. Probably totally out of context but it will keep many from going into a gym.

Its not all about weight loss.. how about cardiovascular fitness. Or not getting flabby when you finally loose the weight. So many benefits of exercise and then you get something this stupid on tv.

Glad you decided to look (or not) only stupid people comment on something they do not know about

[robblok]

Put this on another thread,download the BBC "The truth about exercise". It is true some people (,quite a few actually ) are immune to weight loss with concentrated exercise,in short gym work is no good. Picking up the daily general level of movement plus very concentrated bursts of energy ,about 2 minutes worth 3xs a session did the most good and that was only to change blood composition.

Cannot get fat on fresh air for sure,it comes off eventually

Im pretty sure exercise does many good things for the body. But diet is much better for fat loss. But when the two come together it works even better. I am sure this is one of those research pieces helping people to stay lazy. Probably totally out of context but it will keep many from going into a gym.

Its not all about weight loss.. how about cardiovascular fitness. Or not getting flabby when you finally loose the weight. So many benefits of exercise and then you get something this stupid on tv.

Glad you decided to look (or not) only stupid people comment on something they do not know about

I actually tried to find it but could not. Did find some remarks on it that were similar to mine.

Lets put it this way i could come with 100 research results saying the opposite of those finds. But it is a great excuse not to workout for the lazy.

However i do believe diet goes before exercise for weight loss, though i think both should be combined.

Just think of your blood pressure

Stamina

Bone density

Cardiovascular fitness

I could go on but lazy people don't like to change.

[Swiss1960]

The latest research shows that exercise doesn't help you lose weight. What it does is help the body maintain at whatever weight you are at. The body adjusts your metabolism and appetite levels to maintain a certain weight. What weight it sets to maintain at is what its used to and any perturbation the body will act to get back to the previous level.

The kind of things the body can do is very impressive, from changing the metabolic rate and changing body temperature, to changing enzyme levels in the digestive tract and fat cells, all the way to altering macro behaviour such as the amount of clothes you wear.

This is why most diets fail. If you're fighting against your own body, you're usually going to lose. You need to reset the body to want to maintain a lower weight

Sorry, but that is complete rubbish... of course, exercise helps you burn fat, but you must do the right things:

- you can do weights, then of course you can win more muscles than you burn fat...

- you can do exercise like crosstrainer with low Watt figures and heart beat within the 130-140 area, then you REALLY burn fat when you do 30-60 minutes

- you can do exercise like bycicles or spinning with high Watt or high heart beat rates, then you don't burn too much fat but gain on endurance only...

Exercise together with a healthy nutrition (which does not mean dieting and being hungry) will DEFINITELY help you burn fat and loose weight without gaining muscles => I have lost almost 20kg in less than 3 months this way.

[jaideecm]

The best activity to begin burning calories faster is good arobic workout which can be any activity that gets your heart rate up for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.

Figure the perfect heart rate for you when you exercise.

220 minus your age times .80

Example: 220

50 if 50 years old = 180 x .80 = 144

This means you should keep your heart rate at 144 during your aerobic or cardio workout.

Build Muscle This is a good way to burn fat long term. Strength training builds muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn all the time, even after your workout.

As a bonus, more muscle means you can eat more and gain less! Every pound of lean muscle burns 35 calories a day, while each pound of fat burns just 2 calories per day.

Eat 5-6 small meals every day instead of 3 big ones. When there are too many hours between meals, your body thinks it's starving and burns calories slower to compensate. If you then eat a huge meal your body stores the extra calories as fat. Try to get into the habit of eating a little bit every couple of hours. Over time, this can really boost your rate of calorie burning.

Eat foods that speed metabolism. There's lots of buzz about red pepper or green tea having this effect, and some studies have shown they can increase the number of calories burned by 20%.

Protein generally requires about 25% more energy to digest, so it follows that a high-protein snack might be more effective than a high-carb food.

Bottom line: The best bet for keeping metabolism high: Build muscle, snack on low-calorie, high-protein foods, and keep moving.

Burning Calories

In fact, of the total calories burned in a day, about....

• 60% are from basic body functions or BMR
  
• 30% are from daily activity
  
• 10% are from eating, and digestive functions
  

The number of calories you need per day varies depending on many factors....but one thing is certain....burning more calories than you take in is the only way to lose weight.

Burn the Fat!

For every pound of fat you want to lose, you will need to burn 3500 more calories than you eat, through increased activity or decreased eating or a combination of the two. With a healthy diet and regular activity, losing 2-3 pounds of fat per week is a reasonable healthy goal. That might not sound like much, but just think, that amounts to...

Total Calories Burned

The number of calories you burn with exercise depends upon your weight, your activity and the intensity level of your exercise. Any activity that you perform can be done at a variety of intensity levels.

If you exercise at a higher intensity level, you will be working harder, expending more energy and burning calories faster than someone who is not working as hard.

Walking, biking, running and swimming are all great calorie burning activities.

Use the chart below to see how many calories you can burn with your favorite activity.

Type of Exercise

Calories/hour

Housework

160

Golf

240

Gardening

250

Walking, 3mph

280

Tennis

350

Swimming

400

Rollerblading/Skating

420

Aerobic Dance

420

Aerobics

450

Bicycling

450

Jogging, 5mph

500

Swimming

500

Cross Country skiing

500

Hiking

500

Step Aerobics

550

Rowing

550

Power Walking

600

Stationary Bike

650

Jumping Rope

700

Running

700

Weight control and health eating is a balancing act...

Eating enough for optimum health and energy versus the need to control food intake for weight management.

You can roughly estimate your body's daily calorie needs using this simple formula:

For sedentary people: Weight x 14 = estimated cal/day

For moderately active people: Weight x 17 = estimated cal/day

For active people: Weight x 20 = estimated cal/day

Remember that if you're trying to lose one pound per week, you'll need to create a calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day, either through diet, exercise or a combination of both.

And that's easy to do! Cutting out any high-fat foods along with a brisk daily walk or workout for 30 minutes will put you well on your way towards your goal.

Understanding your body's calorie requirements is the first step in any weight loss program. Many people believe that percentage of carbs, protein and fat are important in a healthy eating program. But weight loss does not depend on this kind of precision-eating. Weight loss occurs when you eat fewer calories than you burn, irrespective of the source of these calories.

If you really insist on having a dietary road-map, then you might eat about: 55 percent of calories from carbs; about 15-20 per cent calories from protein; and the balance in the form of fat.

But a healthy diet is basically a 'balanced' diet. This means eating a variety of foods from all the main food groups.

Once you have that information, you can begin to plan your nutritional choices for healthy eating, health related fitness and a healthier, happier life!

Randy

[23962323]

The latest research shows that exercise doesn't help you lose weight. What it does is help the body maintain at whatever weight you are at. The body adjusts your metabolism and appetite levels to maintain a certain weight. What weight it sets to maintain at is what its used to and any perturbation the body will act to get back to the previous level.

The kind of things the body can do is very impressive, from changing the metabolic rate and changing body temperature, to changing enzyme levels in the digestive tract and fat cells, all the way to altering macro behaviour such as the amount of clothes you wear.

This is why most diets fail. If you're fighting against your own body, you're usually going to lose. You need to reset the body to want to maintain a lower weight

Sorry, but that is complete rubbish... of course, exercise helps you burn fat, but you must do the right things:

- you can do weights, then of course you can win more muscles than you burn fat...

- you can do exercise like crosstrainer with low Watt figures and heart beat within the 130-140 area, then you REALLY burn fat when you do 30-60 minutes

- you can do exercise like bycicles or spinning with high Watt or high heart beat rates, then you don't burn too much fat but gain on endurance only...

Exercise together with a healthy nutrition (which does not mean dieting and being hungry) will DEFINITELY help you burn fat and loose weight without gaining muscles => I have lost almost 20kg in less than 3 months this way.

You said it,rubbish. I see hundreds ,thousands exercising and no results in the fat losing game. Exercise for loss of weight is a total waste,diet is the way 100%. Exercise in moderation especially for the middle aged is the best way it was calculated you have to hard run 35 miles to get a pound of weight off and at the end of the run all you wanted to do is gorge on food. A couch potato can lose weight,just diet

[23962323]

The best activity to begin burning calories faster is good arobic workout which can be any activity that gets your heart rate up for a minimum of 30 minutes a day.

Figure the perfect heart rate for you when you exercise.

220 minus your age times .80

Example: 220

50 if 50 years old = 180 x .80 = 144

This means you should keep your heart rate at 144 during your aerobic or cardio workout.

Build Muscle This is a good way to burn fat long term. Strength training builds muscle and muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscle tissue you have, the more calories you burn all the time, even after your workout.

As a bonus, more muscle means you can eat more and gain less! Every pound of lean muscle burns 35 calories a day, while each pound of fat burns just 2 calories per day.

Eat 5-6 small meals every day instead of 3 big ones. When there are too many hours between meals, your body thinks it's starving and burns calories slower to compensate. If you then eat a huge meal your body stores the extra calories as fat. Try to get into the habit of eating a little bit every couple of hours. Over time, this can really boost your rate of calorie burning.

Eat foods that speed metabolism. There's lots of buzz about red pepper or green tea having this effect, and some studies have shown they can increase the number of calories burned by 20%.

Protein generally requires about 25% more energy to digest, so it follows that a high-protein snack might be more effective than a high-carb food.

Bottom line: The best bet for keeping metabolism high: Build muscle, snack on low-calorie, high-protein foods, and keep moving.

Burning Calories

In fact, of the total calories burned in a day, about....

• 60% are from basic body functions or BMR
  
• 30% are from daily activity
  
• 10% are from eating, and digestive functions
  

The number of calories you need per day varies depending on many factors....but one thing is certain....burning more calories than you take in is the only way to lose weight.

Burn the Fat!

For every pound of fat you want to lose, you will need to burn 3500 more calories than you eat, through increased activity or decreased eating or a combination of the two. With a healthy diet and regular activity, losing 2-3 pounds of fat per week is a reasonable healthy goal. That might not sound like much, but just think, that amounts to...

Total Calories Burned

The number of calories you burn with exercise depends upon your weight, your activity and the intensity level of your exercise. Any activity that you perform can be done at a variety of intensity levels.

If you exercise at a higher intensity level, you will be working harder, expending more energy and burning calories faster than someone who is not working as hard.

Walking, biking, running and swimming are all great calorie burning activities.

Use the chart below to see how many calories you can burn with your favorite activity.

Type of Exercise

Calories/hour

Housework

160

Golf

240

Gardening

250

Walking, 3mph

280

Tennis

350

Swimming

400

Rollerblading/Skating

420

Aerobic Dance

420

Aerobics

450

Bicycling

450

Jogging, 5mph

500

Swimming

500

Cross Country skiing

500

Hiking

500

Step Aerobics

550

Rowing

550

Power Walking

600

Stationary Bike

650

Jumping Rope

700

Running

700

Weight control and health eating is a balancing act...

Eating enough for optimum health and energy versus the need to control food intake for weight management.

You can roughly estimate your body's daily calorie needs using this simple formula:

For sedentary people: Weight x 14 = estimated cal/day

For moderately active people: Weight x 17 = estimated cal/day

For active people: Weight x 20 = estimated cal/day

Remember that if you're trying to lose one pound per week, you'll need to create a calorie deficit of about 500 calories per day, either through diet, exercise or a combination of both.

And that's easy to do! Cutting out any high-fat foods along with a brisk daily walk or workout for 30 minutes will put you well on your way towards your goal.

Understanding your body's calorie requirements is the first step in any weight loss program. Many people believe that percentage of carbs, protein and fat are important in a healthy eating program. But weight loss does not depend on this kind of precision-eating. Weight loss occurs when you eat fewer calories than you burn, irrespective of the source of these calories.

If you really insist on having a dietary road-map, then you might eat about: 55 percent of calories from carbs; about 15-20 per cent calories from protein; and the balance in the form of fat.

But a healthy diet is basically a 'balanced' diet. This means eating a variety of foods from all the main food groups.

Once you have that information, you can begin to plan your nutritional choices for healthy eating, health related fitness and a healthier, happier life!

Randy

A lot of information here,personally I would bin it,.......download the BBC " The truth about exercise"

[robblok]

Its always fun reading all the excuses why not to exercise. Its a sign of lazy people.

I do agree that exercise will not help without a proper diet. You can exercise forever and still don't loose weight if you are not on a calory deficit. Also exercise does not burn as much as people think. Especially for beginners. But combine the two and you got a winning combination

• Reduce the risk of premature death
  
• Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease
  
• Reduce high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure
  
• Reduce high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol
  
• Reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer
  
• Reduce the risk of developing diabetes
  
• Reduce or maintain body weight or body fat
  
• Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints
  
• Reduce depression and anxiety
  
• Improve psychological well-being
  
• Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance
  

Just diet alone wont do that. But then again it means you have to work out.. wow did i say something bad here..

[23962323]

Its always fun reading all the excuses why not to exercise. Its a sign of lazy people.

I do agree that exercise will not help without a proper diet. You can exercise forever and still don't loose weight if you are not on a calory deficit. Also exercise does not burn as much as people think. Especially for beginners. But combine the two and you got a winning combination

• Reduce the risk of premature death
  
• Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease
  
• Reduce high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure
  
• Reduce high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol
  
• Reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer
  
• Reduce the risk of developing diabetes
  
• Reduce or maintain body weight or body fat
  
• Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints
  
• Reduce depression and anxiety
  
• Improve psychological well-being
  
• Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance
  

Just diet alone wont do that. But then again it means you have to work out.. wow did i say something bad here..

Who said no exercise? I go most days to the gym,but I sure do not go there with the aim of losing weight,it just does not work for me. Yes Yes Yes to all the above,but as this is a weight loss thread I will stick to that. Diet is the means and end to weight loss.

[robblok]

Its always fun reading all the excuses why not to exercise. Its a sign of lazy people.

I do agree that exercise will not help without a proper diet. You can exercise forever and still don't loose weight if you are not on a calory deficit. Also exercise does not burn as much as people think. Especially for beginners. But combine the two and you got a winning combination

• Reduce the risk of premature death
  
• Reduce the risk of developing and/or dying from heart disease
  
• Reduce high blood pressure or the risk of developing high blood pressure
  
• Reduce high cholesterol or the risk of developing high cholesterol
  
• Reduce the risk of developing colon cancer and breast cancer
  
• Reduce the risk of developing diabetes
  
• Reduce or maintain body weight or body fat
  
• Build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints
  
• Reduce depression and anxiety
  
• Improve psychological well-being
  
• Enhanced work, recreation, and sport performance
  

Just diet alone wont do that. But then again it means you have to work out.. wow did i say something bad here..

Who said no exercise? I go most days to the gym,but I sure do not go there with the aim of losing weight,it just does not work for me. Yes Yes Yes to all the above,but as this is a weight loss thread I will stick to that. Diet is the means and end to weight loss.

I am sure that with a proper diet exercise helps. You can build up a larger calorie deficit then. But its easier to eat 500 calories less then to burn them Unless of course you are already real low in your calories.

But you do burn fat during exercise. Because after 20 minutes you have exhausted all stores of normal fuel and then the body starts to burn fat. But if you later fill it all up again with food you wont loose any fat.

I am still not sure about the starving reflex many talk about. I am real low in calories and not loosing much weight. Might be that but i'm still not convinced it works that way.

[tropo]

Put this on another thread,download the BBC "The truth about exercise". It is true some people (,quite a few actually ) are immune to weight loss with concentrated exercise,in short gym work is no good. Picking up the daily general level of movement plus very concentrated bursts of energy ,about 2 minutes worth 3xs a session did the most good and that was only to change blood composition.

Cannot get fat on fresh air for sure,it comes off eventually

Yes, I downloaded that BBC documentary and watched it - last week.

There were so many holes in that so called science I wouldn't know where to begin but that would require another thread to cover it all.

Don't believe everything you read or watch. If you want to believe that some people don't respond to exercise and that gives you an excuse to not exercise, then that's your prerogative but you need to research deeper to find the truth.

[tropo]

Who said no exercise? I go most days to the gym,but I sure do not go there with the aim of losing weight,it just does not work for me. Yes Yes Yes to all the above,but as this is a weight loss thread I will stick to that. Diet is the means and end to weight loss.

So what if you go to the gym most days? You're not losing weight because you're not doing it right. There's a lot one can do in the gym. Some guys go there to talk and socialize.

... and of course there's the obvious reason why you don't lose fat at the gym - you don't believe you can therefore you don't try.

If you trained like I train you'll lose fat - guaranteed - but be prepared to work your a** off like you've never done before.

[chiang mai]

I smoked cigerettes for almost forty years then four years ago I finally got smart and quit, as if that wasn't enough I started to go to the gym on a regular basis! The results of my efforts showed up in my blood tests, my cholesterol, triglycerides levels etc were excellent, unfortunately I continued to chew nicorette gum for too long and when I finally quit that my weight soared. I had previously been a skinny (but healthy) 178lbs but within three months of quitting the gum I was up to 200lbs and my blood test results were dire, despite continuing to go to the gym on a regular basis.

Today I'm in the process of doing drastic things, I'm now on a diet of alien foods such as carrots, celery, tuna and fruit and I'm in the gym almost every day - the catalyst for this was a blood test that showed my fasting blood sugar levels at pre-diabetic stage and I'll be damned if I want to go that route. So, lots of work to be done but I'm determined and I will suceed, my target is 180lbs.

The task of weight loss for ex-smokers is really difficult, especially if your body has been conditioned to metabolise food at a specific rate for many years. But whilst I enjoyed being 200lbs for a short period I'd much rather be a skinny 170lbs and healthy. I'll never again make rude remarks about folks who are overweight, I promise.

[robblok]

The thing is its just harder for some people to loose weight then for other people. I am one of those people. I lost weight since early this year around 9 kg (probably more because im lifting a lot heavier weights then before and my muscles look bigger) So the net fat loss might be more.

But that is nothing compared to the results some people post here, also others seem to have results by doing almost nothing while i hit the gym a lot and weigh my food ect.

So i think pretty much everyone can loose weight if they are determined. It just wont go fast for everyone. I don't have much respect for overweight people complaining about their weight but not really wanting to go for it.

[Swiss1960]

The latest research shows that exercise doesn't help you lose weight. What it does is help the body maintain at whatever weight you are at. The body adjusts your metabolism and appetite levels to maintain a certain weight. What weight it sets to maintain at is what its used to and any perturbation the body will act to get back to the previous level.

The kind of things the body can do is very impressive, from changing the metabolic rate and changing body temperature, to changing enzyme levels in the digestive tract and fat cells, all the way to altering macro behaviour such as the amount of clothes you wear.

This is why most diets fail. If you're fighting against your own body, you're usually going to lose. You need to reset the body to want to maintain a lower weight

Sorry, but that is complete rubbish... of course, exercise helps you burn fat, but you must do the right things:

- you can do weights, then of course you can win more muscles than you burn fat...

- you can do exercise like crosstrainer with low Watt figures and heart beat within the 130-140 area, then you REALLY burn fat when you do 30-60 minutes

- you can do exercise like bycicles or spinning with high Watt or high heart beat rates, then you don't burn too much fat but gain on endurance only...

Exercise together with a healthy nutrition (which does not mean dieting and being hungry) will DEFINITELY help you burn fat and loose weight without gaining muscles => I have lost almost 20kg in less than 3 months this way.

You said it,rubbish. I see hundreds ,thousands exercising and no results in the fat losing game. Exercise for loss of weight is a total waste,diet is the way 100%. Exercise in moderation especially for the middle aged is the best way it was calculated you have to hard run 35 miles to get a pound of weight off and at the end of the run all you wanted to do is gorge on food. A couch potato can lose weight,just diet

Even more rubbish... and I am almost sure you just want to believe it, because it is your excuse for not doing any sports. Beside all the side-effects that robblok mentioned above, excercise burns calories... I do 50 minutes on a cross-trainer in the evening with heart rate around 135-140 and average Watt of 100 and I burn 400-500 additional Kcal and I see the effect of around 1/2kg less weight in the morning. Of course it has to do that I am not such a sissy who eats cheese and bred after excercise but take a non-fat yoghurt and and an apple or orange after training, and that is called discipline...

I said it before, I have lost 20kg with the combination of healthy food, no more daily beers and excercise. I have never in that time been hungry (well... first two weeks till the stomach got used to no more big dinners...) and I can control my weigth down to 1/2kg on a daily basis and don't need to fear any yo-yo effect like you will see in all those eat-half diets out there.

But again... if you want to use whatever "scientific" internet articles as an excuse to NOT do sports together with your healthy diet... up to you.