You heard that right. You shouldn’t exercise to lose weight. New studies show that exercise doesn’t help lose weight in the long run and this article will cover why that is the case, why you should still exercise even though it doesn’t help you lose weight, and what you should do to lose weight.
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Exercise is for health, not fat loss.
Your body adapts to many things, including the amount of calories you burn. A new study showed that “in the long term, the amount of calories you burn is often relatively unrelated to your lifestyle.“
In this study, researchers focused on the Hadza people of Tanzania, a hunter-gatherer community, and compared how many calories they burned to people in industrialized societies, who tend to sit frequently.
The Hadza people walk an average of 8.6 kilometers per day, with men walking an average of 11.4 kilometers and women about 5.8 kilometers daily
It turned out that the Hadza burn the same amount of calories per day as a typical person in an industrialized country: around 1900 for women and around 2600 for men.
This is because we have a fixed number of calories our body wants to burn per day. Once you start burning more your body tries saving calories in other places without you knowing.
After a long run or intense workout, you might find yourself moving less throughout the rest of the day without even realizing it. You might take the elevator instead of the stairs or sleep more in turn saving more calories.
The body also becomes more efficient when exercising so you burn even fewer calories when running and exercising.
How long does it take the body to adapt?
The body doesn’t adapt immediately to increased physical activity, so when you suddenly start exercising more, you initially burn significantly more calories and may lose a few kilograms quickly.
However, over time, your body gradually adapts to the amount you’re exercising and it becomes more efficient, meaning you burn fewer calories for the same amount of exercise.
This combined with the body trying to save calories makes it so that after a few months you burn almost the same amount of calories as before you started exercising.
You Should Still Exercise
The purpose of this article isn’t to discourage you from exercising, but rather to help you understand why weight loss can be challenging and guide you in overcoming those challenges. If you’re unaware of how your body adapts to increased activity, you might be tempted to justify diet slip-ups. For instance, you might think, ‘I burned 500 calories running, so it’s okay to eat this donut.”
Even after losing weight, it’s important to remain active because your body still needs to burn calories efficiently.
Without regular exercise, those excess calories can contribute to chronic inflammation, increase stress on your body, and negatively affect heart health.
What to do to lose weight
While exercise is essential for overall health, when it comes to weight loss, the most effective strategy is to focus on your diet. Here’s an overview of the most important points and I recommend doing your own research alongside this.
1. Create a Caloric Deficit:
Losing weight is simple but hard and all you have to do is consume fewer calories than your body uses. Start by calculating your daily caloric needs and aim to consume 10-20% fewer calories than your body needs to maintain your current weight.
You can use a calorie intake calculator as long as you don’t input any exercise as the calculators don’t account for the adaptation I talked about in this article.
2. Prioritize Nutrient-Dense Foods:
The best way to eat less. Is to eat foods nutrient-dense foods that keep you full for longer. These include vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats. This will help regulate your metabolism, and provide the essential nutrients your body needs to function optimally while losing weight.
3. Limit Processed and Sugary Foods:
You should avoid processed foods and sugary snacks because they are often high in calories but low in nutritional value. They can also lead to spikes in blood sugar and increased hunger, making it more challenging to stick to your caloric deficit. Eating less of these foods can really help lose weight.
4. Stay Hydrated:
Drinking plenty of water can help with weight loss. Water can help control hunger and also support metabolism and digestion. Aim to drink at least 2 liters of water a day and as little soda or other beverages as possible.
5. Get A Good Amount Of Sleep:
Sleep is important in weight management. Lack of sleep can disrupt hormones that regulate hunger, leading to increased appetite and cravings. Aim for 8-9 hours of quality sleep each night to support your weight loss and overall health.
6. Be Patient and Consistent:
Weight loss takes a long time, and it’s important to be patient. For me, I feel happy about every small improvement I make which helps me stay consistent.
Consistency is key—over time, your efforts will lead to amazing results.
What about Professional athletes who burn 5000+ calories per day?
While it might seem appealing to train like professional endurance athletes to lose weight, it’s important to know that their high levels of physical activity are only possible by equally high caloric intake.
Endurance athletes burn thousands of calories daily, but they also consume enough calories to fuel their performance and recovery, often maintaining or even gaining weight to support their training demands.
For someone trying to lose weight, attempting to match the training volumes of these athletes without the same caloric intake could lead to fatigue, injury, or overtraining. You should simply focus on your diet.
Sources:
Herman Pontzer, The Exercise Paradox
