Weight loss through exercise
Many people try to lose weight by starting a regular program of aerobic exercise. The majority fail because they cannot maintain their motivation. What was a regular commitment slips to once a week and then gently fades away. The usual reason is that they failed to see immediate results from their efforts. They began with the idealised goal of shedding the kilos but, when the expected loss did not materialise, they gave up.
There is a real difference between “knowing” that you should do something and actually making the emotional commitment to carry it through. Those who are exercising out of vanity, expecting to look better after a week or so are the most easily discouraged. When the reality fails to match their inflated self-image, they find they do not have the time to continue the exercise. Those who have more pressing health problems have a stronger motivation to continue through the months, but many do not make it past six months.
This failure rate is largely caused by ignorance about how to lose weight. The basic research shows that aerobic exercise on its own is a poor way to lose weight. When combined with a low-calorie diet, the results show no better, or only little better, outcome than diet on its own. Thus, after a four-month program, aerobic exercise on its own usually produces no more than 3kg loss. Dieting on its own usually produces around 8kg loss and, when combined with exercise, the outcome is rarely better than 9kg.
The problem with research in this area is that the clinical studies find it difficult to prevent the majority of participants from dropping out before a reasonable period of time has passed. Nevertheless, the research findings are consistent even though they may not all be statistically representative. Where one session of exercise is around forty-five minutes, you will only burn around 200 calories. At that rate, it will take you about forty sessions to burn one kilo of fat.
To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you consume. Controlling your food intake is therefore as important as the physical effort you put in. If you are already overeating the “wrong” kind of food, the only real improvement you will experience through exercise is that you will become stronger and so carry the extra weight with less effort. The research shows that a combination of diet and exercise sheds fat rather than muscle. The exercise element helps to maintain muscle tone, but the key to success is increasing your heart rate, breathing harder while eating less. If your metabolic rate is raised, you will produce a net calorie loss with less effort. Maintaining the exercise is also vital if you are to prevent the weight reappearing after you stop dieting.
It does not have to be high-intensity exercise. It will be enough to walk at a reasonable speed for three or more hours a week. This should also be a clue for those who are older. Eating more healthy food as you grow less able to exercise is the only way to prevent gaining weight. Maintaining mobility does the rest.
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