Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin
(source)
A friend posted this article on Facebook yesterday from Time Magazine Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin. I commented on FB but thought I’d expand more on my little slice of cyber space. It’s a long article but the gist of it is that exercise alone won’t make you thin because exercising increases hunger causing you to eat more.
For the most part, I agree with the article, exercise as a mean to weight loss is way overrated. You many have heard the phrase, “abs are made in the kitchen” or you can’t “out train a poor diet”. For example, we’ve all seen people at the gym who are there everday busting their butt yet look the same for weeks or months on end. I was one of those people going to classes, lifting weights, and doing long cardio sessions yet always looking the same. Yes, over the years my workouts have changed but what really changed was my diet. When I started being really consistent with what and how much I was eating my thighs finally started to shrink and I could see the muscle that was hiding beneath the fat.
However the article gives humans little to not credit as is that it infers humans beings have little to no will power. I don’t believe it. Why? Maybe because I think we are more advanced than dogs. Personally, I feel the idea that we are slaves to biological urges is a big fat excuse at best and dangerous at worst. Yes, it’s natural to be hungry after a workout but we can choose a protein shake or a piece of chicken and fruit over a box of Fruity Pebbles. Two, I’ve met people who have developed iron will power. I’m not yet one of those people but aspire to be. Strong will power can be cultivated. It wasn’t too long ago that I could sit down and eat an entire loaf of King Hawaiian Bread and wash it down with a liter of soda. Back then I felt like I couldn’t stop no matter how full I was but you know what I’ve learned that I can stop. I could and often would like to do the same thing but for the most part I don’t. How? My will power has gotten stronger with practice.
The article talks about how we eat more on days we exercise. This has not been my experience. I find I eat better on days I exercise because I don’t want to ruin all my hard work and some days I feel like working out actually suppresses my appetite. The feeling of strength I get from pretending I’m She-Hulk in the gym spills over to my will power. Exercising gives me strength of mind. Exercising helps me to care more about my body and what I put into it. When I don’t exercise I’m more likely to blow the day off and “get back on track tomorrow.”
The article makes some mention of the health benefits of exercise but it doesn’t mention the benefits of lifting weights in regards to vanity such as sculpted shoulders or tight thighs (or in my case semi-tight thighs). I’m sure we all exercise to simply feel and age better. None of us really care about how we look in a bikini. But for you vain people out there 😉 if you want to see all your hard work in the gym then you got to watch it in the kitchen. Chances are if you simply “diet” without exercise you’ll end up skinny fat.
Overall, I think the article was spot on in stressing importance of diet in regards to weight loss but I felt it didn’t give us enough credit as humans beings. We can make choices that will get us to our goals. Lift some weights, do some cardio, resist those Krispy Kream cravings (unless it’s a sane day) and you will feel great and get your best body.
Hugs and High Fives,
Jenn
This is my (almost) sane quest for insane health. Let's 
props to this post!
Yeah, props on this post! And by the way, the other reason I do better on days I workout is because of the sheer time it takes for me to get to the gym, workout and get home. That alone increases the likelihood that I will stay within a decent calorie range!
UGH… that article was written by someone that knows NOTHING about proper health & wellness! Are you kidding me… “exercise works AGAINST losing weight because it makes you hungrier?” BOGUS STATEMENT right there! Actually, if exercise DOESN’T stimulate your metabolism… there’s something wrong!!!
Actually, both exercise AND eating stimulates your metabolism… which is why athletes eat smaller, lean balanced meals throughout the day AS WELL AS exercise, twice, sometimes 3 times a day (but for shorter durations then the average active person). By stimulating the metabolism more, you’ll be a lean, mean fuel burning machine all day! WooHoo!
If you are eating the RIGHT foods, “calories” alone will never make you fat!!! It’s the quality of those calories that MUST be considered! I eat the same amount of calories/day when I lean out for a competition then I do during OFF SEASON, but I also choose the foods I decide to fuel with (and WHEN) wisely!
…just thought I’d give you my 2 cents on THAT subject!
Thanks for the props!!!
Jessica – Remember this was an article written for the general population, not specifically athletes training for shows who tend to have strengthened their will power. It also wasn’t saying you shouldn’t exercise. If I understood it correctly it was saying, exercise alone won’t get you the body you want b/c most people will think they can eat more than they really can. I really don’t think that is an absurd statement. Most people overestimate how many calories they are burning when they work out. And it’s not uncommon for people to think (I know I’ve done this) “Oh I worked out that double cheeseburger doesn’t count” or “that extra cup of almonds does’t count” when it fact for the average person it will count.
That’s GREAT you get to eat the same calories on and off season. Everyone’s bodies are different and respond differently to different foods. I always have had to cut my calories back a bit (not a lot) no matter what I’m eating when I lean out for a show. Not only do I have to pay very close attention to calories but also what they are from and when I eat them. Personally speaking, I have also gained quite a bit a weight from extra calories even when they are from really healthy foods (specifically too much nut butters) so I’m afraid calories alone will make me fat.
Not to knock your choice to exercise 2-3 times a day but I do want readers to know that is unnecessary for the average person who is wanting to lose some fat. I rarely exercised more than once a day even when I was training for my shows. Once again I’m not intending to knock your choice but many readers are not training for shows and it’s hard enough for most people to fit one workout in a day. I just don’t want anyone to get discouraged!!! THANKS for your comment and sharing your experience with us!!!
I read this article and my biggest thought was that it’s sad for this to be published for the masses since it gives the idea of “why should I bother to exercise if it’s not going to do me any good?” The benefits of anyone exercising go so far beyond visible physical health and I hate to think that a person that may be at risk for heart disease or other issues that can be hindered due to lack of exercise, would choose to NOT get off the couch for at least 20 minutes per day after reading it.
Although I am perpetually fighting off extra weight and I do, for the most part, watch what I eat and exercise, we still have to think about people that don’t think like we do, but are content with a little exercise. They will derive health benefits from their effort, just not as much as if they were to go the extra mile!
Really GREAT point Dena!!! Thanks for sharing!!
I agree with you that this article did not mention the benefits of resistance training. They barely mentioned the benefits of any exercise but they were pretty much only talking about cardio. As someone said the sad part is that people are going to think that exercise is not worthwhile, while the point was more that exercise alone is not enough. People do not need any more excuse to be out of shape.
Have loved reading through your blog! I think I am a girl-hero even though I do not look like any of you! I am strong though:)
I hate articles like this….like Dena mentioned…they create the “why bother” attitude in the majority of Americans who think exercise=weight loss. Exercise = so much more and everyone can benefit from it. This was one reason I stopped my subscription to the popular fitness mag…the articles all seemed to have the “best workout for bikini” or “great legs in 6 easy steps” mentality…where is the “exercise feels so good and when you do it your body craves it the next day” ariticles were left out. If only we could read success stories all the time…that is the most motivating!!
I know I sent you an email but wanted to say on here you are clearly a girl hero!
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