Exercise and weight loss

[FitTrey]

Hi Jeff,

One thing I am having trouble understanding about the Exercise Paradox is how could we just be finding this out now. All these years of promoting exercise for weight loss and there wasn't a controlled study done where they put some people on an aerobic exercise program and then see if they lose weight? I mean, wouldn't that have told us whether exercise helped with weight loss or not? If it doesn't work, where did the idea come from?

What about the studies on calorie density where they would say that in certain ranges people lost weight if they exercised? Or gained weight unless they exercised?

"Between ~400-~800 calories per pound, with some regular moderate exercise, most will lose weight.

Between ~800-~1200 calories per pound, most people gained weight, except for those with very high activity levels"

If exercise isn't burning more calories what accounts for those results?

[JeffN]

Thanks.

I think part of the problem is that we often want things to be very clear, definitive and black and white, but unfortunately, when dealing with a dynamic system (the human body), that is not how things work.

1. I think you may be misunderstanding the numbers in regard to calorie density. Those numbers are not from studies but from me and a few colleagues and our observations (not studies) of participants in our programs during a period of time. I explain this in the thread on the history and studies of calorie density

Calorie Density: The Studies & It's History
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=46303

The good news is the calorie density is becoming more and more popular and known and many more people are talking about it. The bad news is that along with this popularity comes those who are not qualified and may not be presenting it accurately and/or inflating what is known about it and what it can do.

You can see this in a conversation about some of the Calorie Density numbers here

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=52756


2) The Exercise Paradox is not carved in stone but a hypothesis that may explain more about what has been observed over quite some time. That is how I present it in my thread on the Exercise Paradox and that there is much more to know.

3) There has always been a few issues with the energy equation and over the decades we have learned more and more that have helped us put it into better perspective. Some of this has had to do with the metabolism of calories in (which we understand much better now) and some of it has had to do with the metabolism of energy out (which we are also understanding more about all the time). As far as I can remember, there has always been the comment that you win the battle over weight loss with the plate, not the treadmill.

So far I would say...

- Being sedentary is very unhealthy.

- Our bodies are meant to move and be active and there are quite a few health benefits we derive from that, but it doesn't take much activity/movement to get us from being sedentary to this level where we incur these health benefits with little risk.

- A higher level than this amount may not offer any more benefits or calorie burn and any added benefit or energy expenditure will be limited but may also increase certain risks.

- Excessive/extreme forms of aerobic exercise may not be burning as many calories as once thought as it appears the body may be undergoing a metabolic adaption to conserve/constrain energy expenditure

I hope that helps

In Health
Jeff

[FitTrey]

Yeah that does help some. That was my mistake about where those calorie density numbers came from. I really appreciate the take-away points; those are good things to keep in mind. I never primarily exercised to lose weight but like most people I thought it helped. The main reason I exercise is because it is the most effective thing I have tried for battling depression. And also resistance exercise to maintain muscle and strength and bone strength.

[JeffN]

Yeah that does help some. That was my mistake about where those calorie density numbers came from. I really appreciate the take-away points; those are good things to keep in mind. .

Thanks

I never primarily exercised to lose weight but like most people I thought it helped. The main reason I exercise is because it is the most effective thing I have tried for battling depression. And also resistance exercise to maintain muscle and strength and bone strength.

These are all good reasons to exercise and be active and do not require excessive amounts to reap the benefits

In Health
Jeff

[JeffN]

So far I would say...

- Being sedentary is very unhealthy.

- Our bodies are meant to move and be active and there are quite a few health benefits we derive from that, but it doesn't take much activity/movement to get us from being sedentary to this level where we incur these health benefits with little risk.

- A higher level than this amount may not offer any more benefits or calorie burn and any added benefit or energy expenditure will be limited but may also increase certain risks.

- Excessive/extreme forms of aerobic exercise may not be burning as many calories as once thought as it appears the body may be undergoing a metabolic adaption to conserve/constrain energy expenditure.

I hope that helps

In Health
Jeff

About a year ago, I made the above 4 points into a graph and slide for both discussion with my colleagues and also to present occasionally at the program. The most common question I would get is, what is that amount of exercise (and energy expenditure) that is needed to move us from point 1 to point 2. My answer was around 300-350 as a bare minimum and about 550-600 at the higher end. My reasoning behind this range is based on the amount of calories need to be active 30-60 minutes per day (i.e., brisk walk), and not be sedentary the rest of the day for an average adult. To see why I used this amount, you can read my full first post in my main exercise thread.

One of the lead researches behind the Exercise Paradox, Dr. Herman Ponzer, gave a recent talk, which you can see in this video (thanks KostasP) and he estimates it at about 600 cal/day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyLcaPcvDJg

Just another confirmation that:

- The battle of weight is won at the plate.
- Avoid being sedentary.
- Being active, whether through formal exercise (or the equivalent activity) is important.
- You can maximize the health benefit of this without risking injury with ~30-60 min/day of mod exercise or the equivalent activity.
- Brisk Walking may be one of the easiest, safest, inexpensive and accessible forms of moderate aerobic activity***.

In Health
Jeff

*** Brisk walking is one of the best forms of aerobic activity but we also want to include some focus on balance, flexibility and strength, all of which do not take a lot of time and can be fit into the 30-60 minutes per day.

PS here is the graph I made representing the original 4 points, which was inspired by the graphic genius of Dr Lisle.