Exercise May Not Be Enough To Lose Weight

Posted in Fat Loss Methods
1 Comment

29
July

Posted by Kait  

People who exercise regularly will tell you they feel better. It improves their health, mood, strength and endurance. However what they don’t say is, in reality, the main reason for physical activity is fat loss.

You’ve probably heard time and again, to lose weight you have to exercise and watch what you eat… calories burned must be more than calories eaten.  So we hit the gym or we workout at home thinking we’ll eventually see the number on the scale inch its way down. But sometimes it just doesn’t seem to work.  You’ve been working out and your weight just won’t budge. It’s frustrating to say the least and many of us just want to throw in the towel and give up.

Don’t give up just yet!

First, you may need a reality check about what to expect from exercise. Here are five truths about exercise and your weight.

1. Exercise is only part of fat loss.
No matter what you’re doing, sitting all day or working your butt off in the gym, there’s no getting around the calories in and calories out rule. Many of those who get frustrated, think that if they workout 3 times a week for 30 minutes, the pounds should just melt off. What they don’t acknowledge is they are still eating too much. While exercise is very good for anyone, it takes a healthy diet along with exercise to lose fat.

2. Exercise is a must for weight maintenance.
Fact is, no matter how you lose extra pounds, you’re going to need to be active to keep them off. I can’t say it enough, healthy diet and exercise go hand in hand. If you focus on diet alone, you won’t be very successful in keeping the fat off if you don’t exercise regularly.

3. Food splurges may undo your efforts.
Exercise may not buy you as much calorie wiggle room as you think. Some people think just because they have a killer workout, it gives them room to eat more. Wrong. It’s so easy to eat too much and not realize it.  Track your intake for one day and see just how much you really eat. You may be surprised. Don’t blow your hard work by splurging after a good workout.

4. Exercise machines may not tell the whole calorie story.
Everyone’s metabolism is different. Treadmills and other exercise gear often have monitors that estimate how many calories you’re burning. They are just an estimate based on your weight and they don’t take into account if that weight is made of fat or muscle which makes a huge difference in the amount of calories you would really burn.

5. Workouts may not be enough.
Don’t just rely on your workouts to burn calories. For your best chances, lead a physically active lifestyle that goes above and beyond a brief bout of exercise. As much as calories in, calories out matters, don’t forget about stress, sleep, and other factors that can affect your weight. We really need to look at our entire lifestyle.