Exercise: A Poor Tool for Weight Loss
Authored by Kyle Golden (April 23, 2024)
The science is clear and the figures are conclusive. Regardless of how much you exercise, you cannot achieve and maintain weight loss if you continuously follow an unhealthy diet. We've often heard that if you consume 300 calories and your workout burns 400 calories, you should be losing weight, or at least maintaining it. However, this isn't the case for many people. So, what's happening? Have we been misled?
To answer this question, we need to explore how diet influences weight and how our bodies adapt to our eating habits over time. Firstly, a calorie isn't always just a calorie. Our bodies process different foods in various ways.
Many Americans eat what is called a standard American diet (SAD). It typically consists of high levels of red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened foods and drinks, fried foods, refined grains, highly processed prepared foods, and high-fat dairy products. It is typically low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, plant-proteins, and fiber. This diet tends to be high in saturated fats, salt, and added sugars, and lacks essential nutrients, contributing to an increased risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
Our bodies handle whole plant-based foods and ultra-processed foods differently. When we consume whole plant-based foods, our bodies receive a rich supply of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This type of food is digested slowly, keeping us satisfied and helping to regulate our metabolism. On the other hand, ultra-processed foods, like those typically found in the SAD, have poor nutritional value. These foods are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream, causing spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, and leading to increased hunger and potential weight gain. It's no wonder that a diet rich in processed foods - and excess calories - can undermine our weight loss efforts, regardless of how much we exercise.
Another key factor to consider in the diet versus exercise debate is the thermic effect of food. This refers to the energy our bodies expend to digest, absorb, and process the nutrients in our meals. Interestingly, not all foods are created equal in this regard. Protein, for instance, has a higher thermic effect than carbohydrates or fats. This means that our bodies burn more calories digesting protein than other macros, which can contribute to weight management. Moreover, whole foods typically have a higher thermic effect than processed foods, due to the energy required to break down their fiber and complex structures. This further underscores the importance of a balanced, whole food diet in maintaining a healthy weight, regardless of exercise habits.
In addition to the types of foods we consume, it's also necessary to understand how our bodies adapt to our eating and exercise habits. It's a common belief that more exercise equals more calories burned, and more weight loss. However, research suggests that our bodies tend to reach an energy expenditure plateau (read more here). This means that after a certain point, even if we increase our physical activity, our bodies adapt to conserve calories, making it challenging to simply "out-exercise" a bad diet.
A fascinating case study that illustrates this concept is the Hadza tribe in Tanzania, a population that lives a highly active, traditional lifestyle. Scientists found that despite the Hadza people being significantly more active than the average Westerner, they burned around the same amount of calories each day. This suggests that our bodies have evolved to keep our energy expenditure in check, regardless of our activity level. This is likely a survival mechanism that helped our ancestors survive in times of food scarcity.
So, if exercise can't burn off all those extra calories we consume, what good is it?
There are numerous benefits to maintaining a regular exercise regime that includes both strength training and cardiovascular exercise.
Strength training and cardio training work together in a complementary way to maintain weight among other benefits. Strength training helps build and maintain muscle mass, which increases the body's metabolic rate, enabling it to use calories more efficiently. Cardiovascular exercise, on the other hand, primarily burns calories during the activity itself (but up to a point as we have already discussed) and improves heart health. The combination of these two types of exercise, along with a clean diet, can help maintain a healthy body weight and composition.
Regular exercise also has numerous other benefits beyond weight management. These include improved cardiovascular health, increased flexibility and balance, enhanced mood and mental health, reduced risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, improved sleep quality, and better overall quality of life.
If you can't compensate for a poor diet with exercise, what should you be eating? The simple answer is to consume a varied diet full of whole, fresh foods. I advocate for primarily plant-based diets that are nutritionally balanced with whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and plenty of plant-based proteins like legumes, nuts, and seeds. These food items are rich in micronutrients, fiber, and promote gut health as well as metabolic balance.
While exercise is unquestionably beneficial for various aspects of health, it cannot make up for a poor diet in terms of weight management. The focus should be on eating a balanced diet of whole foods and using regular physical activity to promote overall health and well-being, rather than merely as a tool for weight loss.
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(Consider this article as general information on health, fitness, and lifestyle. Always consult your physician or health care provider before making significant changes to your diet or lifestyle.)
Hi, I’m Kyle Golden,
Founder and Lifestyle Coach at Vireo Fitness. For over 16 years I have helped hundreds of clients just like you find their path to better health. Get in touch today and find out how I can help you embrace a better lifestyle and realize your full potential!