Exercise not likely to rev up your metabolism

[steven johnson]

Another researcher shows that calories count.

These researchers conclude, “If you exercise and replace the calories you burn, you’re no better — with regard to how much fat you burn off — than if you didn’t exercise.”

The notion that exercise somehow boosts the body’s ability to burn fat for as long as 24 hours after a workout has led to a misperception among the general public that diet doesn’t matter so much as long as one exercises, says Edward Melanson, an exercise physiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver.

“People think they have a license to eat whatever they want, and our research shows that is definitely not the case,” he says. “You can easily undo what you set out to do.”

In the new report, published in the journal Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, Melanson and colleagues discuss research to date on the issue of burning fat during and after exercise.

The authors conclude that while people do burn more fat when they are exercising than when they are not, they have no greater ability to burn fat over the next 24 hours than on days when they are couch potatoes.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30826120/

[Tobin S.]

1. I've lost 74 pounds since January

Started at 290 the second week of January. I just weighed in at 216. I've done it through a combination of diet and exercise, but the biggest part of it has been due to my diet. I don't eat foods made of white flour. I eat whole grain bread, rice, and pasta. The bread I eat only has 1 gram of sugar per serving and it's not from HFCS. I eat low fat proteins like skinless chicken and fish. I used to eat extra lean beef, too, a few days a week but I've cut that out. I don't add sugar to anything. I eat a lot of non-starchy vegetables and a serving of fruit a day. I stay away from foods high in sugar and/or fat. I take vitamins. I eat three small meals a day and two snacks.

Every night at work I hand unload a semi trailer. After work I go for a hike in the woods.

Here's another cool thing that's happened. I did blood work to measure my cholesterol and blood sugar before I started this program and I did it again a few weeks ago. My total cholesterol dropped by 50 points and is within healthy range. My triglycerides dropped by 62 points, were a bit high and now are within healthy range. My good cholesterol was a bit low and still is. They say if I continue what I'm doing and maybe take an Omega-3 supplement that that number will improve. Overall, I'm at very low risk to have a heart attack. My glucose wasn't bad to begin with and stayed about the same. My blood pressure is also good. I don't take medication for anything other than my brain.

I've lost 12 inches from my waist and three shirt sizes.

Does anybody here want to tell me I'm doing this wrong?

[AllieB]

2. That is great-congratulations!

:toast:

You're doing what works for you. I think exercise is good for at least mental health, because I know I feel better when I exercise daily. I am one of those that exercised excessively in the past (competitive runner) yet managed to gain weight because I was eating the way you did actually (low fat/low cal vegetarian, then added chicken and fish). I happened to have food sensitivities(grains and soy) which made me gain weight and develop health problems. I was also not getting enough fat, and my hair was dry and falling out. I lost 40 lbs when I gave up grains and vegetarian frankenfoods.

So in the end, it's really finding the way of eating that works for you, and obviously exercise is a part that happens to work for you also. Weight lifting, which is what you do when you unload a semi, is more conducive to losing weight that boatloads of cardio.

[Tobin S.]

3. Thanks Allie

I feel great and I like the way I look a lot better.

My question at the end of my post was rhetorical. :) I've noticed that Steven is on the "only calories count" bandwagon as far as losing weight goes. Yeah, you usually have to cut calories if you want to lose weight. But there is much more to losing weight and keeping it off than just cutting calories. You have to permanently change the way you eat and put food into your body that's good for it. I lost 50 pounds a while back by counting calories. I ate the same kind of food that got me up to 287 pounds, just less of it. I'm a 5'10" tall man. I could not get below 237 pounds to save my life and I was eating 1500 calories a day. I felt hungry all the time. If I had continued cutting calories further, I might have lost more weight, but I would have felt terrible and been on the verge of an eating disorder. I had the same job that I have now so I was still chucking freight all night. My diet was high in fat and sugar, even at 1500 calories a day, and it turns out that my body is very sensitive to those foods. When I quit smoking in April of '08 those pounds started coming back with a quickness. Foods high in fat and sugar really appealed to me and without smokes I just lost all control. I was back up to 290 by December of last year. So much for just counting calories.

I eat about 1500 calories a day now, but I've changed the type and quality of food that I eat. As you can see, I'm way below 237 now. If you do the math you will find that I've lost an average of 3.7 pounds a week since I started my new lifestyle in January. There were a few weeks there in the beginning where I lost nearly 7 pounds a week. That's not just from reduced calorie intake, it's from putting the kind of food my body needs into it. I feel a hell of a lot better now and I'm not hungry all the time.

I've found the way I need to eat and it sounds like you have as well, Allie. And, Steven, just cutting calories might work great for you. It doesn't mean it will for everyone else.

[AllieB]

4. Did you have your thyroid checked? 1500 cals is very low for a man.

I eat more than 1500 cals a day as a 40-year old woman (and I had hypothyroidism too-it's very common). You may be depriving yourself of nutrients by eating so few calories at 5'10". You should be eating over 2000 calories, even to lose weight!

Metabolism is a very complex subject. The 'calories-in, calories-out' crowd tend to be men or people who have never struggled with weight. More and more evidence points to quality of calories. Let's face it, 1500 calories of sugar and refined carbs will pack the weight on you, and 1500 calories of vegetables and protein won't.

[Tobin S.]

5. Yeah I had a bunch of blood work done before I started this deal.

As well as having my cholesterol and glucose checked. My thyroid function was right in the middle of healthy range. My blood work and overall health were very good before I started losing weight, amazingly. Nothing was out of range except for my triglycerides and that was only 22 points high. I just have the kind of metabolism that doesn't deal with fat and sugar very good.

Yeah, 1500 calories does sound kind of low for a guy my size, but keep in mind we're not talking about losing a pound a week here. We're talking averaging almost 4 pounds a week for 20 weeks. I just did blood work for my 4 month check-up on the program I'm doing and in the words of my counselor at the clinic, "You have the blood work of a very healthy 12 year old."

My goal when I started this was 185 pounds. That's still a bit overweight according to those BMI calculators, but I don't know how much stock to put in those. Once I reach my goal I'll start increasing my food intake to the point that I will need to maintain my weight, and not put on weight, of course. From what I can see on the internet that's about 2800 calories a day for a 5'10" moderately active 185 pound man. I'm finished with the foods that are high in fat and/or sugar, though.

My current stats regarding blood work and weight loss were forwarded to my doctor, btw. We're not taking any chances. :)

[justgamma]

6. WTG!! Tobin S.

I've just hit the 100# loss eating very much like you. I've added exercise in the last few months. I've found out that I enjoy moving. Walking and biking and things that I hadn't been able to do for 20 years. I just upped my calorie intake to find out what I need to do to maintain. Later, I'll go back and lose the last 10 pounds to my goal, which is just being in the middle of normal weight range. I haven't been in the normal range since second grade. (about 50 years ago).