This article was posted on January 31, 2024
"Pretend you didn't exercise at all," she said. "You will most likely compensate anyway, so think of exercising just for health improvement but not for weight loss." Diana Thomas, a Montclair State University obesity researcher
In a recent discussion with a fellow member, I proferred the point that weight loss is not the prime benefit of exercise, but rather is the prime benefit of a proper diet. My friend rebutted me and said he felt exercise was at least an equal part of weight loss, along with a proper diet. I decided to investigate the issue to confirm the facts.
If you want to learn about (and finally understand) the connection between weight loss, exercise and diet, Click Here . It's an easy read, and there's also a short video that brings everything to a clear point.
What you’ll learn about:
1) An evolutionary clue to how our bodies burn calories
2) Exercise is excellent for health
3) Exercise alone is almost useless for weight loss
4) Exercise accounts for a small portion of daily calorie burn
5) It's hard to create a significant calorie deficit through exercise
6) Exercise can undermine weight loss in other, subtle ways
7) Exercise may cause physiological changes that help us conserve energy
8) Energy expenditure might have an upper limit
9) The government and the food industry are doling out unscientific advice
10) So what actually works for weight loss?
BCI Stats:
• Using Strava, BCI's range of calorie expenditure per mile of cycling is 20 to 70 calories, with the average being about 29 calories/mile. This shows three things:
1. How efficient our bodies can be.
2. The relatively small impact exercise can have on calorie consumption. One of our top-performing female members burns only 22 calories/mile. On a 2-hour ride, the average member burns about 800 calories. One typical slice of pizza ranges from 200 to 400 calories.
3. How different our bodies can be from one another, and why it’s important to learn yours well enough so you can adapt the best plan for weight loss/control.
The key takeaways from all this:
• Physical activity is excellent for health and weight control, but is not the primary driver of weight loss. Calorie deficit is the primary driver of weight loss.
• We only have control over about 30% of our caloric expenditures, and probably less. Of that 30%, at best only 50% of it, just 15% of the total, can be controlled by exercise.
• Exercise plays a crucial role in weight management, alongside a healthy diet, by impacting metabolism, appetite, and overall health (your vitals, like diabetes, hormonal balance and healthy joints). So, keep on riding!
• Using the services of science-based professionals can be useful in attaining your healthy weight loss/control goals. Here is one’s approach to the subject: Click Here
It’s anti-intuitive, but exercise without a substantial low-calorie diet adjustment is the least effective method of losing weight. Exercise for health and eat for weight control.
Until next month,
Dick Brock, BCI Statistician
statistician@bikeirvine.org
