For a very long time, we’ve been told that exercise is a key component of losing weight. The ‘calories in and calories out’ approach constantly propagates that what we eat must be kept on burning and the more we burn and sweat, the more weight we lose. This messaging has been fueled by a slew of apps, fitness gurus, celebrities and Instagram influencers who have popularized myriad workout routines that have gained even more popularity during the pandemic-induced lockdown. However, the science on this is clearer than ever and we now know that we can’t just indulge in food and think that miraculously burn it off on the treadmill the next day. The reality is that exercising alone is almost useless for losing weight.
Why exercise isn’t the key to weight loss
Research by several leading obesity experts, nutritionists and scientists states that while we get 100 percent of our energy from food, we can only realistically burn 10 to 30 percent of it through physical exercise. Additionally, studies support the fact that exercise actually only burns a modest portion of daily calories. In fact, there are many more components of energy expenditure in our body and most people ignore it. calories which are used through other daily activities. Our body uses calories even when we work, clean or study; Breathing, blood flow, regulation of body temperature, digestion – all these processes take energy. Therefore, we have to understand that vigorous workouts are only a small part of our total energy expenditure. what does this mean? This means that more workouts do not equate to losing weight and spending hours in the gym, unfortunately, may not yield better results.
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Along with working out, it is also important to maintain a healthy diet.
Weight gain and weight loss are complex processes that involve many factors such as genetics, lifestyle, environmental markers, dietary components, etc. and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. This is why the internet is full of forums where people talk about their weight loss after a few initial months of success that they lost or even reversed. This is because it is still not clear what effect weight loss programs have on different people. People,
Working hard can have different effects on different people, for example, in some people what is known as compensatory behavior. This happens when hard-working people feel hungry and eat more to quell their hunger, which means consuming more calories which nullifies any benefits of exercising. Some people underestimate the calories they burn and eat food as a reward Mechanism, These are all natural ways for our body to unconsciously compensate for the calories burned.
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Eating healthy food is very important for weight loss.
Thus, diet is the most important component in all the above scenarios. And what we eat and how much we eat has a much greater effect on weight loss than we might imagine. Unfortunately, countries like the US and even India—which is notorious for its carbohydrate-rich Diet And where obesity rates continue to rise at a frightening pace—the plot is getting lost when it comes to messaging. Exercise apps, gym instructors, and fitness centers continue to develop and deploy pseudoscience that says we can take our weight off. In fact, we are eating more than ever before, and unless we fix it, we will continue to fall prey to the cycle of overeating and over-exercising, never really reaching health.
So should exercise be abandoned altogether?
No, physical activity is good for mind and body, it helps in maintaining good heart health and also helps in maintaining healthy Weight, However, when it comes to weight loss, we have to look at what it is – a very small part of a larger process where dietary changes play a major role. There are many benefits to exercising, but losing weight isn’t really among them.
Therefore, people who want to lose weight and create that significant calorie deficit have better luck making sensible dietary changes such as reducing refined carbs, reducing added sugars, and increasing intake. Fruit and vegetables. Changing what we eat and how much we eat is the only way to shed those extra kilos and start the journey of health.
About the author: Rohit Shelatkar is a fitness and nutrition expert and VP at Vitabiotics Ltd.
Disclaimer: This content, including advice, provides general information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your doctor for more details. NDTV does not take responsibility for this information
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