I just saw the author of this Time Magazine article interviewed on CNN...

"Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin"
By John Cloud Sunday, Aug. 09, 2009
http://www.time.com/time/healt...99,1914857-1,00.html

The article is really good, though. I totally agree with it.

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Originally posted by Sheltieguy:

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
NEITHER that article, nor the exercise article really addresses the REAL risk factors for regaining weight... depression, bingeing, and stress eating and often eating for reasons that are not hunger.

Yes, I think (even moderate) exercise indirectly helps with weight loss, by improving depression and stress.

I don't watch it much, but I really hate the over-the-top exercise on "The Biggest Loser". I bet that it causes a lot of injuries, and don't think that it is sustainable in the long run.

Depression and stress can cause emotional eating leading to weight gain, meditation is the best exercise to combat stress and depression. Adding an herbal incense can relieve stress and depression naturally, check them out..

(I know I'm behind the curve on this, but thought the questions and discussion were really interesting!)

quote:

Where would you be in regards to weight loss if you had only changed your eating habits and did not exercise?

I'll admit 100% to not doing any "formal" exercise during my deployment, but I still lost a lot (32 lbs) of weight. There were a combination of factors about the food. First, I didn't like our chow hall very much. To me, the food was bland and boring. There was always a meat in a sauce (chicken in cream sauce, beef stroganoff, stuff like that), a pasta or rice, and vegetables. All the fruit was from cans, there was no salad bar option. I really only ate because I had to. Second, I was with military people, who can eat a meal in 5 minutes. By the time I'd sat down, put my napkin in my lap, decided what to start with, and eaten a couple of bites, they were done and ready to go. Lunch, especially. I'd shovel in a few more bites and we'd leave. Last, it was rarely a social event. A few times a week (and when you consider there were 21 meals in a week), I'd have lunch or dinner with a particular person or group of people and we'd linger (20 minutes!) and socialize, but that was rare. (Okay, and multiple stomach bugs where even a liquid diet was a challenge were definitely "quick result" weight loss plans, but not recommended, unless you like IVs from a field medic. By visit three, he knew my name.)

Although we read a lot about slowing down and enjoying food...I think speeding it up and not enjoying it has its place, too.

quote:

Do you think you could maintain your weight?

I'm going to have to work to keep the weight off...and to lose the rest that I would like to. I enjoy cooking, and enjoy eating. I've started back at the gym because I'm not confident in my ability to eat at home the way I ate while I was gone.

From the article:

"In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless," says Eric Ravussin, chair in diabetes and metabolism at Louisiana State University and a prominent exercise researcher."

*****

The upside of this statement is, if you are unable to exercise, you can still lose weight.

(Due to my back injury, even my walks in the park, and walks on the treadmill, aren't doable.)

ok, this morning, while on the elliptical (HA!), i read this article. i agree with you all. thin doe s not mean fit necessarily. and there are many mentla health reaosns to exercise. and you cannot train like a madman for the long run or you will get injured.

the thing i was wondering about was the issue of hunger. when you exercise a lot, you get hungry. this rings true for me. when i do a long run, i am famished. sometimes, i can hear the stomach growl in the middle of my run. gee, i am not even done yet and i want to stuff my face while panting and sweating. i also remember reading from several marathoners (or people who trained for one marathon) they they never lost an ounce of weight during the trianing period because they were hungry all the time. i am raising this issue becuase it apepars this is a point made over and over again in this article. exercise=being hungry=eating more.

quote:

Originally posted by Sheltieguy:
[...]I don't watch it much, but I really hate the over-the-top exercise on "The Biggest Loser". I bet that it causes a lot of injuries, and don't think that it is sustainable in the long run.

Yes, there have been some training injuries but they have a whole mob of medical personal on site that you rarely see (except that doctor) on the show.
No, it is not sustainable in the long run. It is not intended to be sustainable and if you watch regularly you will see them talking about that and telling the contestants that they have to learn to work exercise into their daily lives because when they go home they will not be able to work out like they do on the ranch. They also talk a lot about healthy eating and the fact that you can't just not eat and expect to lose weight.

I think it is a great motivator but only if you understand that you can't re-create the results they achieve on the show at home and that they do a lot of editing. They don't show everything that goes on and what they do show has been taken out of context.

I don't know about "trainer Bob" but Jillian in real life is nothing like the Jillian protrayed on the show.

quote:

Originally posted by Nbox:
I don't consider myself fit or healthy right now. I just weigh less than before.

There's lots of stuff I enjoy doing (but don't do very much of) - biking, swimming, badminton, walking - but I want to do them for enjoyment, not for fitness.

I agree with your earlier post that there can technically be overweight and still healthy/fit. Being thin or having lost weight does not necessarily make one healthy. I know people who lost weight living on artificial food (100 cal packs, diet soda, diet everything) and no exercise. Even though their weight was lower, I wonder just how healthy their bodies really are.

I like that you have fun doing things like biking, swimming, etc. Because you are getting in a good amount of activity without a planned exercise regimen. I remember seeing Bob Green on Oprah one time and he told an audience member that her playing tennis(and I think she played daily) did not count as exercise. I was floored when he said that. Because I don't think you have to be a gym member or use weights or nautilus machines or whatever for it to qualify as exercise.

I think this was posted somewhere in this thread-but maybe people think that because they don't or won't go to the gym then it's not exercising and it's not enough to do other physical activities. I think getting people to get up and move more, gym or no gym, is key.

Jill

I'm not sure I'm a successful maintainer, but since I've lost 30+ lbs (ok so it took me 3 years, big deal) and have only a few left until I get to a healthy BMI, here goes.

I lost weight mainly by tweaking my diet. I exercised very little compared to many of you who have a planned exercise routine and seem to really do a lot. I walked some; biked shorter stretches in summertime; umm... that's it, I guess. Over the past three weeks (after maintaining for a year and then gaining 3 lbs earlier this summer) I've lost 4 lbs, from being sick and unintentionally eating less (and drinking less alcohol).

I plan to start exercising on a small scale once my back pain is manageable, but not to lose weight, just to improve my rock-bottom torso muscles. I don't consider myself fit or healthy right now. I just weigh less than before.

There's lots of stuff I enjoy doing (but don't do very much of) - biking, swimming, badminton, walking - but I want to do them for enjoyment, not for fitness. Maybe that's why exercise doesn't stick: I don't want to do something "just because" (to ward off death, lower my blood pressure, offset my dietary splurges or behave like a good citizen). Maybe the memory of this stupid back pain will do it for me. Carrot or stick...

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
NEITHER that article, nor the exercise article really addresses the REAL risk factors for regaining weight... depression, bingeing, and stress eating and often eating for reasons that are not hunger.

Yes, I think (even moderate) exercise indirectly helps with weight loss, by improving depression and stress.

I don't watch it much, but I really hate the over-the-top exercise on "The Biggest Loser". I bet that it causes a lot of injuries, and don't think that it is sustainable in the long run.

Two other thoughts I had:

1. I believe I would have to do both more exercise and more stingent calorie control to weigh much less than I do. I'm currently not willing to do either so that equals me being at the higher end of a healthy weight or slightly above that but at a much, much healthier weight than I was prior to 2004.

2. I think if I did more strenuous exercise, I would be more challenged with exercise hunger. I noticed last spring when I did something not all that much more strenuous I was definitely experiencing more hunger. That doesn't mean I shouldn't exercise more vigorously but it does mean I would have to dial in and pay attention to what I was eating to satisfy that hunger because I HATE being hungry. It's interesting to me though that if I exercise for longer periods (hiking particularly but also when I was doing longer training walks for the Avon Walk) that then exercise acts as a appetite suppresant and I actually have to remind myself to eat something. I defnitely need to eat because my energy goes down the tubes but I don't experience hunger the same way.

Peg

Denise-yeah, i agree. I think there are SO many other factors involved (stress, depression, etc.)

And as far as the "cooking from scratch" theory-cooking from scratch can also mean using butter, heavy cream, salt, etc and certainly portion control becomes a factor.

Jill

I think that it is a case of "pick the life style we want and our scale number will find us".

I know many, many, many people who are a healthy weight. They are all more active than the average American... and they all eat better than the average American.

Some play tennis. Some work out at the gym. Some walk. Some ride bikes. Some run. Some clean the house and wash windows.

I also have to say that according to the National Weight Control Registry... the biggest predictors of weight regain are a history of depression, a history of bingeing, and a high level of "dietary disinhibition".

"Dietary disinhibition" is fancy scientist talk for "eating when cued for reasons that are not hunger". If you think of every excuse we use to eat... stress eating, "I deserve this", "One won't hurt", "Everyone else is having some", "I'll cut back tomorrow", etc, etc, etc... that is dietary disinhibition.

Sheltie posted an article about Julie and Julia... and the Foodnetwork and watching food on TV vs. actually cooking. At the end of THAT article... the author concluded we would all be thin if we all made our own food from scratch. OK. That's pretty simplistic.

NEITHER that article, nor the exercise article really addresses the REAL risk factors for regaining weight... depression, bingeing, and stress eating and often eating for reasons that are not hunger.

I'm guessing that a group of friends who go for muffins after a workout may or may not be physically hungry. However, I'm guessing that it is dietary disinhibition and it is a case of being in a group and everyone else is having a muffin and being in Starbucks and "Oh... the muffins look good!".

I also should add that I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY worked on my stress eating and other, "I deserve this" and "just this once" voices in my head. THAT is a SIGNIFICANT factor in maintaining my losses.

quote:

Originally posted by Brie:
I like the way it makes me feel, I like what it does for my psyche. If I get derailed on my healthy lifestyle plan it's always on the food side.

Me too. I am trying to remind myself of how good I feel, both physically AND mentally after i exercise. I have not been exercising much at all for months. I am working on getting back into it and I have to keep in my mind the mental boost I get because if I go strictly for weight loss reasons it won't happen.


Jill

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:



However, there is a side of me that enjoys heart-pounding cardio… in small doses. I actually enjoy getting all sweaty…

quote:

Originally posted by jillybean:
I eat ice cream at night, more than I should, but I still eat it. Going to the gym or walking or working out does not prompt me to eat more ice cream. I would have eaten it anyway if I wanted it, so going to the gym actually helped burn a few (probably a very small few) of those calories.

I totally agree with you.

Me too-I actually enjoy the heart-pounding, sweaty cardio workout, but not for an hour either. Especially on the elliptical! After 30 min my toes are numb, at 60 minutes I would have lost all feeling in my feet, have fallen off elliptical, hit my head on the treadmill next to me and have passed out, LOL!

The ice cream-I probably eat it 2-3x/wk. I actually don't keep ice cream around but I will admit during the summer I love to go with dd for Rita's Ice or Friendly's. It's definitely not a nightly ritual, sometimes not even weekly. But it is something I would say is a "problem food" for me. I went to the gym the last two days and actually doing so prevented me from getting ice cream. Because I did not want to undo what I had done during my workout. So it helps for me.

And LMAO about your ds's friends!!!!

Jill

I did incorporate exercise right from the beginning but it was much different than it is now. For the first 3 months all I did was walk - first in front of the TV and then outside. I didn't start lifting and running until I had already lost 35/40 lbs.

I don't think it would be as easy for me to maintain and stay where I want to be without exercise. Especially now since I do workout hard at least an hour/day. That's just too many lost calories in the bank ; )

I have to say that exercise has always been the easier part of the equation for me. I like being outside, I like the way it makes me feel, I like what it does for my psyche. If I get derailed on my healthy lifestyle plan it's always on the food side.

Good questions! I'll answer the easiest question first...

Do you always incorporate exercise as part of your plan when you need to lose? When I need to lose 3 pounds of fat, I always bump up my exercise. To lose 3 lbs in 3 weeks, you have to burn 500 calories more a day than you eat. I'd rather eat 200 calories less and exercise and burn 300.

I'd like to ask those of you who have been successful at weight loss-where would you be in regards to weight loss if you had only changed your eating habits and did not exercise?

I lost 10 lbs in June/July/August 2001 and lost 5 in 2003. I didn't really start exercising consistently until 2004. I kept the 15 off with virtually no exercise. But it is easier to maintain at 144 vs. 123. Every time you lose 10 lbs... you have to eat about 75-100 calories less a day to maintain.

If I am really inactive now... I burn 1750 calories a day.

At 144 lbs, if I was really inactive... I burned 1900 calories. 160 calories a day is a lot... 1120 calories a week.

Do you think you would have reached your goal weight?
I think that I might have had a different goal weight. I might weigh 144 instead of 123. (I'm 5'2")

Do you think you could maintain your weight? Do you feel that exercise helps you stay at your goal weight?

Depends on your definition of “exercise”. I got the impression that the author of this article doesn’t really count walking or gardening as official exercise. He counts the gym as "exercise"... for the purpose of THIS article.

I maintained my weight for 15 years as an adult with ONLY walking. I did no formal exercise. In my late 20’s, I didn’t own a car and walked about 2 miles total to the bus/muni station every day. And in my 30’s, I basically maintained my weight gardening and digging in the yard and turning compost 1-2 hours a day.

Currently, I've maintained my weight for months at a time with (what I think) some fairly minimal activity. I had an entire summer where I did the elliptical maybe 2-3 times a week. The other days, I walked 1 or 1.5 miles and bought a cup of coffee and then walked back home.

I also do almost NO exercise at all during the month of October… but I’m REALLY busy with work… and on my feet a LOT of the day.

If I REALLY, REALLY push myself, I can burn about 2400-2500 calories in a day… that would be about 45 mins of HARD exercise… and cleaning and yard work and just moving, moving, moving all day. I very seldom to this. Maybe in weight loss mode...

A day that I do the elliptical and my regular activities and only watch TV for a couple of hours... I probably burn about 2,250 calories.

On a day when I walk a couple of miles and do my regular activities and only watch TV for a couple of hours... I probably burn about 2,100 calories.

On a day when I sit and am very inactive (like even more inactive than “normal”), I probably burn about 1,750. Like I probably burn 1,750 on a day that we rent 3 DVD’s or something… or watching a TV marathon. I probably burned about 1800 calories a day when I dislocated my kneecap and was mostly sitting around all day.

I personally find it VERY difficult to be really inactive and maintain and average 1750 calories. I can do it in weight loss mode. And I did it when I dislocated my kneecap and couldn’t exercise for 12 weeks. But since 2001, the LONGEST stretch I have ever managed to stay in weight loss mode is about 13 weeks. If I eat 1700-1800 calories, and bump up my activity and burn an average of 2200-2300 calories a day, I can lose a pound a week. And I can keep that up for 3-10 weeks and that’s it and I’m fed up and wanting to eat more and not be pushing myself, "Move more... burn more calories!"

However, with some exercise… I’m really quite happy eating an average of 2100ish calories a day. Those 300 calories a day or 2100 calories a week make a HUGE difference in how happy I am with my food.

I was struck by this part of the article and the info on page 4.

“But there's some confusion about whether it is exercise — sweaty, exhausting, hunger-producing bursts of activity done exclusively to benefit our health — that leads to all these benefits or something far simpler: regularly moving during our waking hours. We all need to move more — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says our leisure-time physical activity (including things like golfing, gardening and walking) has decreased since the late 1980s, right around the time the gym boom really exploded.”

Honestly, if weight maint was my ONLY motivation… I’d probably just walk and get a cup of coffee every day. I wouldn’t do strength training. I probably wouldn’t do much cardio. Studies show that MOST of the people successfully maintaining in the Nat’l Weight Control Reg. walk for exercise.

However, there is a side of me that enjoys heart-pounding cardio… in small doses. I’m really happy to do 25 mins of a “30 Day Shred” or 25 mins on the elliptical. I actually enjoy getting all sweaty… for 20-30 mins. And you couldn’t pay me to do the elliptical for an hour. The longest I’ve ever done it is 50 mins… while watching TV… but I usually do it 25-35 mins.

And the same with strength training… It is fine in small doses. I read on the Mayo Clinic website that 1 set is just FINE… and I could give a flying you-know-what if every personal trainer in the country says to do 3 sets. I know that by the 3rd set, I’m just HATING every second. And I find it hard to force myself to do things I hate and despise. So I do one set. Yay for me.

I think I ski better for it. And I hiked 8 miles one afternoon in Tahoe. It wasn’t a “hard” hike, but it was on a dirt trail and we were at 6,300 ft… and there were hills and elevation changes of 700 or 800 ft or so. Nelson was having tremors in his legs after 2.5 miles. I am POSSITIVE that I had a easier time of it because I do SOME vigorous cardio and strength training. But I don’t think that 1.5 hours a week of cardio or strength work is “a lot”.

But at this point in my life, exercise is just two sides of the same coin. I enjoy health benefits… or more accurately the lifestyle benefits. I think that it is accurate that I enjoy good health... but mostly take it for granted. I enjoy the lifestyle benefits of exercise.

I like looking in a guide book and it says, “This is a MUST DO hike!!!” and saying, “7 miles… no problem”. I’ve also noticed that my side of the family is pretty goal oriented. If the goal is to hike to Emerald Bay… we are disappointed if we don’t get there. Nelson is happy to declare he is tired and sit on a rock and never get to the “destination”.

And I really like eating 300 more calories a day and maintaining my weight. (But I don’t burn 2100 calories a week in “exercise”. MOST of that is in “activity”.)

And I'm fortunate to enjoy good health... and I think that is in part because I do have MANY years... decades... of being more active than today's average American.

But I can’t say which is MORE important to me. This month, they are equally important. It isn't all about being thin.

quote:

Originally posted by jillybean:
I eat ice cream at night, more than I should, but I still eat it. Going to the gym or walking or working out does not prompt me to eat more ice cream. I would have eaten it anyway if I wanted it, so going to the gym actually helped burn a few (probably a very small few) of those calories.

I totally agree with you.

Honestly, MOST of the reason, I’m “successful” maintaining my current weight is that I don’t have ice cream in the house 24/7.

However, my mom almost 75 and is successful at maintaining her weight and she eats ice cream every night. She also goes to the gym and exercises consistently... and going to the gym... it helps burn some of those ice cream calories.

But it depends on the definition of “success” and “goal weight”. Is my mom at her “goal weight”? No. She usually weighs 10 or 15 or 20 lbs more than she would like. But she isn’t “obese”.

She’s healthy. She’s successful. And going to the gym and exercise help. And she just had a hip replacement... and the dr. said he has NEVER seen anyone recover so quickly. And I have to think that 10+ years of consistent exercise helped a LOT.

My immediate family was paid an odd compliment recently. My kid had two friends over to study for a make-up math test. One kid was Chinese and the other was Indian (his family is from India). I wasn’t home and Jamie told me that they got hungry and so these kids were looking thru my pantry, freezer and fridge. Jamie said that one of them said, “What kind of White people ARE you???? Where are the Oreos??? Where are the Cheese Nips??? Where is the ice cream?!?!?!?!” I thought that was too funny!

I buy and we eat ice cream… but just once a week.

I don’t know… I can’t picture weighing what I weigh being really inactive. If I were more inactive, I’ve weigh more… because I’m not willing to eat 300 calories less a day, just to maintain a scale number. I’ll do it for 3-6 weeks to get BACK to a scale number… but I’m not willing to do it as a permanent lifestyle.

But I also can’t picture eating ice cream every night. I guess, at this point in my life, I’ll choose the scale number over nightly ice cream. However, maybe at some point in my life, I may change my mind.

Should that happen, I’ll change my “goal weight” and weigh 10-15 pounds more. I just can’t see adding more exercise to what I already do. I don’t do “a lot” of exercise. But I do “enough” to balance my current eating habits.

And I can’t see that eating 200 calories of ice cream a night is going to motivate me to do MORE boring exercise. I’m quite content to exercise at my current level and have ice cream once a week. An hour on the stupid machine… not worth it to me. But that is me.

Most people don’t get 5-6 hours of strenuous exercise in a week. Not to maintain weight. The people that do usually have other motivations beyond a scale number.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GoingSkiing,

quote:

I'd like to ask those of you who have been successful at weight loss-where would you be in regards to weight loss if you had only changed your eating habits and did not exercise?

I've never been a strenuous exerciser but when I was in weight loss mode I did walk very consistently for 45 min per day 4-5 days a week and most of those weeks did something longer/more strenuous on one weekend day. I don't think it takes a lot of exercise to get the job done. One thing for me is one sort of feeds the other...I'm more inclined to eat healthier if I've exercised (another good reason for morning exercise that I'm struggling with) and more inclined to exercise if I'm eating right. I think mentally it's about a complete picture.

quote:

Do you think you could maintain your weight? Do you feel that exercise helps you stay at your goal weight or that you always incorporate exercise as part of your plan when you need to lose?

I had been maintaining essentially since fall '04 with small bumps up each winter until this last winter when it wouldn't be fair to call it a small bump. The difference between this last winter and the previous ones was all about walking. I didn't walk, I gained weight. I also slid food wise but really think it was the walking that knocked things out of whack. I always slide food wise in the winter but I slid further I think because I wasn't exercising and I gained even more because I wasn't exercising. I really didn't feel great and the worse I felt, the worse I ate, the worse I ate, the less I tried to find a way to exercise and around and around I went down the dark alley to my jeans not fitting! LOL

Peg

I read the article, well I quickly read through it. A few things stick out of what I read:

He mentions a woman going to Starbucks after a workout and getting a muffin. I really think that this same woman would have gotten said muffin workout or not. I eat ice cream at night, more than I should, but I still eat it. Going to the gym or walking or working out does not prompt me to eat more ice cream. I would have eaten it anyway if I wanted it, so going to the gym actually helped burn a few(probably a very small few) of those calories.

I also don't feel "ravenously hungry" after I exercise. Some days I do feel more hungry, but honestly it's because I either skipped a meal or didn't eat the right kind of foods that day.

I think the article sends a very negative message. Putting the idea out there that exercise will do little to nothing in regards to weight loss, in my opinion, is just ridiculous.

I'd like to ask those of you who have been successful at weight loss-where would you be in regards to weight loss if you had only changed your eating habits and did not exercise? Do you think you would have reached your goal weight? Do you think you could maintain your weight? Do you feel that exercise helps you stay at your goal weight or that you always incorporate exercise as part of your plan when you need to lose? (These are just questions I'm putting out there because I'm curious).

Jill

PS: Just thought of something else. The part of the article that said something about working out for six months a losing only 1 inch of the waist. Well in my book losing 1 inch is better than gaining one inch. Part of the reason this article hit a sour note with me is that I am trying hard to incorporate exercise into my daily life for health and for weight loss reasons. This article is why I don't read much in the news or in magazines regarding weight. You get so much conflicting information-sometimes in the exact same publication. I did not read this article until tonight because I had a feeling it was going to cause some negative reaction from me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jillybean,

quote:

Originally posted by BrenauMom:

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
I just saw the author of this Time Magazine article interviewed on CNN...

[...]

How does he look? Is he skinny?

He was a healthy weight, I'd guess.

I’ll cut and paste what I posted this on the WW’ers board since I have to run…

I was thinking while reading that article, well, if people kept track of what they eat… burning 200 calories and eating 400 calories isn’t as much of an issue.

And most people on WW’ers are realistic about how many calories they are burning with exercise. The topic of this thread is on how difficult it is for many people to get 28 AP's a week. I don’t see many 120-150 lb women who think that they are burning 600 calories on the elliptical in 30 mins. (If you weigh more… you might actually burn 600 calories in 30 mins of exercise.)

Re: "exercise makes us hungrier" in the article. I couldn’t exercise for 12 weeks when I dislocated my kneecap. I WAS less hungry when I was just sitting around. I do think that exercise makes us hungrier. HOWEVER, if I exercise and burn 200-300 calories… I’m about 200-300 calories hungrier. I'm also very aware that I can undo 3 days worth of exercise with 1 muffin. (However, that is a HUGE benefit of exercise... If I burn 900 calories a week in exercise, I CAN have a huge muffin for Sunday breakfast, if I want.)

Most Americans are also really bad at listening to satisfaction signals. And in the US… it is VERY easy to go buy a 600-900 calorie muffin for ANYBODY… no matter if they have exercised or not.

And I think that there are a LOT of benefits of exercise. Studies show what a great mood lifter exercise is. And how good it is for stress. Studies also show that many overweight people eat in response to stress. So it really makes sense for people to exercise.

I also REALLY enjoy my vacations because I exercise. My dh doesn’t exercise… and it really shows on vacations. I WANTS to do things like go on a 7 mile hike… but he is barely able to do 5. I can easily do 10-15 miles… so it causes friction sometimes. He wants to do shorter hikes… and he enjoys them less... and complains more.

And believe me, I do ENJOY eating those 500 or 1000 or 1500 calories I burn a week with exercise. 1,000 calories is half a days calories. Realistically, in the United States, it is hard to live a “normal” life and eat 6.5 days worth of food a week.

quote:

Originally posted by Brie:
The only thing I don't like is that these types of articles don't emphasize that exercise is good for so many other health reasons other than just weight loss.

A friend on the WW’ers board made that same point.

I get two conflicting messages about exercise from magazines.

1. It isn't enough so don't even try.

2. You aren't doing enough... DO MORE! That is the whole message in 28 AP's a week. It is the message from WW'ers... and Shape and Fitness and Prevention and Health and the magazines I feel marketed to me.

Most exercise articles directed at ME, the message is:

"Train for a 5K run!"
"Bump up your routine!!!"
"Burn MORE fat NOW with our NEW walking program!!!"
"Add INTERVALS to your work out!!!"
"Get MORE from your workouts!!!"

We all know that getting “more” from your workout implies burning more calories, or losing weight and getting into a smaller size, or bumping up the intensity.

It almost never means, “More satisfaction” or being happy with your work out. The message is that we should be unhappy with our present routine… and always, always, always striving to do more and more and more.

I just reread the two pages in the maint book on getting 28 Activity Points a week (somebody asked about this on the WW‘ers board)… it is ALL about exercise. The ENTIRE message is you need to exercise more. However, burning 400 calories 7 days a week in EXERCISE is virtually impossible for most people.

I personally get sick of "You are not doing enough... you should do MORE!!" message.

There are very few messages of moderation in our culture. There are almost NO moderation role models when it comes to eating (including many of the messages from WW‘ers).

And there are no messages for exercise moderation (including many of the messages from WW’ers) "You are getting in your 20-30-40 mins of formal exercise a day? Yay for you!!! Keep it up!!!"

*PS… and I do get 28+ AP’s (or 2800 calories burned) a week in “activity”. Do I burn 2800 calories in “exercise”? No. But if you add in other “activities” like cleaning or yard work or playing trombone or something that isn’t sitting all day… then yes, I get in 28 AP’s or ACTIVITY points. But I’m not doing the elliptical at full intensity for 40 minutes, 7 days a week.

quote:

Originally posted by BrenauMom:
So maybe it is a good thing that I am not able to exercise to the same intensity as other people.

For me, high intensity exercise means injuries. It's counterproductive.

Among other things, my knees thank me for walking, rather than running.