I just heard about this article today on CNN. Just thought I'd provide it as food for thought. Pun intended. And remember - please don't shoot the messenger! :wink2:

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin - TIME

Very interesting. Thanks for posting the link. The author's main point is that people generally overestimate the amount of calories that exercise burns off, and they drastically underestimate the number of calories in the food that they eat. People who reward themselves with food for their hard work-out usually cancel out any caloric deficite they had earned from the exercise. So the article's title is misleading (of course that's to get you to read it!). Excercise is good for you, but it alone won't make you lose weight. Personally, though, I don't think diet alone will make you lose weight. It's diet and exercise.

Here's the author's last paragraph:

"In short, it's what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight. You should exercise to improve your health, but be warned: fiery spurts of vigorous exercise could lead to weight gain."

Interesting article. It makes sense when they talk about sitting in an office all day and then vigorously working out for only 30 minutes not being good for weight loss. When we are completely sedentary all day and then push ourselves really hard for a short period of time, we probably burn less than 300 calories in that amount of time but then are fatigued and want to reward ourselves with food. So we eat and completely stop moving. We'd be better off figuring out ways to stay moderately active throughout the day.

I found it interesting that they stress the idea that exercise stimulates appetite so much. I'm sure this is true for many people, but my appetite actually seems to be suppressed by exercise. Maybe it's just that I don't want to completely negate all by hard work by overeating.

I think exercise is very important for weight loss and overall health, but we just need to make sure we're not overestimating our calories burned and then eating too much.

Interesting article.

I think what the article comes down to is that there is an over-ubundance of food, too much TV and sedentary lifestyles that won't be erased by an exercise routine if we don't watch our junk food intake. That does make sense, I guess!

Interstinting to see what others think.

Back in the 50's there were not supermarkets all over the place and my Mom bought the food we needed for the day at the variety store minus all the snack foods and sweets. There was not a lot of food left over to munch on.

I was watching some old family movies from the 40's. They were all thin and doing things outside, no TV! They amused themselves and were definitely more active.

I read the article today in the magazine and I liked it. I think it makes a lot of sense and reinforces the point that we have to watch our intake. I KNOW I definitely 'reward' myself when working out sometimes b/c I feel like I worked so hard or that it will be ok b/c I burned it off. I also like the point he makes - that when you sit all day (like I do in my office job) and then go work out - I'm not burning any more calories than someone who is active all day and doesn't work out. I've also noticed how TIRED I am after working out - b/c I work out hard to get those calories burned - and then I end up being lazy afterwards b/c I guess I think its ok b/c I worked so hard. The article points out - as previously mentioned in the above posts - is that we need to be active all day and not 'reward' ourselves or make consuming 'OK' just because we worked out. I've seen that in myself and now realize it after reading this article. Now I need to figure out how to be more active in my desk job and stop killing myself on the treadmill and hating every minute of it. I need to work out hard, but not as hard as I have b/c then I hate it/dread it (so long as I'm being more active throughout the day). It makes me stop and realize that I need to re-think things in my own life. :thumbup:

It will be interesting to see what more comes out on this. I hate working out in a gym. I feel it wastes my time and money because I never keep it up. I would rather mix and pour concrete in a wheel barrow than work out at a gym. At least when I'm doing concrete, I'm accomplishing something, like building my sidewalk.

Now I don't mind walking, hiking, swimming (or playing in the pool), but as I age, then gym thing appeals to me less and less.

I remember being a kid and playing out doors a lot, riding by bike all afternoon, or swimming in the public pool. I was fat then too, but I was active. We ate out maybe twice a year and mom always fixed healthy meals with a Protein, a starch (potatoes) and lots of veggies and fruit. I just ate too much of everything. Hence I am here.

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I do have to wonder about this article.

Look at nurses, they work soooo hard and are on their feet constantly.

There are quite a few nurse on this site that have been banded. I would like to see their take on this.