Why Exercise Won't Help You Lose Weight – And What Actually Works?

So, you have gained a lot of weight, and want to buy a gym subscription to shed those extra pounds? Great idea! Exercising is great for your health, but does it really help you to lose weight though? You’ve been working hard for weeks at the gym. You’ve endured pain, had sore muscles and sweated buckets. But, for some strange reason, the weighing scale hasn't gone down even a bit. Or something even worse has happened – your weight has increased! For ages, weight loss, at its most basic level, has been considered to be a matter of calories in and calories out. This very concept, though not incorrect, has made us believe that it's possible to burn off those extra calories by exercising without making any significant changes in our diet. But, some recent studies have shown that exercise alone cannot help you lose weight if you have a poor diet.

Exercise vs. Diet

It has been found that regular exercise can help people manage and prevent various health issues like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s and various malignancies. Unfortunately, weight loss isn't one of the major benefits of exercising. Studies have revealed that focusing on a nutrition dense, calorie-deficit diet can help you achieve your weight loss goals much faster. A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day could help you lose up to half pound a week. On the other hand, burning 500 calories during an exercise can be a mammoth task to accomplish. You would have to exercise 30 minutes every day for a month to see the weighing scale move. What works best for weight loss? You shouldn't be taken by surprise on learning that the combination of exercise and dietary restriction can result in greater weight loss. A particular study found that people who both exercised and followed a nutrition dense calorie-deficit diet saw better weight loss results in the long run. Your real goal should be to keep the weight off.

The Unsung Benefits of Exercise

Even though exercise doesn't seem to be very helpful in case of weight loss, its health benefits can’t be ignored. “Eating better and exercising can improve your health even if you don’t lose a single pound”. The health benefits of exercise go beyond weight loss.
  1. It protects you against various chronic diseases.
  2. Helps lower your blood pressure and improves heart health.
  3. Can help with insomnia and improve quality of sleep.
  4. Negates the feeling of anxiety and depression.
  5. Helps you maintain your muscle strength and balance.
  6. Reduces the risk of stroke, Type 2 diabetes.
  7. Increases life span.