Right, let’s put this to bed.

FAT LOSS

Achieved through a caloric deficit. This is primarily achieved through a reduction in the food and drink you consume and represents EASILY 80% of the work. Consider a Quarter pounder with cheese coming in at 500 calories compared to an hours exercise for most people to burn that off. Food is by far the easiest thing to manipulate when trying to lose weight.

EXERCISE

Makes you fitter, stronger and cardiovascularly healthier, and yes it burns calories, but not LOADS. If you are exercising TO lose weight it is a small part of the picture and for most people instead of doing 30 minutes exercise that time would be better spent planning their food for the week and doing a little food prep.

When you exercise strenuously a few things happen, primarily you burn calories. This is good BUT bear in mind the calories it says you have burned is not the entire true story, as some of those you would have burned anyway sat on your bum.

BUT where the problem comes in is as follows:

1. People then tend to eat those calories they have burned, negating the fat loss benefit of it
2. Strenuous exercise then makes you more tired, so you subconsciously move less during the day, meaning you actually burn fewer calories than you would otherwise have done
3. Strenuous exercise makes you hungrier, so you struggle to stick to your plan more.

Now when I say strenuous we are talking more about HIIT kind of stuff. I am a fan of HIIT for results BUT overall you are better fast walking or resistance work (for fat loss)

Fast walking still burns calories, but doesn’t then make you starving afterwards and has been shown not to cause you to be more lethargic as a result post exercise, and of course is less daunting to do, so is more likely to be done more often.

You also get a host of benefits health wise from walking and don’t have the same impact on your joints.

SO MY ADVICE FOR EXERCISE

1. DO IT, but tone it down. Walk, Swim or do resistance work (kettlebells, resistance bands etc)
2. Don’t take the extra calories or food allowances for doing it unless you HAVE TO, treat exercise purely as a health thing NOT a fat loss thing.
3. Do it regularly, in short bursts. 4 X 30 minute walks a week is better for you than a 2 hour walk once a week

Ultimately, whatever exercise you do it has to be something you ENJOY doing, that way it will be sustainable and something you can do regularly and long term.

Remember it is not the be all and end all, but it does play a part so please try to do SOME during your week. If nothing else you WILL feel better for it.

Just do NOT exercise FOR fat loss, exercise for health!