Prescriptions - July 2016
The Skinny on Weight Loss
Which is better for weight loss, diet or exercise?
We hear this every day in our center for medical weight loss; “I exercise but I can’t get this extra weight off!” Sadly, despite what those machines and computer programs say, we really burn 4-5 calories a minute during exercise. So after an hour of jogging, cycling, cross fit, or swimming, we have only burned 300 calories on average. It’s a common practice to eat something before exercising for energy or reward yourself after for a job well done. So, at best in the end of the exercise session we are calorie neutral and there is no weight loss benefit. Often the protein bar we consumed had more calories than we burned resulting positive calorie balance and weight gain. So the short answer is yes, exercise is great for a multitude of reasons but is a poor weight loss tool on its own, unless you are training for a triathlon, riding in the Tour de France and exercising 6-7 hours a day.