I would think that in the last 20 years, millions of people world wide have found that exercising while trying to lose weight has proven to be a benefit for them.

However, the Seattle Times recently reported in an article that research conducted since 1989 shows differently.  More specifically, aerobic exercise such as running, jogging, biking, using a treadmill or even an elliptical machine for any length of time isn't the answer to weight loss. 


Well, it doesn't take a genius to understand that exercising alone is not the answer to losing all that excess baggage that you are carrying around.  A great deal has to do with what you are eating.  However, the question is whether or not fitness has a role when it comes to weight loss?

I believe that a good percentage of people rely heavily or at least combine sufficient amounts of exercise to their weight loss programs .  On top of that, without exercise they might not have reached their goals or at the very least, not as quickly as they planned.

Take an average person who is overweight or obese and look at their current lifestyle.  How much physical activity are they getting daily or weekly?  Now, include them into a physical program where they are either doing routines at home or at a gym.  Let's say that the routines they are doing are all aerobic and consist of either running, jogging, walking, biking, use of a treadmill or an elliptical machine.  The average time spent doing any one of these might be around 30 – 45 minutes per day, 3 o4 times a week.

To me, it would be obvious that any person doing such a routine would be improving their physical condition.  Strengthening their heart, improving circulation, increasing metabolism and burning calories.

Now, all of this means nothing if what you are eating only defeats the entire purpose of losing weight. 

For example, let's say that you are limiting yourself to 2,000 calories a day.  A good solid figure where you are definitely not starving yourself to death.  You workout 3 or 4 times a week and burn on average about 500 – 600 calories per workout.  However, because you are working out you feel like you need more energy or you feel that you can eat more simply because you are sweating off those calories.

So, you simply eat more then the 2,000 calories that you were limiting yourself too.  If you were to eat more than the calories that you burned while working out, then exercising will obviously prove to be something opposite with weight loss.  This is especially true is you are eating a lot of greasy fast foods that are heavy in calories and fat.

The same thing applies if are not limiting your caloric intake each day.  If you are overweight and exercise, but do nothing to change your old eating habits, than weight loss may seem like a problem.

I work out and I love it.  I'm not as hard core as I once was, but I still enjoy the feeling of working out.  I've learned to mix it up a little by including aerobic, anaerobic and resistance training into my schedule.

Does it make a difference that I include exercise and fitness along with healthy eating for my weight loss goals.  Of course it does!  It increases motivation, increases my energy and helps my body to feel better.  Exercising is like a tool or support mechanism that helps me to burn additional calories and fat.

But, if I didn't change my old eating habits I would easily be gaining weight instead of losing it. Ten or twenty years ago, after working out for two hours I would have simply stopped and had a burger, fries and large shake.

Here's the link to that article from the Seattle Times