Weight loss occurs whenever a deficit exists between caloric intake and caloric expenditure. As such, exercise is in itself not necessary for weight loss; the body will lose weight if you eat less regardless of whether or not you exercise. However, exercise will aid significantly in the speed of weight loss, and also has emotional and psychological benefit that can help you stay on a healthy eating pattern longer.
Caloric Deficit
Exercise helps create the caloric deficit necessary to promote weight loss. Burning calories during exercise means that you don't have to cut quite so many out of your diet. For example, if your goal is lose 1 pound of fat each week --- the equivalent of 3,500 calories --- you'll need to cut 500 calories per day, according to the American Council on Exercise. Employ a combination of exercise and caloric restriction to achieve this goal and your diet restrictions will be less severe.
Fat
Exercise also helps to accelerate weight loss because it appears to burn more fat than dieting alone. A study conducted by University of Pittsburgh researchers and published in 2008 in the "Journal of Applied Physiology" set out to understand the discrete and combined affect of exercise and weight loss on the oxidation of fat during moderate exercise in 64 overweight adults. Results showed that the group that exercised in addition to limiting calories used more energy derived from fat than the group that only dieted.
Emotional and Psychological Benefits
According to Michael R. Bracko, doctor of education and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, exercise promotes overall psychological and emotional improvement in that it reduces cortisol levels, counteracts anxiety, helps people sleep better and improves mood. The emotional and psychological benefits of exercise are such that once you get hooked and keep exercising, it will be that much easier to maintain your weight than through diet alone.
Motivation
Exercise also tends to motivate dieters to stay the course. Regular exercise along with dieting stimulates weight loss to a greater extent than dieting alone, and faster weight loss has its own innate motivation. Dieters are far more likely to remain on their diets if they witness sustained positive results.
References
- American Council on Exercise: Trimming Off the Fat
- "Journal of Applied Physiology"; Separate and Combined Effects of Exercise Training and Weight Loss on Exercise Efficiency and Substrate Oxidation; Francesca Amati, et al.; September 2008
- Medical News Today: How Exercise Makes You Feel, Rather Than Look, Is What Matters
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