Will I Really Lose Weight If I Exercise Daily?

If you exercise at a moderate level of intensity for at least 150 minutes per week, you’ll meet the minimum recommendations for improved health through physical activity. If you double that amount of time and spend 300 minutes, or 5 hours, doing aerobic and strength training workouts each week, you’ll be in a better position to lose weight and keep it off. However, depending on your fitness and weight loss goals, you may need to exercise more.

Weight Loss

Weight loss through exercise is a function of burning more calories than you consume over time. To lose a pound of fat, you must burn 3,500 more calories than you take in. Because healthy weight loss takes time, you shouldn’t aim to lose more than 2 pounds per week. Burning between 500 and 1,000 calories more than you consume each day will result in a weight loss of 4 to 8 pounds each month. You needn’t burn a high amount of calories to experience weight loss; if you burn an extra 300 calories each day, for example, you’ll lose between 2 and 3 pounds each month.

Level of Activity

The number of calories you burn in a workout depends on your current body weight, level of intensity, chosen activity and its duration. For example, a 150-pound person burns just under 350 calories walking 4 miles in an hour, while the same exerciser can burn 680 calories in the same amount of time by running 6 miles. Performing the same workouts, a 250-pound person burns 567 and 1,134 calories, respectively. Consequently, very overweight or obese exercisers burn more calories performing the same activity, than those who only need to shed a few pounds to reach a healthy weight.

Benefits of Exercise

Weight loss is just one of the many benefits of regular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, running, biking and swimming, develops muscular strength and endurance, improves circulation, reduces fatigue, keeps cholesterol levels healthy, boosts immunity and reduces your risk for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers. Resistance training, including body weights, dumbbells, resistance bands, a stability ball, kettlebells, a medicine ball and weight machine workouts, increases your body’s lean mass and develops strong bones. More muscle leads to a higher metabolism, further boosting weight loss, and strong bones decrease your risk for developing osteoporosis.

Considerations

Consuming fewer calories is more effective in promoting weight loss than exercise alone. If your main goal is to lose weight, you can boost your efforts considerably by controlling your diet. Eliminate most, if not all, processed and refined foods and replace them with whole foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Increase your intake of high-fiber foods, which are typically more satiating and have fewer calories. Eat smaller meals throughout the day, rather than three large meals, and make sure the calories you consume are nutrient-dense, providing your body with high-quality fuel.