While you can lose weight with diet alone, you're more likely to lose a significant amount of weight if you combine diet with exercise. Exercise burns calories, speeds your metabolism and builds muscle, which increases calorie burn. However, exercise on its own is less likely to lead to weight loss. Talk to your doctor about how to lose weight with exercise. Your doctor can also make sure you don't participate in any forms of exercise that aren't appropriate for you.
Calories
The key to weight loss is creating a calorie deficit. You must burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. You can do so by eating fewer calories, burning more calories with physical activity or combining both strategies. Vigorous activities, such as running, burn more calories than more mild activities, such as walking, in the same amount of time. People who weigh more also tend to burn more calories when exercising than people who weigh less.
Type
Weight-bearing activities that work against gravity, such as skiing, dancing or stair-climbing, burn more calories than low-impact activities, such as swimming or cycling. You also burn more calories when you use more muscle groups, so using an elliptical with handle bars burns more calories than using one without handle bars. Hill workouts and interval workouts also burn more calories, so they may be more conducive to weight loss. The more skilled you are at performing an activity, the fewer calories you burn, so take up new activities if you're trying to lose weight. Strength-training builds muscles, so you may not see a change on the scale because of muscle weight.
Diet
Some people find exercise to be ineffective because they make up for the calories they burned by eating more. They may do so consciously or unconsciously. However, some people find that exercise actually suppresses their appetite. Men may be more likely to experience suppressed appetite, while some women may experience increased hunger, according to a 2005 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." You may feel ravenous after exercise because your body has used up its carbohydrate stores.
Tips
To lose weight or maintain weight loss, you may need to get 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity, five days a week. You will be more likely to continue activities that you enjoy. Daily activities, such as walking to the store or cleaning, burn calories and count toward your accumulated minutes. If you tend to overeat after exercising, don't wait too long for your next meal. Plan a healthy snack that combines protein and carbohydrates, such as half a peanut butter sandwich, to consume within half an hour of exercise.
Member Comments