Exercise has long been used as a tool for weight control. Physical activity causes the body to expend energy. With this energy, you burn calories. The more calories you burn, the easier it becomes to lose weight. But weight loss can vary greatly from one person to the next, especially when using exercise alone to achieve results. Your body size, choice of athletic pursuit and duration of this activity all influence the calories burned, so exercising hard for three days and then moderately for two can affect each person differently.
Caloric Deficit
To lose weight, you need to come up with a deficit in calories. This deficit is the same for everyone, consisting of roughly 3,500 calories for each pound of fat. This means a deficit of 500 calories a day provides a weight loss of 1 lb. each week, while a deficit of 750 calories generates a loss of 1 ½ lbs. in the same amount of time.
Timing
While current guidelines for exercise are set at 30 minutes most days of the week, this length of time may not be enough to promote weight loss. In fact, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains that most medical experts will tell you to get at least 60 minutes of aerobic activity to help you lose the weight. Exercise doesn't often burn as many calories as people think, so the addition of another 30 minutes can make a significant impact on results.
Exercise
Let's say you work out hard by jogging at a pace of 6 mph for three days of the week. At a weight of 155 lbs., you burn right around 12 ½ calories per minute, based on the numbers provided by Harvard Medical School. If each session is 60 minutes in length, you're looking at a total of 2,232 calories burned. By adding another two days of walking at a moderate pace of 4 mph, you increase this deficit, but only at a rate of 5 ½ calories per minute. After two 60-minute sessions, you've now burned a total of just under 670 calories. For the week, you've created a deficit of 2,900 calories. In a month, this deficit equates to a weight loss of over 3 lbs.
Diet
As you probably can tell, exercise has its limits. This is by no means saying not to get regular physical activity, just keep its results in perspective. Instead of focusing solely on exercise to lose the weight, make some dietary changes, as well. Much like exercise, diet can help generate a caloric deficit. For example, if you're able to reach a deficit of 400 calories a day while maintaining the prior exercise routine, you can expect to add another 3 ½ lbs. of weight loss for the month. This provides you with a total weight loss of almost 7 lbs.
References
- National Institutes of Health; Exercise and Weight Loss; Oct 2009
- National Institutes of Health; Tips for Losing Weight; Oct 2009
- Harvard Health Publications; Calories Burned in 30 Minutes for People of Three Different Weights; July 2004
- Weight-Control Information Network; Physical Activity and Weight Control; Nov 2006
- Mayo Clinic; Weight Loss: Better to Cut Calories or Exercise More?; Donald Hensrud; June 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; How Much Physical Activity Do Adults Need?; March 2011
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