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| quote: | Originally posted by Jon_Snow
I was reading an article lately that said actually a small percentage of the calories you burn is through exercise. While it wasn’t advocating against exercising it pointed out it’s more effective to lose weight by not taking the calories in the first place. |
I hear this a lot. "You'd need to run for an hour to burn off a burger", or whatever. Your body has a base amount of energy it needs to maintain its current weight. Even fat people are probably only 2-300 calories over their maintenance intake per day on average, but that is still enough to gain 20+ lbs a year. Running for an hour might only burn off the calorific equivalent of a burger, but if that takes you from 200 calories over your requirements to 200 calories under, it will result in you losing weight over the long term.
Another often-overlooked factor is that vigorous exercise suppresses hunger. If you run at lung-burning intensity for an hour, not only will you not eat for that time, but you won't feel like eating for quite a while afterwards. I used to have a regime where I'd get home from work and go for a run immediately, even though I was hungry for dinner. By the time I'd got back, warmed down, showered and cooked it was much later in the evening. I would eat a filling meal, and by the time I'd digested it and was ready to eat again, I was already in bed and asleep. I lost quite a lot of weight during that spell.
If you want to actively lose weight, it's always better to burn the candle from both ends: diet and exercise. The single biggest challenge is tolerating hunger, and I think this is the thing people struggle with the most. We're affluent First Worlders who are used to immediately suppressing any kind of physical discomfort, and we live in an environment where high-calorie food is available almost constantly and instantly. Put any animal in that kind of situation and it will over-eat unless an active degree of willpower is exercised.
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> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24
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