33 thoughts on “Exercise”

  1. OT (Sort of): I’m trying to figure how to choose between the various lo-carb diets like the classic Atkins, Paleo, and South Beach.

    Can somebody point me to something that explains the differences between them, please?

    Thanks!

    1. Atkins wants to sell you expensive ‘food’ products. If you follow Atkins without buying their products, there really doesn’t seem to be much diference between it and paleo, in terms of effect. At least there wasn’t for me. Hard core paleo will also have you cut out milk products and all grains and beans, which Atkins doesn’t insist on.
      I was on paleo for several years and really liked the effects. The my wife took over cooking, and I don’t have the same control over my diet. So the weight has gradually come back on.

      1. Make your own breakfasts and lunches. I’ve found that by maintaining a monotonous, er, well-regulated pre-supper eating plan, I can eat nearly anything in the evening.

          1. Also, as you touch on below, there’s simply no substitute for creating your own custom meal plan based on your build, weight, genetics, experience and goals. If generic out-of-a-book plan works for you, you’re incredibly lucky.

        2. Titus and Tom make good points in their responses to your question. I’ve not followed any of these plans faithfully, but I’ve done a lot of reading about Paleo/Primal, and have been trying to learn what I can from it. As someone who doesn’t have a weight issue and is just concerned with general fitness and health, my thoughts might not apply to you. But from my perspective, the most important principles are to get more of your calories from meats, vegetables (especially green, leafy vegetables), healthy fats (especially, olive and coconut oils, grass-fed butter, and ghee), nuts, and some fruit (but not too much fruit). I still have dairy, but prefer full-fat dairy foods, especially those that have been fermented (whole milk yogurt and kefir, cheeses, or creme fraiche, for instance). I haven’t given up on grains yet, but prefer whole grains that have been fermented or sprouted, and I try to limit myself to two or three slices of whole-grain sourdough bread a day. The foods to try to avoid, though, are sugars, starches (e.g. potatoes), and refined carbohydrates (white flour, white rice, etc.). Instead of sugar, honey, maple syrup, or other natural unrefined sugars (e.g. coconut sugar, piloncillo sugar, etc.) are the best options. I still eat out a lot, though, but try to select things more in line with the above principles. When I do eat something with lots of sugars and empty carbohydrates, though, I definitely feel it afterward, especially in the form of feeling tired and lethargic.

  2. As I’ve noted here before, I’ve been following the ‘Four Hour Body’ diet since the start of the year — in six months, I’ve lost 32.5 lbs. But here’s what’s really interesting: I hit an extended plateau from early March to early May in which I pretty much just bounced around in a 5-lb range. It was only a few weeks back that I realized that the plateau coincided with my period of greatest exercise (which was simply some of Feriss’s simple in-home calisthenics, plus walking a mile or two a few days a week). When I stopped exercising (for reasons that escape me now), my weight loss started again.

    1. I have Feriss’ book but haven’t read it yet. I didn’t know it had diet specifics. Skimming it I thought it covered exercise and medical treatments?

  5. Exercise can help you lose weight. The problem is the body is efficient enough that you need to do a lot of it to make a difference. Try doing 2 hours of intense exercise a day and then see if you lose some weight or not…

  6. Exercise may not burn that many calories, but it generates endorphins and a feeling of well being that reduces the need to eat – particularly with those who eat to combat depression or as a “reward”. This is a significant demographic amoungst “fatties”.

  7. Obviously, increased obesity is due to extraterrestrials aiming Fat Rays at the Earth.

    I won’t more than mention that the alleged declines in resting metabolic rate are somewhat less than the amount of calories burned by the exercise.

  8. @Godzilla & Fenster PI: I view exercise as an end in itself. I go to the local 24 Hour Fitness, and see a personal trainer once a week, aiming to improve strength and stamina. I’m having better luck with the former and seem to have plateaued with the latter. I’ve also seem to have eliminated a bunch of small back pains *crossed fingers*.

    Part of the problem with stamina is a combination of lack of time and old knee injuries that prevent more aggressive aerobic exercises.

    1. I’ve also seem to have eliminated a bunch of small back pains

      Bingo. I had minor back problems for DECADES even though I’ve never been overweight and always fairly active. Then about 4 years ago I committed to a regular regimen; about 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week. Simple stuff: eliptical, crunches, etc. My back has been almost completely pain free since, even though I still spend the same amount of time sitting at a desk every week. And I’m actually less active overall than I was.

      1. I didn’t have back problems until I lost 170lbs. Then I discovered sciatic pain which is off the charts painful.

        For me, losing weight has nothing to do with eating or exorcising. It is completely controlled by my stress levels.

        1. Stress is definitely way up there. Personally I’d put it in the top three, with diet and sleep. And I think diet is heavily dependent on genetic makeup, so it’s impossible to define a generically perfect one, or even a good one. And of course stress and sleep are interdependent.

  9. >Part of the problem with stamina is a combination of lack of time and old >knee injuries that prevent more aggressive aerobic exercises.
    Go swim, very aerobic, and slight hypoxic altitude training effect.

      1. R. O. F. L.

        That is a must see or you won’t believe it. The pictures are absolutely classic. My gawd the thing has its own stand. With wheels.

  11. There is also the interesting point that aerobic exercise tends to reduce muscle mass. I’ve seen some studies suggesting that strength training, which builds muscle mass, reduces fat – and that’s what most people really mean when they talk about losing weight. The reason is extremely simple; even resting muscle requires energy to keep.

    I used to sell sports supplements, and one of the notable things about the really big guys is that they need calorie levels that would make most people look like a beached whale in short order. 6000 calories per day, when resting, is quite normal.

  12. Exercise may not burn that many calories, but it generates endorphins and a feeling of well being

    What kind of exercise does that? I always feel sore, achy, and wretched, like I just caught a bad cold after exercising, no matter what exercise I do. Running, swimming, weights, aerobics, high or low intensity. I think the idea that exercise makes you feel better is the myth.

    1. Assuming you do not have some sort of condition like arthritis exercise does make one feel better. Your issue is that you probably are not used to doing any exercise at all, try it once, get muscle growth pains and then give up. Next time try say jogging for an hour, stop for a day to rest, then do it again and see the difference in your pain level. The more you keep at it the less difficult it will be to exercise assuming you don’t injure yourself.

      1. I’ve been doing weights and aerobics 2-3 times a week for the last 2 years. I’ve roughly doubled the weight reps and aerobic resistance. How much longer should I expect to go before I get that experience?

        1. So you are getting better at it… I only get pumped up with endorphins if I do exercise for a really long time. Anything less than one hour straight won’t work. You don’t need to push it but it is necessary to do actual physical activity like jogging, or yeah weight lifting, rowing or something like that. I’ve known a lot of people who do very intensive exercises but only on short bursts. It is a good way to get injured if you aren’t careful… It also helps get the endorphins out if you do your exercise in the sunshine (moderate sunshine). The endorphins are just a way the body has to make physical exercise more tolerable I guess.

          1. Better, but never any less unpleasant or painful. I still hit muscle exhaustion before any “glow”. I think the data here is that it just doesn’t happen for some people and I am one of them. I’ll just have to take your word that it happens for you.

            I guess I am also the poster boy for exercise not helping lose weight. When I was in college I was so inert that my roommates called me “vegetable”. As a result, at 6′ 2″ I weighed 135 lbs. After graduation my wife made me go to a gym 1-3 a week for 3 years or so. The result was adding 50 lbs which I’ve never lost. My brother, who never took up exercise, is still that skinny. I can only hope there are some health benefits somewhere.

    2. Same here. Hence the need for intellectual stimulation (i.e.: making a game out of it). Racquetball is my perferred method, but even a jog through the park is enjoyable. Remember to have some food in your stomach before working out and some protein after.

  13. This article is gibberish. Of course exercise lowers your at rest metabolic rate as it strengthens your body and when at rest it does not have to work as hard. If you take this to the limit it means that if you sit on your ass and never do anything your at rest metabolic rate would be sky high. Of course you will die a couple of decades earlier from various and sundry organ failures brought on by lack of activity.

    An active life swaps muscle for fat and you do feel one hell of a lot better for it. Of course it hurts when you are actively exercising but if you don’t the life of a slug is really not all that much fun…..

  14. Works for me. Minus an underlying metabolic problem. Eating less and Exercising more will ALWAYS work. Anybody who says it doesn’t isn’t actually paying attention to what they eat.

    Show me somebody with a ‘fast metabolism’ who can ‘eat anything they like’ without gaining weight. And I’ll show you somebody who doesn’t actually eat all that much and tends to walk around a lot.

    Sure, some carbs spike insulin production, so does shoveling corn syrup into food and drinks. Eat less of them, or rather eat the recommended daily intake and walk a few miles a day and I challenge anybody overweight not to come out thinner.

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