Exercise for thought ...

[foxl]

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090806/hl_time/08599191485700)

It helps me ... somewhat.

Of course this has NO BEARING on the other merits of exercise -- including mood stability. Not saying it is all futile, I do not believe that. But I do agree with the author here!

[fgummett]

Thanks for posting this Linda. Quite a lot to read but well worth it.

I agree with the bulk of what is said... I also maintain that exercise has many health benefits and that physical activity should be a part of everyone's day, but as a successful means of weight-loss it is grossly over-rated and in at least some cases counter-productive.

I'll return the favour by posting another long but worthwhile read:
Junkfood Science: The first Law of Thermodynamics in real life (http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/10/first-law-of-thermodynamics-in-real.html)

and another by Gary Taubes:
Does Exercise Really Make Us Thinner? -- New York Magazine (http://nymag.com/news/sports/38001/)

[lark 27]

I actually found this somewhat depressing. It's tough to really get in continuous movement when sitting at a desk all day, but I can work in time for an hour of jogging or other exercise. Interestingly though for me the willpower argument doesn't quite seem to hold true. I've gone through phases in my life of having good health habits and not so good health habits and I know when Im consistently working out I'll actually eat less. Instead of feeling entitled to treats, I'll realize that's counterproductive. If I'm not in the habit of working out, I'm much more prone to have a snack from the vending machine or when I stop at the gas station. Interesting read though, thanks for posting.

[fgummett]

I too sit at a computer all day for my work but I have added activity to my day by parking further away, taking the stairs, walking to the store instead of driving, taking a walk each day before work and/or at lunchtime, and even taking "smoke breaks" where I'll take as much time away from my desk as the smoking brethren but instead of puffing on a cigarette I walk briskly around the block -- trying to avoid breathing in all their exhaust smoke :D

[foxl]

lark, no one is saying exercise is not worth it, and I DO think maybe for some people, exercise's effect on mood is helpful in self-control ... my own, too!

I think the main argument is, you just cannot count on it, to lower your weight via calories burned ... that's all! :D

[jkane13]

Why do the headlines have to be one thing OR the other?

Of course exercise doesn't make you thin by itself! Neither does dieting unless it is starvation.

Exercise and diet go together. Exercise is needed, and can be a big boost! I was bad last weekend, and gained 7 lbs. This week, I added 45 minutes of exercise each day and have lost all 7 lbs in just 4 days. Will I keep that exercise pace up, not likely, but I have it as an ace in the hole when I do eat too much.

Of course, if you exercise more and then eat more too, it won't help! The two are intertwined.

[foxl]

Why do the headlines have to be one thing OR the other?

Of course exercise doesn't make you thin by itself! Neither does dieting unless it is starvation.

Exercise and diet go together. Exercise is needed, and can be a big boost! I was bad last weekend, and gained 7 lbs. This week, I added 45 minutes of exercise each day and have lost all 7 lbs in just 4 days. Will I keep that exercise pace up, not likely, but I have it as an ace in the hole when I do eat too much.

Of course, if you exercise more and then eat more too, it won't help! The two are intertwined.

... cause it catches the attention by getting an emotional reaction, and gets people to read it. Journalism is sadly manipulative.

[Granny Shanny]

And hearkening back to the essence of this forum, exercise DOES help control blood glucose levels. Whatever else it does is icing on the cake, right? :D :D :D (Oops! Sorry - poor analogy . . . http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/sneezytwo/giggle-2.gif http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/sneezytwo/ashamed.gif)

[foxl]

And hearkening back to the essence of this forum, exercise DOES help control blood glucose levels. Whatever else it does is icing on the cake, right? :D :D :D (Oops! Sorry - poor analogy . . . http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/sneezytwo/giggle-2.gif http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b202/sneezytwo/ashamed.gif)

Maybe it is the CHEEZE on the waffle bun? :D

And, absolutely it is crucial to regulate blood sugars!!!

[Subby]

Why do the headlines have to be one thing OR the other?

For my money, one reason not to pay that much attention to headlines. They assume we have brains worse than a goldfish in that not only forget things in 10 seconds, but can only hold one single thing in our mind at a time.

[Granny Shanny]

Maybe it is the CHEEZE on the waffle bun? :D

And, absolutely it is crucial to regulate blood sugars!!!
Yep - that's what it is! Bacon, egg & cheese on that-there waffle bun was nothing short of delicious this morning! :D :D :D


For my money, one reason not to pay that much attention to headlines. They assume we have brains worse than a goldfish in that not only forget things in 10 seconds, but can only hold one single thing in our mind at a time.
Headlines and half the rest of the stuff they write . . . media mavens, advertising execs, all the others with their little agendas . . . treat the public like we're imbeciles. I for one take everything they say with a huge grain of salt. (It's bad for my hypertension, but it's absolutely necessary! :D :D :D )

[foxl]

Also gotta remember, HEADLINES are written by someone who did NOT write the article! So they give the headline a totally different spin than intended sometimes.

It has to do with graphics and typesetting -- old old tradition! Because they had to fit the lettering onto the space provided.

[xMenace]

Exercise is vital to diabetics. Diabetes negatively affects your vascular system. Exercise works to improve it. Don't anybody ever consider not being active!


---------------------------------
I sent in a reply to this article. I'm not happy with its conclusions. I've been providing feedback on many nutrition articles lately. I think we need to get some reporters to take on the low carb issues: is it a valid aregument and why aren't scientists and policy groups buying in?

An interesting article but IMO not the right conclusions. BTW I do agree with the observations that exercise does not promote weight loss, it merely makes you hungry.

I'm mainly dissapointed with the comments that it goes back to a lack of will power. It's the standard response to nutritional paradoxes. After all, people surveyed always lie about what they eat. [Crazy that we base so many nutrition policies on such bad science] Neither you nor your subjects even question whether the first law of thermodynamics is applicable. It's an obvious conclusion, one a kindergardener would make. There's too much bias and predjudice when it comes to discussing nutrition science!

If you'd read Taubes completely, you'd find that he believes all the evidence points towards obesity as a hormonal imbalance, not a lack of will power and not a calorie imbalance. We carry around too much insulin. Insulin is the fat storage hormone. This is a scientific fact. It's known by all doctors and has been for decades. If you eat foods that promote insulin secretion, you get obese and all the nasty western diseases like diabetes, CHD, cancers, alzheimers, and more. If you eat foods that don't cause insulin secretions or at least mild ones, then you don't get obese and you don't get these diseases. It's a simple hormonal balance. Insulin!

Easy enough to buy into, right? Wrong! The big problem is that the foods that trigger insulin are carbohydrates. Fats don't. Protein does to a much lesser extent. The truth as I believe it is people like Dr. Atkins and Dr. Richard Bernstein were right! We should be eating high fat, high protein diets.

But one has to come to this conclusion the hard way. You have to do your own research and reading, and you have to try it out. I communicate with many hundreds of diabetics in online forums. I can honestly say that 100% of the many I've seen follow low carb diets have had improved blood sugars, improved lipids, improved blood pressure, and weight loss. 100%! The kicker is I've done it myself too. And to be honest, I'm a skeptical sob. Honestly I am.

Read and Interview Taubes. Report on why the scientific community, the AHA, and the ADA aren't buying in. My suspect is Big Sugar, but what do I know.

Have a great day.

John

[foxl]

John, oh, boy ... and I just emailed the ADA!


What is that quote about writing letters to newspapers ... ?

[fgummett]

Nice response John! :congrats:

[kstreeter513]

This entire article sounds like it was written to provide a crutch to people who are too fat and lazy to get out and exercise. I'm so tired of hearing people's excuses. I don't care if you want to crawl in a hole with your Twinkies and cupcakes and die fat and alone, but please don't ruin it for those of us who do have the willpower to make a difference. Speaking for myself, when I come in for a run, I don't go for the snickers, or the muffin from Starbucks, I make good, healthy decisions. This article and ones like it truly disgust me.

[foxl]

Kyle, in all fairness to those who are having difficulty starting exercise or in maintaining a schedule of it, may I ask:

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

Are you a mother to young children?

Have you ever experienced overweight, obesity, or chronic pain in joints or muscles?

Just askin' ;)

[fgummett]

Wow! I don't even know where to start.

First off Kyle, how exactly is an article like this going to "ruin it for those of us who do have the willpower to make a difference" :confused: Surely with your superhuman prowess you can simply rise above such petty matters?

Secondly at age 23 I was also slim, and biked/ran often -- in fact I didn't even get a car until my late 20's. I was also eating and drinking (in the Navy so lots of beer) a heck of a lot more than I have been able to for the last 20 years or so. My point being that my weight starting growing after my 30s without my changing my diet or activity levels.

Thirdly I don't have Type 1 diabetes which as we are discussing in another thread -- if left untreated -- leads to weight loss due to reduced levels of insulin... as compared to Type 2 which -- if left untreated -- leads to weight gain due to high levels of insulin. That is biochemistry NOT psychology.

Way to be closed minded!

[Moonglo]

As one of the super heavy people here, I have to jump in as well.

First of all, just because I'm about 130 pounds overweight does not mean I want to crawl into a hole with my twinkies and snickers and starbucks drinks and die. For your information, I happen to be married, and hoping to be a mother one day, not to mention living a long enough life to be able to one day retire and have grandkids. Does that sound like wanting to crawl into a hole to die to you???

Secondly, how does that article ruin anything for anyone? I don't think the author meant that we should not exercise, rather that we need to be mindful that if we're not careful that increased appetite can cause us problems. Since I need to lose so much weight, don't you think I need to know when my body is playing tricks on me, so I don't overeat? Because when you're as heavy as I am, oftentimes by now it has become more difficult to read the body's natural hunger signals. If I'm not careful, everything feels like a hunger signal. Especially now that I have been exercising more, and my appetite definitely seems to have upped itself since then.

So, excuse me for being pushy, but is it really a copout for me to take that information and store it away so that if I'm not losing weight I can figure out what the culprit may be??? I read that article the day this thread started, and I've exercised just as much since then as I did before. And I dare say I am not the only one here who needs to lose weight that this is true for.

Just saying, maybe it's not for you to judge what's an excuse versus what's legitimate information for those of us who have this problem to consider...

[America]

Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin - TIME (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html)

Check out this article, it might help you understand things clearer.

[Granny Shanny]

There's been a lot of comment on this already . . . check the thread at http://www.diabetesforums.com/forum/exercise/42167-exercise-for-thought.html#post483410

[Ronin]

Linda, et al.,

Yeah, there are all kinds of studies that "prove" that this path or that path doesn't lead to weight loss. As john noted, a lot of people in these "scientific studies" simply lie (or have become unaware) of what they actually do.

While it is probably true that simply putting in a hour a day at the gym won't cause you to lose all that fat, the other reality is that our cluture is both sedentary as well as filled with quick, easy and cheap foods that are high in sugar, fats and salt.

While our society has evolved technologically our bodies haven't adaped to the idea that a body can be at rest most of the day and still consume a huge amount of calories, particularly those from carbohydrate based sources.

Our bodies crave activity, and it does improve the mood, make BG levels better, and muscles stronger and healthier.

However, our cluture wants a quick-and-easy fix for everything. We like our sedentary life style, we love the fact that celebratory foods are available 24/7/365 and all we want is a pill that will make all the fat go away.

The problem of such an article is that it will give some people yet another excuse to avoid exercise -- after all it was reported that it doesn't work -- so why get all sweaty just have another doughnut and turn on the TV.

That being said, I was, at one time, 235 pounds and sedentary. Then I got into bicycling -- a lot of bicycling and now weigh in at 155. Somehow I don't think that dietary changes accounted for the weight loss and the bicycling is all in my head. FWIW: I do have a calorie calculator and I average over 2000 calories burned in each-and-every bicycle ride I take. I got past the hunger following exercise phase. I now time my intakes of carbohydrates to just before or just after exercise and the weight fell off -- the only problem is that my skin no longer fits.

[fgummett]

I think pretty much every poster in this thread has already acknowledged how important physical activity is for health... still, no harm in repeating this important point.

What has me most worried is that my choice is limited to EITHER "get all sweaty" OR "have another doughnut and turn on the TV" ...are there really no other options?

I think it is sad to label all humans as basically fat and lazy (looking for excuses) unless we are stuck with an electric cattle prod... do you really have such a poor impression of your fellow humans?

I am really happy for you that you have found an activity which you clearly enjoy immensely, but as we are constantly reminded when making specific dietary suggestions... "what works for one may not work for all". For me, cycling 5,000 miles a year is not in the cards but I have built physical activity into my daily life all the same. :)

[Gozelle]

We take Time, and I read the article this morning. I always eat less when I exercise, and I always loose weight when I do exercise and gain it back if I stop. We are talking years of experince here. So, this article is does not apply to all.

[Granny Shanny]

Thanks Frank - nicely stated.

[jkane13]

Just to pile on the choices and size concept ...

I graduated from High School at 120 lbs. I was VERY skinny. I ran for fun, not to exercise.

My weight gain was some bad choices, but the effort level is not just a matter of saying today I will lose weight and have it happen. There is so much more to it than a simple either/or answer.

[foxl]

The Big Fat Lies Of Exercise - NPR Health Blog Blog : NPR (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2009/08/the_big_fat_lie_of_exercise.html)

Posting NPR comment ... since they feel it was mostly the provocative HEADLINE and opener, that ACSM is finding disagreeable. Journalism once again ... vs. reading the entire substance.

[Ronin]

Fgummett, et al.,

"I think it is sad to label all humans as basically fat and lazy (looking for excuses) unless we are stuck with an electric cattle prod... do you really have such a poor impression of your fellow humans? "

Do I have a poor impression of my fellow humans? Perhaps just a bit. My comment was not to say that the extreems (and I am one of the extreems) are not the only choices. However, articles that shout out the claim that exercise doesn't cause weight loss will be used as an excuse by people who don't exercise now.

You also keyed into one of my favorite themes concering excercise. What makes you passionate will be the exercise of choice. I know people who have found ballroom dancing to be their obsession and dropped all kinds of weight. That leaves me totally bored while the dancers wouldn't be caught dead on a bicycle -- at least for the kind of miles I and a lot of the cycling obsessed put in willingly.

There is a good reason for moderation as it works for all of us. However, when it comes to cycling -- I know no moderation.