"Exercise is not an effective tool for weightloss" is nonsense


#1

I keep hearing the claim that “exercise is not a tool for weightloss,” and in fact I’ve used it myself in the narrowest meaning: that you shouldn’t exercise for the express purpose of seeing the scale number go down. However, this somehow gets translated into “you don’t need exercise,” which is absurd. Somehow folks who are very savvy about hormonal effects of food seem to forget that just like there are ridiculous conventional approaches to food (CICO), much of the standard advice about exercise (e.g. “do this for 30 minutes and you’ll burn x number of calories”) is equally flawed, and for many of the same reasons.

Yes, there are studies done on how exercise is not an effective weightloss strategy. From what I’ve seen, those studies were done on sugar burners. Here’s what happens to a sugar-burner after intense exertion: having depleted her glycogen reserves she is FAMISHED, so of course the post-exercise eating is compensatory and usually very high in carbs. Wash, rinse, repeat. Most of you reading this know exactly what the resulting hormonal rollercoaster would look like. Would you expect that to lead to weight loss?

And if even if “exercise doesn’t help with weightloss” were true (which it’s not; see more below), it doesn’t begin to account for body composition changes. Here’s one woman who only lost one pound using IF and weightlifting. Her case could have been used to prove the point that whatever she’s doing doesn’t help weightloss, but look at her!!
38 PM

There are countless other examples of this on this forum and everywhere else. The scale can be a helpful tool when you’re talking about large numbers, and huge kudos to those among us who have lost 50, 80, 100, 150 pounds - that’s amazing! But since we usually want to lose weight to be healthier and/or to be smaller, it’s worth keeping in mind that as specific number, weight is a poor indicator of both health and size.

I’m assuming that anyone reading this agrees that insulin sensitivity plays a critical role in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Here’s what movement/exercise* does for us (not equally for every person in every stage of life, but these are generally true and 1 - 5 have lots of science to back them):

  1. it improves insulin sensitivity;

  2. it improves sleep, which improves insulin sensitivity;

  3. it improves mood and stress levels, which in turn improves insulin sensitivity and also means higher quality of life;

  4. it improves body composition, and since muscle is more dense than fat, that means a smaller size (if that’s one of your goals);

  5. depending on the type and intensity, it has multiple additional benefits (bone density, lymphatic function, cardio health… it’s a very very long list), so if it’s long-term health that you’re looking for - aren’t we all? - then physical activity is an important component;

  6. it makes you feel like a badass :slight_smile: I love reading Brenda’s proud posts about her increasing strength; there’s a sense of her reclaiming her body. Being fit feels amazing, which makes it much easier to think of food as nourishment and thus easier to stick to keto (which is effective for weightloss :slight_smile:

  7. It just makes sense. Just as human bodies did not evolve to run on twinkies and pasta, they did not evolve to be sedentary.

Frequent arguments:
Some athletes have high levels of injury and even heart issues
Yes, this is true. But just like you need to be selective and do your research when it comes to food, you should do your research when it comes to exercise. One of the top things to watch for is that chronic cardio seems not to be great for the heart. And in any case, professional athletes have a level of wear and tear on their bodies that most of us cannot imagine.

I improved my body composition just by changing my diet
Yes! This is amazing and speaks volumes about the suitability of this WOE for you, but I’m not sure why it then follows that there’s no reason to be active.

But I know this person and that person who walk miles a day and are obese
Well, of course: if they’re eating SAD, the walking will probably bring some improvement to their overall health (compared to not walking) but it’s not going to magically make them slender.

I don’t want to injure myself
Yes, this makes sense. If you’re not used to exercising then suddenly hitting the weight room or deciding to run a 5k is likely not the best path for you. Be critical of the information out there since most of the exercise advice out there is the equivalent of “eat 6 meals/day with a minimum of 50g/carb per serving.”

If you haven’t moved very much in your adult life, making a change is hard, though anyone who’s keto has - in my mind - already accomplished a much bigger change and bucking of habits. I think that sometimes the most difficult hurdle is the incredible mindfuck that decades of hearing “eat less and move more” does to us. It makes it feel like obesity and diabetes is our fault, and there’s a tremendous amount of guilt and resentment around that, so movement feels like territory of waifs in selfies and muscle-bound guys in the gym or all those annoying people who seem to be naturally thin instead of your birthright as a human being.

*Big caveat here: “exercise” can mean many different things to many people and does not necessarily involve a gym membership or many hours hitting the pavement! There are lots of folks who are incredibly fit who don’t do anything that they would classify as formal exercise, but they’re out on hikes, play sports with their friends, etc. Folks with limited mobility can often do some really terrific yoga sessions, folks who are too large to comfortably bike or ride can do TTapp.

Caveat #2: if you’re just starting keto, it’s not the time to jump into an ambitious new exercise plan! Fat -adaptation takes time and patience.


HIIT, weightlifting or low-intensity cardio?
Lack of interest in exercise
(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #2

WOW!!! Just WOW


#3

@rustyk61 :grin:I think about this stuff a lot…


(*Rusty* Instagram: @Rustyk61) #4

Oh, I’m on your side of this thought process. Diet or Exercise work best together. You put it in it’s right context.


#5

Fat loss and muscle gain is fab. Who the heck wants to be a fragile oldie who can’t bend at the knees!


(Dawn) #6

I can keto on all I want. I can be as skinny as I want, but unless I get some weight work in to build the muscles in my legs and around my knees, I won’t be able to walk when I’m 70. That’s just the truth. Not to mention that exercise just feels so good. Being a badass is BOSS. Exercise and diet go hand in hand.


(Liz ) #7

OK OK! gets up off couch, pulls on workout gear geez…

:wink: :rofl:


(Adam Kirby) #8

If exercise increases insulin sensitivity then it is, in fact, an effective tool for weight loss.


#9

Haha! enjoy :slightly_smiling_face:


(Liz ) #10

:smile:

Also didn’t Ted Naiman say on the 2KD podcast that (the right kind of) exercise increases the number of mitochondria we need to be fat adapted and lose weight? Not sure I have the science right but he said the words mitochondria and exercise and I was like “OK yeah, I need to do that.” LOL

http://www.burnfatnotsugar.com/exercise.html


#11

Yes! I remember when I first started researching ancestral eating and I heard the word “mitochondria” my brain shut off a bit ; it just seemed too science-y and I didn’t really understand the significance. Now it all seems so interesting! Cold exposure increases mitochondria as well.

I think when we shift the goal from “weight loss” to “vibrant health” we get a really different outlook.


(Liz ) #12

I’ve been experimenting with ending my showers with cold water on mornings I’m brave enough! It does seem to lift my mood as promised, though not while I’m doing it haha! Extra mitochondria for whatever we need those for seems like a bonus.


#13

Ending seems like a good strategy. Somehow stepping into a cold shower just takes a bit more courage than I have first thing in the morning, but ending with cold is do-able.
Also some folks actually suggest that the change is part of what’s so useful, so going from warm/hot to cold is beneficial.


(Erin Macfarland ) #14

I agree with this 100%! And starting exercise leads to being more active overall. Certainly there are diminishing returns for exercising (too much high intensity or hours upon hours of cardio can result in more harm than good physically and psychologically) but I too think exercising can lead to weight loss not necessarily through caloric expenditure but through the mechanisms you described.


(Mark Rhodes) #15

One of the many reasons I enjoy our forum are posts like your. Strong opinion backed by experience and in between the lines are the science. Just loved reading this! Some comments that I have had over the years that have been honed since starting this WOL:

I used to wonder why I could not take off my inner tube belly while running 70 mile weeks. I ran those for years. I ran two half marathons every week on my distance days. Still the belly fat would not come off. Of course I was eating low fat high carb and high protein ( I lived in a zone of 45-40-15) but the only explanation that made sense then to me was this: My body has become far more efficient running and I did not require 100 calories per mile. I believed somewhat accurately that my metabolism altered itself while running. What I could not grasp then was it was ALSO doing this all throughout the day.

I also understand that muscle is more energy consuming and so you will increase your metabolism at that smaller size.

Back in exercise physiology classes I remember a bell curve for athletic people. The rate of injury was higher and so was rate of recovery. Along with that active people did not have injuries from falling in a parking lot kind of injuries.

On a second graph I recall was that athletic people on average lived 6 months longer. YET those last ten years were not plagued with hospitals and medications to the extent of the nominal population.

Thanks again!!


#16

@marklifestyle

Yes, this is a wonderful forum!

Agree- CICO doesn’t work well on the eating side of things, and it’s no more effective on the exercise end.

It’s true what you mention about injury: it’s not only active folks who get injured, and they probably usually have quicker recovery.

Also love your last point. In the end, it’s really all about quality of life (and that’s not just true in our last 10 years!).


#17

That visual of 181 female pounds above is marvelous and can go far in correcting the rife miseducation on weight vs. composition, thank you! Many females especially would benefit from seeing it. (Like, as an admin pinned post or something).

Exercise is a vast topic that requires nuanced understanding and thought related to which type it is, and what states of health/metabolism the bodies that are doing it are in! Indeed, some types of stressful exercise/training are not recommended during keto adaptation phase - and embarking on exercise while morbidly obese can create new injuries or health risks! Exercise is a VERY effective tool for weightloss when it’s the right time for a particular person’s health - but figuring out the right & effective exercise is just about as controversial as questioning the food pyramid!

In sedentary industrial culture, exercise for non-obese people can provide a natural anti-depressant action, and assist in paying attention to the body. On the other hand though - significantly obese people exercise every time they get out of a chair (and thus usually have significant body muscle strength and muscle mass in the lower body).

There can also be huge differences between exercise for enjoyment/athletic competition and exercise that specifically facilitates efficacious whole body mitochondrial transformation and thermogenesis that is an ally in metabolic healing. LCHF/keto plus slow-moving, high intensity weight-bearing strength training is amazingly effective and complimentary to metabolic boosting - as explored in science-based (and LCHF oriented) approaches to exercise health in Body by Science by Doug McGuff MD and Slow Burn Fitness Revolution by Fred Hahn, Mary Dan Eades MD and Michael Eades MD. It’s also been pointed out by several of these authors in blog articles or talks that 99% of body recomposition is dietary - and - the 1% potential boosting via slow, intense weight training brings both short term and long term benefits that are deeply supportive of recomposition as well as for rejuvenation.

There is also a lot of miseducation on “cardio” vs. “non-cardio” activities. One can receive intense systemic flushing and heartrate changes through slow lifting of reasonable dumbbells while also building strength/mass that protects the joints as we age. In a society where replacement of joints is considered “normal” for those with health coverage, the idea of naturally lean and strong bodies as joint-protection is downplayed unfortunately.

Evidently, partial body exercise (such as calf muscle development and respiratory strength through jogging, or respiratory exercise via treadmills) isn’t as great for aging and longevity as regular (every 5-7 days) weight-bearing exercises that engage a lot of different muscles. Makes sense, when you consider how aboriginal and indigenous peoples in traditional lifestyles have strong midlifers and elders that carry young children or water!

HOWEVER - for folks with too much stress/unmanaged stress (high cortisol levels) or who are morbidly obese - just following LCHF/keto will and does take care of 99% of body recomposition over the years. There is much value in avoiding injury or excess stress by trying to exercise even correctly when one is too stressed or too obese.

And when the situation is right - weightbearing movement can exponentially enhance body recomposition, and walks in nature with friends can definitely lift the spirits. Moving the body mindfully at any time is effective for breathing well and appreciating lthis precious & brief life.


(Dawn) #18

That’s my girl. And now that we are getting skinnier, think how HOT we are going to look in our new workout clothes!


#19

@SlowBurnMary

So many good points in your post. I actually just watched one of Doug McGuff’s presentations (it’s here if anyone’s curious) and was blown away. I’m now on a mission to get my parents to watch it and start lifting weights.

I love his reminder to us that “common” (at least now in the US) is not the same as “normal” for human beings. Staying strong and fit into 70s and 80s is normal for human physiology (and normal in hunter gatherer societies).


Lack of interest in exercise
#20

Yes indeed, it’s inspiring stuff! Common Americans with medically supported longevity are often often sickly by midlife and frail in the elder years. Whereas LCHF recomposition and appropriate strength-training can make us… supernormal in terms of resiliancy, radiance, and mental agility.

It also helps to be know atypical elders who exemplify such. Some decades back I had a 79 year old tai chi teacher whose radiance and leanness were a combo of more traditional asian cuisine along with some of the strength-enhancing advanced practices. I’ve also had the privilege of learning from some senior traditional martial arts teachers in their 60s who are more vital and fit than many a 30 year old who may walk in the doors of their schools looking to be trained, etc.

Ernestine Shepherd, the 84 year old world-class female bodybuilder, didn’t start lifting weights till she was 57. And it’s amazing that muscles can be preserved and built that allow for midlife and elderly people to have muscle mass equivalent to people decades younger than them.

Biology and physiology are so magnificent!