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!!
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):
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it improves insulin sensitivity;
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it improves sleep, which improves insulin sensitivity;
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it improves mood and stress levels, which in turn improves insulin sensitivity and also means higher quality of life;
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it improves body composition, and since muscle is more dense than fat, that means a smaller size (if that’s one of your goals);
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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;
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it makes you feel like a badass
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 -
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.
I think about this stuff a lot…
