The Time Magazine article about why exercise doesn’t lead to weight loss has gotten the attention of the fitness community and other health experts.
Something he could have spent more time on is the idea that dietary changes “trump” exercise to cause weight loss. So, it’s not that exercise is inconsequential for weight loss, it is just that making dietary changes can be an easier way to create a sufficient “energy gap” that produces weight loss. By this I mean that an imbalance has to occur between how much energy we consume (calories/food) and how much energy we expend (movement) for weight loss to occur. So, producing an imbalance through moving more is fine but it takes A LOT of exercise to produce sufficient energy expenditure to lose a lot of weight.
Cloud blames researchers and public health officials for our culture’s misconception (or misperception) of the key role that exercise plays in weight loss, and I agree with this to some extent. But, the marketing by fitness companies aiming to sell their products and services as the magic bullet to your dream body are the true culprits of
I don’t agree with Cloud that the main reason exercise doesn’t cause weight loss is because we eat more to compensate for the calorie expenditure brought about by our increased exercise. Instead I think it just takes TOO MUCH exercise to produce any significant level of weight loss and most of us (me included) just don’t have the time or energy or DESIRE to sustain that level for long. (My caveat here is that some people can and do exercise enough to lose weight, but they are the minority. I think it’s more helpful to focus on what is true for the majority of folks when it comes to understanding this issue.)
