Exercise for Weight Loss? It’s pretty Meh. Here’s why.
The Body Fat Thermostat Part 7
Exercise is definitely good for you, but completely overrated for weight loss.
Body fat is regulated like a thermostat (see the Body Fat Thermostat series — start with part 1). So, what causes us to store more body fat than in previous generations? Is it calories? No, as we explored in our last article — The Overfeeding Paradox.
Perhaps the thermostat is racheted up by a lack of exercise and increasing exercise is a way to lower our Body Set Weight.
There’s a persistent belief that obesity is caused by lack of exercise. We’ve all heard this before. People are so much less active than before and this is what contributes to the obesity epidemic. Sounds plausible. Lots of ‘experts’ repeat this ad nauseum. The problem is lack of exercise, so you just need to exercise more to lose weight. To lose weight, more exercise is the key.
Sounds convincing. Too bad it’s completely wrong.
