I know plenty of very active people who bike, go to the gym, play adult sports, etc. who get a little bigger each year. Maybe they would weigh even more without the activity, I don't know. The ones who shrink down drastically after not seeing them for awhile do so by making dietary (including drinks) changes, not doubling their activity. I do think that exercise can aid dieting if one resists the urge to eat cake after vigorous workouts: lowered stress and more regulated sleep patterns can help with weight loss (and cardiovascular & endurance benefits are never a bad thing). But it's the diet that's shrinking most of the fat.

Exercise is the #1 factor in my weight swings throughout the year. Winters, I balloon up to XXX, and in the summers, when I'm outside constantly biking, swimming, mowing, hiking, I lose XX. Literally every year. Pretty obv it is the combination of both for optimum outcome. Also pretty obv weights are the way to go over 40, but I can't STAND how tedious lifting weights can be.

Totally. And (I shudder to say this word) a privilege to have the time 4 months out of each year. Basically, I just want to drop out of life with bong in hand and bike all over the country forever.

It helps you be healthy. I've been biking crazy amounts for 3 years, and lifting weights 3 to 6 times per week. I'm 5 pounds heavier than I was 3 years ago. You'll only lose weight if it's accompanied by a calorie deficit. Which, as Tim said, is incredibly hard when you're exercising like crazy.

Ike wrote:Exercise is the #1 factor in my weight swings throughout the year. Winters, I balloon up to XXX, and in the summers, when I'm outside constantly biking, swimming, mowing, hiking, I lose XX. Literally every year. Pretty obv it is the combination of both for optimum outcome. Also pretty obv weights are the way to go over 40, but I can't STAND how tedious lifting weights can be.A 100 mile ride can burn something like 7000 calories! You're creating a calorie deficit by biking these crazy distances almost every day, so yeah you're gonna lose weight. Riding 20 to 50 miles every day is far above and beyond what most people are able to do as far as a long term exercise regimen.

yeah, it depends on your starting point i'd assume.

Angus Jung wrote:tmidgett wrote:Exercise is great for a lot of reasons, but it doesn't really help you lose weightExcercise helps you lose weight. FFS.A direct quote from my Doctor: "Exercise is for maintenance/toning. Weight loss comes from reducing caloric intake and changing one's diet."The takeaway is that exercise is healthy and important, but if weight loss is what you're after you need to eat better things and smaller portions. Eliminate the bullshit.

jeff\_fox wrote:It helps you be healthy. I've been biking crazy amounts for 3 years, and lifting weights 3 to 6 times per week. I'm 5 pounds heavier than I was 3 years ago. You'll only lose weight if it's accompanied by a calorie deficit. Which, as Tim said, is incredibly hard when you're exercising like crazy.Yeah.You shouldn't need a calorie deficit, though. I haven't, anyway.Weight gain is caused by energy that the body doesn't need. if there's a lot of extra energy delivered quickly, then the body has to really hustle to get rid of it, which means storing it in fat cells. I'm oversimplifying, but not by much. What delivers that most? Simple carbs. Sugar, processed grains, etc. They induce the body to produce extra insulin, which induces weight gain, and the ensuing hormonal imbalance can take a while to turn around (and take a disconcertingly short period of time to come back if you let it). What delivers it least? Greens, protein, and fat. They take longer to convert into energy and don't create rapid imbalances of fuel to energy needed.Exercise makes you hungry, and you eat more, and then you gain weight provided you're eating to the point of being sated. You may well feel better and be healthier. But you'll probably gain weight, particularly if you don't have any easy sugar-bloat to burn off anymore.If you're exercising really heavily, you can create a calorie deficit and lose weight. Maintaining that state means being hungry all the time. If you let yourself eat fat, protein, greens and avoid processed carbs, you can lose weight and not be hungry. It's a lot more sustainable, I think.I'm not advocating against exercise or whatever, but if you want to lose weight and keep it off, you gotta change your diet.

Exercise vs. calorie reduction - I'm 10 pounds heavier than I was 10 years ago when I was counting calories and not exercising, but I have pants that were super tight on me from that time period that are almost too loose now because all that fat in my legs is muscle now. I've heard muscle weighs more than fat, not sure if that's true or just one of those things people say, but whatever the case I'm heaver than 10 years ago but look a lot thinner. Exercise will help you keep trim and toned and will generally make you healthier and can help you keep weight off but it doesn't if you consume more calories than you burn off. If you keep eating the same amount now and start exercising more, you'll lose weight, if you keep the same level of activity now and start eating less, you'll also lose weight.