life HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Understanding Weight Loss FIND BALANCE WITH DIET AND EXERCISE.
BY MASON STEVENS · PHOTOS BY L.G. PATTERSON
H
ave you ever heard the saying, “You can’t outrun a bad diet?” What about the idea that if you want to lose a pound of fat each week you simply need to eat 500 fewer calories each day? Here’s one of my favorites: if you want to lose weight, don’t do any resistance training. Lifting weights will make you gain weight and bulk up, right? The problem with so much of the weight loss advice that we hear is that it is full of misinformation and half-truths. It can be overwhelming to sift through pages and pages of Google results. Two different fitness magazines might give completely different opinions on the newest weight loss trend. Thankfully, there are a number of researchers and health/fitness professionals who are trying to find the answers to the most confusing weight loss questions. One of the biggest questions being asked is how much diet and exercise each contribute to weight loss. We’ve all heard the ads for the “miracle workout” that will melt fat without you ever having to diet again. And what about that friend who took up running to lose weight but never saw the scale move? The truth is, neither dieting nor exercise are as effective on their own. Research has shown that exercise alone isn’t very good at helping us lose weight. Dieting alone, while initially great for losing weight, can result in a plateau in the first few months. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the best approach for losing weight, and keeping it off, is one that combines diet and exercise. A common suggestion is that about 75-80% of weight loss comes from the changes we make to our diet. So clearly, there must be one diet that’s better than the rest, right? WRONG! One of the most pervasive diet myths is that there is one way to eat for weight loss. The key is to find a way of eating that helps to decrease your portion sizes, eat fewer calories and ultimately works in the long term.
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INSIDE COLUMBIA MAY/JUNE 2022
