Why You Probably Won’t Lose Weight By Going To The Gym
I am among the swarm that is back at the gym now that it is January. You know, resolutions and all that. But, this time it is different. Over the last three months I lost thirty pounds and six inches from my waist. I did this by not going to the gym and actually cutting substantially back on any exercise. Hitting the gym, or really participating in any exercise regimen, is not likely going to lead to weight loss. In fact, it is more likely to cause you to gain weight.
The problem is that the math simply does not work for those that exercise three or four times a week for thirty minutes to an hour. It will vary, based on your activity, but you will most likely not burn more than 300 to 500 calories during your workout. That is really nothing in the course of a typical day when most people consume 2,000 or more calories. To put it in simple terms, a breakfast sandwich at Starbucks would wipe out the calories you just burned - even just a single donut will offset any benefit from your workout.
The bigger problem is that once you start exercising your hunger will increase. You will have that “hungry as a bear” feeling and end up consuming an increasing number calories. I am at the gym this January not to lose weight, but to tone up after dropping thirty pounds. Hitting the gym will improve your cardiovascular health and building muscle can bring with it a variety of benefits, including increasing your metabolism. In order to understand weight loss, however, you must focus on the simple math of calories consumed and calories burned. In my next article I will share in more detail how I lost the weight without being hungry, and without working out much. I never thought it would work, but a six meals a day program put me into major fat burning mode. I have 45 pounds to go, so follow me here to see my progress.
