Why the “Exercise More and Eat Less” Mentality Does Not Work

How many times on your fitness journey have you hear, “If you want to lose weight, just eat less and exercise more”? Probably more times than you can count right? Well there is one problem with that approach to weight loss… IT DOESN’T WORK! Now I know that I have already touched base on this in a previous blog post, but I still get questions regarding this approach so I wanted to dive a little deeper so everyone can get a better understanding. If it were as simple as “eating less and exercising more”, then don’t you think that all of those people who spend hours doing cardio workouts and obsess over how few calories that are putting into their bodies would be thin, lean and happy with their results? Now yes, it is true that this approach may have worked for you when you were younger or the first time you tried to lose weight, but over time, your body will adapt and will no longer respond to these severe calorie deficits. Now we all know that you need to create a calorie deficit to lose weight. Going to say that one more time… YOU NEED TO CREATE A CALORIE DEFICIT TO LOSE WEIGHT. Now the problem here is that many of us want to be leaner and lose the weight in a very unreasonable amount of time, so we try to restrict our intake as much as possible and then try to burn as many calories as possible through cardio exercises.

Time to break it down:

Your body is smart. Really smart. It wants you to survive. Think about it this way – in terms of evolution, your body would do anything to survive! For example, it would hold on to body fat in case you had to go a long period of time without food. So, when you cut major calories and over-exercise (especially by doing a lot of cardio), your body has mechanisms to protect your fat stores.

First, your body will send signals to your brain saying, “Uh oh, Clarissa isn’t consuming near enough food, commence starvation mode!” The idea is that your body will release hormones to increase your appetite even more so that you feel you extremely hungry. Your body does not want you losing any fat stores because it wants to keep them for later as a last reserve. That is why after a long day or week of eating ONLY veggies and lean protein, you are so hungry that you feel like you have absolutely no willpower and you start eating anything and everything you can get your hands on. Doing a lot of cardio will also trigger insane amounts of hunger and cravings to make up for all the calories you are burning. Now, these are not signs of weakness or lack of willpower… it is simply your body’s built-in evolutionary system that is working to keep you alive.

Second, your metabolism will slow down to conserve energy. I can’t tell you how many times I have had people (especially women) come to me, very frustrated by the fact that they are maintaining or gaining weight, despite the fact that they are “doing everything right”. This is not a sign that there is something wrong with you, your thyroid, (even though it is always good to check your levels to make sure), or even your metabolism… it is a sign that you are just going about it the wrong way.

So how do we fix this?

1. Eat more food. Like I said before - yes, it is very important to create a calorie deficit to lose weight but it only needs to be a modest one. Restrict too much and your body’s compensatory mechanisms switch on. Instead, aim to reduce your calorie intake by 10 – 15% per day below your body’s calorie needs for maintenance. You will lose weight slower, but you will lose less muscle in the process and be more likely to keep it off in the long run. Focus on protein and fiber from veggies and low-sugar fruits first to keep you fuller longer. Round out your diet with enough healthy fat for satiety and carbs for energy.

2. Eat more carbs. Like any science, nutrition is always evolving. In the 90s, we were told to avoid fat. Now, sugar and carbs are the enemy. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. While it’s true that eating too many carbs – especially white, refined carbs from white flours and sugar – can wreak havoc on your liver, your waist and cholesterol numbers, going too low-carb can make you feel tired and cranky and may inhibit fat loss. Rather than think about doing a low-carb diet, think about doing a ‘healthy’-carb diet – a diet that has enough complex grains, starchy veggies like potatoes, beans, and sweet fruits to keep your energy levels up and satisfy some of your cravings. Different people need different amounts of carbs and respond differently to the various kinds of carbs. This is known as your ‘carb tipping point’. It will take some experimentation to figure it out, but you will know you are there when your hunger, energy and cravings are stable, and you are still losing fat.

3. Do less cardio and focus on weight training. Doing tons and tons of cardio (which may only be more than 30 – 60 minutes of intense cardio a week) will make your body send signals to your brain to make you hungrier, crave carbs and sweets, and burn fewer calories with exercise to keep fat on your body. Instead, incorporate more weight training. Muscles are more metabolically active, meaning they burn more calories than fat when you are at rest. Go heavy when lifting for the best results. You will not burn as many calories lifting weights as you would in the same time period that you do cardio, but you’ll burn more calories overall with more muscle mass. Also, lifting weights does not result in the same mechanisms that make you hungrier and seek out food like after intense cardio. And girls, don’t worry about lifting heavy! You lack the testosterone needed to get ‘bulky’.

4. Do more mindful and relaxing activities. We live in a day and age when we are constantly running around like crazy, stressed by our jobs and just everyday life in general. This stressful lifestyle can increase our bodies’ production of cortisol, a stress hormone. Having some stress and some cortisol is healthy, but with our current stress levels, we can have a lot of cortisol all the time. Too much cortisol can inhibit weight loss and make you feel drained and irritable. Tips to reduce cortisol levels:

a. getting enough sleep (7-8 hours)

b. doing relaxing activities like taking a yoga class, deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, etc.

c. being outside – vitamin D does wonders!

d. leisure walking – aim for at least 5,000 – 10,000 steps a day

e. reducing the amount of cardio you do

f. having less caffeine in the afternoon (it can promote cortisol release) – but you can keep your one morning cup

Last thing I am going to say:

Give this process time. Like I said above, sustainable fat loss is a slow process, but this is a good thing! When you lose weight more slowly, you develop habits you can keep long-term, you will maintain your muscle mass, lose body fat, and not feel hungry and lethargic! Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? When you figure out your fat loss formula, you will be able to achieve the body you want and keep it that way. Imagine that, never having to do another diet again! This process is tried and true and if you are looking for some help in figuring out your ‘fat loss formula’, reach out to me! I am always happy to help! It is time to quit constantly dieting, it is time to start living a healthy lifestyle!

- Body By Riss