Re:Why exercise won't make you thin (2010)
by taeric on Monday March 27, 2023 @04:54PM
(#35332435)
I suspect the more interesting observation is that walking is almost certainly more effective at getting you to lose weight than most gym routines.
Interesting because walking doesn't sound like you "suffered" to get change. You were "just out walking." The sooner we could divorce people from the idea that putting forth effort has to feel like putting forth effort, the better we could be.
Further interesting in "why?" We already know that your brain uses the most calories per "organ" of any part of your body. Curious if it is the contemplation that you can do while walking that leads to an increase.
I also find it amusing that, despite the entire point of the article, it ends with how much exercise it takes to burn off a snack.
Re:Why exercise won't make you thin (2010)
by exfatloss on Monday March 27, 2023 @05:00PM
(#35332533)
Walking doesn't help much with weight loss either, I suspect. Didn't seem to make a difference for me if I walked 0 minutes or 45-60 minutes every day (over a couple months).
I think the metabolism's feedback system just incorporates all that. You move more, you get more hungry. If you resist that hunger temporarily, the body signals low energy and sets the burn rate of something other lower (brain, fidgeting, body heat, immune system).
Re:Why exercise won't make you thin (2010)
by taeric on Monday March 27, 2023 @05:09PM
(#35332661)
And for me, it worked wonders. Took some time, of course, but when I got to where I had to do about an hour of walking a day to get to/from work, I basically dropped down to near school weight levels.
I suspect it is probably more than just an hours worth. Even today, if I build a habit of taking the dog on a walk around the neighborhood, that is probably a good hours walking on a single outing. I'm years from it, but I know I had to put in about 5 miles 1 way, which means I was probably doing 2-3 hours a day. And, again, I shed the pounds almost too rapidly.
It helped that it basically removed all of the time I would otherwise use to sit around and snack. :D
Re:Why exercise won't make you thin (2010)
by taeric on Monday March 27, 2023 @05:35PM
(#35332993)
I'm fairly certain I was walking for longer. I should have been clear on that point. I would have claimed only an hour or so, as I did at the start. But thinking on it, there is no way that is accurate. I was almost certainly walking 3-4 hours many days.
Even now, when "biking season" starts back up and I get out there, I'll be on the bike 1.5 hours or so. Every day if I can stick to it. Not shockingly, I lose a fair bit of weight during that time. Even without trying to do sprints or anything.
Re:Why exercise won't make you thin (2010)
by taeric on Monday March 27, 2023 @06:44PM
(#35333842)
Been years, but I distinctly remember I was getting 5ish miles a day. Plugging in some addresses I recall, google is telling me the 1-way trip is 2 miles. So, yeah, with no other walking on the work side of that commute -- I was walking to a train stop -- I am already looking at 4 miles a day.
I'm sure I cheated some days and did the bus. But most days the walk was easier, as I didn't have to worry about timing and such. It was a crazy time, as I had given up on the gym and all other ideas, but that year I just dropped the weight like crazy. All because my car broke and I didn't have the funds to fix it. :D
(Of course, part of the "its been years" is that this is way more effective in your late 20s than it is later in life. At least, I think it is? Seeing how much time I was devoting to this, maybe I should try again. :D )
Interesting because walking doesn't sound like you "suffered" to get change. You were "just out walking." The sooner we could divorce people from the idea that putting forth effort has to feel like putting forth effort, the better we could be.
Further interesting in "why?" We already know that your brain uses the most calories per "organ" of any part of your body. Curious if it is the contemplation that you can do while walking that leads to an increase.
I also find it amusing that, despite the entire point of the article, it ends with how much exercise it takes to burn off a snack.
I think the metabolism's feedback system just incorporates all that. You move more, you get more hungry. If you resist that hunger temporarily, the body signals low energy and sets the burn rate of something other lower (brain, fidgeting, body heat, immune system).
I suspect it is probably more than just an hours worth. Even today, if I build a habit of taking the dog on a walk around the neighborhood, that is probably a good hours walking on a single outing. I'm years from it, but I know I had to put in about 5 miles 1 way, which means I was probably doing 2-3 hours a day. And, again, I shed the pounds almost too rapidly.
It helped that it basically removed all of the time I would otherwise use to sit around and snack. :D
Even now, when "biking season" starts back up and I get out there, I'll be on the bike 1.5 hours or so. Every day if I can stick to it. Not shockingly, I lose a fair bit of weight during that time. Even without trying to do sprints or anything.
I'm sure I cheated some days and did the bus. But most days the walk was easier, as I didn't have to worry about timing and such. It was a crazy time, as I had given up on the gym and all other ideas, but that year I just dropped the weight like crazy. All because my car broke and I didn't have the funds to fix it. :D
(Of course, part of the "its been years" is that this is way more effective in your late 20s than it is later in life. At least, I think it is? Seeing how much time I was devoting to this, maybe I should try again. :D )