Why You Can’t Out Exercise a Bad Diet

The idea of working off your food has been circulated through modern society, however how feasible is it to work off a bad diet? Unfortunately, for us working off a bad diet takes a lot of time and effort. For example, to work off a 180g chocolate block (968 cal) it would take over 3 hours of walking and almost 2 hours running. It can then be said that it is a lot easier and faster to eat the calories than the time required to burn them off.

Weight gain occurs when our energy input is higher than our energy output. Energy input includes the calories we eat and drink, whilst energy output includes our resting metabolic rate, the energy required to chew, digest, absorb and store food, as well as additional exercise. To increase our energy output exercise is the easiest factor to manipulate.

Exercise and nutrition are both important factors in weight management and living a healthy life. However, it can be said that dietary choices play a much bigger role in determining overall weight changes, as when it comes to losing weight it is almost impossible to burn the calories you eat.

The nutrient composition of our food is also important. 100 calories of strawberries (25 strawberries) is a lot different to 100 calories of potato chips (a 21g multipack). The nutrient profile of the strawberries is much higher, containing numerous essential vitamins and minerals, and will take you a lot longer to eat than the chips. Likewise, the fibre content in the strawberries compared to potato chips assists weight loss by increasing our satiety, meaning that we stay fuller for longer.

Other nutritional components that play a role in weight loss include sugar, fat and alcohol. Sugar is processed in our body through secretion of insulin, however the presence of insulin in our body makes it difficult for our body to lose weight as insulin is primarily a storage hormone. Fat on the other hand affects weight loss due to its calorie dense nature. Fat contains 9 calories per gram, in comparison to carbohydrates and protein which account for 4 calories per gram. The higher the fat content the higher the calorie content. Similarly, alcohol is 7 calories per gram consumed, therefore alcohol intake can increase our daily calorie intake significantly. Another concern with alcohol is the inability of our bodies to break down fat, protein and carbohydrate energy whilst consuming alcohol.  Therefore, when consuming alcohol, we store anything eaten.

Overall, whilst exercise is essential in maintaining a healthy weight loss as well as generating weight loss, managing intake will be the biggest contributor to weight change.




 

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Our Disclaimer: All client testimonials are genuine accounts of experiences on the LifeShape program. Due to the personalised nature of the LifeShape program, results may vary based on an individual’s compliance, motivation and personal history.

Acknowledgement to Country: LifeShape Clinic acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and to Elders past and present.
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