04/01/2008 By OH Magazine MAR/APR 2008 Issue : Page 11
Seventy five percent of the patients who incorporate exercise into their life get to their weight loss goal and stay there. Given that, there are two simple caveats:
1. Exercise cannot overcome a lack of calorie restriction.
2. Exercise won’t provide instant pleasure or instant results.
The reason weight is gained is because of caloric intake, not lack of exercise. "But exercise burns calories!" you may protest. It does, but it is not substitute for proper calorie restriction. For example, to burn 230 calories – the extra calories in a McDonald's hamburger from 1960's to today- would require two and a half hours of working out with weights. That is just one meal!!!
Exercise is a long-term lifestyle change that will allow you to keep fit, mobile, and healthy. But be careful, do not expect it to give you instant weight loss or instant "abs" – instead, think of it as part of a long-term building project to keep you healthy for years to come.
