Weight loss: Can you lose weight only by exercising?

Losing weight is basically about creating a calorie deficit- eating less and burning more calories. Theoretically, it makes complete sense to exercise for an extra hour while taking the same diet as it will help you create a calorie deficit and shed some kilos, right?

People, who find it incredibly easy to spend an extra hour in the gym, but cannot resist the craving of eating their favourite food often wonder if they can lose weight by only exercising. Unfortunately, things do not work like that.

Dieting and exercising are cornerstones of any successful weight loss plan. By neglecting any one of them, you won't be able to shed kilos effectively. Exercising can certainly improve fitness, but when it comes to shedding kilos, dieting is equally important. Rigorous exercising may help you lose weight initially, but you will soon hit a weight loss plateau. That too depends on the kind of exercise you are performing.

According to a 2018 review of research, published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, a person can lose 0-1 per cent weight by resistance training, 0-3 per cent by aerobic exercise, 0-3 per cent by combining aerobic and resistance training and 5-10 per cent by combining dieting and aerobic exercise.

As per a 2014 study carried out by the researcher of Arizona State University study, exercising can increase the fitness level, but extra exercise cannot help you lose weight. This was concluded as a result of a study in which 81 healthy but overweight women living a sedentary life were asked to do 30 minutes of treadmill walking three times per week for 12 weeks. Every time these volunteers exercised at 70 per cent of their maximum endurance, which means they worked out hard. Besides, all of them had oil-free food, without any specific changes in their diet. Researchers tracked the exact number of calories each woman burned. In the end, it was found that exercising did not help the women shed kilos. They did not lose an inch from their waist, regardless of how many calories they burned. Moreover, 70 per cent of the participants gained weight during the study.

If you exercise and indulge in the same unhealthy food habits, all your efforts to shed kilos will go in vain. You will end up eating high-calorie food and that would balance out the number of calories you burned while exercising. This way you will gain weight or at least won't be able to shed kilos. When we talk about weight loss, exercising and dieting go hand in hand. Only by following one, you won't be able to reach your weight loss goal.