You can gain weight even if you exercise
Updated 11:11pm (Mla time) Dec 27, 2004
By Tina Juan
Inquirer News Service
PEOPLE often ask why they gain weight despite a regular workout schedule. The person asking is usually about to give up his/her fitness routine out of frustration for having nothing to show after hours spent in a gym.
I don't blame them for feeling that way. But quitting is not the answer. Exercise has many other benefits aside from weight loss.
The most common reason for weight gain is simply that more calories are being consumed than burned. Exercise will not help you lose weight if you do not change your eating habits. Many aerobic instructors are overweight despite teaching five to seven classes a week. They are fit but they still have excess fat.
People assume that just because they exercise, they will automatically lose weight. It's as if just exercising will somehow magically banish excess weight.
But I assure you, even if you do several hours of vigorous exercise every day, if you eat more than you burn, you will still gain weight. No class, machine, workout program or gym in the world can help you lose weight if you consume more calories than your body needs. It's that simple.
Eating mistakes
People believe that whatever excess calories they eat today, they will be able to burn tomorrow by doing more exercise than normal. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.
Here's a reader's "true confession" of a midnight feast: four slices of thin-crust pepperoni pizza, 12-oz soft drink, one scoop of ice cream and a bag of potato chips. That is about 2,000 calories.
To burn that many calories, you would have to do about two and a half hours of high intensity aerobic exercise (around 400 calories per 30-minute session). What do you think actually happens the next day? Not all the calories from the binge are burned because it is unrealistic to exercise that long at that intensity. The excess calories are stored as fat.
Another mistake people make is believing that as long as they eat low-fat or nonfat food, they can easily burn it through exercise because "it's only sugar." Huge servings of pasta, bread or rice are usually the culprits here.
I once knew someone who couldn't lose weight despite a heavy workout schedule. It turned out that she usually ate three servings of rice at lunch and dinner. Not only that, a "serving" meant one cup.
In reality, she was eating six cups of rice a day or 1,200 calories just from rice. Since rice was not the only food she was eating, she was definitely eating more than she could burn. No wonder she couldn't lose weight.
Now that low-carb diets are the craze, the same mistake is being made probably by the same people who used to be low-fat believers. The truth is that whether calories come from protein, fat or carbohydrates, if you eat more than you need, you will put on weight.
Exercise mistakes
I see so many people cheating themselves by not giving their all when they exercise. They spend a lot of time at the gym but most of the minutes are spent chatting with staff or classmates. Others are working out at very low intensities when they are capable of challenging themselves at a higher level and thus, burning more calories.
The frequency and duration of their workouts are appropriate but the intensity is sorely lacking.
Other people think they are exercising regularly when, in reality, their visits to the gym are few and far between. Many years ago, I had a client who lamented her inability to lose weight despite exercising "regularly." Of course, when her attendance records for the year were laid out in front of her, she had to find another excuse because it was very obvious that there was not one month when she managed to attend more than six times.
Right kind of weight gain
It is possible to become smaller in measurements but gain weight on the scale because you are losing fat and gaining muscle. This happens especially when people do weight training.
This is a desirable change in body composition and is cause for rejoicing. More muscle means a higher metabolism.
However, some people are so weight conscious that even if they lose inches and drop to a smaller clothes size they are unhappy because they weigh a few pounds more. They need an attitude adjustment, otherwise, they may stop exercising thinking it's not worth it.
Eating habits as important as exercise habits
You cannot maintain your weight even with a regular workout schedule if you are constantly eating high-calorie foods like desserts, ice cream, burgers, fries, chips, soft drinks, bacon, longganisa, etc. High-calorie food should be eaten only once in a while and in small portions.
Don't eat gigantic servings of white bread, pasta or rice. Your daily diet should consist of normal portions of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, lean meat, chicken, fish and low-fat dairy products.
Like someone once said, "Diet as if you were not exercising and exercise as if you were not dieting."
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You can gain weight even if you exercise
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