Exercise is non-negotiable when it comes to overall health—but for weight loss specifically, it’s not so clear-cut. “Exercise provides many health-related benefits and is one of the most important countermeasures you can rely on to prevent chronic disease and reduce overall risk of mortality,” says Andrew Jagim, PhD, via the Mayo Clinic. “However, sometimes the effectiveness of exercise for weight loss is oversold, and people may overestimate how effective it will be toward their goal of losing weight.” In other words—you can’t outrun your fork.
“In terms of nutrition, while balance is good, the idea that ‘calories in must equal calories out’ is often not helpful for people,” says Laura Goldberg, MD. “Try not to think that exercise earns you the right to eat a cookie or that eating a cookie means you must burn those ‘extra’ calories off by exercising. That’s just not realistic. If we lived that way, we’d need to run 1.5 miles or so for every cookie we ate.” So how can you maintain regular weight loss without hitting the treadmill? Here’s what the experts say.
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The Foundation of Weight Loss
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Weight loss comes down to one simple concept—consuming fewer calories than you are burning off, otherwise known as a calorie deficit. Keep track of your calories and the weight should come off. “Weight loss requires consuming fewer calories than the body needs,” clinical dietitian Jessica Tilton tells MD Anderson. “Generally, people cannot exercise their way into weight loss,” she says.
Calorie Deficit and BMR
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Your body is burning calories all day long, just from keeping you alive. “A calorie deficit is when you take in fewer calories than you expend in a day,” nutritionist and personal trainer Alex Parren tells LiveScience. “Every human has a unique Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), which indicates how many calories their body burns just by doing normal everyday functions, such as breathing, digesting food, removing waste products and cognitive function. Factors that affect BMR include age, gender, height and bodyweight. Imagine your BMR as the amount of calories you would burn if you stayed in bed and slept all day. It doesn’t take into account your lifestyle and most people’s BMR will be fairly low – around 1,500 calories for adults.”
How To Make a Deficit Happen
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Calorie-counting and watching portion sizes are straightforward ways to lose weight without exercising. These daily habits will, with time, lead to steady weight loss. Another habit useful for weight loss is intermittent fasting. The smaller the “eating” window, the less chance you have for snacking and other behaviors that cause weight gain.
RELATED: What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Eat Whole Foods
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Focus on whole foods whenever possible. “I think it’s more important to look at nutrition in the context of your overall long-term lifestyle,” Dr. Goldberg says. “Focus on healthy choices in nutrition and engaging in daily activities that you enjoy. Try to eat more foods that have less ingredients or those that are made from scratch. Make exercise a daily priority that is just as important as your meal times.”
Yes, Exercise Has Its Place
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It’s difficult if not impossible to lose weight by exercise alone—but assuming you are in control of your diet, exercise can certainly make it easier. “There are several studies that prove being in a calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. Any type of diet – whether it’s the paleo diet, the DASH diet, or Keto – rely on a calorie deficit to work. It’s advisable not to exceed a deficit of 500 calories a day,” Parren says. “However, I would advise people to achieve this deficit through burning more calories, rather than restricting food intake. That is to say, burn your 500 calories a day through cardiovascular exercise and resistance training, rather than reducing the amount you eat. The reason for this is that it is less likely to lead to cravings and disordered eating.”