We know there is an increasing obesity problem. We know very significant numbers of people are battling with their weight.
This morning I must have seen a dozen joggers taking an early run. (Noticeably more than half of them were overweight women.) It is admirable that they were making the effort - beneficial for their cardio vascular system - surely good for their general health and hopefully their spirit and self esteem. But will it mean they will shed the pounds?
There is a brutal reality and I wish I could spell it out. I shall try here.
If your attitude is I will start exercising and weight will automatically come off you are wrong.
If your attitude is if I exercise I will be able to continue to eat and drink what I want with out putting on weight you are wrong
The reason - normal exercise doesn't burn off anything like the calories you think it does - or think it should do - given the hard efforts you are making. You cannot exercise your self slim.
What exercise does is improve muscle tone - and maybe redistribute some weight. As I have said there will likely be other health benefits too. What exercise will not do automatically is help you lose weight.
Stating the obvious - if you regularly take in more calories than you burn you will put on weight. You can only make a marginal difference in the calories you burn through normal exercise.
The answer lies in reducing what you eat in calorie terms. It is the only way.
Regular exercise is a brilliant thing to do of course. Better to do it than not do it. But it is food and drink were the answer to losing weight really lies. You cannot get away with eating in excess because you have been out for a jog.
This understanding is very important because people seem to start exercising to lose weight. Ultimately they are not rewarded with the weight loss the hoped for. They give up. Weight continues to go up and their general health will eventually suffer.
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