If you have specific weight loss or fat loss goals, you may feel like you need to spend every minute in the gym to see results. But the amount of time you need to spend exercising per week depends largely on your goals, your baseline activity level, your genetics & numerous other variables that you may or may not be able to control.
The relationship between exercise & fat loss is nearly always misunderstood. Many believe that they can burn off the extra food. Here’s why it doesn’t work:
Firstly, one slice of pizza equates to roughly an hour of exercise at a vigorous intensity & who only eats one slice? 100% of the energy we gain comes from food, but statistically, we can only burn around 10 to 30 percent of it w/ physical activity each day.
Secondly, when we exercise, several physiological changes occur in the body that can offset the calories burned in exercise. For example, our appetites may increase, so we eat more; our non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) decreases, which includes random movements, fidgeting, general life activity. Many studies have concluded the effect of exercise on body weight to be minimal at best.
That being said, 3,500 calories equates roughly to 1lb of fat loss, so being in a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day will give you a 1lb fat loss per week (assuming that you recalculate your caloric target as your weight continues to decrease). This calorie deficit is best achieved from a diet adjustment combined w/ some exercise, but if you attempt to create it solely from exercise – it’s an almost guaranteed fail.
I don’t want you to fail! If you want to learn how to lose fat without countless hours working out, consider our 16-Week Nutrition Coaching for Fat Loss Program! We create custom macronutrient eating plans using 3D Scans, RMR & BF% data! You will get weekly nutrition lessons delivered on our top-notch platform.
If you want to learn how to lose fat without countless hours working out, consider our 16-Week Nutrition Coaching for Fat Loss Program! We create custom macronutrient eating plans using 3D Scans, RMR & BF% data! You will get weekly nutrition lessons delivered on our top-notch platform.
You can learn more about the program here.
