Exercise is critical for weight loss

there has been plenty of discussion about a recent cover story published by Time Magazine which declared that exercise could lead to weight gain instead of weight loss. from my point of view this sounded like the author's own self-reflection and review of his personal exercise habits instead of any legitmate reporting based on sound science.

the fact is that food is energy, the body stores excess food intake as potential energy in the form of fat (triglycerides) in the adipose tissue (which are like sponges that expand to accomodate more fat cells) until a time when it can be used. during exercise stored energy is converted to atp (the chemical which fuels muscle contraction) and used for the activity.

people that are overweight simply have an issue of an excess supply of energy, and in order to lose weight they need to adjust their habits--exercise and nutritional intake--so that energy intake is less than energy expenditure. many people have used exercise successfully in order to lose weight and maintain the weight loss, the national weight control registry: http://www.nwcr.ws/ provides plenty of examples of people who have lost weight (>50lbs is required to be on the registry) and been able to keep it off.

it is true that exercise can increase hunger, but that is part of the refueling process. at the end of one exercise session it is critical to refuel in the first 40min after exercise with a meal comprising of complex carbs, proteins (on a 4:1 ratio of carbs:pro) and health fat (mono and poly unsaturated fats). the descriptions the time author gave of his post-training meals sound like they are simple carbs (primarily sugars) which get stored as fat if not immediately converted to fuel.

Exercise is the most effective means of energy expenditure for utilizing the excess energy stored as fat in the human body. the most effective method of exercise is....(drum roll) the one that you enjoy the most and that you have fun doing on a regular basis. Starting a walking progam is the simplest, most cost effective form of exercise. Once walking everyday for a minimum of 40min (20 in the morning and 20 in the evening) for a period of 10-12 weeks, then it will become time to progress to a more challenging form of exercise.

So the bottom line? pay no attention to the time article, KEEP EXERCISING! and when you're done with your exercise session, have a healthy meal that minimizes simple carbs (sugars) and has complex carbs (fiber/starches), fats and proteins. Research released a few years ago suggests that chocolate milk is an extremely effective post-exercise recovery drink (a recovery meal or drink will keep you from getting hungry later), so if nothing else, have a carton of chocolate milk after the training session

here is the official response to the time article from the American Council on Exercise:
http://www.acefitness.org/article.aspx?CMP=EMC-ProNews_0809&itemid=2804

have a great weekend, get out and move!