The Exercise “Myth” for Weight Loss

Why is it so hard to outrun a bad diet? You can burn off 350 calories an hour while exercising, but most drinks, snacks, and other processed junk foods are consumed at a rate of about 70 calories a minute.

Stay tuned for the next video: The Secret to Weight Loss Through Exercise ( ).

My previous videos on diet versus exercise are The Role of Diet vs. Exercise in the Obesity Epidemic ( ) and Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss ( ).

How Much Should You Exercise? ( ) Check out the video.

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Thanks for watching. I hope you’ll join in the evidence-based nutrition revolution!
-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

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Leroy Johnson
 

  • @kittra2031 says:

    Diet=more important always..by far.

  • @KababSaroof says:

    Great video/info. Thank you 🙏

  • @grasmi says:

    You can’t outrun a fast fork.

    • @ShawnGetty-eb1gj says:

      Yep. I believe it takes around an hour of intense exercise to burn off one Snickers bar. Exercise should always be part of your life for cardiovascular benefits and to maintain strength and bones though.

    • @paulrumohr says:

      Too funny!!

    • @beepbeepnj2658 says:

      I ended up getting a fat tire since I missed the fork in the road.
      I meant flat tire, not the nut behind the wheel.

    • @yvonnes7412 says:

      😂😂😅 I like that ✋🏻 high five 😅

    • @zukodude487987 says:

      I think you simply cant burn calories as fast and easily as you eat them. You can eat a 3000kcal pizza in 30 mins but you cant realistically burn 3000kcal in 30 mins.

  • @pdblouin says:

    After a heavy workout or even just 3 miles of brisk walking (walking to work), I am ravenous. It’s like my body knows it needs extra energy. It’s not a simple task to avoid my impulses. So I eat more. At least after a heavy leg day, it probably helps with gainz.

    • @thekevmeister77 says:

      Same. Whenever I get heavy into running I gain a lot of weight. It’s so hard to resist food after a three hour run, and sometimes it feels like I can’t stop. Like I’m in some kind of frenzy

  • @lint8391 says:

    This is such an important video. Almost everyone I know over-estimates the importance of exercise and underestimates the importance of diet.
    Gyms are very good at marketing themselves. As are junk food and drink companies.

    • @user-rw7xd7qy3j says:

      Exactly

    • @rhoharane says:

      I don’t think gyms are particularly at fault. I see a lot of people who want to lose weight jump to trying to lose it via exercise even it’s not at a gym. I think it’s a cultural thing. I’ve even seen older and newer doctors who weren’t familiar with it. This is basic science information that needs to be taught in PE class in school.

      All major recognized forms of exercise are important for body maintenance and quality of life and more and more as you get older. and I will always advocate for it with proper guidance from someone like a PT. I’ve also seen too many people injure themselves from doing too much too fast whether they’re looking for gains or weight loss.

      But I would never recommend it as the primary method for weight loss.

    • @Incredible43 says:

      💯👍

    • @Magnulus76 says:

      It’s all part of diet/fitness culture. It’s all about selling high intensity workouts to people that are confused about both exercise science and nutrition.

    • @Magnulus76 says:

      @@rhoharane It is cultural, to a large extent. Think of movies with training montages, for instance. People believe fast transformations are possible, if a person works “hard” enough. And yet when it comes to exercise, it turns out that the harder the training, the less effective it often is at building the capacity to burn body fat sustainably. That’s why actual elite endurance athletes don’t train that way, most of the time.

  • @samach says:

    It doesn’t help when every single show on weight loss involves bringing in a personal trainer and pairing them up in the gym with the person who is trying to lose weight. The trainer then becomes a main character in the show, where if they even have a dietician, that person is featured only briefly. Shows like the Biggest Loser try to teach us that we need to quit our jobs and live in the gym 10 hours a day for 6 months. I can see where the myth comes from.

    • @lint8391 says:

      Secret Eaters and Supersize vs Superskinny were 2 shows that focused on what people were eating and drinking.

      Although the nutritional advice was, at times laughable, in terms of how outdated it is now.

      But yeah, there does seem to be a lot of shows that push becoming a gym bunny over becoming a greengrocer’s aisle bunny.

    • @m0L3ify says:

      Yeah and what shows like that don’t show you is the extreme food restriction and use of stimulants and other weight loss drugs to achieve the desired results. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes doping on that show.

  • @Kayte... says:

    The exercise programs people do to lose weight typically aren’t sustainable either. Not that they can’t physically continue, but life gets in the way as well as boredom.
    I’ve had people say to me “you must exercise a lot” because I’m not overweight. I don’t exercise anymore than they do though I’m probably on my feet more. And I’ve had lots of overweight people tell me they are overweight because they haven’t been exercising. They completely dismiss my comment that we are what we eat.

    • @Magnulus76 says:

      Diet is a more emotional subject for many people. Nobody likes what they eat criticized, for the most part.

  • @darrellhargrove1444 says:

    Diet trumps exercise! Been there!!!!

  • @Marathon5151 says:

    I agree that diet is the key to weight loss. I run 80-100 miles a week and if I don’t keep my diet in check, I will gain weight

  • @codgamer says:

    Most people I know they exercise so they can give them an excuse to eat. No one really wants to lose weight…we all just want to eat.😂

    • @lint8391 says:

      Those of us that follow this channel and the Dr Greger books want to eat delicious food that’s relatively healthy.

      I’ve just knocked up a cannelini bean, celery, cucumber, tomato, grape, spring onion, parsley, mint, lemon juice, sumac salad. I’ll be doing red lentil with grated carrot, chilli, garlic, ginger, cumin, fenugreek flatbreads / pancakes to go with it…

    • @m0L3ify says:

      Yeah I used to know a couple of professional runners who said they run so they can eat what they want. But runners still get heart disease all the time. You can’t outrun that.

  • @anathardayaldar says:

    Lots of videos try to explain how focusing on calories ONLY is inacurrate and they try to carefully show its really a delicate balance of multiple risk factors.
    But most viewes of those videos will walk away thinking that calories NEVER matter.
    Because that’s what their cravings want them to justify.

  • @christisking777 says:

    Can’t out train a bad diet. Been there.

  • @howy3333 says:

    2 hrs a week is considered “active”! HAHAHAH.

  • @shallbetterdj says:

    The most common symptom I get with colds and flu is loss of appetite. I’m more likely to loose a pound or two while feverish and vomiting than chopping wood and eating from the garden in the summer. I’ve also noticed ditching a coat in the winter can shave off a pound. Because you’re body has to burn extra energy to keep you 98 degrees

  • @syrahsmythe says:

    Exercise is SO very important for many things, but abs are made in the kitchen. Boom.

  • @thomaspowell2043 says:

    always struggled with weight and struggled at the gym. Got on a WFPB diet in November last year and lost about 10kgs since then. Also gave up counting calories too. I simply eat as much as I want now.

    • @yvonnes7412 says:

      💯 Me too, I stopped counting long time ago, started just paying attention to content. So much easier and feel better.

    • @m0L3ify says:

      You’re lucky. I went WFPB in 2017 and I still have to count calories to lose any weight. Otherwise I’m just as fat as I was before. And no, I’m not eating vegan junk food. It’s just super hard for me to lose weight.

    • @Auguur says:

      It is the best kept secret that once you start eating whole plants, it is nearly impossible to overeat. Because my exercise level is so high, I sometimes struggle to consume enough calories.

    • @Auguur says:

      ​@@m0L3ifyI’m sorry to hear that. I’ve been wfpb for 7 yrs now and sometimes can’t eat enough. Our bodies really don’t like to lose weight, some folks have a much harder time, and some foods are just not worth eating. Avoid oils, just stop using them, they are not a whole food. Eat high nutrition, low calories. Beans beans beans! Lentils, cruciferous veggies. 1T flax seed daily. I think what helped me most in the beginning was the daily dozen app. Use it and see how it goes. You’ll figure it out.

  • @WiseMindNutrition says:

    We’ve seen signs like this in Europe in the malls. For example, we saw one on the staircase next to the elevator comparing how many calories you would burn in terms of a food by taking the stairs. While it is an innovative way to teach about food, it certainly comes with its own set of problems, including encouraging disordered eating.
    We always have to think about the unintended consequences of new approaches!

  • @TheMysticSaint says:

    I want those walking labels on everything!

  • @stevem7065 says:

    Thanks for reminding me of this. I needed to “UP” my grocery shopping game❗️👍

  • @LexiePersonForever says:

    i had a pair of parents come through a grocery store the other day. (i know we’re wfpb, but this happened in the meat section) their kids were asking why there’s blood in meat, if it had any use and the parents responded, “yeah, it has essential nutrients like iron” which the kids then asked “what’s iron?” and they literally didn’t know, so I let them know it’s a mineral. so i think just the average person in america has next to no practical knowledge about diet at all.

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