Why Exercising May Make You FAT

September 25, 2007     Posted in Body

woman-exercising.jpg Most of us drag ourselves to the gym every other day or so not because we like it, but because we’re determined to keep extra pounds away and stay healthy.


By Jess

Hell, I don’t wake up in the early morning, walk four avenues, and make myself sweaty on the elliptical because it’s fun—I do it because I have to.

Which is why I was super pissed (I mean, honestly, pissed) to read an article that was originally published in New York Magazine.

Why am I so mad? Because the article insinuated working out does nothing but make us hungry.

Without denying that 30 minutes a day on the Stairmaster is good for our health, journalist Gary Taubes recently explained that “most studies on the link between swimming laps and losing weight demonstrate little beyond one widely accepted fact: “exercising makes us hungry.”” Even more annoying, Taubes points out “exercise may even lead to a weight gain.”

According to Taubes, Jean Mayer, a nutritionist and “physiological chemist”, invented the “myth” of exercise being directly related to weight loss.

Taubes claims Mayer’s facts were “often contradictory”, but somehow his words caught fire with the American public and have stayed with us ever since.

The best way to keep weight off, according to Taubes? “Cutting down on the simple carbohydrates and sugars that primarily stimulate insulin production—potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, sweets and beer” is the way to go.

So keep going to be gym because it makes me healthy, but don’t expect it to keep the weight off? And while I’m at it, trade my Bud Light for a celery stick??

…sounds like a prison sentence.

2 Comments on "Why Exercising May Make You FAT"

  1. Leah T says:
    Tue, 25th Sep 200712:50 pm 

    There are a lot of nutritionists and physiologists and anatomists that each have their own opinion about weight loss and gain. Each set of research done is biased – however, there is one pure and simple way to lose (or maintain weight) that just can't be denied. If you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. If you eat less calories than you burn, then you lose weight. And of course, if they are equivalent, your weight remains the same. Exercise is still good for you. What a crackpot.

  2. Sierra says:
    Tue, 2nd Nov 201011:14 am 

    Actually, it's become a commonly known and supported concept that exercise doesn't make you lose weight as much as people used to claim. Exercise is important of course, for keeping you healthy and fit in general. However, exercise is better used for maintaining weight while for losing weight diet is more effective because its easier to cut 500 calories out of your day than to burn 500 on the treadmill- the equivalent of about 5 miles. The concept of calories in<calories out=weight loss is correct, but the energy required to burn the equivalent of one pound is ~35 miles.

    Exercise does stimulate hunger- your body knows it's exerting energy and needs it for a fight as a survival instinct, so you'll obviously be hungrier after to refuel. Also, many women who exercise have the mentality of "Oh I just worked out, I'll have an extra muffin as a reward," which can completely negate the workout.

    Taubes is saying it's not as effective as is commonly believed, not that it doesn't work as well. But if you keep your caloric intake constant regardless of whether or not you worked out that day and don't allow yourself extra treats after a routine workout, then exercise will work, weight loss weight rate depending on how much you burn on the elliptical every day.

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