Hey Warrior!
Here’s an interesting question…
Can you actually lose weight through exercise alone – WITHOUT changing your diet?
Most people assume the answer is no.
You’ve probably heard the saying that you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.
And while there’s some truth to that, the research is actually a little more interesting.
A review published in Diabetes Spectrum examined the role of exercise in weight loss and weight maintenance.
One of the studies it discussed followed overweight adults who exercised five days per week, burning approximately 400–600 calories per session.
Among participants who completed the 10-month program, average weight loss was approximately 8.6–11.5 pounds.
And they weren’t following a prescribed calorie-restriction diet.
Another study found that people who exercised about 60 minutes per day lost a meaningful amount of weight over three months without prescribed dietary restriction.
Now, there’s a catch.
The amount of exercise matters.
A couple of 20-minute workouts per week probably aren’t going to produce dramatic weight loss on their own.
But what happens when you significantly increase your total weekly activity?
I’m talking regular, serious kettlebell workouts, plus walking/running/conditioning, plus recovery/mobility work, and more.
That’s what got me thinking.
What if we took a group of people over 40 and had them focus on MOVING MORE for 28 days, without deliberately changing their diets?
Could they lose a pound or two a week?
Could they improve their waist measurements?
Could they get stronger and feel better along the way?
The research suggests exercise-only weight loss is possible, although individual results vary considerably.
And I think it would be pretty interesting to put that idea to the test.
More on that tomorrow.
– Forest
P.S. Here is a link to the review published in Diabetes Spectrum – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5556592