We are fascinated by Jacques Peretti’s series on BBC Channel 4- The Men Who Made Us Fat and “Thin” i.e. made us try to lose weight.
So from the horse’s mouth, exercise does lots of good things for you but it may not make you lose weight. People who exercise and lose weight are usually controlling their eating very carefully. I was amazed to discover that an elite male tennis player was not allowed chocolate for a year, then he indulged after his Wimbledon final by having a couple of chocolate squares.
Wow!
I’m also delighted to have it confirmed that fat people and fat children aren’t lazy at all, that they probably move around less because they are overweight not the other way round. I’m delighted to learn despite all the government hype that children are moving around as much as they ever did, and that everyone who exercises a lot compensates by resting a great deal too. Exercise makes you eat more too, there is no backing away from the evidence on that.
And I am horrified that the Food Industry has convinced everyone including people in Government that our problem is being sedentary and it is not their horrible food that is to blame for people being fat. They are so, so wrong.
I’m in favour of exercise, for lots of health reasons but I’m against the message that you are a slob if you don’t go to the gym and work out. I also want to help people who become addicted to exercise as part of their eating disorder.
The real causes of weight gain, apart from food it seems, is not exercise as such – which burns very few calories if you go to the gym a couple of times a week. It is long periods of time sitting down, which lowers the fat burning enzymes which turn energy into fuel which can be burned. For that reason, people who fidget a lot burn much more energy than people who sit down all day and then go out for a run at night.
So people – move around just to have fun and rest when you feel like it. Moving around for fun and being happy is one of the best weight control strategies I know.