Vote in This Week's Poll: Do you find it harder to lose weight when you start and stop exercise?
I've gotten quite a few emails about this over the years and this is the first study I've seen that may support what many people have been telling me - that weight is harder to lose the second time around. I say "may" because the study itself did have a few flaws, so it's questionable whether all the information they gathered was 100% accurate. Still, reading this study and seeing emails from my readers makes me curious - have you experienced difficulty losing weight after starting back to your workouts? Vote in this week's poll and leave a comment telling us about your experiences.
Poll: Do you find it harder to lose weight when you start and stop exercise?
1. Yes
2. Sometimes
3. I've never noticed
4. I exercise regularly and haven't experienced this
5. No, my weight loss is the same even if I start and stop my workouts
6. I don't exercise
7. Other - please explain in comments
Comments
I think if you continue to work out and make healthy choices, you will lose weight. I think its pretty obvious if you stop exercising, you will gain the weight back on. However, I also feel its hard to lose weight at the start of something new hence, your subject of harder to lose when starting and stopping.
It dawn on me the other day, while on the treadmill, with exercising four times a week and not losing much weight I can never stop because I am doing all this work just to maintain.
It appeared to me to be harder, until I realized exactly how much effort I had put in the first time. Once I started to match my performance levels again, the weight is coming off as before.
I think it’s a bit more complex than cause and effect, at least for me. I eat in a sensible way but not with absolute clinical dicipline. I don’t quit exercising often, but when I’m forced to I also seem to automatically take a more relaxed attitude about food - can’t help it, it just happens. So it’s hard to separate the weight gained from not exercising vs more relaxed eating. I do lose the gained weight relatively easy once I’m back on physical/mental track.
I gain weight quite easily no matter how much exercise I get and have weighed as much as 400lbs. I’ve lost about 170 and gained about 20% of it back. But the longest I’ve gone without exercise in the last 5 years is 4 days. It’s really complex and ultimately depends on your body and more specifically your metabolism.
I think the more important factor effecting the weight loss outcome is the the caloric values of the food you eat. There just is not as much relative caloric value in exercising. A half hour walk is two cookies.
Hey just throwing this out there. Don’t forget that weight loss or gain is all about calories. Calories consumed and spent. If you stop exercising you will not gain weight if you reduce your caloric intake. So you can eat more if you exercise, because the exercise consumes more calories. So whether you start exercise and stop is really irrelevant to weight loss or gains, where it is relevant however is to your overall health and fitness. But purely in regards to weight loss just watch your calories and you will be able to achieve your weight loss goals!
I recently lost 20 pounds from January 1 - April 1, doing a “Biggest Loser” Competition at work. I started at 159.6 and dropped to 139.8. I increased my exercise levels from 0 to 1.5 hours 5 days a week on an eliptical and doing pilates. I also cut carbs, watched portion controls, and went from eating out 1-2 times a week to only 3-4 times in 4 months. Since April, I have not been able to work out nearly as much. I am working out about 3 times a week for about 30-45 minutes, but still maintaining my healthy eating habits. I am down to 136.4. Its not happening nearly as fast as it was, but I have not gained any weight back.
The best way to lose weight is here: CrossFit.com, and the Zone diet!
I don’t think it’s harder to lose weight.I think it only seems that way because it’s like starting from the beginning.It’s hard to get into the groove of regular excersize and healthy eating.
I stopped exercising and gained back the 30 pounds I lost over a 7 month period a few years back. I started back to my exercise schedule the first of April and to date have only lost 4 pounds! I am so bummed. The weight is not coming off…at all. I’ve been very good about my food and making sure that I exercise everyday. This time around…the weight is not coming off as easily. I’m not giving up! But somedays it sure is hard…
l have a large pot stomach & when l exercise with heathy diet change it starts to disapear very quickly anytime l apply exercise & healthy diet to my life theirs always a weight loss & healthier me , the problem is maintaining the changes
I don’t loose weight regardless if I am exercising 8 hours a week, or walking 5 hours a week, nothing comes off…oh sure, 1 lb a month sometimes, but most of the time ZILTCH