It's the time of year for motivational stories. A "new year, new you" narrative, one that's often accompanied by inspiring videos from the gym of a person's dramatic weight loss progress. And if those transformational tales have moved you to make some changes in your own body, here are a few things you should understand: Weight is only one imperfect metric of health, attractiveness and happiness. There are a multitude of compelling physical and mental health reasons to exercise that have nothing to do with your size. And finally, as a 2017 report in Diabetes Spectrum notes, "Most, but not all, study data indicate that exercise alone plays a very small role in weight loss." Or as a colleague observed to me recently, "You don't lose weight in the gym; you lose it in the kitchen."
It's simple math — and so much more. To lose one pound, you need to shed 3,500 calories. Now let's say on a typical morning I run three miles, an aerobic exercise that burns more calories than stretching or strength training. That's about 300 to 350 calories. That's it. Then I'm going to go eat breakfast. "The old saying that you can't outrun a bad diet is annoying to hear, but it's true," says Dan Gallagher, a registered dietitian with Aegle Nutrition.
