We’ve always been told that you must consistently exercise for weight loss success. However, you may be wondering why you’ve been exercising regularly and are still unable to lose weight. The truth is that many individuals who are interested in losing weight do not truly understand what to expect from exercise plans for weight loss.
Here at Total HealthcareMD, we are dedicated to clearing up some of the common misconceptions regarding exercise for weight loss so that you can finally lose those unwanted pounds and keep them off for good.
Exercise must be combined with a healthy diet.
Exercising alone will not give you the weight loss results you’re looking for. Exercise plans for weight loss must be coupled with a well-balanced, nutritious diet. Since the key to weight loss is to burn off more calories than you consume, eating foods that are high in fat, carbohydrates, and sugars can hinder all of your exercise efforts.
Studies have proven that it is far easier to remove calories from your diet than burn them off through exercise. Therefore, we recommend pairing exercise plans for weight loss with a low-calorie diet full of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Exercise machines are not reliable for measuring calories burned.
Ellipticals, treadmills, and other exercise machines often estimate how many calories are burned. These machines do not account for the calories you would have burned without exercise.
If you were playing outside with your children or sitting at your desk at work, you probably burned a certain amount of calories during that time. To get a more accurate understanding of how many calories you burned, you should subtract what you would burn if you did not exercise. When you do this, you will notice that the overall amount of calories that the machine says you’ve burned is actually a lot less.
Regular splurges can deter weight loss.
Unfortunately, exercise does not burn as many calories as you may think it does. That being said, a single workout that you may feel was very intense does not necessarily make it okay for you to go home and splurge on an ice cream sundae. You cannot justify unhealthy food choices by saying you worked out today. If your ultimate goal is weight loss, it’s essential to avoid overindulging too often or you’ll have a difficult time burning off more calories that you’re consuming.
By understanding these three exercise truths, you can more effectively prepare your body to lose weight and keep it off in the long term. Contact the weight loss experts at Total HealthcareMD for more information on exercise plans and diet program that will give you the confidence you’ve been longing for.