Wait, what? Diet is more important than exercise? ZOINKS!

My mother, who I may have mentioned has been rocking the weight loss these past few weeks sent me an interesting article the other day. In a Time magazine piece on the value of exercise in the weight loss process, they point out an important fact to remember: Exercise stimulates hunger.  So instead of making it easier to lose weight, regular strenuous exercise can actually make it harder to lose weight.

Well, duh. Working out hard drains you of salt and fluids, and causes you to need to repair the tired muscles. Plus, the glycogen we use up wants to be replaced, and the fastest way to replace it is with sugars. So not only are you tired and hungry, your body is crying out for salt and sugar. And a lot of folks, myself included, often find themselves either eating things they normally wouldn't or simply more of things they would, because they think "I just burned 500 calories".

Here's the part that really hit home with me:

You might think half a muffin over an entire day wouldn't matter much, particularly if you exercise regularly. After all, doesn't exercise turn fat to muscle, and doesn't muscle process excess calories more efficiently than fat does?

Yes, although the muscle-fat relationship is often misunderstood. According to calculations published in the journal Obesity Research by a Columbia University team in 2001, a pound of muscle burns approximately six calories a day in a resting body, compared with the two calories that a pound of fat burns. Which means that after you work out hard enough to convert, say, 10 lb. of fat to muscle — a major achievement — you would be able to eat only an extra 40 calories per day, about the amount in a teaspoon of butter, before beginning to gain weight. Good luck with that.

Going forward, I am going to be smarter about not eating too much because I just worked hard. I'm as susceptible to cravings as the next person, especially after a hard workout. Proper preparation can help a lot with this. Take a salt pill during a long sweaty workout will reduce the bodies craving for salty foods. Taking a 60 calorie gel during a workout should help kill the desire for a big milkshake after. It will still be important to get the right amount of protein and other recovery foods, but doing it in a healthy way is key.

Notes:

- Last night a 3 mile run. Rather, three 1 mile runs. I had decent stamina through each mile and walked a little less than 1/3rd mile between each run. I was pretty slow the last half of the 3rd mile, but I like that I got through all 3.

- Tonight, I'm shooting for 5 miles continuous on the rollers. It would be my longest session by 2 miles, so it if winds up at 4 miles, thats still progress.