If Exercise Doesn't Take Off Excess Weight, What Does?

The point of this article is not to discourage anyone from exercise. Working out is good for general health. What exercise cannot do by itself is to help you lose weight. To lose weight, you have to restrict the amount of sugar in your diet. You need 100 calories a day or less in fruit and sweets (that's fruit and sweets together, not 100 calories of each), and no more than 600 calories a day of all carbohydrate foods. If you don't eat any fruit or sugary foods, you cannot have more than 150 grams (5 ounces) of all your carbohydrate foods. That's still 2 generous servings per meal.

Many calorie-counting diets allow for too much carbohydrate even while they restrict "energy" intake. The problem is that your body does not "count calories." It has energy needs, it has growth and repair needs, and it has to maintain your probiotic bacteria (hence you need some healthy plant foods every day). The macronutrients your body needs are measured in grams, not in calories. After all, your body doesn't "burn" protein, but most diets measure protein in calories.

What Works For Losing Weight?

Sugar is not absolutely toxic. However, if you cannot stop at 100 calories per day (25 grams, less than an ounce) it may be best not to eat any sugar at all.

Fruit is fine for phytonutrients, fiber, and vitamins. However, even if you are not diabetic, you need to limit yourself to two servings a day, and then only when you do not eat sweets.

Carbohydrates are OK in moderation. Boiled (not steamed) white (not brown) rice, boiled (not baked or fried) potatoes, and plantain provide carbohydrates in the form of starch. Your body takes longer to break down starch, so your pancreas does not need to release as much insulin, so your fat cells are able to release fatty acids into the bloodstream to be burned. That's where exercise comes in. If you are limiting your carbohydrate intake, then exercise helps you lose weight.

Your body needs some fat. Omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids, however, are actually toxic when consumed in excess. It's better to consume omega-9 fatty acids, such as those in olive oil, in moderation. Leaving all the fat out of a weight-loss diet can trigger gallbladder attacks.

You want to burn fat when you exercise, so don't drink sugary exercise drinks before you work out. It's OK to get your daily sugar quota in a drink or smoothie after you work out, since your muscles will be using glucose to rebuild their energy storage chemical glycogen. They make glycogen to "pump up" the muscle from glucose and water. You need both glucose and water for your muscles to rebuild after strenuous exercise.

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Working out hard is stressful. It's especially important to limit your consumption of sugar before, during, and after a hard workout. Your body releases "adrenalin" (catecholamines) during an intense workout that break down fat, but only if your blood sugar levels are normal, not high.