Exercise-centric Weight Loss

There is a fun to watch debate happening right now in the medical literature as to the benefits of reality show exercise programs and…well, reality.

Developers of reality weight loss programs, including some medical doctors, suggest everyone should exercise as these contestants do: an average of 3.7 hours a day. It was even suggested at a recent press conference of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists that this vigorous exercise of this nature should be first line in the treatment of diabetes.

Medical skeptics are, of course, quick to point out the logistics of this are not obtainable. Support for this type of exercise-centric program takes a multi-disciplinary group of practitioners, allied health professionals, and a payer source. I might add it also helps if you don’t have a job or family to care for to be a part of such a program. Besides obtainability and money, the debate raises issues of performance, particularly long term success in extremes of exercise vs. medication used to treat lifestyle diseases, weight loss surgery and its risks and benefits, and a plethora of other arguments that are valid.

Like most arguments however, the winner is only decided by whose side you began. Nothing works for everyone, and some things work for no one; unless of course there is a pot of gold at the end of the journey. Maybe that’s the ticket: Maybe health should be a personal responsibility and if you don’t take care of it, you don’t get a pot of gold. I wish the brainiac’s would add that to their debates.

1 Comment

Melissa on May 16, 2014 at 11:42 pm

I was working out 5 days a week for 45 minutes to 1 hour and then doing something active for several hours at a time on the weekend (such as hiking or biking), and restricting calories to 1300 (net) per day. I sure did lose weight, and probably gained muscle, but I felt terrible. I was irritable, tired, my muscles were ALWAYS sore, and I was getting into that mindset where you just want to keep going even though part of you realizes that that is not good for you. I’m 60 years old, and that was way too much for me. I pretty much got sick a lot, had no resistance and finally gave up and gained back about 10 pounds. Now I’m following a reasonable diet and exercise program and it’s working much better, at least I feel human and the weight is slowly coming off. I think 3.7 hours per day would kill many of us.

Melissa on May 16, 2014 at 11:42 pm

I was working out 5 days a week for 45 minutes to 1 hour and then doing something active for several hours at a time on the weekend (such as hiking or biking), and restricting calories to 1300 (net) per day. I sure did lose weight, and probably gained muscle, but I felt terrible. I was irritable, tired, my muscles were ALWAYS sore, and I was getting into that mindset where you just want to keep going even though part of you realizes that that is not good for you. I’m 60 years old, and that was way too much for me. I pretty much got sick a lot, had no resistance and finally gave up and gained back about 10 pounds. Now I’m following a reasonable diet and exercise program and it’s working much better, at least I feel human and the weight is slowly coming off. I think 3.7 hours per day would kill many of us.