Diet Doctor Podcast #84:
Is exercise better than weight loss for your health?
How many times have you heard, “You can’t outrun a bad diet?” It is relatively commonplace now to hear that exercise is not a terribly effective tool for losing weight. But Professor Glenn Gaesser says maybe we shouldn’t focus on weight loss at all, but instead promote regular exercise as the most important health-related goal.
But Glenn doesn’t just believe this. He has research to support his claim, which he published in an in-depth review in iScience. Glenn points to the “futile weight loss cycle,” the harms of weight cycling, and the inconsistent evidence that losing weight improves life expectancy or all-cause mortality. He also points out the all-cause mortality benefits with relatively modest physical activity improvements.
We unpack this philosophy and delve into the importance of healthy weight loss as opposed to just any kind of weight loss. We dig into body composition, metabolic markers of health, the confluence of exercise and nutrition, and why some who exercise still end up metabolically unhealthy.
About the video
Virtual podcast recorded in October 2021, published in November 2021.
Host: Dr. Bret Scher
Producer: Hari Dewang
Table of contents
00:00 Introduction
03:48 Prof. Gaesser’s journey in the field of exercise
06:14 Focusing on fitness vs weight loss
11:51 What defines an exercise routine?
18:07 Nutrition for metabolic health benefits
27:14 The focus on nutrition, body composition and exercise
33:54 Metabolic dysfunctions despite an adequate exercise
40:28 The importance of cardio vs resistance training
45:43 A weight loss protocol: fat mass vs fat-free mass
56:19 Closing
How many times have you heard, “You can’t outrun a bad diet?” It is relatively commonplace now to hear that exercise is not a terribly effective tool for losing weight. But Professor Glenn Gaesser says maybe we shouldn’t focus on weight loss at all, but instead promote regular exercise as the most important health-related goal.
But Glenn doesn’t just believe this. He has research to support his claim, which he published in an in-depth review in iScience. Glenn points to the “futile weight loss cycle,” the harms of weight cycling, and the inconsistent evidence that losing weight improves life expectancy or all-cause mortality. He also points out the all-cause mortality benefits with relatively modest physical activity improvements.
We unpack this philosophy and delve into the importance of healthy weight loss as opposed to just any kind of weight loss. We dig into body composition, metabolic markers of health, the confluence of exercise and nutrition, and why some who exercise still end up metabolically unhealthy.
About the video
Virtual podcast recorded in October 2021, published in November 2021.
Host: Dr. Bret Scher
Producer: Hari Dewang
