Exercising won’t help you lose weight on its own, one of the country’s leading experts has sensationally claimed.
Prof. Tim Spector, a prolific dietary researcher and author, accepted that working out is ‘great’ for your overall health, especially your heart.
He even insisted that ‘we should all do it’.
But in terms of losing weight, Professor Spector argued that exercise was ‘no use on its own’. It goes against advice from health agencies across the planet who state that it is ‘key’ in beating the bulge.
Prof. Spector acknowledged that while exercise as it is ‘great for your health’ and ‘fantastic for your mood’, you should not exercise alone if ‘your goal is weight loss’
Prof. Tim Spector (pictured) alongside that exercise has been ‘grossly exaggerated as an easy fix for our obesity problem’
Exercise – of any kind – actually plays ‘very little role in weight loss’, he stated on Steven Bartlett’s podcast The Diary of a CEO.
Prof. Spector, who trained as an epidemiologist and gained fame for tracking Covid during the pandemic, said: ‘All the long-term studies show it doesn’t help weight loss…
‘It’s been grossly exaggerated as an easy fix for our obesity problem.
‘All the studies show that.
‘The only caveat to that is if you have changed your diet, improved your diet and lost some weight, maintaining some exercise does prevent it going back up again.
‘But on its own, if you don’t change your diet, it’s no use and that’s well known now by all obesity experts and the studies.’
He added: ‘It’s great for your health, I exercise. It’s fantastic for your mood, it’s great for your heart.
‘We should all do it, but absolutely not if your goal is weight loss.
‘That’s a huge myth, particularly perpetuated by gyms and fitness apps. It is complete nonsense,’ he said.
Prof. Spector’s comments go against some of the most-trusted health advice. ‘Being active is key to losing weight and keeping it off,’ the NHS says.
Prof. Tim Spector advocated that dieters should focus on making sure their plates are full of the high quality wholefoods — such as fruit, vegetables and nuts
It adds that eating fewer calories will help you lose weight but keeping the flab off permanently ‘requires physical activity to burn energy’.
A calorie is a way of measuring energy — either the amount contained in food or the amount burnt through activity.
People put on weight when they consume more calories than they burn off through daily activities. To lose weight, more calories need to be used than those taken in.
As a result, limiting calories – or exercising more – are the first steps for many seeking a svelte physique. Speaking on the same podcast, Prof. Spector advised that people wanting to lose weight simply look at changing their diets.
He said calorie counting, although effective in the short-term, was ‘complete nonsense’ because most people who adhere to the tedious regime ‘bounce back’.
Instead, he advised eating more plant-based foods, doing so within a 10-hour window and avoiding ultra-processed items.
- Daily Mail.uk