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Wednesday, February 15, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
contents. The body has a base
use that fuels the constant
need to move blood, breathe,
stay warm, and keep the brain
active, etc. This is known
as metabolism. Metabolism
is not a fixed number, but
responds differently based
on a person’s age, sex, body
size, and how much they
move.
Metabolism is affected
by many variables. It was
commonly thought that mov-
ing more results in a higher
energy need. This is now
being re-thought. The new
theory is that if someone is
moving more, metabolism
strives to hold onto a given
calorie need. The body will
become thrifty, boosting its
efficiency. It attempts to save
calories by making the body
uptake oxygen better, move
more blood with less heart
beats, slow down digestion
while on the move. The body
stores more ready-to-use fuel
in the muscles. Conversely,
the person who never moves
or exercises will not have
these adaptations.
Anthropologist Herman
Pontzer recently discov-
ered a person’s metabolism
and calorie expenditure
aren’t all that different from
one another, despite such
a vast differences in activ-
ity or body size. He spent
time in Tanzania looking at
the caloric expenditure of a
hunter-gatherer tribe called
the Hadza. Using novel
Fit For
Sisters
Andrew Luscutoff
Columnist
Exercising
to lose weight —
the jury’s out
Weight loss is touted
as one of the top benefits
from exercise. But what if
the correlation to exercise
and weight loss were not as
strong as was once thought?
If a person exercises, they
are burning calories. If they
consume less than they burn,
the body transfers stored
energy. This is a very simple
way to look at it, but the pro-
cess is much more dynamic
than a lot of people under-
stand. This is why exercise
alone will not account to sub-
stantial weight loss.
Calories are the units used
to measure how much energy
is in food. It is a way to know
how much fuel is being put
in the tank. Different foods
have vastly different calorie
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techniques, he measured their
calorie expenditure. His con-
clusion was calorie expendi-
ture is nearly identical to that
of modern Western society
despite the tribespeople mov-
ing about all day, accounting
for miles worth of activity.
They burnt about as many
calories as a moderately
active American.
This was then parlayed
to folks back in the states.
Research at looked at sed-
entary, active, and vigor-
ously active individuals to
compare. They found slight
differences, but overall
there was only around a 10
percent swing in how many
calories per day the actives
were using over the inac-
tives. Ten percent of daily
caloric expenditure isn’t a lot
if someone is desiring ample
weight loss. About two-thirds
of a pound per week. This is
shocking, because a lot of
obesity research overlooks
this effect.
Interpreting these findings
and turning it into actionable
and practical advice is para-
mount. How should someone
effectively lose weight? Is
exercise not effective at all?
What is the reason why lean
people stay so lean?
Exercise should always
be second-fiddle to diet for
weight loss goals. This is
simply because what some-
one isn’t putting in their
body is easier to manage than
exercising the weight away.
Making a few small changes
to diet will have a much big-
ger impact.
When a person first
begins to exercise, they will
see a big effect on caloric
expenditure. This is because
the body is not yet adapted
to moving more. Soon, the
person becomes more fit, and
they burn fewer calories per
given exercise session. The
effects fade. This shouldn’t
deter exercise because a
body with more muscle will
be using more calories. This
body type can expect to be
what is known as more meta-
bolically active, especially in
the recovery from exercise.
People stay lean because
of habits, not necessar-
ily because of metabolism.
While genetics, body fat
distribution, and chemistry
all play a role, eating habits
transcend all.
It’s hard to overcome the
siren call of all the good food
just minutes away. This is a
major cause of obesity. The
availability and palatabil-
ity of the foods lurking in
the cupboards and taken out
through the drive-through
window are more calorie
dense and available than the
foods humans have eaten in
previous generations.
Food is just too good, and
too easy to get.
Once a person decides to
eliminate some foods, and
adopt a diet high in nutritious
foods, calorie intake will
fall and weight loss can be
expected.
Diet is the key; other fac-
tors are secondary. Adopt
behaviors which all point
toward the goal desired. Diet,
exercise, and daily move-
ment all have their exclusive
benefits, yet they synergisti-
cally work in concert to pro-
vide holistic health for the
individual.
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