Sport doesn’t make you lose weight… At least, not as you think.
Despite daily physical activity, weeks or even months of effort, weight loss is not there? It’s frustrating but it’s perfectly explainable from a physiological point of view. Because although sport is beneficial for health, it alone is not enough to lose weight.
In reality – and many people forget this – the amount of calories burned during physical activity remains relatively modest, especially among people with little training. “On average, energy expenditure is estimated at 200 calories per hour for a leisurely walk, 300 to 400 calories per hour for moderate activity, and up to 500 calories for a mountain hike or more vigorous training. Over a week, 400 calories spent per day through sport represents 2800 calories, which may seem significant. However, one kilogram of body fat is equivalent to 8000 calories. In other words, it would take 20 days of daily physical activity to hope to lose a single kilo of body fat, without increasing your caloric intake at the same time.“, develops Dr Jean-Michel Lecerf, nutritionist and specialist in endocrinology.
Furthermore, you have to be careful about what you do right after the session, according to the expert. Sport increases hunger, especially if the effort was intense or long. Result: we eat more to compensate or we grant ourselves the right to post-workout food “rewards”. 80% of people who play sports say to themselves “I played sports, I can enjoy myself”. Error ! A snack can quickly offset the calories burned during exercise, without you realizing it. Especially if you eat anything (sugar, fat, fast food, etc.). Furthermore, when you increase your physical activity, the body reacts by reducing its expenditure to conserve energy. “However, this adaptation can slow down, or even block, weight loss. This is the reason why sport is generally not enough to lose weight, except in the case of very intense or prolonged practice. recalls Dr. Lecerf.
However, you should not be discouraged because even if sport does not make you lose weight immediately, it is the guarantor of good health in the long term. Moreover, “Physical activity, especially if it includes resistance exercises or weight training, increases muscle mass. Even if the weight does not move on the scale, body composition improves, which is beneficial“concludes our interlocutor.
