We are trained to consider exercise as perhaps the most important factor in any weight loss. You already know the exercise: join the gym on January 1st if you want to achieve the goal of losing weight for the new year.
But the evidence has been growing for years that practicing, while it is good for your health, is not so important for weight loss.
Studies say that the extra calories that you burn only make up a small part of your total energy consumption, and that reducing your food intake is a much more effective way to lose weight. Obesity doctors have even asked for a rebranding while we think about the exercise.
To be frank, exercise has major advantages: it reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, strengthens bones and muscles and even helps with weight control; It is simply not the most effective way to lose weight.
But in 2018 we must stop treating the lack of physical activity and nutrition as equivalent to the problem of obesity in this country. There are also other factors like excessive consumption of low-quality food and non-hygienic food environment.