We have been marketed to believe that more exercise will be the secret to losing weight. And today's discussion will break down a theory that totally debunks this. 

I don’t recommend focusing on calorie burning for your workouts to lose weight. If you have a lot of weight to lose, killing yourself in workouts is not necessary, and in fact, not recommended. 

Constrained energy expenditure, discovered by Dr. Herman Pontzer, says that the human body stays within a narrow window of total number of calories burned per day, despite activity level. 

So basically, your body has an energy bank that it pulls from every day. And whether or not you do a ton of activity, this energy expenditure will stay about the same. This theory completely de-bunks the idea that you can burn more calories/day by working out harder. 

0:12   Why exercise shouldn’t be your primary weight loss tool

2:39   Constrained Energy Expenditure 

9:57  The more tissue you have, the more calories you have to burn 

11:05  How exercise can help increase your lean tissue 

12:59  Is exercise needed for weight loss?

15:05  How exercise an be a benefit for weight loss

17:30  The importance of biomechanics for building muscle

19:30  Exercise for heart health 

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Studies referenced: 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4803033/
https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202100242R

To take our free 35-minute Upper Body Build class taught by Dr. Shannon, visit portal.evlofitness.com.