8. My Experience with Exercise Bulimia and Thoughts About the Role Exercise Plays in Weight Loss

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Note: Reshape Physical Therapy and Wellness evolved into Weight Loss for Health, and finally Zivli. How to Lose Weight After 50 was our first course that eventually grew into Zivli. Some old blog posts or resources mentioned in this episode may have been removed. 

In today’s episode I not only talk about the science behind why exercise is beneficial when losing weight, just maybe not as much as originally thought, but I’ll also share some of my personal story with exercise bulimia. 

I had this condition in high school and once I broke free of my compulsion to exercise all of the time to burn off calories I just ate, I felt more freedom, and had more mental headspace to focus on the habit that mattered much more to my health...nutrition.

Highlights From This Episode
[03:07] In high school I had a condition called exercise bulimia. I never made myself throw up, instead, I would exercise off the calories I ate. This started pretty young. 

[06:40] There are 3 major factors that limit the utility of exercise when trying to lose weight. The first is that exercise is a small percentage of the total calories burned. The real term for “calories out” is total energy expenditure, or how much energy our body uses. Total energy expenditure = basal metabolic rate + thermogenic effect of food + non-exercise activity thermogenesis + excess post-exercise oxygen consumption + exercise.

[15:28] Exercise during weight loss has been shown to help preserve lean muscle mass when losing weight. I talked about tips to preserve your muscle mass when losing weight episode #5 so I will link to that in the show notes. Research has shown that both aerobic and resistance exercise can help you preserve muscle mass when losing weight, especially if you are getting enough protein in your diet. 

[16:57] How exercise can help you lose weight in an unexpected way - by lowering your stress. Exercise can help you lose weight in a roundabout way by lowering your stress and reducing cortisol levels. When you exercise, your endorphins, or what I like to call your happy hormones, are released and this can help you feel less stressed not just while you are exercising but afterwards as well. 

[19:46] So here is your homework for this week. I would love to see you add a little stretching to your life. Maybe use an implementation intention, something I’ve talked about before on this podcast, to make time in your schedule.

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Resources From This Episode

>> Insulin Resistance Diet Blueprint - https://www.zivli.com/blueprint?el=podcast

>> Free Low Insulin Food Guide - https://www.zivli.com/ultimatefoodguide?el=podcast

>> Join the Zivli Program Waitlist - https://www.zivli.com/join?el=podcast

>> Test Your Insulin at Home - https://www.zivli.com/testing?el=podcast

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