“let us bust the myth of physical activity and obesity. You cannot outrun a bad diet”

[Proud Public Servant]

9. Just my personal experience

About 9 months ago my primary care provider told me I needed to get serious about losing weight. I was obese: 70 pounds overweight, BMI of 33. She suggested an exercise regimen, plus using an activity monitor (like Fitbit) and tracking food intake.

At first I did all 3. But about a month in, I pulled my extensor tendon (not even exercising; just took a funny step in a pair of loose shoes) and had to be in a stabilizing boot for about two months. At the same time, work got really busy. So exercise just stopped, and didn't restart after the boot came off.

So for eight months, all I've been doing is counting calories, following a routine where I shoot for eating 250 fewer calories/day than I burn. This hasn't been "dieting" in the usual sense; there's literally nothing that I've cut out of my diet, including booze, sweets, cheese, and carbs -- though I do tend to eat less high-caloric food, just because it takes up too much of my calorie allowance. My calorie allowance (as allotted by a widely-trusted calorie tracker) is also pretty generous; when I started, it was about 2200 calories/day. And while I do get some exercise just because I live in a city and walk a couple of miles a day, it's not what most folks mean by "exercise." This whole project has simply been calories in vs. calories out. (Edit: I should note, though, that I do have an advantage here, in that my wife and I love cooking and so I have more control over my food ingredients that a lot of people these days.)

9 months later, I've lost 40 pounds and am still losing. So, yeah, I think this study is onto something.