07/19/2022
Calorie Constraint Hypothesis
The days of simply “exercise more” are gone thanks to the work of Herman Pontzer and colleagues, showing that “the human body adapts dynamically to maintain total energy expenditure (TEE) within a narrow physio-logical range.”
This means that if you are struggling to lose weight, exercising more won't necessarily move the needle for you. If you are not meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines (resistance train 2+ days/week and accumulate 150 mins + of aerobic activity/week) then I would start there, as that will likely help, but beyond that, more exercise won't be the driving factor of weight loss. We need to reduce caloric intake to a point that the individual is in a negative caloric balance. This may change over time as well, as the system adapts and adjusts BMR and NEAT to account for dietary changes.
If you think you are eating at a certain calorie point but still struggling, you are likely underestimating your food consumption. Using a good food tracker such as will help put you on the right track.
Additionally, ensuring you keep your NEAT as high as possible won't hurt. NEAT is non exercise activity thermogenesis and is things like getting up to go to the bathroom, standing and walking around, scratching an itch, etc. So set a timer every 30-60 minutes to get up and move around for a few minutes. Go for a walk each day (this technically changes it to EAT but don't worry about it). Just try to keep moving, and do your best to avoid the sluggish slow down that comes with dieting.
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