As often said, “You build muscle in the gym. And lose fat in the kitchen.” The New York Times reports on a recent study in Current Biology titled, ‘Energy compensation and adiposity in humans’
There are plenty of reasons to exercise. But it appears burning fat is not the most compelling reason.
However, it is potentially maladaptive for modern-living humans exercising to try to burn off excess food consumption, given the chain of association linking high-density foods to greater energy intake,24 obesity,25 and its related diseases.26
Energy compensation and adiposity in humans, Current Biology, 2021, ISSN 0960-9822,
The study finds that our bodies tend to automatically compensate for at least a quarter of the calories we expend during exercise, undermining our best efforts to drop pounds by working out. The results also show that carrying extra pounds unfortunately compounds calorie compensation, making weight loss through exercise even more elusive for those who are already overweight.
sep 21, 2021, By Gretchen Reynolds