The Science Is In - Debunking The Myth of Burning Up Your Calories
The age-old weight loss narrative rings familiar in everyone’s ears: if you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. The standard scientific narrative is that weight is determined by how much you eat and exercise. You will lose weight if you exercise a lot and burn more calories than you consume. You will gain weight if you only eat calories but never burn them through physical exercise. This seems so obvious to us; it has become common sense. However, is this how the body works? It turns out that modern science has begun to poke holes in this theory, and the truth is far more complex.
“The bottom line is that your daily activity level has almost no bearing on the number of calories you burn each day.”
Herman Pontzer, Burn: The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism
The central falsehood in our beliefs about calories is that total energy expenditure does not always increase in physical exercise. Evidence for this is thanks to Dr Herman Pontzer and his Constrained Total Energy Expenditure model. His research found that total energy expenditure increases during physical activity, but it begins to plateau during high physical activity (Pontzer et al., 2016). Meaning even during very intense exercise, you are burning the same number of calories as more moderate exercise. If you want to lose weight, you cannot just exercise until you collapse. Dr Pontzer also hypothesised that the non-muscular physiologic processes must significantly contribute to total energy expenditure (Pontzer et al., 2016). Therefore, most people expend the same energy because we all have bodies performing typical functions. He further hypothesised that physical activity is still very beneficial to health because it takes power away from other processes that may prove harmful, such as an overactive immune system causing inflammation (Pontzer et al., 2016). There seems to be evidence suggesting that all our bodies, whether active or not, are expending the same amount of energy. This would explain why several studies show how total energy expenditure does not correlate well with weight loss, whether in children or adults (Rimbach et al., 2022; Zinkel et al., 2016). Pontzer explains in the interview below that in fact exercise is correlated with about 2kg of weight loss maximum!
Watch or listen here to understand:
“Our metabolic engines shift and change to make room for increased activity costs, ultimately keeping daily energy expenditure within a narrow window. As a result, physically active people—whether it’s hunter-gatherers living today or in our collective past, or people in the industrialized world who exercise regularly—burn the same amount of energy as people who are much more sedentary.”
Herman Pontzer, Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy
All of this is not to say that there are no actions one can take to lose weight and become healthier. It suggests that the process is more complicated than a simple net calorie equation. The solution to how we can manage our weight may be found in the benefits of yoga, also keeping in mind that Pontzer’s research shows us that we need to keep moving to survive.
Research has suggested that yoga is a helpful way of reducing BMI and reducing weight (Bernstein et al., 2013). This is curious, of course: how can a moderately energy-expending activity such as yoga be helpful towards weight loss or energy expenditure conserved across individuals? The answer lies in the additional benefits that yoga provides. Yoga is both physical activity and an activity of mindfulness. Research suggests that yoga benefits weight loss because of its other mental changes (Ross et al., 2016). One explanation is that mindfulness increases awareness of the foods we eat and the emotions we feel, and the combination of the two influences a healthier diet and eating habits (Ross et al., 2016). Yoga also relieves stress and decreases the desire and frequency of binge eating (Ross et al., 2016). Another study showed how these benefits would persist over long periods when achieved through yoga (Braun et al., 2012). Indicators of healthy nutrition behaviours, mindfulness, stress management, and spiritual growth last long after a yoga program (Braun et al., 2012). Yoga is not only a holistic form of weight loss that tackles both the body and mind but instils habits that are conducive to health long into the future.
The body’s health is more than a simple maths equation. Furthermore, the body’s health reflects the health of the mind and vice versa. If one simply runs until their legs give out and eats as little as they can, so calories out are greater than calories in, they will miss the crucial importance of the path towards greater health. When an individual attempts to lose weight in this way, they make themselves prone to self-judgement, shame and regret every time they do something they perceive as a mistake or a lapse in their goals. It is unhelpful to live in the past or to analyse and criticise one’s actions constantly. Instead, the path towards weight loss in health lies in the present awareness of the moment and overall mindfulness of consumption. Simply be mindful and observe your thoughts, emotions and food choices. Be aware of your behaviours; over time, they will shape for the better. Weight loss is as much of a mental journey as it is a physical one. Yoga and other mindfulness practices are beneficial for excellent health and well-being.
Pontzers best advice is to go and be outside as much as possible to live like we once did as hunter gatherers.
Pontzer extrapolates this professional wisdom from an advantageous perspective, as an evolutionary biologist. He also reminds us to be mindful of nutritional intake.
Find out more about our Nutritional Psychiatry course coming up, where we present the very best current science and ancient wisdom to bring you the best of health.
References
Bernstein, A. M., Bar, J., Ehrman, J. P., Golubic, M., & Roizen, M. F. (2013). Yoga in the Management of Overweight and Obesity. Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.1177/1559827613492097, 8(1), 33–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827613492097
Braun, T. D., Park, C. L., & Conboy, L. A. (2012). Psychological Well-Being, Health Behaviors, and Weight Loss Among Participants in a Residential, Kripalu Yoga-Based Weight Loss Program. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 22(1), 9–22. https://doi.org/10.17761/IJYT.22.1.Y47K2658674T1212
Pontzer, H., Durazo-Arvizu, R., Dugas, L. R., Plange-Rhule, J., Bovet, P., Forrester, T. E., Lambert, E. v., Cooper, R. S., Schoeller, D. A., & Luke, A. (2016). Constrained Total Energy Expenditure and Metabolic Adaptation to Physical Activity in Adult Humans. Current Biology, 26(3), 410–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CUB.2015.12.046
Rimbach, R., Yamada, Y., Sagayama, H., Ainslie, P. N., Anderson, L. F., Anderson, L. J., Arab, L., Baddou, I., Bedu-Addo, K., Blaak, E. E., Blanc, S., Bonomi, A. G., Bouten, C. V. C., Bovet, P., Buchowski, M. S., Butte, N. F., Camps, S. G. J. A., Close, G. L., Cooper, J. A., … Speakman, J. R. (2022). Total energy expenditure is repeatable in adults but not associated with short-term changes in body composition. Nature Communications, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/S41467-021-27246-Z
Ross, A., Brooks, A., Touchton-Leonard, K., & Wallen, G. (2016). A Different Weight Loss Experience: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Behavioral, Physical, and Psychosocial Changes Associated with Yoga That Promote Weight Loss. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/2914745
Zinkel, S. R. J., Berkowitz, R. I., Stunkard, A. J., Stallings, V. A., Faith, M., Thomas, D., & Schoeller, D. A. (2016). High energy expenditure is not protective against increased adiposity in children. Pediatric Obesity, 11(6), 528–534. https://doi.org/10.1111/IJPO.12099
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