Exercise and Food Choices: How Physical Activity Can Impact Your Diet?

Researchers are debating on ‘Can exercise alter your food choices?’ In this blog, I bring you the scientific truth to this. Read on!

Well, you already know that exercise and food both have a profound effect on weight loss. But the later plays a larger part in bringing about that remarkable change in the waistline. Its 80 % food choices and 20% exercise that brings 100% results.

So, with exercise comes the need for change in diet!

A recent clinical study examined the effects of exercising on cravings for food!

This study reported that people who started exercising experienced less desire for fattening foods. It would not be wrong to quote here that physical exercise acts as a great motivating tool for diet control or healthy eating.

The truth is that the effects of exercise on weight are not straight forward. 30 minutes of strenuous exercise cannot guarantee weight loss. It’s controlled and guided intake of calories that bring about the difference.

The First Lesson for weight loss

The mathematics of weight loss is simple but greatly misunderstood!

Weight loss happens when calorie burnt is greater than calorie intake.

You just need to take up as much fuel as needed by the body. No extra calories! When this food and fuel balance is obtained the body starts to shed fats. But most people fail in striking the balance.

Most novice exercisers feed more when they exercise. Physical exertion can increase appetite and metabolism. So, it is very important to choose a well-designed diet plan while exercising. You don’t want to go starving but you don’t want to overeat!

There are many people who report zero weight loss even after weeks of struggle in the gym. It’s not that their exercising is going wrong. It’s their diet that keeps adding the calories negating the impact of workouts. 

Also Read: The mathematics of weight loss

Sterling revelations from researchers

How exercise impacts weight loss is more of a subjective answer than objective. Except for the fact that exercise helps in burning calories, it might also play a role in food choices.

Recent research suggests that physical fitness may affect people’s everyday responses to food. This plays a great role in weight maintenance. People who exercise and feel the pain of burning calories are naturally reluctant about adding on.

They usually keep their hands-off sweets and snacks. Past studies showed that active people of normal weight displayed less interest in high-fat, calorie-dense foods. While inactive people did not think twice to binge.

Also Read: Why you must do your warm-up exercises?

Research Speaks

A new study was conducted by researchers at the University of Leeds in England. They connected with a group of sedentary men and women and asked them about their food and lifestyle choices. 

The study included 61 volunteers, most middle-aged, inactive and obese.

They were asked detailed questionnaires about their food preferences and behaviours. Their reaction to Rapid-fire questions and on-screen pictures of different foods were noted. They were also asked about certain foods and their tendency to overeat. 

15 of these people continued their normal lives. 46 others started exercising, five times a week for about 45 to 60 minutes. Their target was to burn 500 calories per session. The training continued for 12 weeks. Both groups continued were allowed to pick their own eating habits. 

After 12 weeks, their weights were checked. Some of the 15 people gained some weight. While most of the 46 recorded weight loss. The ones who led their normal lives showed little to no alteration in their food choices.

But most of the people who indulged in physical activities reported a resistance towards high-calorie, fatty and unhealthy foods. They had better control over the irresistible urges for binging. It was a psychological shift! They showed less “craving or urge” for unhealthy foods.

Thus, the study concluded that along with burning calories, exercise might also improve eating behaviour, curb overeating and shift towards a healthy choice of food. This implies that working out seriously to lose weight could make one rethink the kinds of foods they want to eat.

Exercise, Food and Weight Loss

As I have already penned out, the concept of exercise, food and weight loss are deeply interweaved. Here are a few things you need to know – 

• Weight loss is calorie burnt is more than calorie earned.
• Exercise alone cannot make a shift in weighing scale.
• Exercise can increase your appetite. 
• Food is the fuel essential for exercise.
• Diet is more effective than anything else for weight loss goals.

Exercise when done right is bound to increase hunger. That’s why most people in the initial days, record some weight gain. But with attentive alteration in your dietary choices, you can make the workout work!

Rules for weight loss

• Switch snacks for fruits and nuts.
• Eat your meals at the right time. 
• Eat everything in a controlled manner.
• Drink lots of water.
• Quit smoking.
• Keep your hands off the chocolates and desserts. 
• Avoid beverages, alcohol, sweet and salty things. 

The first step to designing your healthy diet begins in the grocery store. Of course, the best way is not buying them at all. 

Take rest when the body signals. Strenuous exercise can cause body pain, fatigue and other symptoms. It is advised to take a day or two off allowing the muscles to heal before going back to the gym.

Never go empty stomach for exercise. You need the fuel to burn. The best thing to have before exercising is banana. Also, add egg and milk to your diet. The body needs essential fuels. Depriving it of the essential nutrients will result in hunger, poor mood, binge eating, stress and finally weight gain.

Can exercise alter your food choices? Take away!

Finally, ‘Can exercise alter your food choices?’, the answer is yes!

Research and clinical studies have found a direct impact of exercise on diet. Exercise does play a role in altering food choices. It triggers responsible psychology towards choosing healthy foods over the tasty poisons.