There are three steps to losing weight through exercise, and not all exercises can help you lose weight.

Why is it best to follow a 3-step approach to lose weight through exercise?

Exercise is arguably the most ideal method for weight loss because it's the only way to achieve results by burning excess body fat. However, weight loss through exercise doesn't produce immediate results, and the process involves many scientific principles. Therefore, it should be approached scientifically, gradually, and systematically in stages.

The first stage is the preparation period for weight loss. During this stage, two preparations should be made: psychological preparation and preparation for gradual dieting. First, psychological preparation involves overcoming common psychological issues encountered during weight loss, such as passivity, laziness, and the desire to avoid rebound weight gain. Then, gradually enter the dieting and exercise phase. Dieting should be done gradually, as rushing often leads to less effective results. Exercise intensity should also be increased slowly.

When you first start dieting, you can reduce your staple food intake by 50 grams per day, and then gradually reduce it to 100-150 grams per day. The amount of exercise should be increased from 15 minutes to 30 minutes at the beginning. The entire first stage lasts about 2-3 weeks. If managed well, you can lose 0.5 kg per week.

The second phase is the formal weight loss period. Following the same diet and exercise levels as the later stages of the preparation phase, continue the weight loss process until you reach a near-normal weight. Avoid rapid weight loss during this phase to prevent excessive hunger and fatigue, which could cause the entire plan to fail. The duration of this second phase should be tailored to the individual and the specific circumstances; it can be long or short, the key being whether you achieve your ideal weight.

The third stage is the weight loss consolidation period. Once the weight loss goal is achieved, you should not stop exercising arbitrarily, otherwise it will cause a "rebound" and lead to even greater obesity.

Why not all exercise leads to weight loss?

People often say that life is all about movement. Exercise not only brings health to people, but also reduces the risk of obesity.

Indeed, exercise has many benefits, but not all types of exercise are effective for weight loss. In fact, some exercises are not conducive to weight loss. Experts point out three types of exercise that are detrimental to weight loss.

First, there's high-intensity exercise. Some people believe that the more exercise you do, the better you'll lose weight, but this often backfires. This is because increased exercise leads to a greater demand for oxygen, nutrients, and metabolic waste products from the body. This requires the heart to increase its contraction force and frequency, and thus its output to transport these substances.

Therefore, during strenuous exercise, the heart's workload cannot meet the body's oxygen needs, leading to a state of hypoxia or anaerobic metabolism. Anaerobic metabolism does not utilize fat as an energy source; instead, it relies on the breakdown of stored glycogen for energy. Thus, in anaerobic conditions, fat is not only not utilized but also produces incomplete acidic substances. One of these substances, called ketone bodies, is quite harmful to the human body.

Furthermore, high-intensity exercise lowers blood sugar levels, stimulating increased appetite. Therefore, high-intensity exercise is not only unhelpful for weight loss, but may also lead to weight gain.

Secondly, short-duration exercise. Some people believe that anaerobic exercise is not conducive to weight loss, so aerobic exercise can. However, this view is not necessarily correct. This is because during the first 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, the body primarily uses stored glycogen for energy; only after 30 minutes can it utilize fat. Therefore, short-duration aerobic exercise has no effect on weight loss.

Thirdly, there are sports that involve explosive power. These sports mainly include long jump, high jump, 50-meter sprint, shot put, discus, etc. These sports primarily involve explosive power and mainly train the muscle fibers, so they have no effect on weight loss.