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First, people who are dieting who also exercise will lose more weight.269 The more
calories you burn, the more weight you will lose (assuming you don’t eat more!) Whether
exercising intensely will help you lose more weight than exercising moderately is still
debated by physicians.270 Does exercise increase your appetite? We really don’t know.
However, we do know for certain that if you exercise in addition to dieting you will lose
more weight than if you don’t exercise.
Second, exercise helps prevent heart disease and conditions the body to withstand
serious disease in general.271 A study of 17,944 British civil servants found that exercise
cut the risk of developing heart disease in half.272 A study of 17,321 Harvard alumni confirmed
the benefits of exercise.273 Since these classic studies, there have been many studies
confirming the benefits of exercise in reducing the risk of heart disease.
I recommend you start off doing 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity. An
example of moderate physical activity would be a brisk walk (i.e. a 15 minute mile pace).
As your body gets conditioned, gradually increase the amount of time you are exercising
to 60 minutes a day. And gradually increase the intensity of your exercise.
If you are able to exercise 90 minutes a day, this will be even more effective in helping
you lose weight. 90 minutes may sound extreme, and I realize not all people are willing
or have the time to exercise that much. You should be aware though that the scientific
data indicates that 60-90 minutes of exercise a day is more effective in preventing
weight gain than 30 minutes of exercise a day.274
If you can’t do 90 minutes, then do 60. If you can’t do 60, do 30. Let me be clear
though. This book is for people who really want to lose weight. It is certainly very possible
to lose weight without exercising by eating low caloric density foods. There is no question
though, that if you are committed to losing weight and are willing to exercise 60 to 90 minutes
a day and also eat low caloric density foods, this will make losing weight much easier.
 
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