Never Exercise to Lose Weight. Here’s Why…
By Caity Somers, Founder
I’ve been a Personal Trainer for over 10 years now. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients in that time - some have achieved incredible body transformations, others haven’t. While not all of my clients aim for weight loss, many come to me wanting to “tone up,” shed a few kilos, or lower their body fat.
Here’s the truth I’ve come to realise: the clients who struggle most with weight loss often make one fundamental mistake - they exercise solely to lose weight.
The Problem with Exercising for Weight Loss
Many people join a gym or hire a Personal Trainer believing that simply showing up will guarantee results. But let’s break it down:
If you train with a Personal Trainer twice a week for 45 minutes, that’s only 1.5 hours out of the 168 hours in a week - just 0.9% of your time. Now, does this mean working with a Personal Trainer isn’t worth it? Absolutely not. But relying on it as your primary weight loss strategy is setting yourself up for failure.
How Exercising for Weight Loss Harms Your Mental and Physical Wellbeing
1. It Creates a Negative Relationship with Exercise and Food
When exercise is treated as a way to "burn off" food, it stops being a celebration of movement and becomes a punishment. I’ve seen this mindset create a harmful cycle:
Over time, this cycle leads to a disaster of guilt, resentment, and burnout. In my experience, it’s never sustainable long-term, and it rarely brings you any closer to achieving your goals.
2. It Undermines the True Benefits of Exercise
The people who achieve incredible results long-term are those who focus on exercise for reasons far beyond weight loss. They exercise for how it makes them feel - it improves mental health, increases energy levels, decreases pain, reduces the risk of chronic illnesses, and builds strength and confidence.
Why Nutrition and NEAT Are More Effective for Fat Loss
Earlier, I highlighted that two personal training sessions make up just 0.9% of your week. Even if you’re an avid gym goer and you hit the gym six days a week, that’s still only 4% of your time. So, what about the other 96%? This is where the real opportunity lies for fat loss.
A study published in The National Library of Medicine found that individuals who combine nutrition-focused strategies with increased NEAT (non-exercise activity) are more successful at maintaining weight loss than those who rely solely on structured exercise programs. Here’s why:
Caloric Intake Drives Weight Loss: Your diet is the cornerstone of weight management. Studies show that tracking your food intake - whether through journaling or using an app like MyFitnessPal - is one of the most effective strategies for fat loss. It’s not about obsessively counting calories but rather creating awareness and accountability around your eating habits. What gets tracked, gets improved.
NEAT Adds Up: Think about this: if 96% of your time isn’t spent exercising, how can you make the most of those hours? NEAT refers to all the movement you do outside of formal workouts - walking, standing, cleaning, or even fidgeting. These small actions might seem insignificant, but they contribute significantly to your daily calorie burn.
How to Shift Your Mindset
My advice to anyone seeking sustainable fat loss is to separate exercise and diet in your mind. Think of exercise as a tool to build strength, improve wellbeing, and enhance your overall quality of life. Then, focus on nutrition and non-exercise activity (NEAT) as the primary drivers of fat loss. Why? Because you can never out-exercise a poor diet.
For optimal results, aim to:
Eat in a calorie deficit to promote fat loss.
Increase your vegetable intake to feel fuller and support overall health.
Hit your protein targets to preserve muscle while in a calorie deficit.
This mindset shift allows you to create a lifestyle that’s sustainable for the long term. Instead of chasing quick fixes, yoyo dieting, or exercising to “burn off” calories, you’ll develop habits that support lasting health and a body you’re proud of.
Start tracking your meals, find ways to move more outside the gym, and most importantly, choose exercise that leaves you feeling strong, energised, and empowered.
Frustrated with Weight Loss? Discover a Better Approach
If you’ve been struggling to achieve lasting weight loss and feel like you’re caught in the cycle of over-exercising and under-eating, it might be time to shift your mindset. At Dawn Athletic, we teach you a more balanced approach to fat loss - one that focuses on the right combination of nutrition, non-exercise activity, and sustainable exercise.
Book a discovery call today and we’ll create a personalised plan that suits your lifestyle, so you can finally break free from the weight loss struggle and start feeling stronger, more energised, and confident.