Why Obese People Can't Lose Weight

The rate of morbid obesity is higher than ever in America. Many obese say they've tried exercise and still, the weight wouldn't come off. Well, there's a reason why, in many cases, exercise does not work for the obese.

I was perusing the MSN.com postings that were a response to the recent news about the morbid obesity rate. A morbidly obese woman wrote that she was not lazy, and that she had given exercise a try. She described how she worked out on an elliptical trainer for 15 minutes, and ended up with very painful knees.

I detected a lot of frustration in that particular post, and it seemed as though the elliptical incident was intended to demonstrate the struggle of trying to lose weight and not succeeding. The woman obviously thought that if she adhered to elliptical workouts, she'd damage her knees. But here is what really happened: Her knees simply got buzzed. That's all. They were not used to what she put them through for those 15 minutes. So after she was done, the "pain" surprised her. It also scared her into giving up after only one session.

When the body is subjected to a training stimulus that it is not accustomed to, it often reacts with "pain." But in her case, the "pain" was NOT from injury. The elliptical is a gentle, non-impact machine. While you pedal, the knees are not forced to turn or twist, as in skiing or basketball.

Essentially, she shocked her knee joints with an unexpected stimulus, and they reacted with lactic acid buildup and a feeling of "pain." This is not injury.

The body has the amazing capacity to adapt to an unfamiliar training stimulus very quickly. Had she returned to the elliptical two or three days later, and did the exact same thing, same speed, same pedal resistance, after 15 minutes, her knees would have not been as sore as they were the first time.

Because it takes only ONE session to stimulate a training effect.

Had she then gone on the machine a third time, she would have felt even less sore. But she didn't even go on the second time. She gave up. This is the crux of the problem: giving up so soon! Is exercise supposed to feel comfortable? Even thin people, who don't exercise, experience "pain" when passionately jumping into a routine for the first time.

Remember, the human body is very good at adapting. When an obese person says, "I have tried exercise, and it didn't work," I always wonder for how many months (or days?) they stuck it out before giving up.