We wish! Not only do most of us (and the machines we work out on) overestimate how many calories we burn during our workouts, we underestimate how many calories we’re eating too.
Exercise alone just isn’t effective enough to burn fat, says Bret Contreras, a certified strength and conditioning specialist. “A recent study suggests that the average obese person loses approximately five pounds of fat over the course of eight months through cardio or resistance training alone,” he says. That’s an awful lot of work for very minimal results, so don't forget the "calories in" side of the equation and follow a healthy diet that delivers the calories you need to eat to lose weight.
