# Doctor vs. Master vis-à-vis Diet & Exercise

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-vs-master-vis-a-vis-diet-exercise/416064>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 18, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-vs-master-vis-a-vis-diet-exercise/416064 "2007-08-18T17:37:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Skott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-vs-master-vis-a-vis-diet-exercise/416064/1 "2007-08-18T17:37:15Z")

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From [this](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_313.html) column:

> [@Cecil Adams](#):
>
> If the choice is between eating less and exercising more, choose the latter.

I went and saw my new, HMO-assigned doctor this week (my old one having passed away) regarding [my breathing problem](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=367973) arising from a hiatal hernia/GERD. One thing he brought up is that I need to lose weight, something I already knew. I told him that since acid in the lungs makes breathing difficult and painful, I can’t exercise, and therefore can’t lose weight. Here’s what he told me:

> [@The Doctor](#):
>
> Exercise is fairly worthless. You’d have to do one hour of _hard_ exercise _every_ day just to lose a couple pounds in a three month period. Sure, it will firm up some muscles and you’ll feel better about yourself, but it’s not the way to lose weight. It’s all about portion control.

Of course, it’s a little hard for me to take diet and exercise advice from a 350lb doctor who looks like Violet Beauregarde, only not as blue. But still, he’s a doctor, and one that my neurologist described as “excellent”.

So before I go looking for a new one (he didn’t even help with my breathing problems), has medical wisdom of exercise vs. diet changed in the past 21 years?

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**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-vs-master-vis-a-vis-diet-exercise/416064/2 "2007-08-18T17:50:52Z")

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He’s an idiot. One hour of hard exercise daily to lose two pounds in three months? There are 7000 calories in 2 pounds. There are about 90 days in 3 months. You do the math.

> [@](#):
>
> Of course, it’s a little hard for me to take diet and exercise advice from a 350lb doctor who looks like Violet Beauregarde, only not as blue.

Do not take weight loss/exercise advice from this man.

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-vs-master-vis-a-vis-diet-exercise/416064/3 "2007-08-18T17:56:31Z")

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[QUOTE=Skott]  
So before I go looking for a new one (he didn’t even help with my breathing problems), has medical wisdom of exercise vs. diet changed in the past 21 years?  
[/QUOTE]

This isn’t exactly the right question to ask. Our picture of nutrition, exercise and related topics has changed in the last twenty years, but it’s hard to tell how much of that has made it into the medical schools. [Dr. Berardi’s website](http://www.johnberardi.com) is a good place to start if you want to learn a little bit about the state of the art.

More specifically, [this article](http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/articles/aerobicexercise.htm) gives a pretty good overview of what we know about aerobic exercise and fat loss, and how aerobic exercise fits into an overall program. Your doctor’s right that it’s not going to strip the pounds off you, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not valuable.