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As the Chief Dieter and CEO of Plan Z (a food-based diet with no exercise required), I must admit, I’m a little biased about this subject. For the last 10 years, I’ve been helping dieters all over the country lose weight without exercise. For example, many dieters come to us with joint pain, or they have knee replacement surgery in their future. Their doctor tells them before they can have the surgery, they’ll need to lose 30 pounds. But how do you lose 30 pounds without exercise? That’s what Plan Z is for.

If you are deciding what weight loss program to start in January, and have mobility issues (or are too busy for a gym membership) I want you to know you’re not alone. We help thousands of people successfully lose weight without having to exercise. Intrigued? Here are 7 reasons not to renew your gym membership this year:

1. Exercise really doesn’t help you lose weight; unless you do a LOT of it.
You almost have to make exercise a part-time job in order to see big losses. One study showed that women over 40 years old who do moderate exercise 60 minutes a day, 5 days a week, will maintain their weight — but they won’t lose weight.

2. Exercise makes you hungry.
An hour of cycling on an exercise bike for a 190 lb person will burn off 689 calories. Get off that bike and hit the nut bowl…and you’re doomed. One cup of cocktail peanuts will set you back 828 calories. People have a tendency to munch when they are done exercising. Even one of those little teeny chocolate-covered peanut butter power bars will have over 200 calories and after a tough workout, most people don’t grab that as their reward treat. And don’t get me started on quenching your post-exercise thirst with a beer.

3. You can get just as much benefit from doing short sprints in your driveway.
PACE: The 12-Minute Fitness Revolution (paid link) written by Dr. Sears suggests that short sprints that work your heart are much better for you than running at a moderate speed all over the neighborhood. That’s a free workout without having to pay for a gym membership.

4. Your dog needs the exercise just as much as you. So take it outside.
Did you know that over 50% of American pets are overweight? Fido could use the exercise. Take him for a walk and you’ll both get some fresh air.

5. High impact exercise breaks down your body over time.
High impact exercise taxes your joints. Continue the exercise and they begin to break down. If you run on concrete for 20 years and unfortunately you’re bound to start having troubles. Surgery is in your future.

6. The average orthopedic surgeon’s salary is $519,000.
Can you say profit?

7. If you live in North America you don’t get enough Vitamin D.
Get your Vitamin D naturally by getting out in the sun. Walk outside on your lunch hour or go ice skating. Have some fun.

All of these ideas are free. They don’t require a gym membership.

Please don’t think I’m against exercise. In fact, there are plenty of good reasons to exercise:

• Yoga will help keep you flexible as you age and tighten your core.
• Weightlifting will help build and maintain muscle mass. You need that as you age.
• Your heart needs to stay strong so you need to do something that involves challenging your heart rate a bit. That can be done by walking the stairs in your house. Up and down. Up and down. Don’t have stairs? How about a brisk walk in the park, or around the company parking lot? Or on a bad day, hit the outdoor mall and walk.

All of these ideas are free too, and most importantly they involve low-impact exercise. It’s a perfectly fine idea to set a New Year’s Resolution to exercise more. You just don’t need to go to the health club to do it. Save that membership money. Put it in a savings or retirement account. We are all living longer – thanks to modern medicine – and it’s not cheap to get old. If you need to lose weight and are unable to exercise, I suggest you check out Plan Z.

If you enjoy exercise, go for it! Exercise for muscle mass and bone density, flexibility, and mental acuity. Not for weight loss.

Cheers,