Exercise or nutrition?

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  • Poods71
    Poods71 Posts: 502 Member
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    I would say personally for losing weight it is calorie control but if you don't want to be flabby once you've lost it then exercise helps with that, wish I had known that when I started :angry:
  • owelch1
    owelch1 Posts: 5
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    I lost a lot of weight at one point because i didn't eat much and I didn't exercise but I wasn't exactly healthy because I sat down all the time. But yes, diet is the most important thing, but you won't exactly get a toned looking body
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    Weight loss is mostly eating at a calorie deficit. You can not spot reduce.
    However, exercise is important to overall health, so both are important.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    if just weighing less is your goal, for health reasons for example, then you don't have to exercise.

    if you want to weigh less AND look better AND be more physically fit and enjoy the sweet benefits that come with it - like a better defined body and more abilities, you can't diet your way to that - that actually requires some exercise.

    so the answer is yes or no depending on what your personal specific goals are :D
  • BenjaminMFP88
    BenjaminMFP88 Posts: 660 Member
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    roz112 wrote: »
    The reason why i ask is because i use to be pretty consistent with going to the gym and doing weights but now that i have an office job im so tired to workout after, if i eat healthy and have a calorie deficit i can still achieve my goals, but it'll just be more difficult?

    Nutrition makes you look good with clothes on, exercise makes you look good without clothes on...

  • mjrkearney
    mjrkearney Posts: 408 Member
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    I am a firm believer in the "both" policy, but I've found that if I just go reduced intake, I start to feel lethargic after a few days. Less activity requires less fuel which leads to a desire for less activity, etc.

    Also, exercise helps make things run more efficiently which will help burn fat more quickly and will help you feel more energized throughout the day.

    Personally, I'd rather run in the morning and have a drink at night than have to find a way to fit in that extra 150 calories.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    roz112 wrote: »
    How much of an impact does exercise really have on overall weight loss? Do you believe its as important as people say? (speaking strictly about weight loss and fat loss, not health)

    Speaking strictly about weight loss, it's hard to say. What matters is a sustained calorie deficit. If you can do that through diet alone, then exercise is irrelevant. If you struggle with your diet, then exercise becomes more and more important.


    roz112 wrote: »
    The reason why i ask is because i use to be pretty consistent with going to the gym and doing weights but now that i have an office job im so tired to workout after, if i eat healthy and have a calorie deficit i can still achieve my goals, but it'll just be more difficult?

    Difficult is a relative term. Some people manage their diet very easily, others struggle with it on a daily basis. If you struggle to control your eating, then yes - it'll be more difficult without exercise. If watching what you eat is easy, then it won't be difficult at all.


    roz112 wrote: »
    How do you know that your weight lifting and workout is strenuous enough? I mean after i workout im exhausted and can barely walk down the stairs but i havent seen any major changes since i stopped working out about 2 weeks ago. Thats why im curious if working out actually makes a difference

    In the grand scheme of things, 2 weeks matters very little. Almost nothing happens that quickly, and certainly nothing meaningful. But to your question - a workout is strenuous enough when it's all you can do AND it's geared towards your goals. A spin workout, regardless of the intensity, means nothing to someone looking to compete in powerlifting. So the workout has to make sense for your goals. After that, it's about giving the workout everything you've got. That sounds simple, but it's actually much harder than most realize, generally because people are capable of far more than they think.
  • 212019156
    212019156 Posts: 341 Member
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    Weight loss is almost all about nutrition. This doesn't mean you shouldn't workout but you have to work out a lot to make a big enough caloric impact to matter. For example its a hell of a lot easier to not eat a Snickers bar then it is to eat the Snickers and try and burn it off with exercise.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
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    both are best for your over all health

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  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited November 2014
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    jrline wrote: »
    both are best for your over all health

    But she didn't ask about health... she specifically asked in the context of weight loss.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    roz112 wrote: »
    How much of an impact does exercise really have on overall weight loss? Do you believe its as important as people say? (speaking strictly about weight loss and fat loss, not health)

    Think of it this way, proper nutrition will help you achieve your goals and exercise can help augment the process. It doesn't matter how much you exercise if your nutrition isn't appropriate for your goal.

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