One thing at a time?

distinctlybeautiful

Did anyone else focus on regular exercise before focusing on eating right? I've been trying to eat more sensibly and count calories, but I've still been having my bad days. I have, however, been to the gym or out running/jogging for twelve of the last fifteen days. (In fact, I tried to get out of the gym last night, and my husband was with me on skipping it - but then I made the decision to go anyway!) So I guess I'm just wondering who has had success doing one thing at a time. And if you started with exercise first, at what point did you start focusing on other healthy changes? Thanks!

malibu927

I did it the opposite. You can't out-exercise a bad diet.

SueInAz

I usually advocate baby steps for starting a weight loss program. Too many changes all at once seem to overwhelm a lot of people and lead to failure.

I started my journey exactly 4 years ago by simply walking on my lunch breaks. That led to eating better about 6 weeks later, which led to walking more a few weeks after that then to C25K in April and then to running half marathons. That whole transition took about a year and I dropped 15 pounds and became much more fit in the process. This year I started weight lifting, too, and the changes have been pretty amazing. I wish I had started that at the beginning.

Keep in mind, though, that weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym. If you aren't eating at a deficit, no amount of exercise will make you lose weight. You'll just be more fit.

VeryKatie

Nothing wrong with starting with exercise! As long as you're doing something that's good for you, what's the harm? Add in calorie counting later.

dopeysmelly

I did it the other way around too. I sat on my butt and figured out my calories based on doing nothing and learned to weigh my food and log accurately. I added in exercise after 4-5 months, and even then it was just a walk every day and because I like walking (birds, trees, flowers etc.) and it helped ease back pain.

It's possible that if you exercise a lot it could just make you more hungry and make it harder to stick to your calorie goals.

SuggaD

Focus on eating first. Start cleaning up your diet. Don't do it overnight. That never works. Can't just give up everything all at once and think it will stick. I started with general calorie plan. Learning portion control. Then began learning to make healthy but delicious substitutions, which is a never ending journey.

cwolfman13

I personally focused more on my nutrition and diet first and foremost...I did start exercising regularly at the same time, but really I was just making sure I got out for a walk every day initially. Really, I needed to get my nutrition in order

Just remember there are tons of people out there trying to out exercise their diets...spending hours working out and in many respects, that's great...moving is awesome and good for your overall health and well being...but you can't out-exercise your diet.

I am a firm believer in baby steps and not trying to make too many changes at once...so if you're enjoying what you're doing then keep it up...just don't get too discouraged if you don't lose much weight...diet is the biggest part of the equation where that is concerned.

chasetwins

You need to find what works for you - if you can get in the exercise religiously then that is fantastic and you have won half the battle. Any healthy changes are better than none. If you find focusing there first helps...then go for it!! The rest will fall into place.
- try to make small changes to your diet here and there. Swap out things etc if you find that to be the difficult part.
- I have done it with just diet years ago and did great got preggers with twins...gained everything back so then I did it with a combination. i found later on that working out helped me make better choices in food. Days I do not work out - I am not so careful.

jkwolly

malibu927 wrote: »

I did it the opposite. You can't out-exercise a bad diet.

This times 100 million.

WandaMM1

I think you can do either one first as long as you do pick up the other in the near term. As others have said, trying to changing everything at the same time can be overwhelming and lead to quitting. Pick one and once you are doing it well and consistently, add the other in! It's a journey, not a race.

CaitlinW19

One thing at a time is a great way to do things! Diet is the most imporant and impactful part of weightloss (I believe the saying is weightloss is 90 percent diet and 10 percent exercise...I'm sure someone knows). One thing at a time is a great way to figure out what really works for you too and form true habits, then the next change can get added. If you've found it easier to jump in to changing your fitness habits first, more power to you, though you won't see much weightloss but you certainly are getting healthier!

Branstin

No, I first focused on the food because that is the main key to weight loss. Exercise is awesome but will not cause weight loss if you overeat.

distinctlybeautiful

I definitely understand that you can't outrun a bad diet. I don't expect to see much weight loss at first. While I would like to lose some weight, I don't want to do it too quickly like I've done in the past. I lost 45 pounds over about the last year without any regular exercise, but now I want to be stronger and fitter as well as lose maybe fifteen pounds. I guess I'm just trying not to beat myself up for not doing it all at once, and I'm trying to be ok with slower, steadier weight loss and fitness gains. Thanks to everyone who responded!

terar21

Nothing wrong with focussing on one thing at a time. It's hard to make the adjustment and go 0 to

However, I do agree with the comments that if you're going to do that, diet focus is the best to begin with. You can exercise every day and not see a change if you're still overeating. Exercise first doesn't hurt you but it could be very discouraging to work hard in the gym but not see results and hinder your process mentally.

rmdaly

When I begin exercising, I feel better about myself and I find it easier to eat well and make better food choices.

VeryKatie

Remember that it's easier to stick to things you like - so if you're enjoying working out, keep working out until you have a handle on it. I know why people suggest doing food adjustments first (it's how I did it but that's because I hated exercise - it took losing a bit of weight to make exercise more enjoyable).

It is a lot to do both at once, and research shows trying to do it all at once is why so many people could fail. The most important thing is to get healthy and that can take a different amount of time for everyone.

Exercising consistently and eating healthy are both BIG changes to make - when you think about it, both strongly alter your life! For exercise, you may find yourself having to plan events around your exercise schedule or finding you're relying on your husband more around the house - it's a big time commitment. Plus there's muscle soreness that might slow you down until you're used to it. Then for eating healthy - you might find you're spending a lot of time meal planning or cooking that you didn't used to. Both are major time commitments and that's why it's hard to do it all at once. So it's fine to pick one until you're ready for more.

jasonp_ritzert

malibu927 wrote: »

I did it the opposite. You can't out-exercise a bad diet.

^^^ This. Imagine trying to build a nice house. Can you get away with using quality equipment and sub-par materials? The gym is your equipment and your nutrition is the materials.

distinctlybeautiful

I think I should have posted this in a different category