Exercise is not as important as diet in terms of weight loss

DjsMom243

i never got this concept until now and I can't believe it took me this long I had to do research on deficits and how many calories my body burns natural but I think I'm ready now with the knowledge it takes to actually lose the weight.

queenliz99

Knowlege is power!! Good for you!!

Amberonamission

I hit the gym hard for 3 months with only a 2 pound loss. Finally got my tracking right and now I'm melting.

MidnightVixen

My body responds faster to exercise than it does to diet. I learned the hard way about 6 years ago that both are essential. Even if you exercise constantly, you can't out run a bad diet. XD

zoeysasha37

Good for you , learning how this works is wonderful. Get a food scale, log accurate and you'll be on your way !

999tigger

Its all about the deficcit however its made up.

Unknown

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Werk2Eat

For me, when i exercise i do not feel hungry. Not only does exercise allow me to have a larger deficit by burning more calories, it also keeps me from snacking all day and having less calories later when i am hungry. Also i know people will argue this but, someone who doesn't excercise will have a slower metabolism then someone very active. It might not amount to much but someone who exercises will have a higher BMR on days they dont excercise and burn more sedentary , then someone who does not exercise at all.

Cortneyrenee04

You're very right BUT it will change your shape. I have a crazy picture of me at 135 pounds vs 133.5 and I look totally different.

sunandmoons

Losing first then maintaining. Adding cardio, bike riding, then weights to define. I dont want water weight during weight loss. That always hinders me and I give up

michelle7673

It would be hard for me to eat at a significant deficit without exercise on a day-to-day basis. But yes -- I think you *can* do it with intake alone, while exercise alone is nearly impossible.

michelle7673

sunandmoons wrote: »

Losing first then maintaining. Adding cardio, bike riding, then weights to define. I dont want water weight during weight loss. That always hinders me and I give up

This is an interesting point. I think a lot of people start a hard strength/workout regime when they start out and the water weight frustrates them to the quit point. I restarted this time with long hikes (usually an hour plus) around my hilly neighborhood. It's enough to make me feel good, not enough to make me feel bad, and it's below the point that triggers insane hunger too. It is working well as a launching point for me.

lemurcat12

I believe I could do it with diet alone if I needed to, but exercise is really important for me in lots of ways, and whenever this comes up I always think that I couldn't quantify the percentage importance or claim one was more important than the other.

malou1985

At the gym i go to every once in awhile they'll say 'How many work outs do u need to get in before u have abs' and the answer they want back is '0 coach, abs are made in the kitchen' although i think u have to exercise atleast a little to define muscles

niniundlapin

"No matter how well you exercise, a poor diet is gonna screw you up anyway." Funny that my nutrition professor actually mentioned this 10 years ago but I totally ignored it until the past few years...

But I also don't believe diet along can help improve my respiratory function, increase bowel movement, and reduce fat around my used-to-be floppy thighs.

Exercise is not essential for weight-loss unless you decide to move up to the next level...

stephaniespringer212

Diet is more important but both are extremely crucial! Exercise has so many added benefits other than shedding the pounds if anyone would like to get started on a exercise program with daily support and motivation from me email [ edited by mfp moderator]

cafeaulait7

Exercise is pretty darned important to looking good at the end of weight loss, imho. Just ask my butt and inner thighs a few months ago

I really had to make them work (weights) to make them not look sad at goal weight. I added 2 lbs with that, so no biggie at all. I had only given up weights because my physical therapist insisted, though, so it could have been much worse if I'd always had a no-butt problem and lost the weight without exercise. It's much easier to keep the muscle as you lose than it is to add some later!

SKME2013

At the end of the day it is all a question of caloric deficit. Yes, you can not outrun a "bad" diet, but boy...does it help to improve mine.

For me the exercise part is the most inportant part of my daily routine: I am successfully in maintenance and that for about a year now. I have set my activity level here on MFP to "sedentary" and I am "earning" extra calories through cardio, my activities measured with a heart rate monitor and a multisportswatch.

My daily calorie allocation from MFP is about 1500 calories. As most of you know that does not allow for very much and certainly not for treats. I burn in average between 600 and 1000 calories a day (I am training for a marathon and walking my dogs for 6-9 km every day).

So, instead of 1500 calories I can now eat around 2200 which certainly helps. If I had to stick to 1500 calories every day, this would feel like a diet to me and not something I could maintain easily. If I can eat around 2200 calories every day, I do not feel that I ever miss out on something. (I eat most of my calories from exercise back and so far this worked for me without a glitch)

For me, the introduction of exercise made my weightloss journey so much more bearable, leave alone, that now at the tender age of 50 I am much healthier and fitter than ever in my life before.

Stef.

AspenDan

My buddy keeps talking about the gym and getting "ripped"..then asks me how I've lost 60lbs, and I'm like...I eat a lot of chicken and brocolli..

Kalikel

You cannot outrun a terrible diet, but you can outrun a couple handfuls of peanuts. I consider both to be of equal importance to my health and weight loss, but diet would probably win in a race.

sunandmoons

michelle7673 wrote: »

sunandmoons wrote: »

Losing first then maintaining. Adding cardio, bike riding, then weights to define. I dont want water weight during weight loss. That always hinders me and I give up

This is an interesting point. I think a lot of people start a hard strength/workout regime when they start out and the water weight frustrates them to the quit point. I restarted this time with long hikes (usually an hour plus) around my hilly neighborhood. It's enough to make me feel good, not enough to make me feel bad, and it's below the point that triggers insane hunger too. It is working well as a launching point for me.

I love hiking too. Where I live there are mountains completely surrounded this county city. Every other week we hike to our favorie mountains stream and walk through the forrest.

brianpperkins

sunandmoons wrote: »

Losing first then maintaining. Adding cardio, bike riding, then weights to define. I dont want water weight during weight loss. That always hinders me and I give up

Understanding how the body responds to certain things is key. Water weight is either part of the fueling process (glycogen in the liver and muscles is coupled with water .. about three grams of water per gram of glycogen) or repair process. Once that is understood it is possible to differentiate fat and water weight.

sunandmoons

Right....however I know how my body reacts. I only have about 25 pounds to my goal and have lost 9 pounds in 6 weeks eating 1200 cal. This is whats working for me. I have gym across the street and a Vasa gym not far away and will continue there when Im done.

Francl27

Forget looking good and being healthy (kidding.. sort of), exercising gives me 300ish more calories to eat a day. That's 15% more than I would otherwise. Makes a huge difference to me. I could NEVER stick to my diet if I didn't have those extra calories.

Asher_Ethan

I could definitely lose weight with diet alone, but I hate how fast I lose strength from not lifting even just for a week or 2. I have to exercise to keep my strength up.

Optimistical1

SKME2013 wrote: »

At the end of the day it is all a question of caloric deficit. Yes, you can not outrun a "bad" diet, but boy...does it help to improve mine.

For me the exercise part is the most inportant part of my daily routine: I am successfully in maintenance and that for about a year now. I have set my activity level here on MFP to "sedentary" and I am "earning" extra calories through cardio, my activities measured with a heart rate monitor and a multisportswatch.

My daily calorie allocation from MFP is about 1500 calories. As most of you know that does not allow for very much and certainly not for treats. I burn in average between 600 and 1000 calories a day (I am training for a marathon and walking my dogs for 6-9 km every day).

So, instead of 1500 calories I can now eat around 2200 which certainly helps. If I had to stick to 1500 calories every day, this would feel like a diet to me and not something I could maintain easily. If I can eat around 2200 calories every day, I do not feel that I ever miss out on something. (I eat most of my calories from exercise back and so far this worked for me without a glitch)

For me, the introduction of exercise made my weightloss journey so much more bearable, leave alone, that now at the tender age of 50 I am much healthier and fitter than ever in my life before.

Stef.

Exactly!!! I'm 5'0" so my daily calorie intake would be 1200 per day with no exercise. It would be way too difficult to live with such a small amount of calories on a daily basis.
The big secret to exercising is finding something active you enjoy.
I am not a runner nor a nature person. If I were forced to jog or run outside everyday, I would probably never get any exercise in. For me, a marathon would be absolute torture (no offense to the runners out there, I envy you guys and wish I could be more like you). Soccer was my thing until an injury put me out. I do enjoy group fitness classes though. I could do several sessions of Zumba, cardio kickboxing, or a good toning group fitness class and never get tired of it(if only time permitted).
Find what you enjoy and stick with it. CICO is sooooo much easier to stick to when you creste a big enough deficit through exercise.

tennisdude2004

My personal view on order of importance is - Diet, sleep, exercise.

kshama2001

Exercise is a crucial aid for me to create a calorie deficit. I feel better, mentally and physically, and I sleep better, and thus it's easier for me to make the food choices that work best for me.

SLLRunner

shell1005 wrote: »

Exercise is not essential to lose weight, only a caloric deficit is. For me personally, it plays a crucial role. I am active on a daily basis and that helped me lose weight and is now helping me maintain. It's also increased my cardiovascular health and fitness. I'd be lost without exercise.

This.

I have learned to Preplan food and log what I'll eat without exercise in case something comes up and I can't workout (rarely), then I'll add goods to compensate for exercise to properly fuel my body. I love moving every day if I can.

SLLRunner

sunandmoons wrote: »

Losing first then maintaining. Adding cardio, bike riding, then weights to define. I dont want water weight during weight loss. That always hinders me and I give up

Water weight is normal. Unfortunately, you don't have any control over it.

7lenny7

A calorie burned = a calorie not eaten.

Simple math.