The 80/20 Rule?

princessdartany
princessdartany Posts: 28 Member
in Food and Nutrition
The 80/20 rule sugguest that exercise is only 20% of weight loss and nutrition is 80%. If this is correct how do these calculations become apart of your healthy lifestyle. Does this mean I can work out only twice a week if I stay under my caloric goal 5 days a week?

Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    There is no 80/20 "rule". How much impact exercise has on weight loss depends on what your diet was before you started losing. I made very little diet changes to lose weight. For me, exercise was/is about 90% of my weight loss plan.

    To lose weight you need a calorie deficit. To create a deficit you need to burn more calories than you consume. You can exercise more, eat less or both. Obviously, due to time constraints, there may come a point where it's impossible to burn more calories than you have consumed.

    I would suggest exercising at least 3 days a week for a total of 30 min each day because I believe that is the amount most associated with a reduction in disease risk.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    The 80/20 rule sugguest that exercise is only 20% of weight loss and nutrition is 80%. If this is correct how do these calculations become apart of your healthy lifestyle. Does this mean I can work out only twice a week if I stay under my caloric goal 5 days a week?

    I lost around 50lbs doing the 100/0 rule, as in I did absolutely no exercise. Weight loss is about the food you eat and good health is about the food you eat and the exercise you do :)
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    I see it this way, weight loss is diet. Shaping my body/body composition is from exercise. I lift to add muscle, I diet to show those muscles.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Diet is for weight loss ..... exercise is for fitness. It's easier to build a calorie deficit with portion control. Exercise burns calories but is very difficult to measure.

    You can lose weight by diet alone ...... however, you are likely to lose muscle along with fat. The problem with this is, you are not reducing your body fat % as much as you like, and muscle helps keep your metabolism firing. A slowed metabolism makes weight loss really difficult to maintain.

    As for how much exercise ..... what are your goals?

    Cardio is for vascular fitness (strong heart, builds endurance).... yes it does burn calories .... but usually not as many as many people expect.

    Strength (or resistance) training helps you keep muscle ..... we all lose muscle when we don't use it .....this is why weight will "creep" up on people as they age, even when they don't change their diet (metabolism slows down). Calorie burns are there .... just really hard to measure.

    Stretching/yoga helps build (maintain) flexibilty & balance. This is especially imortant as we age. Calorie burns again are difficult to measure.

    Working out 1 day - 7 days ..... there is no 1 correct answer. As a lifestyle change, I try to exercise a certain number of minutes each week. I add the minutes up (by discipline) on a spreadsheet.
  • princessdartany
    princessdartany Posts: 28 Member
    For the dude who lost 50lbs with the 100% rule. What did you eat???? Please help a sista out?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    I see it this way, weight loss is diet. Shaping my body/body composition is from exercise. I lift to add muscle, I diet to show those muscles.

    Agreed.

    You should use your diet to control your weight. Use exercise to shape your body, get faster/stronger, improve cardiovascular health, etc.
  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
    For the dude who lost 50lbs with the 100% rule. What did you eat???? Please help a sista out?

    I did alternate day intermittent fasting (also called JUDDD). There's a group here on mfp that does it, otherwise the book is called The Alternate Day Diet by Dr. James Johnson. I only 'dieted' every other day and ate a very typical SAD diet with it-fast food, pre-packaged foods, cake, cake and more cake :)

    Now I've been in maintenance for several months and have started exercising for the first time in my life-training for my first 5K yay! But, I'm doing it for good health and not to lose weight :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    Dang I thought this was about eating 80/20.

    To the OP: it's calories in/calories out for weight loss. Exercise is for fitness, shape and fun.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
    Dang I thought this was about eating 80/20.

    To the OP: it's calories in/calories out for weight loss. Exercise is for fitness, shape and fun.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    agreed
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Dang I thought this was about eating 80/20.

    To the OP: it's calories in/calories out for weight loss. Exercise is for fitness, shape and fun.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    agreed

    Same here. And what Niner said.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You should use your diet to control your weight. Use exercise to shape your body, get faster/stronger, improve cardiovascular health, etc.

    "should"? Why? What's wrong with exercising to create a deficit?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    You should use your diet to control your weight. Use exercise to shape your body, get faster/stronger, improve cardiovascular health, etc.

    "should"? Why? What's wrong with exercising to create a deficit?

    Nothing, inherently... it's actually what I do.

    But for most people, especially new people, they need to get away from the mindset that exercise = weightloss.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    Dang I thought this was about eating 80/20.

    To the OP: it's calories in/calories out for weight loss. Exercise is for fitness, shape and fun.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    agreed

    Same here. And what Niner said.

    in.
  • SASSYnCHICago
    SASSYnCHICago Posts: 98 Member
    I see it this way, weight loss is diet. Shaping my body/body composition is from exercise. I lift to add muscle, I diet to show those muscles.

    nicely stated :) both are extremely important if you are wanting a toned body, rather than a smaller pants size.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    For the dude who lost 50lbs with the 100% rule. What did you eat???? Please help a sista out?

    Doesn't matter "what" he ate. Only matters how much he ate.
    You should use your diet to control your weight. Use exercise to shape your body, get faster/stronger, improve cardiovascular health, etc.

    "should"? Why? What's wrong with exercising to create a deficit?

    Exercising to create a deficit is fine on it's face. The issue many people run into is that the overeat to compensate for the exercise and end up not losing. I know many people that burned a zillion calories training for marathons without losing a pound because they didn't didn't control their eating. In that instance it still becomes about diet
  • K_Serz
    K_Serz Posts: 1,299 Member
    Dang I thought this was about eating 80/20.

    To the OP: it's calories in/calories out for weight loss. Exercise is for fitness, shape and fun.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    agreed

    Me Three
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
    Is that the one where only the tip goes in? No??? Just me? Sorry
  • _crafty_
    _crafty_ Posts: 1,682 Member
    Is that the one where only the tip goes in? No??? Just me? Sorry

    and this is why I f#cking love you. :flowerforyou: :smooched: :heart:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You should use your diet to control your weight. Use exercise to shape your body, get faster/stronger, improve cardiovascular health, etc.

    "should"? Why? What's wrong with exercising to create a deficit?

    Nothing, inherently... it's actually what I do.

    But for most people, especially new people, they need to get away from the mindset that exercise = weightloss.

    Yeah, okay, I get what you are saying.

    My personal thought is that most people, especially new people need to get away from the mindset of "weight loss" and get in the mindset of "healthy and fit". But that's probably just me being old.
  • kaydz
    kaydz Posts: 1
    I would recommend at least some form of cardio 3 X 30 min per week and 3 X 30 resistance or weight training. You don't have to build a bunch of muscle, but the science is simple. Muscle burns 6 calories per hour per pound, while fat burns only two calories. Developing muscle helps and expedites adipose turnover.
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
    Is that the one where only the tip goes in? No??? Just me? Sorry

    tumblr_m4pudiyTRA1qzwgnko1_250.gif
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
    Is that the one where only the tip goes in? No??? Just me? Sorry

    tumblr_m4pudiyTRA1qzwgnko1_250.gif

    QFT
  • Dead_Darling
    Dead_Darling Posts: 478 Member
    Is that the one where only the tip goes in? No??? Just me? Sorry

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    weight loss is all about calories in/out. I lost a good 20 pounds just eating to my calorie goal MFP gave me (includes a deficit of calories from maintenance) with my only exercise being an occasional walk around the block that took me about 10 minutes. I then decided that I'd like to eat a bit more and get my fitness back...so I started exercising...and eating my exercise calories back as MFP is designed for you to do as MFP's calorie goal is a deficit of maintenance NET of exercise...making exercise an "extra" activity.

    Diet for weight control; exercise for fitness.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    Is that the one where only the tip goes in? No??? Just me? Sorry

    tumblr_inline_mkccmtz3Br1qz4rgp.gif
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    You should use your diet to control your weight. Use exercise to shape your body, get faster/stronger, improve cardiovascular health, etc.

    "should"? Why? What's wrong with exercising to create a deficit?

    Because there are some folks that do not like exercise and will not do it.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You should use your diet to control your weight. Use exercise to shape your body, get faster/stronger, improve cardiovascular health, etc.

    "should"? Why? What's wrong with exercising to create a deficit?

    Nothing, inherently... it's actually what I do.

    But for most people, especially new people, they need to get away from the mindset that exercise = weightloss.

    Yeah, okay, I get what you are saying.

    My personal thought is that most people, especially new people need to get away from the mindset of "weight loss" and get in the mindset of "healthy and fit". But that's probably just me being old.

    How funny that I just go this in an eNewsletter. I guess this is what you meant.

    Exercise Up in U.S., But So Is Obesity: Report
    Food control is the missing link, experts say
    http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_138573.html

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