Weight loss is 90% food, 10% exercise?
Options
Replies
-
Well it's calorie in vs calorie out, ie. Creating a deficit. Exercise creates a bigger deficit just as eating less creates a bigger deficit. You can balance the two out in any way that fits you. Me personally, I enjoy exercise for both the health and the physical well-being aspects, but I'm not going to lie it makes me happy to be able to eat a little more.2
-
I tracked 20 pounds of my weight loss. According to MFP and Mapmywalk I lost 16 pounds due to a dietary calorie deficit, only 4 pounds were attributed to the exercise I did.
Of course all the exercise did was createa larger deficit.
That said the exercise was important to how I felt.
3 -
markrgeary1 wrote: »I tracked 20 pounds of my weight loss. According to MFP and Mapmywalk I lost 16 pounds due to a dietary calorie deficit, only 4 pounds were attributed to the exercise I did.
Of course all the exercise did was createa larger deficit.
That said the exercise was important to how I felt.
That doesn't make sense, all 20 would be due to the deficit, unless you lost 4 lbs of water due to exercise.2 -
markrgeary1 wrote: »I tracked 20 pounds of my weight loss. According to MFP and Mapmywalk I lost 16 pounds due to a dietary calorie deficit, only 4 pounds were attributed to the exercise I did.
Of course all the exercise did was createa larger deficit.
That said the exercise was important to how I felt.
That doesn't make sense, all 20 would be due to the deficit, unless you lost 4 lbs of water due to exercise.
I mentioned all the exercise did was create a larger deficit. That's all that exercise does for weight loss.
To be clearer:
The exercise accounted for 14k calories burned. This is in addition to the 56k calorie deficit from the diet. Giving a 70k calorie deficit that's responsible for 20 pounds of weight loss. Hopefully that's cleared for you.
3 -
The 80/20 is the Pareto Principal:
Examples from this site: https://betterexplained.com/articles/understanding-the-pareto-principle-the-8020-rule/
The Pareto Principle helps you realize that the majority of results come from a minority of inputs. Knowing this, if…- 20% of workers contribute 80% of results: Focus on rewarding these employees.
- 20% of bugs contribute 80% of crashes: Focus on fixing these bugs first.
- 20% of customers contribute 80% of revenue: Focus on satisfying these customers.
The idea when it comes purely to weight loss is calorie intake is more important that exercise. The absolute split is inconsequential.
2 -
markrgeary1 wrote: »markrgeary1 wrote: »I tracked 20 pounds of my weight loss. According to MFP and Mapmywalk I lost 16 pounds due to a dietary calorie deficit, only 4 pounds were attributed to the exercise I did.
Of course all the exercise did was createa larger deficit.
That said the exercise was important to how I felt.
That doesn't make sense, all 20 would be due to the deficit, unless you lost 4 lbs of water due to exercise.
I mentioned all the exercise did was create a larger deficit. That's all that exercise does for weight loss.
To be clearer:
The exercise accounted for 14k calories burned. This is in addition to the 56k calorie deficit from the diet. Giving a 70k calorie deficit that's responsible for 20 pounds of weight loss. Hopefully that's cleared for you.
gotchya, but I could burn 10,000 cals from exercise, and eat an extra 10,000 cals and then exercise has no benefit for weight loss, it just allows me to eat more and lose the same as I could with no exercise.0 -
Fat loss comes from a calorie deficit. The majority of people trying to lose weight don't burn enough calories through exercise to create a deficit without dietary changes. I believe that is the heart of the saying.4
-
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »Fat loss comes from a calorie deficit. The majority of people trying to lose weight don't burn enough calories through exercise to create a deficit without dietary changes. I believe that is the heart of the saying.
True, you would have to be at maintenance or a slight surplus for most people to be able to lose through exercise alone. Most people just don't have the time nor energy to devote to burning 500 calories or more a day.
2 -
You are correct, OP. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Many people lose lots of weight with exercise consisting of a 20-minute brisk walk.
Meanwhile, there are lots of fatties at the gym who get nowhere. One hour of vigorous exercise is wasted with one large sugary junk drink at Starbucks.5 -
This is a great article about the myth of exercise for weight loss. Full disclosure - I am a gym member, love it, and go for my health.
http://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories0 -
I eat more when I work out intensely - but not really with the motivation to burn off calories. I fuel my body for my workouts. I eat more, but my body seems to use as energy to power my workouts instead of holding on as fat.
In general, reducing calories, you will lose weight. Your body will essentially become a smaller version of what it was before. If you want to look toned, lower body fat %, tighten up, look more sculpted...then you need to exercise. Strength train.
I always read about people cutting calories and slowing their metabolism. You have to be really careful about preserving muscle mass, particularly women over the age of 30 when it starts decreasing. I did an "inbody analysis" - basically a body composition thing that breaks down your body fat %, skeletal muscle mass, etc, and your BMR - Basal metabolic rate, how many calories you burn just existing.
My BMR is higher NOW than it was a year ago, even though my overall weight is down. Meaning I'm burning about an extra 150 calories a day at a smaller size as a result of lifting heavy and building muscle mass. Body fat % went down, muscle mass went up. A pound of muscle burns more at rest than a pound of fat does - and takes up less space.
So while I absolutely think you can lose weight by reducing calories only, or that you cannot train away a poor diet or out exercise eating too many calories, I am a huge proponent of adding strength training to your routine. Otherwise you drop weight, you lose muscle in the process, and risk slowing down your metabolism.4 -
Exercising on a calorie deficit is extremely difficult - and may back fire in the long run. I'd say weight loss is 100% diet. I lost 95 pounds, 100% diet. Exercise built me back up when I was able to eat to maintain and gain muscle.2
-
gonetothedogs19 wrote: »This is a great article about the myth of exercise for weight loss. Full disclosure - I am a gym member, love it, and go for my health.
http://www.vox.com/2016/4/28/11518804/weight-loss-exercise-myth-burn-calories
For weight maintenance exercise is the best predictor and maintenance is much harder than losing. The main reason why I believe that it's the best predictor is that those who continue to exercise are more actively attentive to their weight and better able to correct for weight regain.
2 -
Exercising on a calorie deficit is extremely difficult - and may back fire in the long run. I'd say weight loss is 100% diet.
I disagree. Training for competitive sport on a calorie deficit is probably extremely difficult. Getting a moderate amount of exercise on a calorie deficit is not. Heck, I'm forced to walk a minimum of 4 km/day just to get from my parking spot to my office to my classroom back to my office back to my parking spot. Regular daily activity (as opposed to "exercise" per se) allows you to eat a reasonable number of calories while still losing (and, later, while maintaining).2 -
themetz3838 wrote: »Has anyone else heard the phrase weight loss is 90% what we eat and 10% what we do, ie exercise? If this is true, then I've been placing way too much emphasis on exercise whilst wrongly thinking I could eat more
If you strictly want to lose (including muscle) then this is probably true. But for those who want to lose weight/fat while also maintaining or building muscle for a toned looking physique, then it's definitely much more exercise focused. Sorta like the "abs are made in the kitchen" quote which I disagree with and have disproved. Do I eat like crap? No. But I definitely am not as strict as I used to be with my food, yet if I up my ab circuits at the gym and continue eating as normal then, BAM - abs. Everything is different for each person though.6 -
-
I heard its 80 - 20 too0
-
I eat more when I work out intensely - but not really with the motivation to burn off calories. I fuel my body for my workouts. I eat more, but my body seems to use as energy to power my workouts instead of holding on as fat.
In general, reducing calories, you will lose weight. Your body will essentially become a smaller version of what it was before. If you want to look toned, lower body fat %, tighten up, look more sculpted...then you need to exercise. Strength train.
I always read about people cutting calories and slowing their metabolism. You have to be really careful about preserving muscle mass, particularly women over the age of 30 when it starts decreasing. I did an "inbody analysis" - basically a body composition thing that breaks down your body fat %, skeletal muscle mass, etc, and your BMR - Basal metabolic rate, how many calories you burn just existing.
My BMR is higher NOW than it was a year ago, even though my overall weight is down. Meaning I'm burning about an extra 150 calories a day at a smaller size as a result of lifting heavy and building muscle mass. Body fat % went down, muscle mass went up. A pound of muscle burns more at rest than a pound of fat does - and takes up less space.
So while I absolutely think you can lose weight by reducing calories only, or that you cannot train away a poor diet or out exercise eating too many calories, I am a huge proponent of adding strength training to your routine. Otherwise you drop weight, you lose muscle in the process, and risk slowing down your metabolism.
That's a major benefit right there! Good for you!1 -
For me finding the right combination of calorie management and activity was a challenge. I do best with staying at or below my daily calorie goal, and moving no less than 30 minutes per day with improvement in mind. As you begin to loose and weight comes off in greater quantities, you will have to adjust one or both of these numbers to accommodate your smaller size and level of fitness. Honestly there is no magic percentage, you just have to do the work, and adjust for improvement. Good luck and be safe! -Nancy1
-
I eat for weight control, workout for mental health, which in turn helps my weight7
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.9K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.8K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.7K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 400 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.8K Motivation and Support
- 7.9K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.4K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 988 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.4K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions