Diet Matters More than Exercise?

KatsFitNow

Exercise IS important, but I've heard I've heard it time and time again that weight doesn't come from exercise AS MUCH as it comes from the depletion of calories that you just never ingest in the first place.
Do any of you subscribe to this and and have you had success with low intensity training? In the past I exercised way too hard, and I ate ... too much because I felt hungry.

Always looking for a balance right?

janejellyroll

Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit can be made larger or even created just through activity, but you can also lose weight without doing any exercise.

I always focused on my total calories in versus calories out while losing weight. Exercise was a portion of that, but the important part was just having that balance.

cmriverside

Set a calorie goal that is a little less than your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE.) Eat to that number. Lose weight.

On this site, when you exercise you enter it into the Exercise tab and you are given more calories to eat.

Weight loss is 100% about a calorie deficit. How you achieve that is up to you. Exercise is for fitness, gives a little wiggle room with calories and for a lot of people it helps to diminish hunger in general (if they are eating enough to start with.)

nuttyfamily

I've lost weight not exercising and with exercise.

It comes down to eating less.

I like exercise now as it helps with my physical stamina when hiking, biking and running, etc.

MommyMeggo

Weight is lost in the kitchen. (Food)

Strength is gained in the gym. (Fitness)

Edit: Posted too early. All I do is walk since my knee injury and Im losing. I do it for my body not my weight though. Cardio does make me hungry if I dont choose the right food for my satiety.

Ready2Rock206

Exercise for health. Monitor what you eat to lose weight. As the saying goes - you can't out exercise a bad diet.

CaladriaNapea

I definitely subscribe to this philosophy. Strenuous exercise tends to make me extremely hungry, and it is also much more difficult to make a 500 calorie deficit with exercise then it is with food. Also, with food, I feel like I can be more exact about the deficit I am creating--when I used just exercise to lose weight in the past, I lost much more slowly, I believe at least in part because the calorie estimates on my treadmill were at least partially inflated. Currently, I am having quite a bit of success by focusing on diet and adding in some light walking. I am considering adding in more exercise now, however, I don't feel an urgency to do it because of weight loss; I simply think it might be good for my overall health.

cwolfman13

Weight management in general has more to do with what's going on in the kitchen than anything else. You can exercise regularly and lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight...all dependent on how much you're putting into your face.

As weight management goes, regular exercise is helpful in that you expend a bit more energy...but really, it comes down to how many calories you're taking in. You can't out exercise a bad diet. And really, exercise expenditure in most cases pales in comparison to the energy (calories) you expend merely existing and doing your day to day.

I have fitness objectives that are independent of weight management...my fitness objectives dictate my training structure and I follow that specific protocol...I don't just willy nilly do whatever. Some sessions are more intense than others...one might be a 30 minute threshold interval session on the trainer...another might be an easy three hour zone II ride...another might be hills and climbing...another sprinting, etc.

skellymama1

Spent 6 months training in the gym with a pt, never lost 1 lb and I had 30 of them spare! However my shape did change and I got much stronger.

peleroja

You can create a calorie deficit using exercise or you can create one by eating less, but either way it's the fact that a deficit exists if weight loss is the only thing we're talking about here.

Exercise for cardiovascular fitness and muscle/joint/bone strength etc., and it's really important for your health to do so IMO, but it's not a great way to lose weight if you don't make the appropriate dietary changes as well.

That saying about not being able to outrun a bad diet is true for most people, I think...like, I can run for an hour and only burn about 600 calories, so even with a 7 mile run every single day, I'd only be losing about a pound a week if I ate at maintenance (and that's running every single day and not eating more because of the additional exercise.) That's why I think most people find it easier to create a calorie deficit by changing their diets as the primary method, and using exercise mostly for some bonus calories/wiggle room.

icemom011

In short, op. Yes. It works. Exercise is not essential for weight loss. I've been having a bad year health wise, so not much exercise since May. Lost over 70 lbs. Doing some low intensity body weight exercises lately, enjoying it, but not for weight loss, just for fitness.

cbelc2

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508
It's a 2 year old article, but it sheds a little light.

JenHuedy

PerfectFit30 wrote: »

Exercise IS important, but I've heard I've heard it time and time again that weight doesn't come from exercise AS MUCH as it comes from the depletion of calories that you just never ingest in the first place.
Do any of you subscribe to this and and have you had success with low intensity training? In the past I exercised way too hard, and I ate ... too much because I felt hungry.

Always looking for a balance right?

I lost my first 70 pounds or so by staying in my MFP calorie goal and walking during my lunch breaks or on my treadmill while watching TV. No gym, no running, no crazy exercise videos.

I run 20+ miles a week, lift weights 3 times a week, and average over 15,000 steps a day now, but that's for fitness, not weight loss. I still have to watch my calories or I could easily undo the 6+ hours of exercise I do weekly.

zyxst

My main exercise is walking. For me, it's easier to not eat 500 calories than it is to exercise off 500 calories.

daj150

Calories in vs calories out. It's that simple. Although exercise is a great way to make deficits, and trying to do those ridiculous diets scattered throughout the forums...USUALLY none are maintainable long term. Yes, exercise is not always sustainable due to life events or injuries. Anyway, if you can balance calories in vs calories out, you can maintain your ideal weight easily. If you are trying to lose weight, just make sure your calories in are less than calories out.

GottaBurnEmAll

janejellyroll wrote: »

Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit can be made larger or even created just through activity, but you can also lose weight without doing any exercise.

I always focused on my total calories in versus calories out while losing weight. Exercise was a portion of that, but the important part was just having that balance.

^This.

rosebarnalice

For me, exercise is an absolutely essential part of my healthy lifestyle--not just for the calorie burn but for the overall "fitness mindset."

When I am swimming regularly, I just FEEL more like an athlete rather than a schlub. . . and that makes me WANT to choose wholesome and nutritious foods. I actually eat LESS when I'm swimming regularly because there's a part of me that looks at a donut and says, "ooh, not while I'm 'in training.'" In training for what? Life, I guess!

kenyonhaff

Calorie deficit in the end is what promotes weight loss. But I find it a lot harder to stick to my limits when I don't get in a workout.

I do find that using exercise rather than a snack to help with boredom, stress, and the like is a very positive thing to do.

crzycatlady1

I lost the extra weight with no exercise factored in. Now approaching 4 years of maintenance I'm more active in my daily activities, but I still don't do structured exercise. I control my weight by calorie intake and it works well for me.

Tacklewasher

I can increase my deficit 200 calories by either doing 25+ minutes on the treadmill, or by cutting the personal lasagna in half and eating it over 2 days. If I still eat everything else the same at lunch, that's 200 calories I've not added to my day. Yeah, I'm not as full when I'm done but I'm not starving either. Seems easier to me.

I still do the treadmill, but have to do less to get to the same deficit.

deannalfisher

rosebarnalice wrote: »

For me, exercise is an absolutely essential part of my healthy lifestyle--not just for the calorie burn but for the overall "fitness mindset."

When I am swimming regularly, I just FEEL more like an athlete rather than a schlub. . . and that makes me WANT to choose wholesome and nutritious foods. I actually eat LESS when I'm swimming regularly because there's a part of me that looks at a donut and says, "ooh, not while I'm 'in training.'" In training for what? Life, I guess!

but after swimming, I want to eat ALL THE THINGS

SCoil123

I personally have to work out. For me it is about a healthier lifestyle and getting fit. When I work out I am naturally drawn to better choices with my diet too. Plus working out also raises my TDEE so I can enjoy eating more without triggering past ED issues feeling overly restricted. Also, I'm not interested in getting "skinny fat" so I know that I wouldn't be happy at my goal weight if I got there and had no muscle definition. These are just the reasons why I need to work out.

At the end of the day all you need to lose weight is a calorie deficit but the details on how we get there and what motivates each of us will be individual.

moesis

zyxst wrote: »

My main exercise is walking. For me, it's easier to not eat 500 calories than it is to exercise off 500 calories.

Burning 500 calories is no joke!

lemurcat12

janejellyroll wrote: »

Weight loss comes from a calorie deficit. A calorie deficit can be made larger or even created just through activity, but you can also lose weight without doing any exercise.

I always focused on my total calories in versus calories out while losing weight. Exercise was a portion of that, but the important part was just having that balance.

Exactly this.

Most people, especially just starting out, aren't going to burn that much, so adding, say, 250 calories of exercise isn't going to necessarily make a huge difference, especially if you are overeating already (and gaining weight) or not monitoring and prone to eat more when you exercise (I deserve it!). Cutting food intake therefore may seem easier or more efficient. For me, though, both exercise and cutting calories have been important. (And that's because it's the calorie deficit that matters.)

CSARdiver

There is more potential to error on the caloric intake than it is on the output, which is why many state this. This is also why the medical community does not generally recommend exercise and will focus on diet. The reasoning is that people (Americans in particular) will go too hard at the gym initially and then stop, or will have an increase in appetite stimulation from the increased activity and eat over their allotted calories.

The majority experiencing long term success will incorporate both - monitoring of diet and routine exercise.

spambutz

Lost 70 lbs due to biking, but generally the diet way is considered easier, mostly because exercising takes up a lot of time, time that not everybody has to spare

colors_fade

As a general statement of fact, sure, diet matters more than exercise for the purposes of losing weight.

But that's really the tip of the iceberg when it comes to weight loss.

"have you had success with low intensity training?"

Walking, yes.

"Always looking for a balance right?"

I think it's more about finding out what works for you, and finding something you can sustain long-term, so you can reach your goals.

If "weight loss" is all you care about, then a calorie deficit is all you need, and low-intensity exercise may help you maintain that calorie deficit over time.

If "fat loss" and having a "toned body" are additional desires, then we're talking about a different set of goals that require a different strategy to attain. At that point, low-intensity exercise and a calorie-deficit are going to need some help.

red99ryder

rosebarnalice wrote: »

For me, exercise is an absolutely essential part of my healthy lifestyle--not just for the calorie burn but for the overall "fitness mindset."

When I am swimming regularly, I just FEEL more like an athlete rather than a schlub. . . and that makes me WANT to choose wholesome and nutritious foods. I actually eat LESS when I'm swimming regularly because there's a part of me that looks at a donut and says, "ooh, not while I'm 'in training.'" In training for what? Life, I guess!

You had to bring up donuts lol


Good luck OP

colors_fade

PerfectFit30 wrote: »

In the past I exercised way too hard, and I ate ... too much because I felt hungry.

I've been in exactly that situation: lifting hard with high intensity and being very hungry on a deficit. It's a difficult thing to exercise with high intensity several days per week and maintain a calorie deficit.

I've made changes in the past three months that have really helped with this, and have allowed me to not only continue with my high-intensity lifting, but increase the number of workouts I do each week. I've upped my workouts from 3-days per week to 5-days per week, and at the same time I've also become less hungry, due to shifting my diet to a different set of foods to help with satiety. I still maintain a calorie deficit.

The *kind* of food you eat can help maintain satiety and stave off hunger. This is why you'll hear people talk about more than calorie deficit. Everyone will yell that you only need a calorie deficit, and while this is technically true, it doesn't paint the whole picture. What they don't tell you is that some foods are more filling than others, than some foods will fuel your workouts better than others, and that some foods will limit insulin spikes better than others. All of these facts about various food types actually can make a difference in how you feel and how well fueled you are for working out.

So, sure, calorie deficit is all that's necessary to lose weight. But - and this is a big but - eating foods that spike insulin levels, or foods that do not satisfy your appetite for long periods of time, can make it difficult to maintain that deficit. This can lead to binge eating and overeating, from hunger, as you have found out. And at that point you're no longer in a deficit and all your hard work eating limited calories is now wasted.

Fibers and fats can slow digestion and increase satiety. Low glycemic carbs digest slower and still give you the energy you need for high intensity workouts. They also lower your blood sugar, limiting spikes and keeping your insulin levels low, so you stay in "fat burning" mode longer (fat burning shuts off when insulin levels are high).

Now, this is all stuff that we know intuitively. We know eating a "balanced diet" is better for us that eating Twinkies all day. But there's actual science behind this intuition. I mean, think about it: eat 2,000 calories of Twinkies today, or eat 2,000 calories of chicken, broccoli and brown rice. You tell me, after a few days, which diet is going to satisfy you and fuel your workouts better? I have good money that you'll be starving on the Twinkie diet. Same calories, but same results? I think not.

Francl27

I lost the best with just walking and a bit of lifting as exercise. I just put 'being active' in the same category as exercise. A lot of people don't purposely exercise, but they have active lives, and it's just fine. But I need the extra calories that I get for being active.

But yeah, too much exercise and I'm hungrier and it's way too easy to eat more than what it burns.

CharlesScott78

Lot of good posts above. What I have always found to be true is that your diet (meaning what you eat - not some diet program) is 90% of controlling your weight. Exercise is a nice complement to creating a calorie deficit - but the heavy lifting comes from how many calories you consume. Exercise is 100% if your FITNESS. Balance, strength endurance. In my personal experience, focus on diet for weight management and exercise for physical fitness.

You can eat in 5 minutes what will take an hour of hard work to exercise off. That is a losing equation if you ask me. If you depend on burning 800 calories a day via exercise so you can eat more - that probably works for some people, but it always seemed risky to me. What if I was injured, what if I got sick or just missed some days for whatever reason. Now I am accustom to eating many more calories than I need in the absence of working out.

I am not anti-exercise - I just think the focus of exercise is mainly fitness and just complementary to weight loss. There are a million great reasons to exercise.

Charles