Obese- Focus or Diet w or w/out Exercise?

empressjasmin

Hello!
So I’ve been a yo-yo dieter for sometime now. I’ve recently gotten to my highest weight ever (265lbs), thanks to quarantine, but also bad eating habits prior to lockdown.

My question has always been should I just focus on eating within my daily calorie limits or also make sure I’m exercising too?

While I know this may seem like a silly question, I wasn’t sure that if because of my weight I should be focusing on food intake more?

The types of exercise that I enjoy are walking and dance.

Thanks!

Lillymoo01

Many say that weight loss is 80% in the kitchen. This means that your primary focus should be working out how you can best eat within a deficit as you can not out-exercise a bad diet. Exercise is great but it is more to do with overall health and fitness rather than weight loss. Keep doing the exercises that you enjoy doing but it is a good idea to add a bit of resistance exercise into the mix to help you maintain muscle loss as you lose weight,

cmriverside

Weight loss is about eating fewer calories than your body uses.

Exercise is good for you, and it helps with hunger levels, digestion, burning a few extra calories, and will increase your immunity, improve sleep, mitigate stress, and help with general overall health and longevity.

There are no downsides to exercise. Walking and dance are both great exercises to start!

With that said, the focus? Why not both? It's about calories, so stay within your calorie goal. When you exercise, enter that into the Exercise tab and eat a little more. Most people will say to start out by eating half your allotted exercise calories and see how you do since the exercise calories as given by the website appear to be too high for some people. I always ate all the exercise calories, so there is a bit of experimentation we all have to do.

After 4-6 weeks, adjust if needed.

empressjasmin

Awesome! Thank you!

freda666

Of course it is 100% up to you, but for what it is worth I started at a bit more than where you are now and just focus on my food intake when it comes to counting my calories.

I go for walks and dig the garden, much more so now I have lost 5 stone, but I am still easily large enough to stand the extra deficit when I do without feeling the need to do the so called "eating back calories" thing and instead gratefully take that extra bit of weight loss the walk might win me.

Might well step it up when I have lost more weight, when it gets harder to maintain a deficit and have enough to eat, but at the moment I am eating well and getting all my nutrients. So I exercise simply for the overall health benefits and the good it does my heart.

empressjasmin

freda78 wrote: »

Of course it is 100% up to you, but for what it is worth I started at a bit more than where you are now and just focus on my food intake when it comes to counting my calories.

I go for walks and dig the garden, much more so now I have lost 5 stone, but I am still easily large enough to stand the extra deficit when I do without feeling the need to do the so called "eating back calories" thing and instead gratefully take that extra bit of weight loss the walk might win me.

Might well step it up when I have lost more weight, when it gets harder to maintain a deficit and have enough to eat, but at the moment I am eating well and getting all my nutrients. So I exercise simply for the overall health benefits and the good it does my heart.

Thanks and good for you! Congratulations on the weight loss!

PAV8888

Food gives you more bang for the buck; both are extremely important.

I started on this whole thingamajig a bit heavier than you.

At the time I had ZERO aspirations in terms of weight loss. I just wanted to stop being as sedentary as I was, which meant that I tried to increase my daily activity and walking.

Did I lose any weight? Sure. Over four months of ramping up my walking I lost enough so that my (analogue) scale needle no longer went past max and would more or less register correctly at the 280lb max. 5lbs? 10lbs? I doubt it was 15!

Then I went on to six months of: "hey: I'll follow every "clean eating diet trick" I can think off to lose weight as fast as I can!" I averaged about 10lbs a month (thankfully interrupted by guests and a trip) and was ready to give up when I discovered MFP.

Then I went on with a fairly aggressive yet still reasonable for an obese person deficit (21.35%--puny by comparison to what many attempt), that balanced my caloric intake and expenditures. That took care of 72.5lbs over 12 months without me being ready to give up.

Then another 11lbs at a 3.51% deficit over another year... early on in there crossing into the normal weight range.

In all this I also went from less than sedentary to more than very active.

On average I remain very active. And still within the normal weight range. And I still log and count my calories. And I still weight myself and look at my weight trend.

Since finding MFP I have not restricted *what* I eat... other than guiding myself with whether whatever I am eating is worth it to me. And worth does change based on circumstances: Sometimes it is satiety. Sometimes nutrition. Sometimes convenience. Sometimes satisfaction.

empressjasmin

Thank you @PAV8888 !
I too often struggle with how much of a deficit I should be in. I often say that I exercise to feel good, which I truly do believe. I just didn’t wanna be counterproductive in my efforts.
I’m going to take it a day at a time, but this helps!
Thanks!!

AnnPT77

empressjasmin wrote: »

Thank you @PAV8888 !
I too often struggle with how much of a deficit I should be in. I often say that I exercise to feel good, which I truly do believe. I just didn’t wanna be counterproductive in my efforts.
I’m going to take it a day at a time, but this helps!
Thanks!!

Every day in a calorie deficit - be it small or large - puts you a bit closer to a healthy goal weight, whether you think of that deficit as created by eating less, or moving more, or a combination.

Every day at a manageable, moderate - even easy - calorie deficit, makes it more likely that it will be manageable to be at a calorie deficit again the next day, and the next. (White-knuckled extremes may not make those next days quite as probable.)

One feature of PAV's insightful and inspiring story is that losing a large number of pounds, let alone maintaining that loss, is inherently a long term proposition - months if not years - so finding a process that works for you without the need to harness huge reserves of effort, discipline, and motivation . . . that may increase chances of long-term success.

A corollary: One day, infrequently, here and there, not at a calorie deficit . . . maybe not such a big deal: Literally just a few hours or a day longer to get to goal weight, so perhaps sometimes worth it, as long as rare. If you think of weight loss as weight-maintenance practice, figuring out how to handle those rare celebrations or big events is going to be part of that practice. Most of us don't want to totally give those up forever.

Best wishes! :flowerforyou:

empressjasmin

@AnnPT77 you rock! Thank you!
What a great way of looking at it - it’s a lifestyle change and not just a short term goal to work towards! 😁
Many thanks!!

SnifterPug

Always focus on the food - but exercise as much as you can, too. I've gone from obese after years of yoyo dieting to a healthy weight (still want to lose a bit) by managing calories. BUT the reason I started managing calories was because I found some exercise forms I utterly love and I wanted to be able to enjoy them more by not having to lug around so much body weight. AnnPT77 mentioned the lifestyle change and she is so right. The gym is now non-negotiable and I love it.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

@cmriverside and @AnnPT77 always have good advice. This is a calorie counting web site, so people here will recommend counting your calories. I do it and it works well for me.

When my wife wanted to lose ~60lbs, she found it didn't work for her. The act of measuring and weighing her food just went against her nature. Her approach instead was to work with a nutritionist to develop a set of rules that she follows, including drinking 24oz of water before every meal (with lemon and apple cider vinegar, if that matters), not eating certain foods (she dropped all "cow products" for a long time), and things like that. She doesn't exercise all that much, either.

Yes, it is always true that eating fewer calories than you burn will cause you to lose weight. But, there is more than one way to accomplish that. I think that, if you've struggled for a long time with your weight, engaging someone to help you is money well spent.

NovusDies

Developing an exercise habit is easier if you are eating the right balance of calories to lose weight but still provide adequate energy. If you do not have your calories nailed down and you are eating too little exercise, even ones you normally enjoy, may become a truly miserable experience.

It is also possible that if you are eating too little then exercise will drive your deficit even higher to the point you break and eat everything in sight. Been there, done that.

If you have already been exercising for awhile then continue doing what you are doing. If not, ramp it up slowly to allow you to figure out your calories while also allowing your body to adjust to the new physical demands. It does not have to be anything more than just getting out for a nice walk if that would work for you.

empressjasmin

@NovusDies I have also been there done that - overeating because I haven’t eaten much and then become hungry and eat everything! I know it’s a process that I must learn all over again!

Thank you!

rainbow198

For my goals, both diet and exercise were equally important to me as I was losing weight and it still continue to be during maintenance. The combination of both has giving me long term success.

When I just focused on my diet and not so much exercise, I lost weight on the scale yes, but my body composition wasn't going the direction I wanted.

So for me, giving my all to both diet and exercise has helped me to reach my goal. I have balance so I ever don't over do anything. This helps to keep things sustainable. I don't cut foods out and I don't overdo my workouts. I do workout a lot because I enjoy it, but I don't do hard, back-breaking exercise.

It took time for me to learn my body. After decades of eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, I had to learn which foods satiated me, which exercises made me hungry and which ones didn't, I had to teach myself that it was okay to leave food on my plate, how to stop eating right before I get full and I'm always trying something new such as a new recipe or a veggie etc.

Good luck OP!

empressjasmin

@SnifterPug I have been focusing on food more too. But I definitely agree. Finding exercise that you like makes the world of a difference! Thank you!

@Jthanmyfitnesspal thanks for the helpful advice too! I’ve considered that it may be time for professional help as well. Just to get over the hump of trying to initially lose weight. Agreed that it would totally be worth it!

empressjasmin

@rainbow198 thanks so much and you look great! 😊

Diatonic12

@empressjasmin Whatever we do to lose the weight we have to keep on doing to maintain it. You like walking and dancing. You've found modes of movement that you enjoy and can keep on doing for the rest of your life. That's a great decision.

AnnPT77

empressjasmin wrote: »

@NovusDies I have also been there done that - overeating because I haven’t eaten much and then become hungry and eat everything! I know it’s a process that I must learn all over again!

Thank you!

Now that I think of it, if you have at least 75 pounds to lose, you might enjoy joining Novus's "Larger Losers" group. Link is here:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers

empressjasmin

@AnnPT77 Awesome! Thank you! I’ll check it out.

bmeadows380

not to mention that exercise does earn you back a nice bonus in calories for the day because the way MFP works, it does not take into account intentional exercise and expects you to eat those back, though, as was suggested above, start with only half and see where that takes you.

I lost my first 110 lbs or so purely through diet alone. But the more you lose, the less energy it takes to keep you alive and thus the lower the calorie limit goes. I eventually hit where I know is my rock bottom - I cannot maintain a deficit lower than about 1450 calories, and once I had lost enough weight that sedentary setting for my height and weight began to dip below that, I started feeling like I was hungry all the time and found myself slipping over my deficit often. But about 2 months ago or so now, I decided to start trying to get more active for my health's sake, and I've been increasing the activity since then. A nice bonus, besides finding myself with better endurance, stamina, and mobility is the couple hundred calories I get to add to my day. It's been amazing to me the difference those calories make in ending my day feeling like I'm hungry and ending the day feeling satisfied. Being able to add those calories back oftentimes means the difference between me staying within my daily allotted deficit or slipping over, or the difference between meeting my goals or not.

If you want to lose weight, you must have a deficit. Find a healthy way to create that deficit, whether it be diet alone, or eating exactly the same but adding exercise, or a combination of the two. Just don't let the exercise trick you into eating more - many folks do that. They'll exercise for an hour and earn 200-300 calories, but then blow it all on a high calorie protein shake or an extra slice or two of pizza and then end up eating more which in turn can wipe out their deficit. Remember - to lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit!

rainbow198

empressjasmin wrote: »

@rainbow198 thanks so much and you look great! 😊

Thank you so much! I hope you're coming along well. 💕

empressjasmin

@rainbow198 thank you!! I’m staying consistent!!

rainbow198

That's great news! Proud of you! 👏🏽👏🏽 Keep it going!

cwolfman13

empressjasmin wrote: »

Hello!
So I’ve been a yo-yo dieter for sometime now. I’ve recently gotten to my highest weight ever (265lbs), thanks to quarantine, but also bad eating habits prior to lockdown.

My question has always been should I just focus on eating within my daily calorie limits or also make sure I’m exercising too?

While I know this may seem like a silly question, I wasn’t sure that if because of my weight I should be focusing on food intake more?

The types of exercise that I enjoy are walking and dance.

Thanks!

Weight management is about calories coming in vs calories going out regardless of exercise. IMO, regular exercise makes weight management that much easier because you're increasing your CO and have more to work with. Regular exercise also has numerous health benefits beyond weight management and is probably the single best thing you can do for your overall health and well being aside from getting to and maintaining a healthy weight.

imgritz

I've hired nutritionists and personal trainers. Between all of them they say "Food is 75%-90%" of your weight loss.

An easy exercise is walking. Try to walk 30 minutes a day for four days a week.

richardgavel

In terms of math, food is more important. However, I found for myself that exercise is more important from a psychological aspect. If I'm working out, I'm more motivated to track calories and keep my diet in the right spot.

empressjasmin

richardgavel wrote: »

In terms of math, food is more important. However, I found for myself that exercise is more important from a psychological aspect. If I'm working out, I'm more motivated to track calories and keep my diet in the right spot.

I find that to be true for me too, in regards to exercise being more psychological. It’s almost like getting in the zone, right frame of mind, and staying on track! 😊

hipari

I'm like @richardgavel . I could (probably) lose weight through diet and calorie deficit alone, but it's really hard for me, and right now I'm struggling because I'm stuck at home all day and don't get my regular daily activity.

Here's what exercise gives me, in some order or importance:
1. A mood boost and stress relief, which prevent me from snacking to make me feel better
2. An energy boost, which prevents me from snacking to get energy and not be so tired
3. A motivation boost and a small success, which feed into a circle of success where I want to do more good things towards my goals
4. Calorie burn that I can eat back and still be in deficit.

Currently I'm missing out on a lot of regular everyday activity, like walking a few minutes here and there to get to places, and on top of that my gym was closed for a month and I lost my routine. It's reopened now but I'm still anxious to go. I'm positive that losing weight would be easier for me if I was in my regular routine, which includes a lot more daily activity and the ability to go to the gym. Coincidentally (?), this quarantine also makes me stressed, anxious and exhausted, which means I could really use a mood and energy boost, and not reaching my goals (seriously, my current trend rate is 0,05kg/0,1lbs per week) makes me need a boost of motivation.

PaleoPrince

I don't think it is worth doing rigorous exercise because I find it makes you want to eat the world after. I just eat 1500 calories and walk for 1 to 2 hours a day, I find it makes me feel better in the same way that cardio does but without the urges to eat tons afterwards.

AnnPT77

PaleoPrince wrote: »

I don't think it is worth doing rigorous exercise because I find it makes you want to eat the world after. I just eat 1500 calories and walk for 1 to 2 hours a day, I find it makes me feel better in the same way that cardio does but without the urges to eat tons afterwards.

I think it's great that you're pointing out that possibility. Thing is, the relationship between hunger/appetite/cravings is very individual.

It can be intensity-specific for some, as it appears to be for you. For others, it can vary with exercise type (strength vs. cardiovascular), even specific activity (running vs. cycling, for example). And this is one case where (anecdotally) it seems like snack/meal timing can have an individualized effect, even though food timing is generically (per most research) a very minor factor for normal people's weight loss or sub-elite athletes' athletic performance.

For me, moderate weight training tends to increase my appetite, but intense cardiovascular exercise (mostly rowing, in my case) doesn't have that effect at all. I've seen others report exactly the opposite. Bodies are weird!

I'd not recommend rigorous/intense exercise for starters, to a relative exercise beginner, in any case. But I would suggest that each person might profitably experiment and notice how different types and intensities of exercise affect them personally, when it comes to appetite.