What is the ratio of diet and exercise for cutting fat

Boxing987

I have heard its 80% diet 20% exercise, what do you all think?

AvonBell

I think 99% diet, 1% exercise. Maybe even 100% diet, 0% exercise if a working out makes you hungry.

Exercise can help you maintain your weight but for weight loss it isn't particularly helpful. It takes an enormous amount of work to burn off a meaningful number of calories. And you have to hope it doesn't make you hungry afterwards because you'll wipe out all the work with that granola bar or smoothie.

It's more efficient to limit calories.

RodaRose

Exercise is for fitness and wellbeing. Monitoring food intake is for weight loss. Both work together.

whatyouwill

I think 99% diet, 1% exercise. Maybe even 100% diet, 0% exercise if a working out makes you hungry.

Exercise can help you maintain your weight but for weight loss it isn't particularly helpful. It takes an enormous amount of work to burn off a meaningful number of calories. And you have to hope it doesn't make you hungry afterwards because you'll wipe out all the work with that granola bar or smoothie.

It's more efficient to limit calories.

I must say, I have to disagree here.

In my experience, a good mix of cardio and resistance can make a HUGE difference to a fat loss program. I would however agree that cutting down calories, eating the right foods, and limiting sugar and carb intake to sensible amounts is STEP ONE.

STEP TWO, is adding an exercise regime to supplement this.

Percentages? I'm on a 50/50 diet and exercise regime. Both as important as the other. But that's just me squire. Good luck!

whatyouwill

Of course sir!

I know a lot of people that don't do Cardio and lose a shed load of fat. And, also, a lot of people that don't do resistance and still lose. It can be done any of the 3 ways. No cardio, no resistance or even none of either.

Personally, 500cals a day out from a mixture of high intensity and low intensity cardio has helped me no end. I mean, that's a lb of fat right there if you still eat right.

icrushit

For me its about 2 parts diet, 1 part exercise. That's with just walking for me, and with my current goal of losing 1.5lbs per week, it breaks down to cutting about 500 calories from what I eat, and getting 250 calories worth from exercise. I think there's a natural ceiling on how much you can cut from your diet, as well as an upper limit on how much you can reasonably work out regularly, so they go hand in hand for me. Also I don't think I could sustain losing weight with just only diet or only exercise, as I find each provide a nice distraction from each other when needed I think if I did some resistance training and some sprinting, which I'm looking to add next, I would probably accord diet & exercise a 60/40 split for me.

earthboundmisfit

I say 90% diet and 10% exercise. It's true that exercise itself doesn't burn a ton of calories but you get and afterburn: after a workout your metabolic rate is elevated for a few hours. Cutting calories alone works for weight loss but exercising will give you an advantage.

2013sk

I heard its 80 % diet 20% exercise too!!

That's be honest.........You are what you eat!!!!!!!!!

You could be in the gym for hours, but if you eating loads, and loads of rubbish?? Whats the point.

Just eat less food, more healthier & move more : )

joelschneider45066

I have been going for just over two weeks now, and I am focusing on keeping my net calories under 1870 per day (with some form of cardio everyday). This last week I lost just about 4 lbs ... do you think that's too much ? too extreme? I have a fair bit to lose, so it's a great motivator ... but obviously I don't wanna do anything dangerous either ... any thoughts ?

psuLemon

Honestly, fat loss is 100% diet. You cannot lose fat unless you are in a deficit. Exercise is for several things; health, muscle retention (resistance training and protein play a role in this), maintaining metabolic functions, increasing the amount of food you can eat, etc..

SezxyStef

fat loss is about diet...totally. It doesn't matter the exercise if you are not in a deficit you won't lose...

Exercise is for health...it helps maintain muscle mass, helps get your heart and lungs in shape and it can increase your deficit but it's not required.

fat2strongbeth

I heard its 80 % diet 20% exercise too!!

That's be honest.........You are what you eat!!!!!!!!!

You could be in the gym for hours, but if you eating loads, and loads of rubbish?? Whats the point.

Just eat less food, more healthier & move more : )

Completely agree!

Momjogger

I think your combo of 80 20 sounds right. I have dieted without exercise before and was not able to sustain my loss or lose as much as I wanted. With exercise, I can eat a little more or help to cancel out a bad day (if I am thinking of my loss goals in a weekly frame instead of a daily one), and my figure has benefited for sure. I work out on average of seven hours a week with a combo of cardio and strength training. Being able to eat more because I exercise is a definite plus. I could NEVER survive on 1280 cals a day for an extended amount of time, so exercise allows me to eat at a sustainable calorie limit for me (about 1500). As far as being more hungry from working out, I have learned to split my meal so I can eat light before AND after a workout.

trainguy917

It's 100% live a healthy lifestyle. Eat consciously. Exercise, including some cardio and resistance exercises. Feel better. You'll lose fat.

accelerashawn

Your body fat % is 100% diet
The amount of muscle you have is 100% exercise

You can't have a low body fat percentage without eating at a deficit. I think to be healthy you should split your macros up somewhat evenly so that you don't leave out fats, proteins, or carbs.

You can't gain or have muscle without some sort of physical activity that requires muscle....which all physical activity does.

kessler4130

I think 99% diet, 1% exercise. Maybe even 100% diet, 0% exercise if a working out makes you hungry.

Exercise can help you maintain your weight but for weight loss it isn't particularly helpful. It takes an enormous amount of work to burn off a meaningful number of calories. And you have to hope it doesn't make you hungry afterwards because you'll wipe out all the work with that granola bar or smoothie.

It's more efficient to limit calories.

I must say, I have to disagree here.

In my experience, a good mix of cardio and resistance can make a HUGE difference to a fat loss program. I would however agree that cutting down calories, eating the right foods, and limiting sugar and carb intake to sensible amounts is STEP ONE.

STEP TWO, is adding an exercise regime to supplement this.

Percentages? I'm on a 50/50 diet and exercise regime. Both as important as the other. But that's just me squire. Good luck!

I would have to disagree with you here. It's not going to make a HUGE difference. Cardio will help increase your deficit but it's not a necessity. Many people, including myself, never do cardio. And we're doing just fine.

Eating the right foods? What does that even mean? I can guarantee you that you wouldn't think I eat the right foods. There are no wrong and right foods.

Sugar and carbs don't need to be limited. Fat and protein have minimums which is the reason why carbs get reduced, that's the only macro left. But it doesn't have to be limited.

Agreed, cardio is not required at all and carb intake is only relevant after your minimum protein and fats have been established. I have cut weight on high protein/low carb and realistic protein/high carbs, in my honest opinion, unless you are cutting weight to step on stage or just want to be miserable... there is no reason to reduce carbs to anything other than the minimum required for a 500 calorie deficit after establishing minimum protein and fat. Increasing protein to cut carbs down is ridiculous as the excess protein is just converted to glucose and stored as fat anyways.

erickirb

I think 99% diet, 1% exercise. Maybe even 100% diet, 0% exercise if a working out makes you hungry.

Exercise can help you maintain your weight but for weight loss it isn't particularly helpful. It takes an enormous amount of work to burn off a meaningful number of calories. And you have to hope it doesn't make you hungry afterwards because you'll wipe out all the work with that granola bar or smoothie.

It's more efficient to limit calories.

Losing weight is 100% based on a caloric deficit (can be 100% diet) losing fat is a little different, as you should partake in a heavy lifting progressive overload strength training program. the reason for this is that the strength training helps ensure you keep the muscle you already have meaning your weight loss will come from mostly fat, instead of fat and lean mass.

Momjogger

I have been going for just over two weeks now, and I am focusing on keeping my net calories under 1870 per day (with some form of cardio everyday). This last week I lost just about 4 lbs ... do you think that's too much ? too extreme? I have a fair bit to lose, so it's a great motivator ... but obviously I don't wanna do anything dangerous either ... any thoughts ?

If you have a good amount to lose and you are just starting, you will lose more initially. I think this is OK. You can up your calories a little so your diet will be more sustainable over time if you need to.

sijomial

Think it depends where you are starting from.

If you are morbidly obese then almost 100% diet.
Perhaps 90/10 if you are obese, 80/20 overweight.

If you are recomping (maintaining weight but changing body composition) then I'd say it was 50/50.