What is the ratio of diet and exercise for cutting fat

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erickirb

Body fat percentage = 100% Diet

Lean mass quantity = 100% Exercise

/thread

Not really, weight loss 100% from deficit, not necessary fat loss or BF%, as BF% lowering helps with strength training, and
Lean mass has a lot to do with diet, small deficit and adequate protein while lifting will maintain lean mass, to build mass caloric surplus, so diet is very important with lean mass

accelerashawn

Body fat percentage = 100% Diet

Lean mass quantity = 100% Exercise

/thread

Not really weight loss 100% from deficit, not necessarly fat loss, and
Lean mass has a lot to do with diet, small deficit and adequate protein while lifting will maintain lean mass, to build mass caloric surplus, so diet is very important with lean mass

True...
Still believe that your body composition is 100% due to your diet but you're right, your lean mass depends on diet and exercise.

I'll confuse myself with goofy math here to figure out what percentage is what when it comes to lean body mass.
I spend 1hr in the gym so that goes to exercise. I spend about 12hrs eating/digesting foods each day so that goes to diet. I sleep 8hrs per night so i'll split that between diet (cuz my body recovers) and exercise (recovering burns calories). I'm awake 16hrs a day although only active about 5 so i'll put 5 for exercise and 11 for diet. Roughly this leaves me with 10hrs of exercise vs 32hrs of diet daily...so...

I now believe that lean body mass is 69% diet and 31% exercise.

jwats8

Exercise puts you in the right mind set to watch calorie intake more closely. I exercise daily with the full understanding that I am not burning enough calories to eat much more (a 5K for me doesn't burn enough calories to eat a bagel)- but exercise does help tremendously with stress, and because I am a stress eater, it helps me a lot. I could lose with calorie restriction only, but I find regular cardio makes it easier to control my eating.

LolBroScience

Body fat percentage = 100% Diet

Lean mass quantity = 100% Exercise

/thread

Not really, weight loss 100% from deficit, not necessary fat loss or BF%, as BF% lowering helps with strength training, and
Lean mass has a lot to do with diet, small deficit and adequate protein while lifting will maintain lean mass, to build mass caloric surplus, so diet is very important with lean mass

Equally important is progressive overload if you're in a surplus.

segovm

Since no one else mentioned it I think I would just point out that a lot of it probably depends on the time you have available. My days are free so I ride my bike a lot. Yesterday I was out on my bike for a 10 hour ride that probably burned a little more fat than a modest caloric restriction otherwise would have.

If you have the time to spend and there is some activity you enjoy exercise can help build huge deficits that diet alone would have a hard time matching. Since distance biking is something I normally enjoy when I am trim, there's no real reason not to leverage it to lose some weight too.

Quasita

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.

This is odd because the dude said it CAN make a huge difference, not that it's required or that it's going to be that way across the board.

For me, cardio exercise burns 800-1200 calories an hour give or take. If you ask me, that makes a pretty big difference. Maybe smaller people don't have such things happen but exercise can make a big difference for us bigger people.

Hell, I didn't start losing weight consistently until I upped my intake to about 3600 minimum. Why so high? Because my exercise regimen made that big of a difference in my diet, and I simply wasn't fueling enough. I had some days where I ate 4000-6000 a day, to offset my burns, and I was dropping 4-6 pounds a week!

missdibs1

I think the real answer is that it varies

a balance for YOU must be found (and that will change as you do)

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!

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.

It's a shame that people are so defensive on here sometimes. I only posted what works for me. And if you read what I said, I did not call cardio a necessity. I said it CAN make a huge difference. If I burn 500cals a day through cardio, I could in theory drop a lb a week (very rough theory, of course).

Again, perhaps I should clarify...I used to eat terribly. Processed foods, with lots of sugars and takeaways high in fat etc because they're fried. Come on, you know what I mean by "right foods", surely?! We all know you can't eat 10 mars bars, be under the calorie limit for your day, and be fit and healthy!

itsbasschick

i'd say it depends on the person, their level of fitness and a bunch of other stuff.

at the beginning of this year, i was losing weight faster than i am now by doing lots of walking with no calorie cutting at all. unfortunately for me, my fitness level wasn't up to that much fast walking - i ended up hurting my knees, a hip and a thigh, and ended up in PT. that's when i decided to do calorie counting with lighter exercise, and that's working well, also.

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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!

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.

It's a shame that people are so defensive on here sometimes. I only posted what works for me. And if you read what I said, I did not call cardio a necessity. I said it CAN make a huge difference. If I burn 500cals a day through cardio, I could in theory drop a lb a week (very rough theory, of course).

Again, perhaps I should clarify...I used to eat terribly. Processed foods, with lots of sugars and takeaways high in fat etc because they're fried. Come on, you know what I mean by "right foods", surely?! We all know you can't eat 10 mars bars, be under the calorie limit for your day, and be fit and healthy!

No one is being defensive just clarifying for the lurkers when it appears someone is stating information as an absolute when in reality it's their "belief"

And no, I don't know what you mean by the right foods. Hence, why I asked the question. Today I have a bagel with cream cheese, 3 cookies, 1 slice of pizza, ice cream. All part of a larger amount of meals. Some people might now think they are the "right" foods, but they are right for me. I eat plenty of processed foods.

Welcome to the forums.

I wish you all the best with your program!

I guess a better phrase is "right foods for the right person". I just know I couldn't eat that sort of stuff in a controlled manner, so I applaud you that you can!

segovm

I wish you all the best with your program!

I guess a better phrase is "right foods for the right person". I just know I couldn't eat that sort of stuff in a controlled manner, so I applaud you that you can!

Don't worry about the guy you are replying too.
The rest of us know what you mean

_funrungirl

I was just talking about this with friends!

If you're going for just weight loss, then I would say it ifs100% diet. I know many people who changed their numbers (weight, cholesterol, etc) by diet alone.

HOWEVER, to be HEALTHY then a person needs diet and exercise (cardio and weights). People need a good cardiovascular system (heart/lungs) as well as good muscle tone (fight off osteoporosis and good bone density)

Edit in rant: One thing I get frustrated about by these boards is how focused on the outward appearance people are. Yes looking good naked is a nice goal to have, but what is the point of looking good naked if your arteries are clogged and you have a heart attack at 40?

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LolBroScience

I wish you all the best with your program!

I guess a better phrase is "right foods for the right person". I just know I couldn't eat that sort of stuff in a controlled manner, so I applaud you that you can!

Don't worry about the guy you are replying too. He just likes to be rude to new people. If you have a low post count or lots of weight to lose he thinks he is better than you and will call you out on anything.

The rest of us know what you mean

He isn't rude at all. Maybe he doesn't sugar coat everything to your liking, but the advice he gives out is true whether or not you like it.

ninerbuff

Diet is what you consume. Exercise is for health and overall fitness.

CALORIE DEFICIT is what is needed to lose fat and how you go about it (with exercise, without exercise, cutting carbs, etc.) is always going to be a matter or preference.
Some like to do it with a lot of exercise. Some like to do it eating "clean". Some like to do it walking.

There's also recomp, but that's a different story.

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

FoxyLifter

For strictly weight loss, it's all about how much you eat. You will lose body body fat this way.

For lowering body fat percentage/muscle retention while on a deficit, you have to eat enough protein and incorporate some resistance training (lifting heavy is the most popular suggestion).

Sixsal

50 percent food plus water, 40 percent sleep and 10 percent working out. It is about basics and foundation and it takes a lot of discipline to go to be on time in order to get recovery time/build muscles. You lose weight by getting proper rest