what counts more - Exercise or diet?

kerenvaknin

Hi!

I noticed something on my body.. please tell me if it happened to you too.

on some days that I end up eating 800 calories without exercising, the next day I weigh about 0.7 lbs less.

however, if I eat a net of 700 calories (eat 1200 and burn 500) on workout day, the next day I don't lose any weight.

is it just me or that the calories I burn are less 'effective' than the calories I don't eat?

Thanks!!
Keren

BflSaberfan

I was always told its 80% diet , 20% exercise.

merrillfoster

I've noticed the same thing. Bump!

danarochelle

I was always told its 80% diet , 20% exercise.

I have also heard this!

craek

I was always told diet was the most important but I don't follow it. I will try to watch my portions and stay within my range but I find a day or two of terrible eating after a week of watching & exercising helps me. Everyone is different though.

crystal_sapphire

diet for sure. def is the 80% for food and 20% for exercise

t_rog

Of course you're going to lose weight FAST if you don't eat much, but it's extremely unhealthy. And as soon as you eat a little more, you gain it right back. Losing weight by exercising and eating enough is slower, but it's more effective and long-lasting.

mariapuhl

I was always told its 80% diet , 20% exercise.

I have also heard this!

Me too!

And it worked for me - one summer I exercised like crazy, but ate the same, lost nothing (except a few inches). Then in August I started exercising again like crazy AND changed my diet, and am up to 45 lbs now or so lost!

ITSSODAMNHOT

Well you could be replacing fat with muscle. Depending on your exercise. Also your weight will fluctuate daily.

Good Luck & God Bless

nab22

I notice the exact same thing! So I feel like I shouldn't eat back most/all of my exercise calories

pelleld

Hi!

I noticed something on my body.. please tell me if it happened to you too.

on some days that I end up eating 800 calories without exercising, the next day I weigh about 0.7 lbs less.

however, if I eat a net of 700 calories (eat 1200 and burn 500) on workout day, the next day I don't lose any weight.

is it just me or that the calories I burn are less 'effective' than the calories I don't eat?

Thanks!!
Keren

This may be true but I think its harder to hold on to the weight loss that's just do to less calories instead of exercising. The exercising builds muscle which burns more calories over the long term. The one day you eat less you only get the "credit" for that one day. I view exercise as having a more cumulative effect. BTW, I am a total novice at this so I may be offbase, this is just my experience/opinion.

wwaaffllee

DIET!

McKayMachina

Uh, brace yourself for the rash of people about to tell you to net way more calories.

Myself included.

NET WAY MORE CALORIES.

I'm not kidding. MFP builds the deficit in FOR YOU and you're smothering your metabolism. Unless you're about three and a half feet tall, or on a Dr.-supervised diet, you need to be netting closer to 1200+.

And to answer your question, it's both. Nutrition is a must but exercise is a boost - and, for some, a necessary boost.

Good luck.

PJilly

Eating so few calories is likely to backfire on you, with or without exercise. Use MFP's tools to set a reasonable calorie deficit (I'd recommend no more than 1 pound a week) and then eat that amount of calories, adding more if you work out. Don't sacrifice your long-term health AND weight-loss success for quick short-term losses. Good luck!

glendaaus

When I was younger - say under 35 diet seemed to move weight very quickly - and I firmed up with exercise BUT as I get older I have to do both everyday - I find more strength/yoga and a little cardio works now I am 50 - and it's been like that for a while. I think the 20/80 ratio sounds perfect.

SheilaSisco

I don't know, but I do know it's dangerous to your body and harmful to your metabolism if you aren't netting at least 1200 calories a day. There is also the argument that working out builds lean muscle mass which 'weighs more' than fat, so that's a possibility too. And there's the factor of when and how often you weigh yourself. Your weight can fluctuate by up to 2 or 3 pounds in a day, so if you're not weighing at the same TIME when you weigh in, that could be why too... also weighing daily is not highly recommended because of similar day to day weight fluctuations... So really, it could be a number of reasons. I would recommend that you try to get your net 1200 calories in every day and weigh in once a week in the morning (like when you get up) and see if those fluctuations are still happening...

LuckyLeprechaun

Uh, brace yourself for the rash of people about to tell you to net way more calories.

Myself included.

NET WAY MORE CALORIES.

I'm not kidding. MFP builds the deficit in FOR YOU and you're smothering your metabolism. Unless you're about three and a half feet tall, you need to be netting closer to 1200+.

And to answer your question, it's both. Nutrition is a must but exercise is a boost - and, for some, a necessary boost.

Good luck.

DITTO!

Juliasss

I have been exercising for just about 3 weeks now and I have actually gained weight but my clothing feels looser. I think I am putting muscle on which weights more than fat but boy is it demotivating!

crystal_sapphire

Well you could be replacing fat with muscle. Depending on your exercise. Also your weight will fluctuate daily.

Good Luck & God Bless

actually it takes a lot to build muscle. bodybuilders spend months at the gym to gain a few pounds of muscle. and they have a calorie surplus not deficit. the most you can do while losing weight is strengthen and maintain the lean muscle you have (by strength training) which will encourage fat loss

myukniewicz

i agree with the 80% diet and 20% exercise mantra.
however, exercise is super important in loosing weight. it helps you burn fat, and replace it with muscle.

after a hard workout, you body is more prone to retain water, so that could be the fluctuation u are seeing in the scale.

kerenvaknin

I was always told its 80% diet , 20% exercise.

I have also heard this!

Me too!

And it worked for me - one summer I exercised like crazy, but ate the same, lost nothing (except a few inches). Then in August I started exercising again like crazy AND changed my diet, and am up to 45 lbs now or so lost!

Wow this is awesome!!! :):)
you're amazing!!

DonM46

Due to my overall health, I cannot exercise AT ALL.
Therefore, all of my weight loss is pure diet because I have no "outgo" calories for exercise.
I must conclude that for weight loss considerations, it's DIET.
For overall health, cardiovascular, fitness, etc., yes exercise is important, but speaking strictly to weight loss, it's diet.

marmite230

Eat your extra calories 5 days in a row and train 5 days in a row and you'll lose more than 1 day on 1 day off.
Plus your calories seem very low.

As the saying goes... you are what you eat.

kerenvaknin

I don't know, but I do know it's dangerous to your body and harmful to your metabolism if you aren't netting at least 1200 calories a day. There is also the argument that working out builds lean muscle mass which 'weighs more' than fat, so that's a possibility too. And there's the factor of when and how often you weigh yourself. Your weight can fluctuate by up to 2 or 3 pounds in a day, so if you're not weighing at the same TIME when you weigh in, that could be why too... also weighing daily is not highly recommended because of similar day to day weight fluctuations... So really, it could be a number of reasons. I would recommend that you try to get your net 1200 calories in every day and weigh in once a week in the morning (like when you get up) and see if those fluctuations are still happening...

My net should be 1200?? I thought that I have to eat 1200 and exercise doesn't count.

I'm afraid that if I eat net of 1200 every day I will not lose anything does it really work?

kimmerroze

Depends on whether or not you want to be Healthy.... or skinny...


Read the link in my signature.

rbradshaw

I have found that I have to use this site and add my exercise in...the eat whatever it tells me calorie wise i have left. If I don't eat close to the required calories, whether it is the 1200 daily required or more due to exercising that day, I don't lose and even gain sometimes!! Instructor said I am not eating enough the days I exercise so my body holds onto the fat I already have and saves anything I am putting into that day, goes into starvation mode. And I have been doing this site for 3 weeks and have already lost 7 pounds! Good luck

kerenvaknin

I have been exercising for just about 3 weeks now and I have actually gained weight but my clothing feels looser. I think I am putting muscle on which weights more than fat but boy is it demotivating!

Wow good for you!! :):) building muscle is really hard! you must have been working out much! keep up the good work!

diaryoffatdad

really in the grand sceme of things, the 200-300 cals you burn during exercise is a drop in the pail really. losing weight is mainly what and how you eat.

where exercise comes in is that it can increase lean tissue and increase your BMR. you might burn 200 cals running for 30 mins, but your body doesnt stop buring increased number of cals the second you stop running, your going to increase your metabolism for quite some time after your workout, so for the sake of demonstration (not actual numbers) if you run in the morning and burn 200 cals, your body will be 'reved up' for quite some time after your workout and you could burn another 500-1000 cals....

some people even maintain increased metabolisims for up to 24 hours after a workout, compared to not working out.

I wouldn't worry about your day to day fluctuations in weight, they do not reflect just your diet and exercise, there are other factors, the way this site sets up your cals, it already accounts for your cal deficit so you should be trying to eat back the workout cals,

shaunshaikh

First off, 0.7 pounds is an insignificant amount of weight. I just gained 2 pounds drinking a nalgene or water. 0.7 pounds could mean that you drank a little more water than the day before or have to go #2 pretty soon. When you're talking about day-to-day weight gain, you're not talking about fat gain. Who cares about 0.7 pounds of gaining if it isn't fat?

Second of all, if you eat more calories, it's likely that you ate more "weight" of food, therefore you weigh a little bit more. But, in reality that doesn't mean you gained any more weight. That just means that the food in your stomach digesting weighs a little bit more. Who cares?

SheilaSisco

Yes, it will work. If you don't net 1200 daily your body will hold onto everything you DO eat and store it as FAT... If you eat the 1200 it won't feel starved and it will BURN the fat. Trust me, I learned the hard way too. As soon as I bumped the calories up and was netting 1200, weight started dropping off. I've been on MFP for just around 30 days (I think) and I have lost 15 pounds. You might gain a tiny bit in the beginning because your body will need time to adjust... but I promise after a week or two it'll start melting away. Friend me if you want, I would be more than happy to help encourage you and give you what answers I have to any questions you have.

kimmerroze

First off, 0.7 pounds is an insignificant amount of weight. I just gained 2 pounds drinking a nalgene or water. 0.7 pounds could mean that you drank a little more water than the day before or have to go #2 pretty soon. When you're talking about day-to-day weight gain, you're not talking about fat gain. Who cares about 0.7 pounds of gaining if it isn't fat?

Second of all, if you eat more calories, it's likely that you ate more "weight" of food, therefore you weigh a little bit more. But, in reality that doesn't mean you gained any more weight. That just means that the food in your stomach digesting weighs a little bit more. Who cares?

AMEN! plus eating very few calories just dumb. and harmful in the long run!