Diet vs. Exercise?

agthorn

We cut calories to get to our goal weight. We exercise so we look good when we get there!

But it's a lot easier (and faster) to cut out 500 calories than it is to burn off 500 calories.

GreenSkinnyJeans

During the school year I get in about 3/4 hours of actually working out(gym class, sports, cardio/weights in the fitness center) And I didn't loose a single f-ing pounds the whole year.
You know why? I justified just because I was exercising, and eating healthy(lots of fruits, veggys, and whole grains)That it was cool to go over my calories I KNEW i shouldn't of eatin' : p.
it really is 80 Percent diet, 20 percent exercise.

fitwatch

Diet for weight loss. That is probably 80-90%. Exercise helps you lose 10%. Muscle develop is more important for burning in the long run or for maintaining what you lose.

Consider the following. Say you binge with some high calorie mexican meal (yum) and drink all night (beers, rum, tequillas, etc.) -- say it amounts to 7000 extra calories. Oh is possible at an all night, all day party festival. Well of course that is only 2 extra pounds right?

Now how many hours do you have to walk to burn all of it off? At 200 calories per hour, you would need 35 hours. Assuming you would walk every day, 5 hours a day, or 7 days. Jog and maybe you can do this in 6 days (but can you really jog for 5 hours every day?)

vim_n_vigor

I think if firming isn't the issue, that you can lose quite a bit of weight by changing your diet. Changing the foods that you take in can drastically change your body and quickly. With that said though, for long term, building the muscle will increase your metabolism and keep you burning more calories. So if you can even incorporate weight training into your plan, it will be better.

TheBraveryLover

Food intake, for sure. My first 46 pounds were lost with eating differently and minimal exercise (twice a week with some weeks none at all). Just a few days ago I decided to work out regularly and often for my last 40+ pounds I need to lose but that's mainly cause my weight loss is slowing down. But yeah, to start, your diet is important and will work for awhile.

malvakai

I spent 7 months working my *kitten* off in a too expensive gym with a hard driving trainer and lost a grand total of 10 lbs, and gained back 20.

I've been watching my calories (a thing I never wanted to do before) and eating so much better for 2 weeks... and lost 5 lbs.

I did everything wrong working out... I over ate my calories and overestimated my burn ...but it's easier to count your food calories with MFP than I ever thought it would be.

I think the type of work out matters too, I was trying mostly weight lifting and not enough aerobics, this time I've reversed that.

Womona

You have to do both to get the maximum benefits. Most people don't like to exercise, certainly not initially. I'd start with just plain old walking (a pedometer is nice), and really use this site to take a good hard look at your food choices. I don't like "diet" - think of it as a lifestyle change. Going on a diet is temporary, lifestyle change is permanent. You can do it! You won't be sorry.

27strange

I think the 2 go nicely hand in hand, a marriage built to last. BUT I think diet comes first as far as losing weight. Exercise increases fitness, metabolism, tones muscles, etc. For me however, I don't think I could do one without the other very easily. I am able to maintain my eating diet because I am exercising. I have the urge and motivation to exercise because I want to improve fitness and looks, therefore healthy eating is also a priority. So I don't do one without the other.

lilchris

In my opinion watching your diet would be your best bet. You have already admitted that it would be easier to start that way and you will notice more weight loss and more energy if you change your diet. If you start with excersize you are likely to drag if you aren't eating right, it will be hard to get motivated and you will not have as big a drop in weight if you are keeping up the calories. Excersize is really important but if i had to chose, cut the calories.

Bamacraft

In the past i always did both but failed. I would get too serious too fast and I guess just crashed my immune system. This time I started with only exercise for a couple months and slowly changed my diet. I am now at a decent 165ish and pretty much have hit my goal, all about inches and how toned i can get now. I dont think you can go wrong either way but for some doing both at once may be too much of a system shock.

AndreaWyland

I vote for both are equally important:) = my two cents.

lawtechie

I'd say diet and here's why.

I have been walking 20+ miles/week for over 5 months and up until 2 months ago i GAINED weight, because I was eating way more than burning.

Now by watching what I'm eating and keeping up with the exercise the weight is coming off slowly but surely.

It can be hard for overweight people to start two things at once. Id focus on eating right and getting 1 - 2 days of exercise/week and slowly increase it from there.

LorinaLynn

For me, exercise was the missing link. My food intake wasn't THAT bad... I was just too sedentary to eat like that. I probably eat more now than I did when I gained weight, but there was no way I could have run six miles a year ago.

kklindsey

diet. I lost my first 120lbs with diet alone and added exercise when I was ready. I also was never the type to stick with exercise and didn't want my weight loss or maintenance to be dependent on it. Now of course I work out 6 days a week but I would still start with diet first.

ambermichon

to merely lose pounds diet would be more important...I however do not want to be one of those people who is thin and flabby with no muscle tone. I desire to be FIT and HEALTHY. So I combine both....cardio, weight lifting etc and eating healthy...eating more and not starving myself. The pounds may come off slower, but its in a healthy, sustainable way. Even though I havent reached my goal weight yet I am happy with my body because I am fit from exercise....I have muscle. :-)

sugarbone

80% diet and 20% exercise is the general consensus for losing weight. Even when you start building muscle, a huge part of it is how you eat.

How much you eat determines your size
How much (and how) you exercise determines your composition

Cardio will speed up reducing your size and maybe improve your composition because it does use some muscles, but lifting weights once you have a low body fat percentage is what will give you a killer body. Also, there is no such thing as toning your muscles! I know it's a common phrase but you build them, not tone them... tone has nothing to do with strength or size or definition.

jamiealdridge02

Definitely diet. I actually gain weight if I exercise too much but don't eat well. I tend to get a little carried away. Plus sometimes I eat a lot planning on working it off later but I skip a workout & I gain. I would say concentrate on diet only for a month or so and then begin adding workouts like walking for another month & then add in resistance training while maintaining. The good diet. I've dropped 20lbs doin this but I have found diet is key. I need my workouts for fitness & tonin, but I count on my diet for weight loss.

runamym

I've heard the guy that writes those "Eat This, Not That" books (on the Today show sometimes) say that changing your diet is the easiest, best thing to do - more than exercise. It's more likely to stay with you long-term -- you adopting it as your new lifestyle forever.
For me personally, I'm too impatient. I want good results fast. And you get those if you do both -- exercise (real, sweat-dripping, heart pumping exercise) and diet (new way of eating for life!). I'm highly motivated by good, fast results -- more likely to not quit. So I committed to an exercise program and a diet.
You don't have to go to a gym to exercise. I do at-home exercise DVD collections. Those are great - done in privacy of your own home, when you want. You can do it!