Just a general question

myiceisonfire

What do you think makes you lose weight fast, between these two options.

Cutting back on what you eat, without working out?
Or
Eating your regular calories, with working out?


I know it's faster to lose weight by cutting back on calories, and working out, but that wasn't the question =P

Edit: This is a general question, not a question about me. I ask because I know a lot of people who don't want to cut back & work out. They either want to eat everything & work out.. Or cut back on food & not work out. I'm just curious which of the two would make you lose faster.

achampionsheart

i would guess probably cutting back on calories w/o working out.....although this is not really healthy in my opinion

Acg67

you can create a caloric deficit either way, it won't make a difference assuming the same caloric deficit

Maria_Goose

If you solely want to lose weight, cutting back and not working out is much better. If you wanna be healthier and more athletic, work out and eat.

bry_all01

You are already at 1200, the minimum healthy amount of calories to sustain body maintanence. If you drop any lower OR if you stay at 1200 and work out, you are creating a deficit either way. When you create a deficit, you are NOT going to lose any weight, not to mention, it is just not healthy putting your body into starvation mode.


ETA: As scary as it sounds, try INCREASING your calories by 200 and workout. See what that gets you and please remmeber to eat back your exercise calories.

ameyc2002

agree with everyone work out and cut calories is best but in my opinion i did try working out everyday last year with out cutting back calories to much and nothing happened... so i think if i had to chose it would be cut those calories

n_unocero

cutting back and not working out will make you lose weight faster.

eating and working out will make you lose body fat faster.

so it's either be light and flabby or weight a little bit more and be toned. i'd prefer the latter.

bigdawg025

For me it's definitely working out more. If I don't work out I will gain every time.

bry_all01

cutting back and not working out will make you lose weight faster.

eating and working out will make you lose body fat faster.

so it's either be light and flabby or weight a little bit more and be toned. i'd prefer the latter.

So, she is currently at 1200 calories, how much do you think she should cut out AND workout? That is just not healthy in my personal opinion....

billsica

n_unocero

cutting back and not working out will make you lose weight faster.

eating and working out will make you lose body fat faster.

so it's either be light and flabby or weight a little bit more and be toned. i'd prefer the latter.

So, she is currently at 1200 calories, how much do you think she should cut out AND workout? That is just not healthy in my personal opinion....

i didn't say cut AND workout. i said eat and workout.

NashvilleShelley

My experience...when I exercise and eat what I want I do lose weight - very slow. It took me a year to lose 20 lbs. just by walking 3 miles/5 days a week. I stopped walking and gained back 5 pounds per month! When I diet and don't exercise I lose about 2 lbs. the first week but after that I don't stick to the diet any longer. Lesson learned: combine them both, lose it faster, get in a good exercise habit for life, and hopefully it won't ever come back!

havingitall

They say that diet is 80% of your weight loss. I slipped on my eating for a while and kept exercising like a fiend... I gained weight back. If you only want to do one ( which I can't understand why if you are serious) then cut back on the food.

bcattoes

For me it's definitely eating regular calories with working out.

Generally I make very few diet changes when I need to lose weight because the only time I gain weight is when I stop working out.

bry_all01

cutting back and not working out will make you lose weight faster.

eating and working out will make you lose body fat faster.

so it's either be light and flabby or weight a little bit more and be toned. i'd prefer the latter.

So, she is currently at 1200 calories, how much do you think she should cut out AND workout? That is just not healthy in my personal opinion....

i didn't say cut AND workout. i said eat and workout.

I was confused from this portion "cutting back and not working out will make you lose weight faster."

n_unocero

if you cut cals you'll lose weight...aka the scale will tell you you're lighter. but you'll still look soft and flabby, and "skinny-fat" isn't usually the look people want to achieve.

Beatrix0810

So, I have a related question: If I'm eating 1200 calories and then I burn, say, 300....does it have the same metabolism damaging effect as just NOT eating the 1200 calories? I'm just asking because you'd technically be consuming 1200 calories and sometimes it's hard to eat those excercise calories back if you're just not hungry.

myiceisonfire

You are already at 1200, the minimum healthy amount of calories to sustain body maintanence. If you drop any lower OR if you stay at 1200 and work out, you are creating a deficit either way. When you create a deficit, you are NOT going to lose any weight, not to mention, it is just not healthy putting your body into starvation mode.


ETA: As scary as it sounds, try INCREASING your calories by 200 and workout. See what that gets you and please remmeber to eat back your exercise calories.

It was a "general" question. Not a question relating to me... I personally eat my food & work out. (The way it should be done). I just know a lot of people that don't want to do both, so they either want to A) Work out, or Cut back on food. I'm just curious which of those do make you lose faster.

bcattoes

You are already at 1200, the minimum healthy amount of calories to sustain body maintanence. If you drop any lower OR if you stay at 1200 and work out, you are creating a deficit either way. When you create a deficit, you are NOT going to lose any weight, not to mention, it is just not healthy putting your body into starvation mode.


ETA: As scary as it sounds, try INCREASING your calories by 200 and workout. See what that gets you and please remmeber to eat back your exercise calories.

It was a "general" question. Not a question relating to me... I personally eat my food & work out. (The way it should be done). I just know a lot of people that don't want to do both, so they either want to A) Work out, or Cut back on food. I'm just curious which of those do make you lose faster.

Doing both will be faster, but depending on what you were eating before you decided to lose weight it may not be the healthiest. I eat 1500 - 2000 calories a day. Have for decades. At this calorie level I gain weight when I stop working out. As long as I'm working out regularly I achieve and maintain a healthy weight so no need to cut calories. If I were eating more I'd probably need to cut them. If I were eating less, I'd probably not get enough nutrients if I cut them.

russellma

For me, it's definitely eating and working out.

In fact, cutting back to 1200 cals and working out did not work at all for me. Since I added a couple hundred cals and eating back some of my exercise cals, I've been slowly but steadily losing.

firedragon064

Lose weight is 80% eating, 20% exercise.
Specially if you are not heavy, you don't burn that much calorie through cardio work out. Also exercise does make some people eat more. HIIT and weight lifting is the way to go. But to keep the weight off permanently, exercise is a must.

bcattoes

Lose weight is 80% eating, 20% exercise.
Specially if you are not heavy, you don't burn that much calorie through cardio work out. Also exercise does make some people eat more. HIIT and weight lifting is the way to go. But to keep the weight off permanently, exercise is a must.

No, that's not true for everyone. There are plenty of people that go through life never working out and remain thin because they are either blessed with a naturally high metabolism and/or they just don't eat much. Exercise is healthier but if you are just talking about weight, a lot is dependant on individual makeup.