Is losing weight more diet or more exercise?

piexcore

Alright. I'll admit it. I eat badly. I eat processed junk food for most meals BUT I always eat within my calorie limit. I exercise everyday for at least and hour, usually more (high impact Zumba, jogging, walking, eliptical, yoga ect.) I've been in a long plateau, and recently I've upped my calorie intake, started eating back some of my exercise calories, even weight training (>_<) to no avail.
Am I just being impatient? Or do I honestly just need to eat better?

beckajw

Losing weight is more diet. You get a better looking body (more toned) through exercise. And, yes, exercise does help to burn a few extra calories. But diet is key.

I'm not sure how long you have "upped your calorie intake", but you should give it at least a month.

kristen6022

Diet. You HAVE to change the way you eat to lose weight, IMO.

Others will tell you otherwise, but until I got my mind wrapped around eating the right things for my body the weight stayed around.

vtmoon

Diet is the biggest thing when trying to lose weight. You have to clean your diet if you want better results sadly. Don't get me wrong exercise helps but the diet is the big one.

neverstray

90% diet.

fallonrhea

I didn't start to get close to my goal weight until I paid attention to my macronutrient ratios (%carbs vs. %protein vs. %fat). I lost ~20 pounds by increasing my exercise over the course of a year or two - but now that I'm getting closer to my goal, decreasing my carbs and increasing my protein has been extremely helpful.

What works for me may not necessarily work for you or anyone else though...I would talk to a nutritionist!

KyleB65

I would say 80% eating.

I used to workout big 4x plus per week but I ate way too much!

As soon as I started logging my meals I was astonished at how many calories & sodium I was consuming daily. From there I started following the MFP suggestions and I lost over 80 lbs in less than a year.

piexcore

Losing weight is more diet. You get a better looking body (more toned) through exercise. And, yes, exercise does help to burn a few extra calories. But diet is key.

I'm not sure how long you have "upped your calorie intake", but you should give it at least a month.

Lol, I only upped the base by fifty calories, but I've been eating around 200-300 more than usual (eating back exercise) for about a month. To be honest, I've been eating nearly exactly 1200 calories a day since I was 17 so my metabolism may be a little shot.

newmooon56

I worked like a dog for years at the gym- at first I shrunk- I had to - I had some extra fluff... but then it stopped on a dime. I was 23.5% body fat after a long challenge I did at the gym and figured I had 'DID IT' - however I often wondered why I never improved from there as I worked so hard still... I wondered why other ppl never changed either that Id see spin that bike hours a week and lift weights..

Then I learned without changing the diet some things simply will never change no matter how many hours running or lifting light weights. As women we get tempted into thinking some 8# bicep curls 3x a week is all we need and we'll be toned and healthy.

Meh! Someone spot me! I still love running- but I want to continue to lift more and more as I get stronger. I also will watch my diet for the rest of my life knowing if I dont I will gain back, as I did the last few years when my work outs slowed to almost a halt.

We need to eat right and exercise our whole lives. I cant imagine there comes a time where exercising regularly wont be needed as much as wanted. As for diet- if you tweaked it- you might just be amazed in as little time as 2 or 4 weeks by your results.

eganita

I didn't start to get close to my goal weight until I paid attention to my macronutrient ratios (%carbs vs. %protein vs. %fat). I lost ~20 pounds by increasing my exercise over the course of a year or two - but now that I'm getting closer to my goal, decreasing my carbs and increasing my protein has been extremely helpful.

What works for me may not necessarily work for you or anyone else though...I would talk to a nutritionist!

I am about 10-15 lbs from my goal and having trouble now myself. What macro ratios worked well for you? Thanks in advance!

stylistchik

Definitely more diet, and although any calorie deficit will result in weight loss you'll get better results with a quality over quantity mentality. Clean, unprocessed foods are best including plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Exercise has many benefits besides weight loss so it shouldn't be overlooked. It improves cardiovascular strength, immune function, and builds muscle which burns more calories than fat to maintain and gives you a lean figure.

locolew

It is mostly a game played between the ears.

alibel

Both are necessary for health. If you have recently included weight training into your routine you may not see the difference on the scale as much as the difference in how things are fitting you (as muscle is more dense than fat). Great job on adding weight training, it's known that adding that into a routine helps burn calories - muscle burns more calories even at rest than fat.

If you eat all processed foods you are filling your body with bad "fuel". Transfats are evil, our bodies don't even know how to process them (as they are man-made) and you can find them in processed foods in spades - this includes junk food AND supposed "health" food.

I have found that I keep my metabolism sparked by an occasional (once a week) eat-whatever-the-hell-I-want meal. This does two things: 1) "Surprises" my metabolism into gear & 2) Helps me not feel deprived.

You could always try a juice fast/reboot to detox all that stuff out of your body. Do be aware, it is NOT for the faint of heart - when your body finally releases those toxins and all the nasty stuff in your body it can be shocking/uncomfortable *at first*

Long answer short: No, you can't eat crap and expect your body to function at it's best

Good luck!

MinnieInMaine

I vote more diet as well. You can exercise all you want but if you're not eating right most of the time, you're not going to get the results you want.

ninakir88

Mostly diet.
Exercise is more for toning and motivation.

lwagnitz

I've heard 80% diet, 20% exercise.

And I agree... even if you're working out and burning 1,000 calories a day, it doesn't pay off if you're eating 4,000 in the kitchen. It's all about the calories you take in.

catpow2

Exercise alone will only take you so far if you still eat crap. Diet is more important.

Shawneb66

Diet is huge...I weigh everything I put in my mouth! I didn't when I first started and when I did...I was shocked! Measuring spoons and cups aren't as accurate as the scale!! It sure made a difference in my weight loss journey!

TavistockToad

It is mostly a game played between the ears.

this, but at some point you need to look at the quality of your calories!

Helloitsdan

80% diet, 20% rest, 10% working out.

WendyTerry420

You have to exercise portion control and burn more than you take in. So while diet is the most important part, it's much easier to lose weight if you exercise because you burn off calories, thereby increasing your caloric deficit.