Diet vs exercise

My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

^^^^ This

My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

I'd actually guess closer to 90% - 10%. Especially since you'll be more hungry from exercising, so if you don't watch what you eat you could actually gain weight from exercise.

(say you work out 5 days a week, but increase your food 7 days per week...)

I just read a few days ago diet is 90% about weight loss. First time I ever heard it.

You can't burn 3000 calories a day unless you sit at the gym for hours straight.... And if you do most likely you won't have time to eat 5000 calories / day lol..... Yes diet is more important for weight loss

I understand the 80/20 or 90/10 principle, and agree what you eat is of utmost importance. But I now honestly truly believe that diet absolutely NEEDS to be paired with exercise or rather movement of some sort. Especially if like me you have at least a 3rd of body weight to lose.
My body fat composition must be pretty disgusting, and while this will change with diet, it will improve more quickly with regular exercise. And not only does exercise improve muscle tone and metabolism, but it releases those endorphins and helps us feel better.
My heart sinks when I hear people say "Ooh I can diet and I don't have to exercise", and I've been guilty of that in the past, time and again. But those people are missing out on the many many benefits of exercise.
This is where i think quotes like "80% diet and 20% exercise" do damage, because it can be interpreted that exercise isn't very important.

My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

This : )

You can't out train a bad diet

My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

^this

agreed. i didnt exercise for 2 days this week but i ate healthy and still lost a few pounds.

My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

I'd actually guess closer to 90% - 10%. Especially since you'll be more hungry from exercising, so if you don't watch what you eat you could actually gain weight from exercise.

(say you work out 5 days a week, but increase your food 7 days per week...)

Well it is just a "guess" after all. My 80% vs 20% was founded by research on multiple different sites and discussing it with many different trainers.

However 90% vs 10% or 80% vs 20% doesn't suggest or mean that we should give up on exercise altogether. Diet is super important, however exercise has countless benefits that should not be overlooked. All I know is that I don't want to be a frail old woman who is in a nursing home early with poor bone density, no muscle mass and needing people to look after me. I want to be the old woman I see at the gym who's quite elderly, independent and still lifting weights and getting onto the treadmill!

^^^^^THIS!

Bump

I've been so stubborn about watching macros (fat, carbs, protein) and the quality of the fuel. Only after so many years of regular exercising and still not losing the gut I'm getting it. You can't out exercise a bad diet like many here have already said.
"Abs are made in the kitchen" is another good one.
Strictly speaking, and I'm no scientist, but anecdotal evidence from my logs you can lose weight by just counting calories. Eat 1500 calories of mcmuffins and fried chicken and you will lose more or less the same as in if you eat that in oatmeal, nuts, lean meats, salads and fruit.
However you will feel horrible.
You will experience some of this feelings or conditions: groggy, moody, weak, light headed, constipated, heart burn, bad quality sleep, hypertension, insulin spikes, high cholesterol, hungry, sluggish, water retention, lack of motivation, etc. the list goes on.
For many years I was a preacher of 'a calorie is a calorie is a calorie" and I still think that would be true based on my experimentation. I have been able to lose weight on a 'bad' unbalanced diet. But the good thing is that we much better ways of doing it.
Buying, preparing and eating better quality foods can be expensive, time consuming and sometimes unpleasant (only at first) but on the long run the benefits far outweigh the minor temporary inconveniences. So there you go. And thanks for the question it gave an opportunity to put down this thought that I've had in mind for a while.

I remember a study published a while ago (Baylor) that concluded exercise only (compared to diet only and diet with exercise) was most effective for keeping weight off the longest. The real takeaway I get from reading publish papers and personal anecdotes is most people just need to get moving. The diet somewhat takes care of itself after a fashion provided one is engaged in moderate to intense cardiovascular activity. I've also noticed a trend among "nutritionists" recommending NOT logging / tracking calories. . . (various reasons given). Whatever the case, initially exercise is most important.

The end goal is fitness. Getting there means incorporating a healthy diet and exercise.

My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

This has been my experience.

For 3 years I did 3 Capoeira classes per week + 2 JKD (kind of a MMA style martial art) and I ate what ever I wanted when ever I wanted. Figured that I was "earning" the food through my exercise.

WRONG!!!

The crap I was eating was more than offsetting the work I was doing in the gym! And, the crap I was eating almost killed me!

As soon as I started eating intelligent portions and moved away from "junk" food. My excess weight fell away.

Today, I am healthier and stronger than I have ever been in my life.