Diet vs exercise

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formbuddy
formbuddy Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
An interesting research article that seems to suggest that diet is more effective than exercise for weight loss:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/01/dieting-vs-exercise-for-weight-loss/
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Replies

  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
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    My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    I agree. Its hard to out exercise a bad diet
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

    ^^^^ This
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

    Yup, me too. I exercise less these days but I pay far more attention to my nutrition and the results are impressive.

    And that 20% exercise just consists of walking at a moderate pace (good low-impact fat-burning exercise) and some resistance training (for maintaining and adding muscle). No more mad runs or gut-busting bike rides for me ...
  • MissMormie
    MissMormie Posts: 359 Member
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    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...)
  • ash190489
    ash190489 Posts: 587 Member
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    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! :smile:
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
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    I just read a few days ago diet is 90% about weight loss. First time I ever heard it.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Didn't someone post this exact article on here yesterday?
  • Welshie_girl
    Welshie_girl Posts: 107 Member
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    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
  • rachelblair09
    rachelblair09 Posts: 33
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    i would say it depends on how much u exercise. i exercise 5 times a week for at least 2 hours a day, i maintain a healthy diet with alot of high protein, low fat foods, and i always maintain my weight. never loose any, never put on any! so prob half and half!
  • mirandamayhem
    mirandamayhem Posts: 772
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    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.
  • basillowe66
    basillowe66 Posts: 432 Member
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    I think the word "diet" has kind of a negative conitation. I really look at is as a life changing experience. It is getting rid of the junk food and starting to eat right.

    I think if you have 30 lbs or so like I wanted to get rid of then excersize and diet speeds up the weight loss process! Also in my case, running, allows you to eat more if you want! I don't. I pretty much stay to my 1200 calorie limit, sometime a little more 100 or 200 calories. And sometimes less by the same amount.

    I was a cookie and ice cream junkie. Anything sweet . Now I don't allow any! Once I get to my goal weight, then I will be able to jst eat a little of that stuff. Now I would really overdue it.

    Basil
  • bbchickpea
    bbchickpea Posts: 48 Member
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    My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

    This : )

    You can't out train a bad diet
  • Fitty_Cent
    Fitty_Cent Posts: 41 Member
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    It's possible to exercise like a crazy person and still put on weight. I went on a bicycle tour, albeit an easier one, where we were cycling between four and nine hours a day doing between 35 and 75 miles a day, sometimes up mountains. I figured I could eat whatever I wanted, so I went all out (ice cream, chips, steak, whatever). In two months of the most serious exercise I've ever done, I managed to actually get fatter! Now if I work out, I don't allow myself to go nuts with the food. I figure if I'm going to eat it all back on and then some, I might as well just sit on the couch and relax.
  • raiderrodney
    raiderrodney Posts: 617 Member
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    My understanding has always been 80% diet 20% exercise.

    ^this ;)
  • bbchickpea
    bbchickpea Posts: 48 Member
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    [/quote]
    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! :smile:
    [/quote]

    I just had to say that old lady sounds like my hero and i've never even met her : )
  • puffidredz
    puffidredz Posts: 119 Member
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    agreed. i didnt exercise for 2 days this week but i ate healthy and still lost a few pounds.
  • themusicmom922
    themusicmom922 Posts: 1
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    AMEN! I'll be on the treadmill beside you!
  • Maryaly40
    Maryaly40 Posts: 551 Member
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    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! :smile:

    ^^^^^THIS!
  • sing4me4you
    sing4me4you Posts: 88 Member
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    I think this article is right on for what I have experienced. I've exercised for years regularly and still had weight issues. For almost a year I've been on MFP and my success has been mixed at best. When I go to the calculator, it seems to correlate exactly what I have experienced. I have no intention to stop exercising since it is really part of my life and offers a great benefit to my self esteem, and overall physical and mental outlook. I do think, however, my expectation for weight loss needs to be modified. I don't intend to stop that either, I just need to realize I'll never be one of those MFPers who loose 60 lbs in a year.

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