Diet VS Exercise

cjransom
cjransom Posts: 42
edited January 1 in Food and Nutrition
Gary Taube's book: Good Calories Bad Calories has painted a picture so far that carbs are the main issue. Other things are going on here but I haven't finished the book yet... but I've also heard nothing official that diet controls your body weight more than exercise.

Anybody got ideas to confirm or deny that?

I personally thing that exercise helps, but in my case I'm moving a lot more... but I'm not reaching an aerobic state much so I don't think I'm burning as many calories.

I do martial arts 4 nights a week... but it's not a lot of aerobic activity. Walking on the other hand makes me sweat up a storm and I can feel my body still in that mode when I stop for 10 minutes easily.

I'm consuming roughly 1600 calories plus half of what I typically get back from exercise... and I try to stay around 100 carbs a day or less.

I'm seeing trickle weight loss. I just doesn't seem to be happening. Like a week or 2 for 1 pound or a half... it's been very slow, and I bounce up and down too.

Replies

  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Not sure what exactly he says in the book, so take this for what it's worth...

    As far as weight goes (gain or loss), an energy surplus or deficit will determine whether or not you gain/lose weight. If you want to lose weight, you need to be in a deficit... that can be done with diet alone or diet + exercise. A reasonable balance of macros should not be overlooked, however... even with a good balance, too many cals is too many cals, and the surplus will lead to weight gain.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Gary Taube's book: Good Calories Bad Calories has painted a picture so far that carbs are the main issue. Other things are going on here but I haven't finished the book yet... but I've also heard nothing official that diet controls your body weight more than exercise.

    Anybody got ideas to confirm or deny that?

    I think that Taubes is wrong. I also think that Taubes is very convincing, but when you use several studies that support your conclusion while excluding the studies that refute your conclusion, you can paint a pretty convincing picture.

    I think James Krieger has some information that you might want to consider:

    http://weightology.net/?p=251
    http://weightology.net/?p=265
    http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/?page_id=319
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    A balanced diet is much better than one without enough carbs!
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Both are important, but results for weight loss will mostly come from diet. Exercise will help you look good, feel good, and be able to burn more calories through having muscle.

    But you can't out-train a bad diet.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    At your weight, being male, I think 1600 is too low. Do some research. You need to eat a bit more.....unless you're 5'2". At least start eating the exercise calories.
  • nphect
    nphect Posts: 474
    Gary Taube's book: Good Calories Bad Calories has painted a picture so far that carbs are the main issue. Other things are going on here but I haven't finished the book yet... but I've also heard nothing official that diet controls your body weight more than exercise.

    Anybody got ideas to confirm or deny that?

    I personally thing that exercise helps, but in my case I'm moving a lot more... but I'm not reaching an aerobic state much so I don't think I'm burning as many calories.

    I do martial arts 4 nights a week... but it's not a lot of aerobic activity. Walking on the other hand makes me sweat up a storm and I can feel my body still in that mode when I stop for 10 minutes easily.

    I'm consuming roughly 1600 calories plus half of what I typically get back from exercise... and I try to stay around 100 carbs a day or less.

    I'm seeing trickle weight loss. I just doesn't seem to be happening. Like a week or 2 for 1 pound or a half... it's been very slow, and I bounce up and down too.

    i think you would benefit greatly from heart rate training, ive done it before and it gives you a good idea of what your body is doing and where your body is at.

    get yourself a heart rate monitor and possibly a heart rate training program (id just google one, but i bought a small book)

    gives you target areas like fat burning zones is like 120-145

    tempo cardio is 150-165

    your max is probably like 195, so you know if your also working too hard and need to slow down.

    the good that will come out of it is you will understand at what levels of exercise you are actually working enough, not working enough, or working too much.

    hope this helps.


    actually i just saw your 42 , so your max is probably like 185, and the other numbers i posted are lower.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    Diet vs Exercise <<<<< My first thought is that there is no 'vs'...the 2 go hand in hand in order to sustain a healthy lifestyle. Second - Carbs are not the enemy. There are a lot of people out there that will tell you carbs made them fat. A calorie surplus made them fat and I'm sure a good portion of that calorie surplus was useless empty carbs.

    Eat healthy balanced meals and snacks, stay within your calorie goal, get enough protein and exercise...it doesn't get anymore complicated then that.
  • ukgirly01
    ukgirly01 Posts: 523 Member
    Sisson in the Primal Blueprint blames bad carbs for most weight gain, He's an interesting read and since i've gone "Primal" the weight is coming off more easily.
  • cjransom
    cjransom Posts: 42
    1600 may be too low but it is what My Fitness Pal recommends.

    It occurs to me I could be consuming too few. The funny thing is I've lost 47 pounds. In Jan I was at 263 and down to 236 by April. The last 20 pounds down to 216 have been up and down.
  • nphect
    nphect Posts: 474
    1600 may be too low but it is what My Fitness Pal recommends.

    It occurs to me I could be consuming too few. The funny thing is I've lost 47 pounds. In Jan I was at 263 and down to 236 by April. The last 20 pounds down to 216 have been up and down.

    whats your TDEE
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    Gary Taubes is absolute knowledge poison when it comes to dieting/losing weight. Biggest thing is he's very convincing and so many beleive him.

    Some Gary Taubes concepts that are wrong:

    1) Calories in/out is the governing factor when it comes to weight change. Taubes beleives that the entire calorie model is way off base and totally wrong conceptually. Most other low carbers at least acknoledge that the CI/CO model still governs, while Taubes blasts the model.

    2) Contrary to what Taubes tells you (and a solid majority of people, who don't know any better), your body does NOT store excess carbs as fat. This is flat out false and science has proved this many times. Its called De Novo Lipogenesis (if anyone wants to Google a bit to remove the fog that Taubes has put on knowlege). Yes there are conditions where it can occur in the body, but everyone can safely assume it will never happen to them in a significant way, as it requires extreme conditions. Eating excess carbs slows the rate of fat burn, the carbs do not turn into fat.

    3) There is not a vast government-corporate conspiracy to make and keep you fat. Though it sure helps to rile people up and make beleivers out of them. The paleo world has embraced this Taubesism with open arms.

    4) Diet foods for the most part aren't actually worse. Taubes certainly helped along this particular argument that you see. This is repeated ad nasueam, anyone that's ever done any comparison shopping knows that in general diet foods (esp the low fat ones he specifically attacks) almost always are lower calorie than their non-diet counterparts. There are very, very few exceptions to this. Most that repeat this line clearly have never actually looked at labels or comparison shopped (and given how often its reapeated, this is downright disgraceful).
  • vidvox
    vidvox Posts: 62 Member
    For what it's worth, I've been reading some of Tosca Reno's books lately on clean eating. She maintains that a person's weight is 80% attributable to diet, 10% to exercise and 10% to genetic factors. That is just the number on the scale though, obviously a person can be thin and unfit if they don't exercise.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    1600 may be too low but it is what My Fitness Pal recommends.

    It occurs to me I could be consuming too few. The funny thing is I've lost 47 pounds. In Jan I was at 263 and down to 236 by April. The last 20 pounds down to 216 have been up and down.

    Right, so you need to readjust your calorie intake now. What worked at first stops working when you get this close to your goal.

    Set your Goals here with this in mind:

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


    MFP is a "dumb" tool. It will do it's best to help you reach whatever unrealistic goals you ask it to help you with.

    Set your Activity Level here realistically. Just because "Sedentary" is one of the choices, doesn't make it the truth - unless you have no job, don't go to school, and don't do any chores, care for children, or move off the chair.

    Since you are so close to your goal, you really have to eat the calories earned by exercise, too. That is the way this site is intended to be used. You cannot trick your body long-term. It has a rock in its glove. By not eating enough, all you are doing is making it harder to lose, your body will slow down its processes to conserve what little fuel you are giving it.

    Read these:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo


    There are also some sticky posts at the top of the forums. Read them too.

    The other guy asked your TDEE. You need to know this. Read this thread below to help you figure your TDEE for reference.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    If you decide to use the Road Map method, you would NOT eat back exercise calories. You need to know your TDEE, though.

    I suspect 1600 is too low.

  • JasonDetwiler
    JasonDetwiler Posts: 364 Member
    A balanced diet is much better than one without enough carbs!

    I agree, but differing goals will determine the right amount of carbs.
  • luvmypwds
    luvmypwds Posts: 81
    Weight management is 80% diet 20% exercise. 80/20 rule.
  • cjransom
    cjransom Posts: 42
    On days that I am less active realistically I'm around 2700.

    3-4 days a week I go to my marital arts class those days I think it's roughly around 3000.

    I'm sure there is some variances here but that's a pretty realistic TDEE using a calculator and over estimating how much I'm idle. I don't sleep much... 6-7 hours at the most. I have an office job so the only time I'm active is when I'm at my class.

    So if I'm eating around 1600 calories a day... and I checked my last 30 days and I'm never eating more than a net of 1800 calories.

    Am I under eating?
    1600 may be too low but it is what My Fitness Pal recommends.

    It occurs to me I could be consuming too few. The funny thing is I've lost 47 pounds. In Jan I was at 263 and down to 236 by April. The last 20 pounds down to 216 have been up and down.

    whats your TDEE
  • cjransom
    cjransom Posts: 42
    These are very helpful thank you.

    Right, so you need to readjust your calorie intake now. What worked at first stops working when you get this close to your goal.

    Set your Goals here with this in mind:

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.


    MFP is a "dumb" tool. It will do it's best to help you reach whatever unrealistic goals you ask it to help you with.

    Set your Activity Level here realistically. Just because "Sedentary" is one of the choices, doesn't make it the truth - unless you have no job, don't go to school, and don't do any chores, care for children, or move off the chair.

    Since you are so close to your goal, you really have to eat the calories earned by exercise, too. That is the way this site is intended to be used. You cannot trick your body long-term. It has a rock in its glove. By not eating enough, all you are doing is making it harder to lose, your body will slow down its processes to conserve what little fuel you are giving it.

This discussion has been closed.

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