Which is MOST important in weight loss: diet or exercise?

sunseasky
sunseasky Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
I know they're BOTH important, but if you can choose just one to focus on and WHY?
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Replies

  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    for strictly weight loss: Diet. You can diet away weight without exercise at all. You can't out-exercise a bad diet.

    for FAT loss: it's a little more complicated.
  • My0WNinspiration
    My0WNinspiration Posts: 1,146 Member
    Diet
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    <
    Diet.
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member
    Diet
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    Weight loss happens in the Kitchen, fitness happens in the gym.
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    Look good = diet
    Look great naked = exercise ... which is the main reason why I lift weights and workout.
  • emrp22
    emrp22 Posts: 14
    Diet, as in a healthy diet that will last after weight goal is reached, not one to simply lose weight. Exercise is important, too, but I think many forget that by simply moving around as much as possible doing everyday stuff, you can also help your weight loss if you, for some reason, are unable to work out.
  • jelineee
    jelineee Posts: 81 Member
    diet
  • SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish
    SoLongAndThanksForAllTheFish Posts: 831 Member
    Depends on how much muscle you have, how heavy you are, how long term you are looking and how much time you have. I lost 10lbs in a week mostly due to exercise for a competition. But I wouldn't even attempt that now that I don't have the time and I'm looking to change long term. And unless you were in good to great shape already, I'd also say never even try to do half of it.

    Not watching your diet can negate even the biggest calorie deficits too: for example I ate most of my calories back in the form of a pizza and beer after burning 3200 cals hiking 5hrs+ one day...so essentially you can say why even work out to lose weight without watching your diet? (if you are talking about weight loss) My 3200 calorie burn that day equaled no accelerated weight loss, but my daily walks and several weight training sessions create a small deficit I'm losing on. Well, until holidays they did...because I'm not restricting the diet... :)
  • kayla_who
    kayla_who Posts: 540 Member
    Diet is most important.

    However I have a friend who has lost 30 pounds just walking 5 miles a day. I think she's hit a plateau now tho that only diet will break.
  • leblacol
    leblacol Posts: 2 Member
    Definitely diet. I've been exercising for years, but I only lose weight when I pay attention to what I eat.
  • quicklabs
    quicklabs Posts: 254 Member
    Diet, if the only goal is weight loss.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Weight loss is dependent on eating at a calorie deficit.

    Exercise is for fitness.

    So the answer to the question in regards to weight loss would be eating less.
  • MaryMBacon
    MaryMBacon Posts: 94 Member
    I'm going to say exercise, because active and overweight is healthier than lean and sedentary. I like to be different, but really it's true lean and sedentary has higher risk of heart disease than overweight and active.
  • MxcnMrcnZrr
    MxcnMrcnZrr Posts: 18 Member
    Diet for sure, however. Exercising allows you to eat more. Eating well, is easier for me when I can eat more food. Sucks only being able to eat a certain amount.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Diet.
  • ceebeez1975
    ceebeez1975 Posts: 48 Member
    diet. Exercise is really good for toning and getting fit but to lose weight it is 80% food
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,956 Member
    Regardless if you're gaining/losing/maintaining weight, it's always gong to be diet over exercise.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    I'm torn....
    I've lost weight with just doing the healthy eating thing..I weighed less on the scales but my clothes sizing was bigger than when I lost weight with ok eating & exercise. Scales were higher with the ok eating & exercise but clothes sizes were smaller & I had comments that I looked smaller than ever before (which according to the scales was not so)....

    But yeah...They say diet is the key.
  • dezb64
    dezb64 Posts: 109 Member
    Diet
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
    Diet.

    Yes, they are both important but you have to start somewhere. For me it was controlling the intake and making better choices. When you start eating better you feel better and when you start feeling better the more you start wanting to do. That's when exercise comes into play.
  • pierrena
    pierrena Posts: 37
    “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” ~John F. Kennedy




    Fitness And Nutrition For Health
    http://bit.ly/1a0qiog
    http://1topnew.blogspot.com/2013/11/fitness.html
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
    Diet
  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
    You eat to lose weight.
    You exercise for good health
  • vaporhockey83
    vaporhockey83 Posts: 84 Member
    Weight loss was diet for me. Strictly diet without exercise dropped 20-25 lbs for me. Once I started lifting, my clothes fit a lot nice and more compliments rolled in. I think it's already basically been said, but diet for weight loss. I haven't lost much lifting, but I assume that's muscle overtaking the fat. Unfortunately, I didn't take measurements, so all I can go on is that clothing that didn't fit before fits me now.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Diet is most important for weight loss. Exercise is most important for fitness, such as improved strength, endurance, flexibility and/or cardiovascular efficiency. It's also essential for preserving lean mass as you shed fat. You don't want to be all jiggly and flabby when you get to goal, right?

    Here's a personal example: the first time I trained for a marathon I ended up gaining a couple of pounds. This is because marathon training is hard work and makes you hungry. I wasn't watching my calories at the time, so I ended up eating back whatever I'd burned in training and then some. The second time I trained for a marathon I lost a couple of pounds. This is because I was logging my calories so I didn't end up taking in more than I burned. Exercise will only help you lose weight if it results in an overall calorie deficit. If you aren't watching your intake, you often just end up eating it all back. Weight loss is ALL about the calories.

    You probably will not lose weight with exercise alone, but you will enjoy tons of other health benefits. I recommend both.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Neither. Because it doesn't matter if the deficit is accomplished by increased activity or decreased caloric intake. With that said, diet will likely be the most influential since it's easier to reduce calories than drastically increase exercise expenditure.
  • overhaul12
    overhaul12 Posts: 20
    Diet. Not necessarily even cutting calories (even though more than likely it will be necessary to do so), but just changing the way you eat (less processed food, more fresh veggies/fruits/lean meats) can have a huge effect on weight loss. Someone nailed it in a previous post: Lose weight = diet; look good naked = exercise. Couldn't agree more.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    In some ways, it's both. While diet plays a greater role in creating and maintaining the calorie deficit, in real-life terms, those who lose weight via diet alone have a 90%+ long-term failure rate. And 90% of those who lose substantial weight and keep it off longer than two years average 50-60 min of exercise, 5-6 days per week.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Technically - probably diet, if you're primarily looking to lose weight. BUT...

    I started, this time, with exercise and I feel like people who told me all those years that I could lose weight with diet alone, or who said to start with diet and add exercise later, were doing me a huge disservice.

    --Exercising allows me to eat enough to not be desperately hungry and still lose weight.
    --Exercising increases my store of will power, making it easier to watch what I eat.
    --Exercising makes me healthier, even if I don't lose weight.
    --Exercising will increase your muscle mass, so that even if you don't lose weight, you'll lose fat.

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