Counting calories vs Exercise

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sugoober
sugoober Posts: 11 Member
in Getting Started
Hi there! I need some advice. I've been working out (Zumba, strength training, dance, step aerobics) for a while now. The weight loss was very slow and I attribute that to the fact that I was not counting calories. My question is this; Is diet or exercise more important? I understand the basics of weight loss. I'm just curious if its a 50/50 thing or if diet is more 80, exercise 20? TYIA!:smile:
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  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Doubt you could put a formula on it, but they definitely complement each other. Unless you're working out for hours at a time, it takes very little extra food intake to cancel out the calories burned during exercise. OTOH, if you don't work out while running a calorie deficit, you'll get muscle wastage and often your body will downshift its calorie burn to adapt to the lower intake.
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
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    I'd say diet 75% workouts 25%.
  • JenRunTriHappyGirl
    JenRunTriHappyGirl Posts: 521 Member
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    I would say loosing weight is more about diet than exercise. However, being healthy involves both 50/50. Does that make sense? You have to reduce your caloric intake in order to loose weight which does not have to include exercise. Exercise makes your body stronger, including your heart, which makes you healthier.
  • shirleygirl910
    shirleygirl910 Posts: 503 Member
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    You say you are not counting calories, but are you logging your food and checking portion sizes? Sometimes it's amazing how much we are eating when we feel like we are starving ourselves. Portion size is very decieving sometimes.

    Exercise is great. It has helped me in the maintenance phase, but I still have to watch my portions and calories. If I cut out exercise I don't think I would survive. I would end up putting the weight back on....and we are not going there again!!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    Most people naturally eat more as they exercise more, unless they are tracking. So if you try to lose with exercise alone, most people will fall short.
  • Ziggy_999
    Ziggy_999 Posts: 1
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    I go to a bootcamp 3x a week - the certified personal trainer that runs it told me that diet/nutrition is about 80% of the weight loss equation, exercise about 20%. Definitely try to log the calories you are eating, and remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so no loss on the scale doesn't mean you're not making progress!
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    Both are important but if you are trying to lose weight I would suggest tracking your calories. As others have posted some of the numbers will surprise you and I have found that by tracking I make better choices. Personally I would say it's about 70% diet and 30% exercise for weight loss but for a healthy lifestyle both are equally important. Do what works for you but if you track your food I am sure you will be surprised.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,568 Member
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    I go to a bootcamp 3x a week - the certified personal trainer that runs it told me that diet/nutrition is about 80% of the weight loss equation, exercise about 20%. Definitely try to log the calories you are eating, and remember that muscle weighs more than fat, so no loss on the scale doesn't mean you're not making progress!

    k - there you have it :smile:
  • Karen_LM
    Karen_LM Posts: 61 Member
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    In the short term, diet alone works better than exercise alone. In the long term BOTH are necessary.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Diet for weight control, exercise for fitness...

    My maintenance calories with a light active lifestyle with NO exercise is roughly 2,350 calories. This means that to lose roughly 1 lb per week I would have to eat 1,850 calories 2,350 - 1,850 = 500 calorie deficit) with zero exercise.

    My average maintenance calories with exercise are between 2700 - 2800 calories...so to lose that same 1 Lb per week I could now eat 2,200 or 2,300 calories per day because I've increased my level of activity with exercise and still have a 500 calorie deficit...plus I'm improving my fitness and overall health and preserving muscle mass.

    Trying to create a calorie deficit with exercise is extremely inefficient...you will miss workout...you will have days where you couldn't/don't go as hard and don't burn as much, etc. It is very easy to control 500 calories less in consumption than it is output.

    Again...diet for weight control; exercise for fitness.
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
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    Diet is most important. It doesn't matter how much you exercise if you eat more than what you're burning, IME.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    It's like 99/1.

    Calories rule the whole process. Exercise, in terms of weight loss, is primarily just another way to create a calorie deficit. You can undo a zumba workout with a single large cookie, so managing calories is the most important by a huge margin.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
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    It's all in what you make of it. You can lose weight with ZERO exercise if you count calories correctly. Many people here have done just that. A good mix of both is what I recommend.
  • shells22
    shells22 Posts: 56 Member
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    I would day nutrition takes the lead and excercise helps the body nourish the food as fuel and keeps the mind/hormones balanced so you don't feel crazy. This reminder helped me when I was craving processed crap and each and every day it got easier and now I don't crave certain things. Hope this helped!
  • BreatheAshley
    BreatheAshley Posts: 130 Member
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    Diet is more important than exercise sadly.

    70% Diet and 30% Exercise.
  • Guitarjon
    Guitarjon Posts: 204 Member
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    Depends what your goals are. I know plenty of low weight people who are unfit. By unfit I mean they couldn't run for a substantial amount of time etc. I'm pretty large but I'm fit as a fiddle in terms of sports.

    To loose body fat you need to be on a calorie deficit. You can do this without exercise. To be healthier- lungs, heart etc and gain more calories you need to exercise.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    Hi there! I need some advice. I've been working out (Zumba, strength training, dance, step aerobics) for a while now. The weight loss was very slow and I attribute that to the fact that I was not counting calories. My question is this; Is diet or exercise more important? I understand the basics of weight loss. I'm just curious if its a 50/50 thing or if diet is more 80, exercise 20? TYIA!:smile:
    I've been working out (Zumba, strength training, dance, step aerobics) for a while now. The weight loss was very slow and I attribute that to the fact that I was not counting calories. My question is this; Is diet or exercise more important? I understand the basics of weight loss.
    The weight loss was very slow and I attribute that to the fact that I was not counting calories. My question is this; Is diet or exercise more important?
    The weight loss was very slow and I attribute that to the fact that I was not counting calories.

    There is your answer.
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
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    You lose weight by eating at a caloric deficit.

    You look good nekkid by working out.
  • bc2ct
    bc2ct Posts: 222 Member
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    Unless you are a high performance athlete, diet is probably more important. The thing is that exercise in any amount will kickstart a metabolic response and make you hungry... unless you are working out an enormous amount (and I mean burning 1000+kcal per day or spending more than an hour doing high intensity exercise) you really have to watch your diet carefully or you may end up eating a larger amount in excess with exercise than without.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
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    What they ^ said.

    Calories in vs Calories out for weight loss.

    So you can do it by diet alone. You DO need to keep a track of both sets of calories really, so you know you're eating the right amount for your desired results.

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