'Exercise doesn't matter for weight loss'

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  • sofiachohdary
    sofiachohdary Posts: 74
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    Losing weight or losing fat? :D

    Regardless, there's weight loss and then there's staying there. We have three options:
    1) Exercise only
    2) Diet only
    3) Exercise + Diet

    All three work.
    #3 will give you the fastest results
    #1 gives the longest lasting result

    Totally correct.
  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
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    I agree with the 80% Diet -10% Exercise - 10% Genetics view.

    I don't think of exercise as a weight-loss necessity like I used to. I use it for strength, flexibility, and mental health. In a way taking the "pressure" off my workouts. Instead of feeling like I need to do this to lose weight I do it because i like the way it makes me feel. Also I don't force myself to a time limit like I used to. If I only want to workout 15 minutes, well then that's all I do. About 5 years ago I switched to one workout a week. Some weeks I may do more if I want to but 90% of time I only workout once a week. Daily I try to be as active as possible. Playing with the kids, walking, and simply getting up and moving when I can.

    Sure exercise will help you lose weight if you don't simply eat back those calories but you can stop feeling guilty if you happen to miss a workout.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    I see a lot of people saying that diet is more important than exercise for weight loss, but why? If I'm on a stationary bike for 30 minutes I burn between 250-300 calories, so over 7 days that's between 1750-2100 calories burned by exercise, which combined with a calorie controlled diet, wouldn't that mean I would be losing an extra 1/2lb a week? (Theoretically)

    Exercise while very important is not required for weight loss, that simple. Losing weight is a matter of input and output, if you burn more than you consume, you will lose weight.

    Exercise is highly recommended because it makes creating a calorie deficit easier. If I don't exercise I have to better watch what I eat, I do exercise I'm allowed more. Exercise is also good for general health and fitness of course.

    One might be discouraged from losing weight because they can't get in a lot of time at the gym. If you look at it this way, there's no excuses why you can't.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I agree with the 80% Diet -10% Exercise - 10% Genetics view.

    I don't think of exercise as a weight-loss necessity like I used to. I use it for strength, flexibility, and mental health. In a way taking the "pressure" off my workouts. Instead of feeling like I need to do this to lose weight I do it because i like the way it makes me feel. Also I don't force myself to a time limit like I used to. If I only want to workout 15 minutes, well then that's all I do. About 5 years ago I switched to one workout a week. Some weeks I may do more if I want to but 90% of time I only workout once a week. Daily I try to be as active as possible. Playing with the kids, walking, and simply getting up and moving when I can.

    Sure exercise will help you lose weight if you don't simply eat back those calories but you can stop feeling guilty if you happen to miss a workout.

    I agree with this. I lost a lot of weight just through diet for the first few months, but started walking because of other benefits, and also because studies suggest regular exercise makes for more successful weight loss maintenance. I honestly don't think my "workouts" add much to my deficit, but they make me feel better in general and I miss them desperately when I'm too busy.

    Now, when I reach my target weight range, I'm pretty sure I'll focus on other objectives like a less jiggly butt, but whatever I do has to be primarily enjoyable and make me feel good rather than deliver amazing results.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I see a lot of people saying that diet is more important than exercise for weight loss, but why? If I'm on a stationary bike for 30 minutes I burn between 250-300 calories, so over 7 days that's between 1750-2100 calories burned by exercise, which combined with a calorie controlled diet, wouldn't that mean I would be losing an extra 1/2lb a week? (Theoretically)

    You misunderstand the point of saying that. Saying "exercise doesn't matter for weight loss" just means that you can lose weight without exercising because you can. Exercise is not REQUIRED for weight loss is all that means.

    Of course exercise can assist with weight loss and yes your math is correct.
  • KBmoments
    KBmoments Posts: 193 Member
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    I agree with the 80% Diet -10% Exercise - 10% Genetics view.

    I don't think of exercise as a weight-loss necessity like I used to. I use it for strength, flexibility, and mental health. In a way taking the "pressure" off my workouts. Instead of feeling like I need to do this to lose weight I do it because i like the way it makes me feel. Also I don't force myself to a time limit like I used to. If I only want to workout 15 minutes, well then that's all I do. About 5 years ago I switched to one workout a week. Some weeks I may do more if I want to but 90% of time I only workout once a week. Daily I try to be as active as possible. Playing with the kids, walking, and simply getting up and moving when I can.

    Sure exercise will help you lose weight if you don't simply eat back those calories but you can stop feeling guilty if you happen to miss a workout.

    I really like the attitude/though process of this!
  • Archon2
    Archon2 Posts: 462 Member
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    Tried the exercise-only thing in 2012 and 2013. I was able to drop 10-15lbs over three seasons that I can cycle. I cycled a lot. Until winter that is. And the weight came right back as soon as winter hit. Because I kept eating the same stuff and amounts.

    However, first time trying MFP this year, counting calories, eating a moderate deficit, and still going with the cycling. Dropped over 30lbs so far and it looks like I'll hit my 60lb goal before the snow comes. So controlling both intake and how much you burn gives you more tools for success. Also...in the winter for me I won't be cycling. So hopefully having firm control on the intake side of things will help me avoid gaining much until Spring.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I burn maybe 100 calories in 30 minutes of biking, lol.

    For me exercising helps because I get to eat more, pretty much (plus the obvious advantages of exercise).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I see a lot of people saying that diet is more important than exercise for weight loss, but why? If I'm on a stationary bike for 30 minutes I burn between 250-300 calories, so over 7 days that's between 1750-2100 calories burned by exercise, which combined with a calorie controlled diet, wouldn't that mean I would be losing an extra 1/2lb a week? (Theoretically)

    It is far more important. You can lose weight without any exercise whatsoever simply by bringing your consumption in line with whatever your weight control goals are. Exercise is extremely important to overall health...and yes, it can be used to widen the deficit (which isn't always advisable or necessary)...but it isn't necessary for weight loss.

    It is also great because if you exercise regularly you can achieve the same weight control goals while enjoying more delicious food. For example, if I didn't exercise I would maintain on roughly 2300-2400 calories or so...which is sucky IMHO...that means to lose 1 Lb per week I could only eat 1800 - 1900 calories per day which is even suckier. With exercise, my maintenance comes in around 2800-3,000 calories per day (awesome) and I lose about 1 Lb per week easily on 2,300 - 2500 calories per day which is much more acceptable to me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    OK, newbie here. How does one eat "at a calorie deficit"? I am 63, been doing intense cardio and strength training with a trainer 2-3 times per week. I mall walk 5-6 days per week, do ab work and some cardio at home. Trying to stick to 1250 calories per day, and have been successful for over a month. Guess what? I have lost 2 freaking pounds! Whatthehell?! How can I speed up weight loss? What is eating at a deficit all about?

    This calculator and others give you a calorie goal that is a deficit from your maintenance calories. These calculators determine what your maintenance calories would be as per statistical averages and then they take a cut from that for weight loss.

    If you are indeed eating 1250 calories per day (most people underestimate their intake...often substantially) and have only lost 2 Lbs in four weeks then that would suggest that your maintenance level of calories is only 1,500 calories. I personally find that hard to believe with your activity though...more likely you are underestimating your intake. This is easily done when guesstimating portions, etc...and not saying you're one of them, but a lot of people are "closet" eaters and/or simply don't log everything accurately and just think close is good enough. Calorie counting is not horseshoes or hand grenades...it takes a bit of precision to work.

    It would be highly possible that your actual maintenance number is around 1800 calories with your stats and activity...but if you were off by a mere 250 calories in a day...basically a couple handfuls of nuts...well, instead of losing about 1 Lb per week, you would only lose about 1/2 Lb per week which is basically what you're losing at the moment.
  • rhermida3
    rhermida3 Posts: 3
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    Theoretically, you can obtain a calorie deficit with exercise, diet, or a combination of the two.

    Realistically however, you are not going to outrun a bad diet by exercising a lot. Take it from someone who knows <

    The diet is more important because you can run off the rails MUCH quicker by consuming food than you can "get ahead" by exercising an extreme amount to "cancel out" the bad eating. The balance is lopsided in that regard on the side of the diet.

    In my opinion, the best strategy for weight loss and robust health involves dieting a modest amount under your baseline, and then exercising a little bit more. For example, if you are attempting to lose 500 calories net a day (~1 pound a week), eating 200 calories under and exercising for 300 calories worth, or thereabouts.
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    I've only skimmed the responses, so my apologies if I'm repeating.

    I'm sure people have said that exercise isn't necessary for weight loss, which has probably been followed by some side discussions of body composition and health.

    I'm tempted to say something along the lines of:

    "I exercise because I want to be healthy and look good naked. As far as weight loss goes, exercising is probably the least efficient use of time when trying to create a deficit. The more efficient method would be simply not eating those calories in the first place."

    Now, I won't say that that's wrong, exactly, but if I'm being honest, there's a certain, minimum number of calories I'm comfortable eating in a day, period, regardless of activity. And because I'm pretty sedentary, if I don't make an effort to be more active, that number of calories is roughly equal to my maintenance.

    So...if I didn't exercise, and ate the number of calories that my experimentation tells me I'm most comfortable with, i wouldn't lose weight. Given these extra factors, I kind of "need" the additional activity to help create that deficit, even though I'm fully aware that I could just eat below the levels I'm most comfortable with; I'd be miserable and awful to be around, but it could be done.

    There is something to be said for increased activity making one hungrier, thus having an impact on what minimum number of calories I'm comfortable with. I can only speak for myself, but I've found the amount of activity to be pretty high, and the type of activity to be fairly intense, to get that minimum number to be significantly higher than it usually is. Someone else's mileage may vary, of course.
  • jim180155
    jim180155 Posts: 769 Member
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    Tried the exercise-only thing in 2012 and 2013. I was able to drop 10-15lbs over three seasons that I can cycle. I cycled a lot. Until winter that is. And the weight came right back as soon as winter hit. Because I kept eating the same stuff and amounts.

    However, first time trying MFP this year, counting calories, eating a moderate deficit, and still going with the cycling. Dropped over 30lbs so far and it looks like I'll hit my 60lb goal before the snow comes. So controlling both intake and how much you burn gives you more tools for success. Also...in the winter for me I won't be cycling. So hopefully having firm control on the intake side of things will help me avoid gaining much until Spring.

    My experience has been similar.

    I started cycling last year. I had already lost 25 pounds through diet alone, and then started worrying about being "properly fueled" for my workouts, so I purposely ate more. I built up to 100+ weekly miles, but because I was more concerned with bonking than losing weight, I actually gained a few pounds during the summer. Then when fall and winter came and I stopped cycling, my weight shot up because I kept eating the way I had been during the summer. By Thanksgiving I had gained back 20 of those lost 25 pounds. So I decided it was time to get my weight back under control, and luckily I heard about MFP, which makes things a whole lot easier.

    Exercise is a key part of my strategy. Rather than just cycling this time, I do about an hour's worth of bodyweight training each morning, followed by a half hour run or 45 minute bike ride, plus walking about 50 miles a week.. That's the plan, anyhow. Some days I miss one or even two of my workouts, but (so far) I never miss all three.

    The other part of my strategy is to watch what I eat. I don't have to think of it as dieting. I average about 2100 or 2200 calories a day, I allow myself to eat just about anything I really want to eat, and I've gotten pretty comfortable with it. I'm still slowly losing weight and one of these days will decide it's time for maintenance. But monitoring what I'm doing is the only way I'm going to be able to stay on track in the long term.

    As for the people who think the best (for everybody) long term approach to weight loss is exercise alone, I agree with you. I used to do that too. But give yourself another 20 or 30 years and you'll begin to understand just how wrong you are.
  • shellypaints
    shellypaints Posts: 49 Member
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    You can't out exercise what you eat.
  • nurse_ratty
    nurse_ratty Posts: 100 Member
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    for first 16 mths of mft i did nil exercise apart from a very slow dog walk every day - i had to loose weight before i could exercise or my knees would have needed surgery again. walking didnt burn loads just a little but i never ate back those calories (some people dont like this) - now i run!!!
  • BekShark
    BekShark Posts: 55 Member
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    I have a friend who is 35 and I am so envious of her. You hear all the time about how you can't out train a bad diet, but she can eat what she wants as long as she does plenty of yoga and cycles... Yoga and cycling???

    She must be one of those mystical mesomorphs we hear about, because I have to watch my calories like a hawk and eat well under supposed maintenance and work out hard for 60 mins at least one day, 6 days a week to stay a UK 8 to 10.

    For me I can only get slim and shapely with a solid low cal diet and lots of exercise.
  • kcraine71
    kcraine71 Posts: 2 Member
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    Honestly, I think it depends on how YOUR body metabolizes food. For me, I think I could exercise all day long and it would not make a lick of difference in the rate that I lose weight. That said, exercise will pretty up/tone my existing body. But, for me, losing weight is all about what I eat (or don't eat).
  • BekShark
    BekShark Posts: 55 Member
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    Honestly, I think it depends on how YOUR body metabolizes food. For me, I think I could exercise all day long and it would not make a lick of difference in the rate that I lose weight. That said, exercise will pretty up/tone my existing body. But, for me, losing weight is all about what I eat (or don't eat).

    It must be an individual thing, because I've tried all three approaches and I can't out train a bad diet, but I can only get so far by diet alone and become all asggy and skinny fat. A combo of exercise and diet works for me.

    Then again, you get those annoying people who diet and never exercise, but they always look shapely, toned and everything is in the right place.
  • sofiachohdary
    sofiachohdary Posts: 74
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    I have a friend who is 35 and I am so envious of her. You hear all the time about how you can't out train a bad diet, but she can eat what she wants as long as she does plenty of yoga and cycles... Yoga and cycling???

    She must be one of those mystical mesomorphs we hear about, because I have to watch my calories like a hawk and eat well under supposed maintenance and work out hard for 60 mins at least one day, 6 days a week to stay a UK 8 to 10.

    For me I can only get slim and shapely with a solid low cal diet and lots of exercise.

    Yup. I'm also same as her. Yoga and cycling are my workouts, and I can eat anything I want (within my calorie goal or mainentance). Hell if I wish to eat 5 slices of pizza, I shall have them. Chocolate cake, bring it in lol! Still losing and I'm almost near to my goal.

    But in all honesty, bad eating is not a daily thing for me. Most of the stuff I eat are pretty healthy like fruits and vegetables, legumes, lean meat, fish... But if I am craving sweets or junk food I don't say no. If 5-6 days of the month are bad days, doesn't affect the process. Still losing, and not just on the scales. Even my jelly belly is disappearing.

    For me, to get the same results without exercising I have to really have a large deficit, so large that it will make me sick. I know because I tried, and I am short too with big bones, not helping. So for me at least, if it wasn't for exercise, along with making sure I don't overeat, I wouldn't be able to lose all that 25 kg extra pregnancy weight I had. The ticker shows different because I stopped logging completely when I went abroad. Back to it now that I am back home
  • BekShark
    BekShark Posts: 55 Member
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    Yup. I'm also same as her. Yoga and cycling are my workouts, and I can eat anything I want (within my calorie goal or mainentance). Hell if I wish to eat 5 slices of pizza, I shall have them. Chocolate cake, bring it in lol! Still losing and I'm almost near to my goal.

    But in all honesty, bad eating is not a daily thing for me. Most of the stuff I eat are pretty healthy like fruits and vegetables, legumes, lean meat, fish... But if I am craving sweets or junk food I don't say no. If 5-6 days of the month are bad days, doesn't affect the process. Still losing, and not just on the scales. Even my jelly belly is disappearing.

    For me, to get the same results without exercising I have to really have a large deficit, so large that it will make me sick. I know because I tried, and I am short too with big bones, not helping. So for me at least, if it wasn't for exercise, along with making sure I don't overeat, I wouldn't be able to lose all that 25 kg extra pregnancy weight I had. The ticker shows different because I stopped logging completely when I went abroad. Back to it now that I am back home

    Wouldn't it be weird if I was speaking about you! I tried yoga & walking with a good diet when I had a couple of stone to lose and it had no effect at all.

    My friend is pretty similar to you, she eats a really healthy diet most of the time anyway. but her yoga and cycling would allow her more treats than I would be able to have, if that makes sense? I just can't comprehend how yoga can do so much for her, whilst it just makes me more flexible. When she does it, she looks really buff and toned.

    It just goes to show how different we all are. I need intense circuit training type exercise to keep my metabolism up and to burn off fat. I also need to really restrict simple carbs and up my protein. Complex carbs like quinoa and legumes are cool though. Anything white and carby piles on pounds straight away.

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