Which is more important - Diet or Exercise?

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  • cheripugh1
    cheripugh1 Posts: 357 Member
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    Hi,

    About 3 months ago, all I did was sit in front of a desk, barely moved. Ate a nice big slice of chocolate cake or any sugary dessert in the afternoon every single day. Weekends I did nothing either even though I had no excuse. My excuse was I was a working mom!

    Now fast forward three months to today. I joined a gym. I have a personal trainer on Mon/Fri. I work out for 1 hr (stairmaster/elliptical/bootcamp classes) on other weekdays from 6-7am. Weekends I take my dog for a walk.

    My diet, I wouldn't say is perfect. I don't measure everything. But I am conscious. I have started incorporating quinoa, oats, millet etc into my diet. My afternoon dessert has turned into pears/banana or grapes.
    I thought I was going places!

    After about 1 months ago, my trainer took my weight and body fat measurement. No change. Nada. Zilch!
    I stepped on the scale today at home, again no change.

    I have a couple of friends who are on Ketogenic (all fat diet!). NO carbs at all. They eat chicken/eggs. NO CARBS.
    THey don't exercise at all.
    I saw them lose inches from their waist. I was skeptical about hidden fat or clogged arteries.
    They do take their statistics every month and their cholestrol/triglycerides etc are in control !!!

    So I am disillusioned !! Hard work doesn't pay for the first time!!! Short cuts work. This is not the way the world is supposed to work. Now I am told by my husband that my goal is not weight loss but just being active and enjoy it. Well, sometimes I question, what my motivation needs to be! I have not given up hope but I probably it would be good to know when I can start seeing results with my new (better?) routine! Sigh...

    My stats: 37 yr old female. 143 pounds. 5'6"

    Thanks.

    So far as I read (1st page) no one seems to have noticed, you are at normal BMI range, your BMI is 23.1 and normal range for 5'6" is 18.5–24.9, so the reason you aren't losing wt. is most likely you are not eating near normal calories (you are eating too little) plus it is much harder to take off pounds the closer you are to normal and since you are in normal... you should do inches/measurements and if you have a GOOD Trainer that is what they should be doing and telling you, all this work should tighten you up and take down a few inches not pounds.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Diet / Cal deficit for weightloss.

    Cardio for fitness (and a few extra cals)

    Strength exercises for muscle build up.

    It's all in the mix of the three IMO.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
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    so you guys are saying IF I burn 700 cals running and that puts my eating at a deficit I wont loose weight ?...All I can tell you is I dropped over 50 pounds eating what I was eating before but started biking and running an hour a day every day of the week ! FAce it exercise burns cals
  • catsmeat
    catsmeat Posts: 11 Member
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    so you guys are saying IF I burn 700 cals running and that puts my eating at a deficit I wont loose weight ?...All I can tell you is I dropped over 50 pounds eating what I was eating before but started biking and running an hour a day every day of the week ! FAce it exercise burns cals

    Don't be stupid. It's obviously about calorie deficit no matter how you get there. If you get there by exercising for hours a day, that's great for you. Most people don't have the time or drive to exercise enough to make up for a high calorie intake, so stop muddying the water.

    It's much easier simply not to eat 500 calories than it is to burn it off, and that's a fact.

    For most people, that's the message that is needed.
  • Zerodette
    Zerodette Posts: 200 Member
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    so you guys are saying IF I burn 700 cals running and that puts my eating at a deficit I wont loose weight ?...All I can tell you is I dropped over 50 pounds eating what I was eating before but started biking and running an hour a day every day of the week ! FAce it exercise burns cals

    You said it yourself: AND THAT PUTS MY EATING AT A DEFICIT. If you exercise and aren't at a deficit, you won't lose. That is what we are saying.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
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    well thats a no brainer...my point is WITH exercise you can eat more cals...because the exercise burns cals....ALSO with the exercise my HDL went from 55 to 122....LDL went from 133 to 79.....and I did NOTHING else except exercised.....and increased my cals to cover the exercise
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
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    and if you loose weight with NO exercise you will NOT be in the same condition health wise as if you had exercised...
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    well thats a no brainer...my point is WITH exercise you can eat more cals...because the exercise burns cals....ALSO with the exercise my HDL went from 55 to 122....LDL went from 133 to 79.....and I did NOTHING else except exercised.....and increased my cals to cover the exercise

    Correct. But many people work out like crazy, then think that means they can eat anything they want, and end up gaining weight in spite of their hard work in the gym. The point is that you still have to watch your intake whether you work out or not.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    Your friends have had luck because they (intentionally or unintentionally) are eating at a calorie deficit.

    It's great for your cardiovascular health, endurance, and strength that you're working out. However, you're eating too much.

    It is possible to overeat on quinoa and pears.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
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    I burn 600 or more cals everyday,,,add that to the 2k this site says im supposed to eat ....I dont even come close to 2600 a day...yesterday I burned 1700 cals running then biking in the afternoon...it said I still had 2700 remaining
  • C5North
    C5North Posts: 50 Member
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    It's 99% diet. Sorry to break it to you.

    The reason the 'shortcut' of cutting carbs works is because carbs are high in calories and don't always fill you up compared to protein and fat, so when you cut carbs, you eat less calories... usually. People who lose weight on low carb are eating less calories than they used to... the people who make up for the carbs in protein and fat won't lose weight either.

    I don't really call it a shortcut though, because unless you're planning on eating low carb for the rest of your life, the day you put them back in your diet, you're more likely to gain some weight back.

    But pretty much, eating less is what you need to lose weight. You don't have to cut anything out... just eat more sensibly, eat high calorie foods in moderation and fill up with veggies, fruit and lean protein.

    THIS! This is what I am finding is working for me. Down about 25 since I joined MFP and down 35 overall since July. Yes, I am exercising but it is the calorie deficit that is doing it. Also, I am not really denying myself anything. I am eating way more sensibly than I ever have and finding ways of substituting ingredients. We even had pizza last weekend. Flatbread pizza with a small amount of cheese and chicken, a little garlic. It was awesome and I was full after having only had a couple hundred calories.

    Right now I feel that I am eating the way I will be eating for the rest of my life and I am losing weight while doing it. I won't have to go off of a fad diet when I reach my goal because I will already be eating what I want. Just the right way.
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
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    Depends on your goals.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
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    if all you want to do is loose weight and dont car about your cardio health or are too lazy or whatever then just cut cals and yo will loose weight...but for me ...I wanted to be healthier ...ALL over not just loose weight....so I added biking,running,weights into my better eating habits...I didnt really cut cals,,,in fact I probably eat more now but because im burning so much thru exercise I can eat more...

    Its all about what you want to look, feel, and be...my blood work is probably better than someone half my age...my weight is about what it was in high school...although the weight is in different areas :)

    I dont feel good if I dont get up early and run 6 miles or bike 20 miles,,,7 days a week ! It works for me ...

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