what counts more - Exercise or diet?

Due to my overall health, I cannot exercise AT ALL.
Therefore, all of my weight loss is pure diet because I have no "outgo" calories for exercise.
I must conclude that for weight loss considerations, it's DIET.
For overall health, cardiovascular, fitness, etc., yes exercise is important, but speaking strictly to weight loss, it's diet.

I have found that I have to use this site and add my exercise in...the eat whatever it tells me calorie wise i have left. If I don't eat close to the required calories, whether it is the 1200 daily required or more due to exercising that day, I don't lose and even gain sometimes!! Instructor said I am not eating enough the days I exercise so my body holds onto the fat I already have and saves anything I am putting into that day, goes into starvation mode. And I have been doing this site for 3 weeks and have already lost 7 pounds! Good luck

really in the grand sceme of things, the 200-300 cals you burn during exercise is a drop in the pail really. losing weight is mainly what and how you eat.

where exercise comes in is that it can increase lean tissue and increase your BMR. you might burn 200 cals running for 30 mins, but your body doesnt stop buring increased number of cals the second you stop running, your going to increase your metabolism for quite some time after your workout, so for the sake of demonstration (not actual numbers) if you run in the morning and burn 200 cals, your body will be 'reved up' for quite some time after your workout and you could burn another 500-1000 cals....

some people even maintain increased metabolisims for up to 24 hours after a workout, compared to not working out.

I wouldn't worry about your day to day fluctuations in weight, they do not reflect just your diet and exercise, there are other factors, the way this site sets up your cals, it already accounts for your cal deficit so you should be trying to eat back the workout cals,

Yes, it will work. If you don't net 1200 daily your body will hold onto everything you DO eat and store it as FAT... If you eat the 1200 it won't feel starved and it will BURN the fat. Trust me, I learned the hard way too. As soon as I bumped the calories up and was netting 1200, weight started dropping off. I've been on MFP for just around 30 days (I think) and I have lost 15 pounds. You might gain a tiny bit in the beginning because your body will need time to adjust... but I promise after a week or two it'll start melting away. Friend me if you want, I would be more than happy to help encourage you and give you what answers I have to any questions you have.

Yes, it works. I'd just caution you that 1200 may not be your magic number. I suspect it's considerably higher than that. It is for me, and it is for most people. Let MFP tell you what your number should be and start there. Don't be alarmed if you gain a little at first, depending on now long you've been eating so few calories. Your body may be thinking you're not going to give it what it needs and might hold on to those bonus calories at first until it trusts you're not going to deprive it.

I don't know, but I do know it's dangerous to your body and harmful to your metabolism if you aren't netting at least 1200 calories a day. There is also the argument that working out builds lean muscle mass which 'weighs more' than fat, so that's a possibility too. And there's the factor of when and how often you weigh yourself. Your weight can fluctuate by up to 2 or 3 pounds in a day, so if you're not weighing at the same TIME when you weigh in, that could be why too... also weighing daily is not highly recommended because of similar day to day weight fluctuations... So really, it could be a number of reasons. I would recommend that you try to get your net 1200 calories in every day and weigh in once a week in the morning (like when you get up) and see if those fluctuations are still happening...

My net should be 1200?? I thought that I have to eat 1200 and exercise doesn't count.

I'm afraid that if I eat net of 1200 every day I will not lose anything does it really work?

I used to be petrified of eating my exercise calories... and I lost just fine...for five months, but then I didn't lose even a pound for two months and I was freaking out so I upped my intake to 1371 and I started eating back my exercise calories... after 2 weeks more of nothing... I lost 1.4lbs in 4 days.

I am all about eating back the exercise calories.

Both are important! I have lost weight in the past by just changing my diet and also by exercising and not changing my diet and have always gained it back! I think to lose weight and keep it off it takes both.

My net should be 1200?? I thought that I have to eat 1200 and exercise doesn't count.

I'm afraid that if I eat net of 1200 every day I will not lose anything does it really work?

I've lost 26 lbs. in 3 months eating 1700 and burning off 500 resulting in a net of 1200. So, I vote yes. Your metabolism will thank you.

I think its like 90/10. Not just total calories but total CLEAN calories!