Exercise or eating right...which one is more important?

beccafertig
beccafertig Posts: 61 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I know they are both necessary on the journey to health and wellness, but I"m curious. Do you think one is more important than the other? If you were only able to do one of them, which would you choose?
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Replies

  • lollie1285
    lollie1285 Posts: 239 Member
    I have a friend who is extremely overweight. He always complains that he does 25 mins a night on the treadmill and it doesn't make any difference. It's because his diet is so bad. In my case, I can't exercise because of an injury and I have to rely on a healthy diet. I think they both rely on one another, but I feel that if you eat bad, no amount of exercise is going to help you. So, the diet is more important to me at least.
  • AUPerry
    AUPerry Posts: 166
    They're both important, but eating right if you had to choose one.
  • AllyS7
    AllyS7 Posts: 480 Member
    I'm sure it depends on you, but for me eating right. Exercise is also important, but less so than my diet.
  • AllyS7
    AllyS7 Posts: 480 Member
    Double post...nothing to see here! :)
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    diet is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise
  • Last_15
    Last_15 Posts: 129
    Eating right, otherwise you can exercise forever and not lose a single pound!
  • NanBar
    NanBar Posts: 283 Member
    you cannot out-exercise bad nutrition.
  • RCKT82
    RCKT82 Posts: 409 Member
    You're right, they're both important. But eating right should definitely be at the top of your priorities. You can work out as much as you want, but if you don't have the correct nutrition, you'll never succeed.

    It's easier to keep knock off calories from your diet than it is to burn the calories on a treadmill. It boils down to calorie deficits and nutrient ratios.
  • ladylu11
    ladylu11 Posts: 631 Member
    A friend of mine went to a seminar and they told her that eating right and exercising are both important. But, if you are only going to do one of the two, then pick exercise.

    (I am not offering advice. Just telling you what my friend said)

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  • lmhubbard
    lmhubbard Posts: 14 Member
    Eating right, for sure. Exercise gives your eating right a boost, but my trainer always uses the 80/20 analogy as well. It is 80% nutrition & 20% exercise.
  • cwhite6109
    cwhite6109 Posts: 16
    Personally, as much as it pains me to say it... diet outweighs (no pun intended) exercise. I spend an hour a day on cardio (eliptical machine and treadmill) 6 days/week and use weights. Ive only lost 10 lbs in 6 months but its because I can't seem to quite get a handle on my nutrition (or lack thereof). Everyday is a battle,
  • EHuntRN
    EHuntRN Posts: 320 Member
    Nutrition plays a bigger role is weight loss...excercise is the icing on the cake to keep the metabolism up and get toned as the weight comes off and improve the caridovascular function in the body...lowering cholesterol burning fat!!!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I think eating right is for dropping kilos (or pounds) and exercising is for toning and health.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    Depends who you are. When I don't exercise I have trouble at work, I don't sleep and eat as well. I rely on it pretty much daily to survive.
  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
    I've always heard the 80-20 or 90-10 rule for weight loss. So, eating right is definitely the most important (this is true for me too).

    However, once you are at a healthy weight, I'd say the importance of exercise for cardiovascular health and keeping weight off goes up significantly - maybe goes more 50-50......
  • scaryfairy81
    scaryfairy81 Posts: 45
    They are both pretty important, I guess it depends on who you ask. Some "experts" say it's mostly diet, some say it's exercise. I think it's a combination, at least for me, but I am no expert. All I know is that I can keep my weight down with diet, but I feel more healthy when I also exercise. And you can exercise til you are red in the face(literally) but if all you eat is junk, and you consistently eat too much of it, you will still gain weight and probably won't be all that healthy.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    I would exercise. I love the strength it gives me and the energy. Also when I exercise I tend to make better food choices without thinking about it. I might eat too much of good things but I eat more good things. When I exercise I want my whole day to be healthy. It keeps me motivated to eat better. But since I don't HAVE to choose in real life I will just try to keep my balance.
  • BobbyDaniel
    BobbyDaniel Posts: 1,459 Member
    Kind of like saying which of my kids I like the most, lol! I think diet matters first, you have to put the right stuff in your body...but exercise is a close 2nd. Like someone said earlier, you really can't out exercise bad nutrition.
  • crystal10584
    crystal10584 Posts: 334
    for me it's eating right. I've lost most of my weight just eating the way I should...

    but I'm trying to work in exercise so the loss doesn't make me flabby.
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    diet is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise


    correct!
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    Personally, as much as it pains me to say it... diet outweighs (no pun intended) exercise. I spend an hour a day on cardio (eliptical machine and treadmill) 6 days/week and use weights. Ive only lost 10 lbs in 6 months but its because I can't seem to quite get a handle on my nutrition (or lack thereof). Everyday is a battle,

    Sounds to me like you are over-training. I would suggest investing in a heart rate monitor (you can get them the cheapest on Amazon.com). You don't need an hour/day of cardio...in some people that causes the body to store fat and go into a mode where their body thinks something is wrong and they are running from something. An HRM will show you if you are over training. If you are over training you may store fat. I've seen people lose weight just by wearing a HRM.

    On days you do weights do 10 minutes of cardio as a warm up. On days you don't do weights a 1/2 hour of cardio is just fine and you can follow up that 1/2 hr by doing some power yoga or other full-body workout that tones your whole body.

    Trust me, at this point you're actually doing too much cardio. People that do the same thing every day end up hurting themselves.
  • jkleman79
    jkleman79 Posts: 706 Member
    Ok just a scenario for this... A few years back I was cycling over a 100 miles every saturday. Doing spin classes 3 days a week and working out 5 days a week. I never changed my diet and some days when I was riding burning up to 7000 calories in one day. I never lost any weight or fat. Because I never changed my diet of fast food and malnutrition. I exercise half that now and eat very clean and I am the same size I was right out of high school pretty much.

    I would have to vote on healthy eating...You can lose weight and have a better lifestyle just by proper nutrition.
  • suzyviper
    suzyviper Posts: 2 Member
    Eating right, most definitely. Way too many people think that they can eat whatever they want if they spend an hour at the gym. This is simply not true!
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
    I definitely believe that eating right / well is the best way to lose / maintain weight.

    That said, for me personally, I can't do it without exercise. I always eat lots of fruits, veggies, whole foods, etc... and have never been one to overeat. I've watched calories before to no avail. It's really the exercise that pushes me over the weight loss hurdles. YMMV.
  • sweetCJ
    sweetCJ Posts: 144
    Your right, both are important, but I know that you can lose weight by only eating right. Change your eating habit for clean eating, add you will lose weight...just not as fast as if you were exercising.
  • littttlelaurra
    littttlelaurra Posts: 229 Member
    I would say eating right is more important of the two iif I can only do one thats the one thats a must even though if we can doing both is key. I know that when I eat right my diabetes is pretty much perfectly controlled but if I blow it then not so much. I see instant results if I have eaten healthfully and watched my portions and for me the timing of eating as well, every 3 hours smaller meals 6 times a day. keeps blood sugar in check and hunger at bay.
  • ccupps83
    ccupps83 Posts: 9 Member
    I believe the saying...."It's 20% about exercise and 80% about what you eat". I LOVE how exercise makes me feel but to drop Lbs......it's mainly about the food :)
  • Superdupermom
    Superdupermom Posts: 149
    I think that there is no excuse to be eating bad so you cant be like ok so I exercise 3hours im gonnaeat what I used to every day. you still need to try to make better choices. no yaknow you can treat yourself but there is a limit. you almost always need to eat healthy and adding in exercise is a great bonus! so eatng healthy i guess it the start and exercise is what completes the healthy life. so both need to be done after you have been on a healthy diet. if you dont get to exercise everyday though dont get upset just eat healthy.
  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
    2 dozen Krispy Kremes Vs. 2 hours of exercise..............guess which wins! LOL
  • debcarv
    debcarv Posts: 256 Member
    Definitely eating right. Had a week that I was un-able to exercise due to an injury, so I made sure I stayed focused with nutrition and ate right. I still managed to lose a pound in eating properly without exercise. However, I was glad to be able to get back to my routine for it makes me more limber and I just feel better with doing exercise.
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