More impactful: Diet or Exercise?

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I'm working hard and come in at or under my net calorie goal most days, but not seeing the results on the scale.

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  • mishaylaolivia
    mishaylaolivia Posts: 4 Member
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    Have you been exercising and burning the amount of calories that equal to or more than your current weight? Also if you aren't eating enough protein that can make it to where you won't reach goals.
  • fitforeverbb
    fitforeverbb Posts: 4 Member
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    Diet is generally more important. But obviously no results will be seen if there isn't exercise as well. If you aren't eating enough then your body will store fat and you can get water retention.
  • tdatsenko
    tdatsenko Posts: 155 Member
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    Also if you aren't eating enough protein that can make it to where you won't reach goals.
    The above really isn't true.

    I'm in the Diet is more important camp. Open up your diary if you want advice on what you're actually eating. Stats like height would help too.

    Other generic advice would be to make sure you're logging everything you eat and weighing as much of your food as you can. Also not eating back most of your exercise calories since they're usually overestimated.



  • tdatsenko
    tdatsenko Posts: 155 Member
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    If you aren't eating enough then your body will store fat

    Nope.

  • mishaylaolivia
    mishaylaolivia Posts: 4 Member
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    tdatsenko wrote: »
    Also if you aren't eating enough protein that can make it to where you won't reach goals.
    The above really isn't true.

    I'm in the Diet is more important camp. Open up your diary if you want advice on what you're actually eating. Stats like height would help too.

    Other generic advice would be to make sure you're logging everything you eat and weighing as much of your food as you can. Also not eating back most of your exercise calories since they're usually overestimated.


    I grew up with a doctor my whole life who specialized in helping people loose weight. Either way think what you want. Everyone's body is different so loosing weight could be easy for one person and very difficult for the other
  • pedpe
    pedpe Posts: 21 Member
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    Hey i'm Dustin and it is my first day here
  • mishaylaolivia
    mishaylaolivia Posts: 4 Member
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    pedpe wrote: »
    Hey i'm Dustin and it is my first day here

    Hey Dustin!
  • tdatsenko
    tdatsenko Posts: 155 Member
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    tdatsenko wrote: »
    Also if you aren't eating enough protein that can make it to where you won't reach goals.
    The above really isn't true.

    I'm in the Diet is more important camp. Open up your diary if you want advice on what you're actually eating. Stats like height would help too.

    Other generic advice would be to make sure you're logging everything you eat and weighing as much of your food as you can. Also not eating back most of your exercise calories since they're usually overestimated.


    I grew up with a doctor my whole life who specialized in helping people loose weight. Either way think what you want. Everyone's body is different so loosing weight could be easy for one person and very difficult for the other

    A caloric deficit is all you need.

  • lisabinco
    lisabinco Posts: 1,016 Member
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    Diet. Health equals nutrition over calories. Works for me.
  • mishaylaolivia
    mishaylaolivia Posts: 4 Member
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    tdatsenko wrote: »
    tdatsenko wrote: »
    Also if you aren't eating enough protein that can make it to where you won't reach goals.
    The above really isn't true.

    I'm in the Diet is more important camp. Open up your diary if you want advice on what you're actually eating. Stats like height would help too.

    Other generic advice would be to make sure you're logging everything you eat and weighing as much of your food as you can. Also not eating back most of your exercise calories since they're usually overestimated.


    I grew up with a doctor my whole life who specialized in helping people loose weight. Either way think what you want. Everyone's body is different so loosing weight could be easy for one person and very difficult for the other

    A caloric deficit is all you need.

    Honestly you can't go around telling people what they need, because for some people that really doesn't work!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    edited May 2015
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    If you mean more impactful for weight loss, calories are king. Which would lend to diet being more impactful. But, exercise also plays a role in creating a deficit so it's very idividual. Calorie deficit is most impactful for weight loss, however you get there.

    But from a health perspective exercise can be just as or more impactful as diet. Again, it's very individual. A morbidly obese person will likely find diet the most impactful. A slightly overweight unfit person would likely find exercise most impactful.

    So many variables.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    I'm working hard and come in at or under my net calorie goal most days, but not seeing the results on the scale.

    What do you mean by "not seeing results"? Have you not lost any weight, or are you losing but not as fast as you think you should?

    For how long are you talking about? Sometimes it can take a couple of weeks for your body to "catch up" to your new lifestyle. Also, if you started a new exercise routine, your body can retain water in the beginning.

    Are you using MFP calorie burns for your exercise? MFPs numbers are usually pretty high, most MFP veterans only count @ half if the exercise calories MFP gives them.

    Are you weighing your portions? Logging absolutely everything? One of the most common things that trips people up in the beginning is eyeballing portions, using measuring cups for solids, or "forgetting" to log items more often then they realize.

    If you are truly at a deficit, you will lose weight. If you want more specific info, you might want to open your diary so fresh eyes can see where your logging might be an issue. 99.9% of the time, the issue is either a logging error or a lack of patience! Both can be difficult to admit, but the up side is both are easy to correct :drinker: Good luck!
  • tdatsenko
    tdatsenko Posts: 155 Member
    edited May 2015
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    tdatsenko wrote: »
    tdatsenko wrote: »
    Also if you aren't eating enough protein that can make it to where you won't reach goals.
    The above really isn't true.

    I'm in the Diet is more important camp. Open up your diary if you want advice on what you're actually eating. Stats like height would help too.

    Other generic advice would be to make sure you're logging everything you eat and weighing as much of your food as you can. Also not eating back most of your exercise calories since they're usually overestimated.


    I grew up with a doctor my whole life who specialized in helping people loose weight. Either way think what you want. Everyone's body is different so loosing weight could be easy for one person and very difficult for the other

    A caloric deficit is all you need.

    Honestly you can't go around telling people what they need, because for some people that really doesn't work!
    Fine, unless you have a medical condition that you need to eat around, then a caloric deficit is all you need. If you do have such a condition then you need to eat around it and maintain a caloric deficit.

    Op asked for advice, I'm just providing it to him.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    edited May 2015
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    tdatsenko wrote: »
    tdatsenko wrote: »
    Also if you aren't eating enough protein that can make it to where you won't reach goals.
    The above really isn't true.

    I'm in the Diet is more important camp. Open up your diary if you want advice on what you're actually eating. Stats like height would help too.

    Other generic advice would be to make sure you're logging everything you eat and weighing as much of your food as you can. Also not eating back most of your exercise calories since they're usually overestimated.


    I grew up with a doctor my whole life who specialized in helping people loose weight. Either way think what you want. Everyone's body is different so loosing weight could be easy for one person and very difficult for the other

    A caloric deficit is all you need.

    Honestly you can't go around telling people what they need, because for some people that really doesn't work!

    A calorie deficit is the only thing you need to lose weight. It's physics. Sometimes the basic formulas to determine Calories In or Calories Out don't give a person accurate info because of health issues, but all the tips and tricks are just ways to get each individual into a deficit.

    Protein helps some people with satiety, which can help them stay at a deficit.
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,691 Member
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    diet (deficit)=weight loss
    exercise = fitness
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    If we're talking weight loss, diet is definitely more important simply because weight loss is the result of a calorie deficit. If you're not in a caloric deficit, you won't lose weight. It's hard to out-exercise a bad diet. Weight loss happens in the kitchen; fitness happens in the gym.
  • fr3smyl
    fr3smyl Posts: 1,418 Member
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    I would say diet is more impactful for weight loss. If you work out continually but are eating back those calories and not tracking them you will not lose weight.

    My husband and I used to work out several hours a day for weeks but we ate a lot of extra crap. I'm saying it was a lot because we weren't tracking it, but it was crap. The result...no weight loss.
  • TheDoctor2250
    TheDoctor2250 Posts: 21 Member
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    In my opinion they are equally as important