We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!
Hello!! Thoughts on the 70% nutrition, 30% gym mentality??

eringrace95_
Posts: 296 Member
For weight loss I've heard many talking about how your weight loss should be your #1 focus with gym coming second. What are some of your thoughts??
Im scared I'm hitting another plateau and I really wanted to meet my person goal of 145 by the end of the summer. (I'm a 5"4 ish girl SW: 165 CW:148.1) feel free to add me if you have similar stats or want a support system
Im scared I'm hitting another plateau and I really wanted to meet my person goal of 145 by the end of the summer. (I'm a 5"4 ish girl SW: 165 CW:148.1) feel free to add me if you have similar stats or want a support system

0
Replies
-
Weight loss is 100% calorie deficit. How you attain that can be just through diet alone or a combination of diet and exercise. Not changing your calorie surplus and just exercising won't work alone.
Biggest issue with most people who stall in weight loss is because of lack of consistency.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Fitness happens at the gym.
If your weight loss has stalled, you're not eating in a calorie deficit. Basically, you're eating more than you're burning. The closer you get to your ideal weight, the harder it becomes to lose, simply because the margin for error shrinks along with you.
Tighten up your logging. If you aren't weighing your food, this could easily be where you're eating more calories than you think you are.0 -
I don't like it when i hear this. It's my opinion, that you should be putting 100% effort into both your diet and exercise goals. Both are equally important to me.
1.) for my fitness
1.) for my weight management
The 70/30 or 80/20 makes it seem like one is less important than the other for my overall health.0 -
Some people try to separate how many calories you burn from how many you take in, but if you have any sense, you will realize that both things have an impact. You cannot even figure out if you're "in a calorie deficit" if you don't have an idea of how many your burn.
Everything counts - how much you eat, how much you move, everything.
They say weight loss happens in the kitchen, but it happens in the pool, too.0 -
What would a "70% nutrition, 30% gym mentality" look like? I get that you'd be focusing on nutrition more, but how would that manifest?
I feel best on days when I get in a few hours of exercise, some of that vigorous, and some of that yoga. I also sleep better. When this happens, it's easier for me to make better food choices. Exercise gets me into a positive cycle.
Without exercise, I don't get enough calories to eat the way I like to, and this makes me cranky.0 -
You don't have to have any idea whatsoever how many calories you burn to know if you're in a calorie deficit. If your weight goes down over time, you're in one. If is doesn't, you're not.0
-
weight management is simply about energy balance...you take in less energy (calories) than you expend, you burn fat to make up the difference...you take in more energy (calories) than you expend, that excess energy is stored as fat (energy reserves) for later use.
weight management is most efficiently managed through your diet. as an example, i ride a good 60 - 80 miles per week, sometimes more; I lift 2-3 days per week; I usually run a 5K once or twice per week; I walk my dog regularly; I do a little hiking and swimming, etc. I've lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight doing all of that...the difference between those three weight management objectives wasn't the exercise, it had everything to do with how much I was eating.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »You don't have to have any idea whatsoever how many calories you burn to know if you're in a calorie deficit. If your weight goes down over time, you're in one. If is doesn't, you're not.0
-
kshama2001 wrote: »What would a "70% nutrition, 30% gym mentality" look like? I get that you'd be focusing on nutrition more, but how would that manifest?.
0 -
Thanks for all the input! I'm logging literally everything I eat and I usually try to overestimate if I'm not sure of the portion/calorie ratio. Lately I've been almost at an 800 cal deficit (my TDEE is 2200 I've been eating 1400-1700) but I haven't been doing as vigorous of exercises lately0
-
Weight loss is 100% calorie deficit. ]
and thisSome people try to separate how many calories you burn from how many you take in, but if you have any sense, you will realize that both things have an impact. You cannot even figure out if you're "in a calorie deficit" if you don't have an idea of how many your burn.
Everything counts - how much you eat, how much you move, everything.
They say weight loss happens in the kitchen, but it happens in the pool, too.
Dont get confused by thissnickerscharlie wrote: »Weight loss happens in the kitchen. Fitness happens at the gym.
.
0 -
That's true enough. But you cannot plan it out, doing math and counting calories to eat X amount of food, if you have no idea what you're burning.
0 -
rainbowbow wrote: »I don't like it when i hear this. It's my opinion, that you should be putting 100% effort into both your diet and exercise goals. Both are equally important to me.
1.) for my fitness
1.) for my weight management
The 70/30 or 80/20 makes it seem like one is less important than the other for my overall health.
I don't disagree that one should do both, but both aren't needed together for weight loss.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
0 -
That's true enough. But you cannot plan it out, doing math and counting calories to eat X amount of food, if you have no idea what you're burning.
0 -
Sorry ive read what she wrote and can see the flaw immediately. You can plan based on zero exercise because thats the way mfp is based. You cna also do it the way vismal says and use exercise as a kind of finisher, but on that basis you could use food the same i.e you simply look at whether you increase or decrease over time and adjust accordingly. Ill stick with 100% about the deficit. I dislike the phrases which suggest that exercise and calories burnt via exercise dont matter.0
-
That math never works out in practice like it does on paper. There are too many variables that are just estimates. Calories burned is always an estimate even with fitness tracking devices/software. Depending on your skill with counting, calories in can be a small variable or a HUGE variable. I never concern myself with calories burned. I simply pick a reasonable starting number for calories eaten per day/week. I track meticulously for a few weeks. If I lose weight, I can be sure I was in a deficit. If I don't, I either reduce calories or increase weekly activity. I've done this for enough years that I don't even need the trial and error part. I have a very good idea of what calories I lose consistently with, what I maintain on, and what I need to gain lean mass. Never at any point to I attempt to calculate output. I just adjust calories based on results.
The amount of exercise you do has something to do with how many calories you burn and therefore, what you weigh.
A person can mentally dismiss the impact of their exercise, but their body won't.
0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »Yes, you most certainly can. Why do you think you can't?
0 -
I'm not sure that 70/30 or 80/20 means anything. How would you falsify the claimed ratio? It is certainly true that you can lose weight without exercise and that a as a practical matter you can lower CI by more than you can increase CO. But I'm not sure how either statement becomes a ratio.0
-
Its not possible. ALL the calculators will use some estimate of how much you burn.
Why is it not possible to know if you're in a deficit and do math and planning without knowing how much you burn? You keep skipping that part.
0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »You're 100% wrong. You don't even need a calculator. All you need is a scale. If you're losing weight, you're in a deficit. If you're not, you aren't. Adjust your intake and/or exercise accordingly. There is absolutely no reason at all, period, why you need to know how many calories you're burning in order to form a weight loss plan. None at all.
Why is it not possible to know if you're in a deficit and do math and planning without knowing how much you burn? You keep skipping that part.
0 -
In the end it doesn't matter how you create a calorie deficit, but most people will tell you it's easier eating less than burning more.0
-
This! Why do you need a calculator at all?
Because it's hard to adjust calories in if you're not tracking them?0 -
Some people like to know what contribution they are making from food deficit and exercise. Its all estimates. Some people dont and can adjust on whether they lose or gain. Just becayse you dont need it doesnt mean its any less valid or helpful for others.0
-
sheldonklein wrote: »
Because it's hard to adjust calories in if you're not tracking them?
She's talking about tracking burn, not calories.
0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »You're 100% wrong. You don't even need a calculator. All you need is a scale. If you're losing weight, you're in a deficit. If you're not, you aren't. Adjust your intake and/or exercise accordingly. There is absolutely no reason at all, period, why you need to know how many calories you're burning in order to form a weight loss plan. None at all.
Why is it not possible to know if you're in a deficit and do math and planning without knowing how much you burn? You keep skipping that part.
I 100% agree that you don't need to know what you burn or how many calories you've eaten in order to lose weight. No math, no scales, no nothing. You can lose weight without all of that.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »You're 100% wrong. You don't even need a calculator. All you need is a scale. If you're losing weight, you're in a deficit. If you're not, you aren't. Adjust your intake and/or exercise accordingly. There is absolutely no reason at all, period, why you need to know how many calories you're burning in order to form a weight loss plan. None at all.
Why is it not possible to know if you're in a deficit and do math and planning without knowing how much you burn? You keep skipping that part.
If you don't have any idea about the calories you're eating there's no way to properly adjust your intake unless you're eating the same thing every day, though. With exercise that's simple unless you do a different kind of sport every time.0 -
sheldonklein wrote: »
Because it's hard to adjust calories in if you're not tracking them?
0 -
This! Why do you need a calculator at all?
You don't. You don't need to log, weigh, or calculate anything. I was just saying that if you're going to be counting calories and eating up to a total number of calories, you will have to factor in how much you burn to get that total. All the online calculators do that.0 -
You don't. You don't need to log, weigh, or calculate anything. I was just saying that if you're going to be counting calories and eating up to a total number of calories, you will have to factor in how much you burn to get that total. All the online calculators do that.
0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
I was agreeing with you, I think. "Them" was calories in.
EDIT: and I agree with Vismal as well. Just crossed wires.0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.6K Introduce Yourself
- 44K Getting Started
- 260.5K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.1K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.7K Fitness and Exercise
- 444 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 4.1K MyFitnessPal Information
- 16 News and Announcements
- 1.3K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.8K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions