Eating Healthy Vs. working out(burning calories).
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Desertcolt07 wrote: »cant out exersize a bad diet
But it's also hard to "out diet" a sedentary lifestyle.
For weight loss it would just mean eating a little less. For health it's darn near impossible.1 -
For weight loss neither is all that important. You can be sedentary and eat a crappy diet and lose weight. But for health both are very important.0
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Why do so many people view this as an either/or premise and use weight as the sole marker of success? Health, wellness, fitness is a continuum that should include nutrient dense foods and exercise. And while there's no easy way to set a minimum level of each, one should strive to incorporate as much of both as feasible to create a healthy lifestyle.3
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Weight is all about the calories. Exercise is for fitness and body composition.2 -
I've lost weight with barely any exercise. Currently I work a desk-job and my exercise is a daily half-hour walk with my dog. Still losing more than a pound a week and not feeling very hungry. I'm eating 1400 calories a day.
I personally think it's much easier to just say "no" to the 300 calorie cupcake than having to run for half an hour to burn it off.
Now that's from a pure weight loss perspective. For health purposes, exercise is very important.2 -
Of course weight is all about calories, but what about adherence to your plan? It's a lot easier to walk around a bit (which I find SUPPRESSES my hunger anyway) and eat 1600 calories a day than to stick to 1200 for the long term. Adherence is being overlooked to a fault imo2
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mrsnattybulking wrote: »Of course weight is all about calories, but what about adherence to your plan? It's a lot easier to walk around a bit (which I find SUPPRESSES my hunger anyway) and eat 1600 calories a day than to stick to 1200 for the long term. Adherence is being overlooked to a fault imo
Not all of us have to eat such low calories but this is why it helps to choose the right foods to make your calories go farther and keep you satisfied. I am a big fan of exercise but it actually increases my appetite.0 -
If your goal is to lose weight, you're probably fine just eating a lot less. But if you want to look fit, be strong, feel a sense of accomplishment, get that "glow," have less jiggle in your wiggle, get thee to a gym.1
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cerise_noir wrote: »Better for what? Weigh loss?
I'm going to say none of the above. Option C: calorie deficit.
Or all of the above. I had a calorie deficit, and created it through exercise AND eating less, and my diet was healthy (which to me means calorically appropriate for one's goals, not too high, not too low, plus nutritionally sufficient). I don't get why eating healthy and working out would be something to choose between. Personally I eat better when I'm working out, normally.
Rant not directed at you, cerise noir, I just tagged on to your post, which I agree with, and kept writing, heh! ;-)2 -
mrsnattybulking wrote: »Of course weight is all about calories, but what about adherence to your plan? It's a lot easier to walk around a bit (which I find SUPPRESSES my hunger anyway) and eat 1600 calories a day than to stick to 1200 for the long term. Adherence is being overlooked to a fault imo
Not all of us have to eat such low calories but this is why it helps to choose the right foods to make your calories go farther and keep you satisfied. I am a big fan of exercise but it actually increases my appetite.
I understand that. As a 5'6" female with not that much weight to lose, however, if I were sedentary I'd have a pathetic amount of calories to stick to to lose 1lb/week. I could get by with 1400ish if I changed to .5lb/week as sedentary but gosh that doesn't leave me much room for those inevitable higher days/special occasions and logging inaccuracy and i'd end up spinning my wheels with little to no progress. Admittedly it's better than nothing, but from an adherence perspective... meh.4 -
Desertcolt07 wrote: »cant out exersize a bad diet
But it's also hard to "out diet" a sedentary lifestyle.I disagree because I lost 40kg without doing any exercise whatsoever - purely clean eating. I may not have been fit and probably lost muscle too, but I did lose the weight. I wouldn't do it again though. This I'm not dieting and am doing cardio and strength training so it's a much slower but more enjoyable process.CaliMomTeach wrote: »I did. Not saying that it is the healthiest road to take, but I lost 55 pounds with calorie restriction alone (followed what it said on her for daily calories). Now, I am adding exercise for the last month, about 30 minutes elliptical 5-6 days per week, and I have actually gained weight. What happened? I ate more.
Working out makes me hungrier.
How do you disagree? @Azdak didn't say you can't lose weight without exercise, he said you can't reap the benefits of exercise and avoid the pitfalls of being sedentary by eating a certain way.1 -
This is not an either/or scenario. If you just want to lose weight, you must take in fewer calories than your body burns. You can do that through eating fewer calories, exercising more, or some combination of the two.
"Eating healthy" is a very vague term. Simply eating more vegetables and less sugar, for example, will not necessarily cause you to lose weight. You must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. But eating nutritious foods in the proportions MFP recommends will help you ensure that your body is getting the macronutrients it needs.
Exercise alone also will not cause you to lose weight. You can easily eat back all of the calories you burned through exercising if you don't track what you eat. Track your calories and make sure you're staying within your goals.0 -
I want to hear from either side, what is better for weight loss, what are some of your advices, typical goal and accomplishments for both. Further, input on people doing both Eating healthy and working out.
Share some pics, share some charts please!!!
You lose weight when you're in a calorie deficit, exercise or not. You can do all the exercise in the world, but if you are eating at maintenance, you'll maintain...if you're eating in a calorie surplus, you will gain weight regardless of exercising.0 -
BOTH.
I don't care how much people say that diet is what matters. Of course it is. But it's much easier to stick to a 2000 calorie diet because you're active, than 1300 because you're sitting on the couch or in a chair all day.
I would never have lost the weight and maintained the loss if I wasn't active. NEVER. The other day I was exhausted and had two naps and ended up burning 1800 calories (and somehow still got 5000 steps). I ended up over by quite a bit because my appetite didn't care that I was exhausted. On my normal days, I burn 2500. That's one extra meal right there... I can eat MORE now than when I was 215 lbs without gaining. Let that sink in (ok to be fair, I'm hungrier too).
Activity is EVERYTHING.
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I feel like I need the exercise in part to keep me out of the house and off the couch lol.
If I go home right after work and plant myself on the couch, food cravings won't be far behind.
Exercise is essential for me not only to buy me more calories, but to keep me occupied and break the cycle of getting home and stuffing my face 3 -
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I feel that when people ask this question, sometimes what they really mean is 'what should I tackle first - diet or exercise (and do I really need both)'.
The answer to 'do you really need both' has been answered already. For weight loss you must have diet dialed in - even if you exercise. For overall health you need a good amount of daily activity and/or deliberate exercise.
To me, proper diet is the first thing to get right. It's guaranteed that if you get diet right, you will lose weight. Same cannot be said for exercise.
Get diet straightened out, lose some weight, you should then feel better able to tackle exercise. Then you can take your time figuring out what you like to do and ramp up as appropriate for your fitness level while still losing. Plus, once you get started you get some extra calories as incentive, which is probably the only thing that keeps some people exercising until they get to the point where they enjoy it or it is a habit.1 -
You can lose weight on a diet of Twinkies and chocolate milk while sitting on the couch. You can also gain fat while working out like a fiend. It's all about calories in versus calories out. You have to know what you are consuming and what you are burning.2
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lemurcat12 wrote: »cerise_noir wrote: »Better for what? Weigh loss?
I'm going to say none of the above. Option C: calorie deficit.
Or all of the above. I had a calorie deficit, and created it through exercise AND eating less, and my diet was healthy (which to me means calorically appropriate for one's goals, not too high, not too low, plus nutritionally sufficient). I don't get why eating healthy and working out would be something to choose between. Personally I eat better when I'm working out, normally.
Rant not directed at you, cerise noir, I just tagged on to your post, which I agree with, and kept writing, heh! ;-)
Didn't see it that way. No worries!
Besides, it was rather late (and I was quite foggy) when I responded to the post. OP wasn't all that clear to begin with (OP edited after my reply: did not mention weight loss initially, just asked which is better: eating healthy or exercise?)1 -
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