Diet vs. Exercise?

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odusgolp
odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Which do you honestly think is MORE important for someone that genuinely need to lose weight (not just "firm up" or "get in shape" but really drop weight).

I once remember watching some talk show where a doctor said the most important thing is to get moving. Exercise. Should be first priority. Don't worry about anything else for at least three months.

Then I've read a lot of people write the most important is monitoring your caloric intake.

Obviously a combo is best, but I'm curious if you were to start with one - which would you start with? (I'm slow to making changes, not a jump in head first type).

To be honest, I can eat extremely well if I committ to it. Exercise? Ain't happening. That's my issue - everything about going to gym scares the poo outta me *LOL*
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Replies

  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
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    Since I feel it's more 80% diet and 20% exercise, I worked on my diet first, then worked on incorporating more exercise.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Diet 80-90% Exercise 10-20%

    I think exercise is very beneficial for maintenance though
  • abeachlady
    abeachlady Posts: 88
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    Start off walking then. Every bit of exercise helps, and it's a start.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    DIET. For me, it always comes down to diet. You can't have a naturally nice looking body unless you have a good diet. Bad diet will always bite you in the *kitten*. Bad diet gives you bad complexion, weak bones, mediocre hair and "skinniness". Good diet gives you a glowing complexion, strong bones, shiny and healthy hair and tone.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    You can certainly lose weight by simply watching what you eat and eating better. However, you will end up in a "skinny fat" situation if you don't workout some. I've seen people who've lost a lot of weight by just working on their diet and sure they lose, but they have loose skin and such.

    Exercising is what will help with the loose skin/skinny fat look (especially strength training).
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
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    DIET. For me, it always comes down to diet. You can't have a naturally nice looking body unless you have a good diet. Bad diet will always bite you in the *kitten*. Bad diet gives you bad complexion, weak bones, mediocre hair and "skinniness". Good diet gives you a glowing complexion, strong bones, shiny and healthy hair and tone.

    You had me at Mediocre hair ;-)
  • Texas501
    Texas501 Posts: 274
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    I started on diet, trying to get it right. Then I quickly added walking. Plain old walking. Now I've stepped it up to an elliptical machine. I think for the best results, you really need both, especially if your life is usually sedentary.


    (...he said as he clutches a beer in his pic......lol)
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
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    I say one over the other I'm thinking diet is more important, only because that's the more difficult lifestyle change and more difficult part of the equation. Yeah, we can debate all day about what forms of exercise are the best, but it's much easier to stand up and walk to the end of the block and back than it is to reign in those hunger pains. Not to mention that eating properly is a learned behavior in many ways and wqe have to unlearn all the unhealthy crap that's enforced in our every day life through friends, co-workers, advertising, driving down the street looking at signs, walking in the aisles at the store with the bright beautiful shiney tempting packaging. Yeah, I'm going diet.
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    DIET is how you truly lose weight.

    As for exercise, it'll boost your diet efforts and offers far more rewards than just losing weight. Plus, you don't have to go to a gym to exercise. I don't. I workout at home and play recreational sports on the weekends. When you're ready to exercise, you will be able to find something you enjoy doing.
  • tiffanyvc
    tiffanyvc Posts: 99
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    I dieted for months and lost nothing. And I really seriously dieted (counted calories, cut out sweets, etc). As soon as I started exercising, I started to lose the pounds. So my vote is for exercising.
  • Michelle_M2002
    Michelle_M2002 Posts: 301 Member
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    My trainer says that in the beginning, diet will be 80% of your success. That's because it's easy to over estimate your calorie burn during work outs, and thus overeat later.

    But keep in mind that if you only rely on diet, you may also loose lean muscle mass. Exercising will not only ensure that you keep your lean muscle, but you will also put more on. And the more lean mass you have, the more calories you will burn.

    God bless!
  • luscadero
    luscadero Posts: 92 Member
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    I agree it's 80% diet. I also hate exercising, unless it's something fun like raquetball. I will NEVER join a gym for anything but the pool and the courts. I think it's important to move around a lot, but not as important to be a "gym rat" if you are just trying to lose weight and not cut/tone so much... :flowerforyou:

    I recommend getting a large dog that needs lots of walks :laugh: It's fun, so it doesn't feel like exercise.
  • army_cobra
    army_cobra Posts: 136 Member
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    Its all about your diet. You can workout everyday for hours at a time but if you dont diet you wont lose weight
  • martinah4
    martinah4 Posts: 583 Member
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    I agree with above posters. I believe it's about 80-90% diet, and 10-20% excercise. Excercise has fantastic health benefits, and helps you tone up or build muscles, but for the weight loss, it's all about diet. I read in Newsweek or Time magazine about a year ago, an article about how excercise isn't all it's cracked up to be....for unexpected reasons: eating back your calories from excercise plus more, or justifying that Starbucks Tall Mocha Frappe or McD's Quarter Pounder because of the 2-mile walk. So...
  • otr12
    otr12 Posts: 632 Member
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    I only exercise because all the cool kids are doing it. I don't have enough charisma to do whatever I want and still have friends.
  • vanny260
    vanny260 Posts: 3
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    I think that for weight loss, diet is crucial. However, for maintenance and a lifestyle change, exercise becomes more and more important. I found that after I lost some weight strictly by dieting, I started to crave exercise more and more. Both are just as important for a healthy life and the long term benefits.
  • harrietlg
    harrietlg Posts: 239
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    Definitely a bit of both but thats because I'm also trying to gain muscle to be toned at the end, it will be nice to have toned legs and tummy for a change!
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
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    Diet! I started exercising before I started eating better but it didn't work because my diet was terrible, infact I gained weight because I thought I could get away with it because of the extra exercise. As soon as I started properly monitering my intake is when I realised where I was going wrong.

    The very least exercise I get in 30minutes a day walking my dog if it's raining plus weight training twice a week. Most days I do much more (at least an hour of walking) and having added the diet and exercise together the weight has just dropped off.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Re: starting exercise

    You don't have to start out doing killer workouts. Just start by doing something you can do consistantly and work your way up. I had not exercised in decades! So I started with 10 Minute Solutions - I did 2 sections at a time. After I consistantly did 20 minutes at a time - I added on.

    Now I workout regulary - and plan to for the rest of my life - nothing killer - but I'm consistant. IF I am going to keep the weight off I have to do something different - I don't want to diet forever.

    Good starters.

    Yoga - not a big calories burner - but it makes you very aware of your body. It makes you want to get healthy
    Walking - outdoors, treadmill, DVDs. Start with 1 mile. The DVDs are great for me because I have no excuses.
    10 Minute Solutions - have kickboxing, bootcamp, dance, weights, yoga .... something should interest you.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
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    One should never be thought of without the other, it's not that it's "better" combining diet and exercise, it's that it's VITAL to do both. And nobody says you have to go to the gym to exercise, heck, I'm a Personal Trainer, and I go weeks without going to the gym there's nothing wrong with a pool, a hiking trail, a bike, a pair of running shoes, a park, a beach, even your own basement. My wife and I fixed up our basement by finding 2 used spin bikes (they're all over the place) for 50 bucks a pop, and repainted and re-oiled em, good as new, a few other pieces of used equipment, a set of 50 lb variable weights, a 100 lb heavy bag, and a 25 dollar bench and we have a gym that you can do just about anything short of distance running in. All for under 500 bucks (I.E. about a year of gym membership).

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