Diet vs. Exercise?

odusgolp
odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
edited October 1 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
    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
    Diet 80-90% Exercise 10-20%

    I think exercise is very beneficial for maintenance though
  • abeachlady
    abeachlady Posts: 88
    Start off walking then. Every bit of exercise helps, and it's a start.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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).
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    We cut calories to get to our goal weight. We exercise so we look good when we get there!

    But it's a lot easier (and faster) to cut out 500 calories than it is to burn off 500 calories.
  • GreenSkinnyJeans
    GreenSkinnyJeans Posts: 204 Member
    During the school year I get in about 3/4 hours of actually working out(gym class, sports, cardio/weights in the fitness center) And I didn't loose a single f-ing pounds the whole year.
    You know why? I justified just because I was exercising, and eating healthy(lots of fruits, veggys, and whole grains)That it was cool to go over my calories I KNEW i shouldn't of eatin' : p.
    it really is 80 Percent diet, 20 percent exercise.
  • fitwatch
    fitwatch Posts: 61
    Diet for weight loss. That is probably 80-90%. Exercise helps you lose 10%. Muscle develop is more important for burning in the long run or for maintaining what you lose.

    Consider the following. Say you binge with some high calorie mexican meal (yum) and drink all night (beers, rum, tequillas, etc.) -- say it amounts to 7000 extra calories. Oh is possible at an all night, all day party festival. Well of course that is only 2 extra pounds right?

    Now how many hours do you have to walk to burn all of it off? At 200 calories per hour, you would need 35 hours. Assuming you would walk every day, 5 hours a day, or 7 days. Jog and maybe you can do this in 6 days (but can you really jog for 5 hours every day?)
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I think if firming isn't the issue, that you can lose quite a bit of weight by changing your diet. Changing the foods that you take in can drastically change your body and quickly. With that said though, for long term, building the muscle will increase your metabolism and keep you burning more calories. So if you can even incorporate weight training into your plan, it will be better.
  • TheBraveryLover
    TheBraveryLover Posts: 1,217 Member
    Food intake, for sure. My first 46 pounds were lost with eating differently and minimal exercise (twice a week with some weeks none at all). Just a few days ago I decided to work out regularly and often for my last 40+ pounds I need to lose but that's mainly cause my weight loss is slowing down. But yeah, to start, your diet is important and will work for awhile.
  • malvakai
    malvakai Posts: 32
    I spent 7 months working my *kitten* off in a too expensive gym with a hard driving trainer and lost a grand total of 10 lbs, and gained back 20.

    I've been watching my calories (a thing I never wanted to do before) and eating so much better for 2 weeks... and lost 5 lbs.

    I did everything wrong working out... I over ate my calories and overestimated my burn ...but it's easier to count your food calories with MFP than I ever thought it would be.

    I think the type of work out matters too, I was trying mostly weight lifting and not enough aerobics, this time I've reversed that.
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,813 Member
    You have to do both to get the maximum benefits. Most people don't like to exercise, certainly not initially. I'd start with just plain old walking (a pedometer is nice), and really use this site to take a good hard look at your food choices. I don't like "diet" - think of it as a lifestyle change. Going on a diet is temporary, lifestyle change is permanent. You can do it! You won't be sorry.
  • 27strange
    27strange Posts: 837 Member
    I think the 2 go nicely hand in hand, a marriage built to last. BUT I think diet comes first as far as losing weight. Exercise increases fitness, metabolism, tones muscles, etc. For me however, I don't think I could do one without the other very easily. I am able to maintain my eating diet because I am exercising. I have the urge and motivation to exercise because I want to improve fitness and looks, therefore healthy eating is also a priority. So I don't do one without the other.
  • lilchris
    lilchris Posts: 4 Member
    In my opinion watching your diet would be your best bet. You have already admitted that it would be easier to start that way and you will notice more weight loss and more energy if you change your diet. If you start with excersize you are likely to drag if you aren't eating right, it will be hard to get motivated and you will not have as big a drop in weight if you are keeping up the calories. Excersize is really important but if i had to chose, cut the calories.
  • Bamacraft
    Bamacraft Posts: 175 Member
    In the past i always did both but failed. I would get too serious too fast and I guess just crashed my immune system. This time I started with only exercise for a couple months and slowly changed my diet. I am now at a decent 165ish and pretty much have hit my goal, all about inches and how toned i can get now. I dont think you can go wrong either way but for some doing both at once may be too much of a system shock.
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