Best way to lose weight

darellefopa
darellefopa Posts: 7 Member
edited December 21 in Health and Weight Loss
Diet only or diet & working out?

Replies

  • shaf238
    shaf238 Posts: 4,022 Member
    Both.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    You can absolutely lose weight with just diet. But I am a big fan of both, and think exercise has been hugely beneficial to me.

    I jumped right into exercise first when I started in September. I joined a hardcore martial arts gym that trains at all levels so I was in 90 minute classes with people who had been doing it for many years. I was obese, horrendously out of shape, and the first few classes felt like I was going to keel over. But I stuck with it, slowly improved, started going more, and started exercising outside of class. Now I do 6-9 hours of exercise per week, and it's been hugely beneficial for my weight loss, physical appearance, and self confidence. I've been able to do things I never thought was possible. I can handle do 50 consecutive pushups, long sparring sessions, hike mountains, mud runs and obstacle courses. This is for someone who used to get winded walking too much.

    My TDEE is about 500 calories higher per day because of the exercise I do than if I was sedentary. That equates to a pound a week of extra calories I have because I exercise vs when if I didn't. I have been losing right around a pound a week for those 8 months (down 30 pounds so far). I still have to control diet, as it would be easy for me to overeat even the gains from my exercise if I wasn't careful. But I would have had a hard time eating at my goal without exercise. I can honestly say I feel like it is the main driver of my progress.
  • zeejane4
    zeejane4 Posts: 230 Member
    I did diet only and that worked well for me. Others experiences will vary.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    darellefopa wrote: »
    Diet only or diet & working out?

    If you're working out, but not monitoring your diet, you're not going to lose weight. I've been in and out of gyms for years and I see people all of the time who never change a lick...they have the exercise part down, but they still over eat. Exercise doesn't default to weight loss. If it did, people like myself who exercise regularly would just wither away and die.

    Personally, I'm not a fan of diet only...for one thing, exercise is very beneficial for your overall health and well being..IMO, more so than your diet. Beyond that, regular exercise increases your total energy expenditure so you don't have to be as restrictive when you're dieting...you can accomplish the same goals with more calories.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,099 Member
    Both...
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    Both. If you're sedentary, you get half a cup of rabbit food. I need more eats. Also, I need to move around, if I sit on my butt all day I'll get depressed.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    darellefopa wrote: »
    Diet only or diet & working out?

    If you're working out, but not monitoring your diet, you're not going to lose weight.

    Huh. My experience is that I eat similarly throughout the year, but as soon as the weather gets nicer, my winter weight melts effortlessly away. Happens every year.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited May 2019
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    darellefopa wrote: »
    Diet only or diet & working out?

    If you're working out, but not monitoring your diet, you're not going to lose weight.

    Huh. My experience is that I eat similarly throughout the year, but as soon as the weather gets nicer, my winter weight melts effortlessly away. Happens every year.

    me too...but I have a pretty consistently healthy diet and I only gain 8-10 Lbs per year and through experience I know what I need to eat and how much.

    Like I said, I've seen people in the gym for years doing all the right things exercise wise, but they overeat and never lose weight and are fat...their diets aren't under control, and that was my point. There are many people who think exercise defaults to weight loss and as a general observation, that is rarely the case.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I think it comes down to whether your diet is generally under control. I tried to lose just by increasing exercise plenty of times and did not, but after I had lost a bunch and was eating consistently I decided to train for a tri and lost weight doing that, not changing my diet (I wasn't logging). So it can work but usually won't work that well for someone who doesn't address eating habits and is just starting out.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    calorie deficit aka diet for weight loss
    exercise for health and fitness.

    You can exercise and Lose weight but you are still in a deficit (diet).
    You can exercise and not lose weight because you are not in a deficit
    You can exercise and gain weight (a no not muscle) because you are in a surplus.

    If you can't exercise due to physical limitations but diet you will lose weight.

    If you lose weight as you get more active you are in a deficit but the minute you stop you stop lose and potentially gain the weight back due to no change in eating...or gain because you think you can eat more "cause losing"...



  • Opalescent_Topaz
    Opalescent_Topaz Posts: 132 Member
    I mean, diet is more important for losing weight, but you get to eat a little bit more if you work out. Plus, you're going to look better if you work out. Pure weight loss is probably not going to get you the look you're going for, but working out might slow your weight loss down. Regardless, healthy weight loss is never fast.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    Do what is right for you.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    darellefopa wrote: »
    Diet only or diet & working out?

    If you're working out, but not monitoring your diet, you're not going to lose weight.

    Huh. My experience is that I eat similarly throughout the year, but as soon as the weather gets nicer, my winter weight melts effortlessly away. Happens every year.

    me too...but I have a pretty consistently healthy diet and I only gain 8-10 Lbs per year and through experience I know what I need to eat and how much.

    Like I said, I've seen people in the gym for years doing all the right things exercise wise, but they overeat and never lose weight and are fat...their diets aren't under control, and that was my point. There are many people who think exercise defaults to weight loss and as a general observation, that is rarely the case.

    Interesting. Me too.
  • GoingSaiyan
    GoingSaiyan Posts: 52 Member
    The best way is the way that works for you. And when I say works for you, I mean the way that is the easiest for you to remain consistent with. Consistency is everything. Weight loss = burning more calories than you're consuming. We all have bad calorie days, but as long as you pick back up and keep to it you'll be good. Trust the process.

    Diet is the spearhead to weight loss, and exercise is not necessary but is absolutely worth throwing into the equation. Burning more calories can only help!
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