Eating healthier vs exercising

Options
2»

Replies

  • RonneyKay
    RonneyKay Posts: 464 Member
    Options
    eating healthier for me is way easier than exercise for me, although now I'm doing both:) I feel better when I exercise. So that is motivation.

    Ronney
  • iamdesiderata
    iamdesiderata Posts: 95 Member
    Options
    I think diet is the number one thing that you should get right for the long term... It's the harder road, but the basis to everything.

    Even exercise is much more effective if your nutrition is good. Took me a year at least to get to where I'm happy with my general diet ( diet = what I eat not how many calories! ).

    Same with me. Diet is the biggest factor in weight loss, simply reducing your calories and eating the foods that are best for your body to lose fat and increase metabolism. I'm lazy, so exercise was harder to make habitual than simply buying more fruit/veggies, taking the breading off my chicken and eating whole wheat version of my bread.
  • missxchelly
    missxchelly Posts: 180
    Options
    Yeah, you really got to get into both. Exercising might help with burning off the calories from the junk you're eating, but it's not helping your arteries or your cholesterol. Eating better doesn't help break down your cholesterol unless you're exercising. So, a little bit of both =D
  • missxchelly
    missxchelly Posts: 180
    Options
    Yeah, you really got to get into both. Exercising might help with burning off the calories from the junk you're eating, but it's not helping your arteries or your cholesterol. Eating better doesn't help break down your cholesterol unless you're exercising. So, a little bit of both =D
  • Amber82479
    Amber82479 Posts: 629 Member
    Options
    Both are a constant challenge for me, though if I had to pick one, I'd say the eating healthy is harder. Not because I don't enjoy eating healthy - I really do - but because no one around me eats healthfully and I tend to feel resentful that I can't eat those foods too (at least, not if I want to continue losing weight), which usually ends up in me eating a bunch of crap and hating myself! Ah well, I stick with the routine as much as possible and try to just keep at it and not give up just because I fell off the wagon for a day or two. :)
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    Options
    I sort of did both simultaneously. I think eating well is easier than exercising. Exercise can be hard work. Eating is something we have to do anyway, and it's easy enough to just eat decently if you're going to eat.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Options
    It's easy to scarf down 500 cals in 5 minutes - takes a bit longer and it's harder to burn it off.
  • Tori_356
    Tori_356 Posts: 510 Member
    Options
    for awhile i would exercise every day but i wouldn't eat very well..so i'd say exercising. but i've had it go the other way, too
  • MandaCakez
    MandaCakez Posts: 18 Member
    Options
    If you start exercising without eating healthier you will have to do it forever. I have learned to eat healthier and have loss weight without exercise. :drinker:


    I agree with this because a few months ago i got a gym membership n thought well if i work out it all cancels out. No way. I ended up dropping the membership awhile ago. I heard MFP through a friend n ive lost 15lbs with little to no exercise besides my job n sometimes walks
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    Options
    Which was easier for you to form a habit with? Eating healthier or exercising more often?

    I used to think that I had to change EVERYTHING at once to make this lifestyle change, but it really is baby steps that get you through it, in my opinion.

    Lately, I've noticed that it has been easier to get into the habit of working out than it is to resist temptation and avoid the food that isn't the best for me (for the most part). I'm working on both though, slowly but surely!

    It's easier for me to exercise because I love to exercise. I have been a gym rat for a long time. The hardest part is not eating that pepperoni pizza and cheese sticks everyday followed by the ice cream. Sure, moderation...yeah, yeah...but when I eat take out pizza and ice cream, I do NOT use moderation, lol.

    Besides, I do not exercise just to lose weight. That's silly, IMHO. Exercise is for better health, not just getting a lower number on the scale.
  • BananaBee3
    BananaBee3 Posts: 224
    Options
    I enjoy both: eating healthy and exercising...it's just that I like sitting on the couch and eating ice cream too haha

    I buy awesome healthy foods and eat fine when I'm at home, but at work it's a different story. No one really eats as healthy as I do and I tend to be easily influenced into eating the junk that's around just to avoid comments my co-workers WILL make. I bring my own snacks pretty often and sometimes my own meals, but I hate feeling like I'm being judged or looked at differently just because of what I decide to put in my body.

    I'm slowly building these healthy habits though :smile: I used to never work out at work, but recently, I've been in the gym every day I've been on duty.

    Lyadeia: I can't eat ice cream or pizza in moderation either! I will eat an entire pint or whole pizza if I have it at my house (and I'm alone haha)
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    Options
    I agree that baby steps is the way to go.

    Honestly, I thought exercising would be easier, because I didn't want to give up the amount or types of food that I was eating. However, the opposite has proven to be true. I find that if I eat healthy foods regularly, I don't miss the unhealthy foods. I still eat them from time to time, but I don't crave them. I find that it isn't that hard to eat less calories when I eat foods that are filling, like whole grains and protein.

    I am doing better now with exercising, but it is absolutely baby steps. I am just doing 10 minutes here or there of jump rope or weight lifting. I find that if I work out until I'm exhausted, then I won't work out again for several days. So, I just do a little here and there to get the habits in place.

Categories