Exercise alone will not lose the lbs!!!

You can't out exercise a bad diet.

^^^Yup, basically!

I read it differently on these boards, once: "You can't out-train your diet." That has really stuck with me. I have so many friends on Facebook who regularly work out really hard doing stuff like Tabata training, Krav Maga, etc., which they post about, then they go straight to the bar and post about how they "earned" the beer they're drinking and the burger and fries that they're eating (with pictures and everything). I've noted that they still look as heavy as they did a year ago, before all the exercise. (I'm not judging - just noticing the apparent lack of weight loss as a sort of experiment. Perhaps they're not going for weight loss, though, I don't know.)

I mentioned this to the friends I have who are trainers and fitness instructors, and they agree that this is a common misconception, that if you exercise, you can eat whatever you want. Even on The Biggest Loser (which isn't the best example of getting healthy, in my opinion, though I find it enjoyable to watch), either Bob or Jillian once said that diet is something like 80% of weight loss and exercise is the other 20% (I can't remember the exact percentage breakdown, but point being, the large majority of weight loss is going to come from your diet).

Personally, I have lost weight in the past from eating less with no exercise. However, I was still flabby, just less so. Recently I was told, "I don't think I've ever seen you this thin." This person who said that has seen me weigh less than I do now, so I found that comment funny. I replied, "I have been lighter," which surprised him, but then he said, "I bet it's all that exercise you do." I told him, "Yes, I exercise 5-6 days/week - my thighs are solid muscle now." I saw the wheels turning, which made me happy, since I think everyone should exercise, even if they're not aiming or trying to lose weight.

Now I definitely still have some flab to get rid of, but exercise has changed my shape dramatically. I look *much* better now at 156.4 than I did six years ago at 150 when I didn't exercise at all.

Plus, exercise is addictive and so good for your mental health, too, as well as your physical health.

So anyway, to the OP, losing 17 inches is AWESOME, but I totally understand that need to see progress on the scale. Keep it up with your exercise, and by fine-tuning your diet, you'll probably be amazed at the results! :happy:

Edited to fix a sentence fragment.

Weight management is 80% diet, 20% exercise. The theory is, the more exercise you do, which allows you to build more lean muscle, the more effectively your body will run, burning more fat!

What goes in, must come out! It's so difficult saying no to foods we love but, clean eating is the best way forward but you need your treat meal or a few glasses of wine otherwise...what's the point?! A miserable life?! Noooooooooooooo none of us want that, now do we?!

Well done on the inch loss, that's fab!!

YES!

Refining your eating is wonderful, but it's so easy to go overboard and not live your life, which often causes us to boomerang back to where we were as far as eating (and, eventually, weight), and often worse because we overcompensate for all the "bad" foods we were missing in the interim. You do need to enjoy yourself, just in moderation, depending on what you can physically and mentally handle. I can't go to Outback and have my favorite burger and chop salad (the salad alone is nearly 1,000 calories!), first because my body will reject it, and I'll probably end up sick (not throwing up - the other way), and second because mentally I can't go back there. I will want that again the next day, and so the next day will be torture. I have to treat myself in severe moderation, like I had a glass of wine the other night, and I had a very small piece of birthday cake at a birthday party a couple of weeks ago. It was good cake, and I enjoyed it, but I wasn't dying for cake later that day or the next day.

Quote...
"Your Diet is Number 1 !! You can live in the gym but if you don't eat clean you're wasting your time" - IFBB Pro Bikini Jessica Jesse... I have this as my wallpaper on my computer at work and home. It is true for men and women.

I read an article recently that said men can lose weight with exercise alone (partly related to testosterone and more muscle mass) and that women require diet and exercise (usually) to lose weight and will lose it at a much slower rate

I disagree with this one. It actually depends on your body type & not just on the amount of testosterone levels. My Dad has been doing exercise for more than 2 years already but eats a very poor diet so the result: his tummy is still as big as when he first started. Although a man loses weight more easily compared to a woman.

Next time I'm going to remember to include the comment of not all inclusive. Key word: CAN. They can lose weight with exercise alone more easily - but you are right, that will depend on diet factors. I am in no way saying that the article said that's all they have to do - and if it did say that, I wouldn't have gone any farther or attempted to repost it

So... we're in agreement. There's tons of factors to consider. A man with hypothyroidism isn't going to lose weight with just exercise. Etc, etc.

I am definitely finding that I don't lose lbs without tweaking my eating too. I can see and feel differences in my muscles, but my weight has stayed the same because of my terrible eating. Sometimes it's easier to change one thing at a time, and now that I feel I'm comfortable with my fitness routine (and I realize that the diet needs to change too to see the results I want), I can start changing my diet. I know my muscles are changing, but I still can't see them under all my fat! I want to see them!