Photo by Gustavo Fring
People often seek quick fixes, especially when it comes to weight loss. The age-old question is diet vs. exercise; what is more important in a weight loss journey is a complex one that requires understanding and consideration.
The 80/20 rule may not be the ultimate answer, but it is a popular concept in the diet and exercise world. It’s not about finding a magical solution that miraculously sheds pounds and inches. Instead, it’s about understanding a method that has been proven to work over time.
Here’s the scoop on what it means to diet vs. exercise, and which is the one to focus on when you’re concentrating on weight loss.
Exercise and its Role in Weight Loss
Daily exercise is a crucial contributor to longevity of life and overall health. However, most people don’t usually exercise enough to burn sufficient calories to lose weight. For this very reason, exercising would not be helpful for weight loss.
If done correctly, exercise can benefit those wanting to lose weight, meaning the type of exercise you do and the time you spend doing it. Strength training is excellent for preserving and building up muscle. It also improves your metabolic rate over time so that you eventually burn more calories, even while resting.
Cardio or aerobic exercise that’s lower impact, like walking or cycling with a low to moderate intensity, can burn enough calories to contribute to weight loss. Just remember that it’s necessary to do this type of exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes or more to see results.
Another important factor in exercise for weight loss is that it gives you more flexibility with your diet. You can be less restrictive with your nutrition choices and don’t have to feel guilty for that bowl of ice cream if you’re regularly burning calories.
There are other methods to help with weight loss when necessary. Those who suffer from obesity and are facing health problems may consider Bariendo’s endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty center for weight loss surgery.
However, surgery isn’t a one-and-done ordeal, and it’s vital to talk to your doctor, consult with a dietitian, or work with a fitness trainer to achieve and maintain your weight loss goals especially when considering outside diet vs. exercise option.
How Diet is Helpful for Weight Loss?
The primary component of a diet is this – you burn more calories per day than you consume. Many experts, nutritionists, and fitness moguls refer to it as being in a calorie deficit. A diet does not mean, however, that you need to go to the extreme and radically cut calories or specific foods from your diet.
Many people looking to lose weight, like yourself, probably think that an “all-in” mentality will help the pounds drop faster. The problem is that it can throw your body into a mode that makes it hold onto whatever you do consume throughout the day. Eventually, if you add more to it, it can end up leading to weight gain rather than loss.
If you’re questioning which one to pick from diet vs. exercise or which option is more important, you’ll be surprised to see that you’ll likely see more significant short-term results when you change your nutrition. So, what should (or shouldn’t) you eat on a diet?
When you’re more restrictive with what you eat, it can cause you to want those things you’re cutting out and possibly lead to overeating when you give yourself a break. A better example of a successful diet is consuming fewer calories per day (400-500 less than your body typically burns) by creating meals in smaller portions and snacking less.
An easier way to manage calories without counting them outright is by focusing on whole, non-processed foods. Look to include foods high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats.
Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss
Diet and exercise play significant roles in helping people lose weight, so it’s most beneficial to include both rather than just one or the other. If you want to start with just one and are looking to see results, you can work on your diet first before adding an exercise routine.
Diet culture and society may promote the idea that losing weight is the only way to be healthy, but that’s not the complete truth. Increasing your physical activity, even on a small scale, can be more helpful to your overall health, whether you lose any weight or not.
Exercising regularly also helps support maintenance after weight loss. So, if you only plan to focus on your diet, you’ll miss out on a crucial part of keeping the weight off.
The math when dieting for weight loss may surprise you. To shed just one pound per week, you must burn 3,500 calories, which is an average deficit of around 500 calories per day.
The Best Way to Lose Weight
The best weight-loss diet allows you to put yourself in a deficit without restructuring indulgences. And while this may slow down your progress so you don’t see the scale move right away or as frequently off the bat, it’s far more sustainable over time.
Like your diet, your exercise should also be moderate. If you exercise excessively to lose weight, it can increase your appetite and the risk of injury when you lose weight. There is not question of picking from diet vs. exercise; as exercise along with nutrition would together help you lose right amount of fat. Some more helpful tips to lose weight and ensure that you sustain it include the following:
- Calorie and macronutrient trackers can help you be more mindful of what you’re eating and how your exercise may allow an indulgence here and there as you progress. Eating more mindfully most of the time and then splurging twice a month on something you enjoy results in a more favorable weight loss journey.
- Calories in vs. calories out: Remember that you want to burn more calories each day than you consume, so any exercise or physical activity that helps you burn off some of those extra foods will be helpful.
- Remember that beverages can have calories, too—sodas, coffees with sugar, energy drinks, juices, and alcohol often have more calories than you think and can inhibit your progress.
In the race of diet vs. exercise: slow and steady would win the race. If you want to see success in the short term, begin by examining and changing your diet, possibly with the help of a nutritionist or dietician. But don’t neglect to incorporate exercise into your diet since it will help you build healthy habits that not only lead to weight loss but also aid in your health long-term and with much more success.