Posted by Steve in Exercise, weight loss tips | 52 Comments
Exercise or Diet
NOTE: This was originally posted in March 2008, the funny thing is that I have changed my mind a little on this I now believe that Diet is a bit more effective. Live and learn right?
When making the change to a healthy lifestyle it can all seem overwhelming. Many of us have been inactive for years and the thought of heavy sweating, muscle soreness and the time commitments associated with working out can be enough to turn anyone away from doing it.
On the diet side of the equation it doesn’t look any easier. You’ll need to stop eating the high fat, high sugar foods that have become a daily part of your life. Then replace them with fruit and veggies and lean cuts of meat. Blah.
The combination of the two will undoubtedly change your body and drastically improve your overall health. But that is not easy to do all at once. I think that it’s easier to concentrate on just one part in the beginning.
So which one is more effective?
Almost all the advice I’ve read or received on this say diet is the most important. Changing your diet can be amazingly effective but I’d have to say that focusing on exercise is the way to go.
Exercise is easier to start and stick with hands down. When you finish a workout you get a real sense of accomplishment and pride. Can you say that about finishing a salad?
The most amazing thing about setting up an exercise program first is that it will almost force you to want to eat healthier food. Your body will begin to crave water instead of sugary drinks and fruit instead of chips and chocolate. It sounds crazy but I’ve seen it happen to even the most hardened junk food addict.
On top of this you will notice changes in your energy levels good and bad which is a great motivator. If you’re not eating properly you’ll notice that your workouts will suffer and you’ll feel tired, all day. That will ultimately lead to you looking for ways to fuel yourself instead of just filling yourself.
I’ve found that healthy eating doesn’t necessarily encourage or motivate you to exercise.
Final Thought
To sum it up when you feel like a complete lifestyle change is too much to handle all at once, choose exercise first and add the diet after.
Let me know what you think. Which do you think is more effective?
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Hi Steve,
I have to agree with you that exercise is the way to go. I’m also forced to agree that once you start exercising you do tend to start eating healthier.
Ideally you want both the exercise and the healthy diet so start with exercise as it may help you with the diet.
Cheers,
AndrewE
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Irwan Reply:
May 21st, 2010 at 12:45 am
exercise + healthy diet = healthy life
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My opinion is Regular Exercise with diet food full of Nutritions & Vitamins keeps us fit n fine.
You have raised nice issue. Good Work! Keep it up
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I used to play football in High School. The rigorous work in training kept me in shape. I later moved to a place where I had to walk miles upon miles everyday. No matter what I ate, exercise always kept me in shape. Since becoming a web guy… I have a hard time staying in shape. I think that 1. drink lots of water and 2. exercise, will work wonders for your body. I do believe that you should eat balanced meals too but most people freak out on diets and then crash. So think sensible when you eat.
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Better to do a little exercise than none at all
Its better to think of exercise as a routine everyday thing rather than a workout.
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It won`t happen over night .but with the right combination of nutrition and exercise great changes can and will take place , I try to eat good foods every day and exercise every other day for at least 1 hour, its hard at first but commitment is a big help.
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I think you need a bit of both, but if you have to choose one, it should be exercize. Plus, exercize is beneficial for many other reasons…
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Ideally you want both the exercise and the healthy diet so start with exercise as it may help you with the diet.
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My opinion is Regular Exercise with diet food full of Nutritions & Vitamins keeps us fit n fine.
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I think the most effective is exercise. Of course it depend from food and exercise correlation, but even if you eat a lot and have an hard exercise it does well, I think.
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There is nothing better than feeling fit and healthy, so exercise is definitely the way to go
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It depends what’s your target and current situation. If you are seriously overweight you should consult it with your doctor first… I don’t think you should begin to exercise & diet at the same time, because if you will feel hungry, you won’t have enough strength to exercise (unless you are using something other than low-calorie diet). Combining of both is the best of course, but if you are very fat it exercising could be a problem if you don’t know how to do it correctly.
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I think at the start it’s all about diet, but once you’ve reached your goal it becomes more even.
I’m back on my plan yet again… Went through withdrawal yet again… Why do I keep doing this to myself?
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Hi,
As weight loss is often an emotional issue for many people, has anyone here tried out cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT)? A friend of a friend tried it and swears by it apparantly.
I’m just thinking that if weight loss is largely an emotional issue perhaps we need to work on our thoughts first/too as well as diet and exercise.
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I agree with you. Exercise is important. Combination exercise and diet can achieved a healthy body and mind. I choose to eat a lot of vegetables and fruit. I managed to squeeze exercise routine after working hours. It’s feel great after doing some workout.
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In my opinion, doing both diet and exercise. We can start diet step by step while having exercise. Consume low sugar beverage in the morning, and don’t drink containing sugar at noon and night. After that, decrease to consume carbohydrate step by step.Thanks for sharing.
Ardi Panondan
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I don’t think you can choose one over the other. Exercise and food are both important, if you want to lose weight. I’d give them a 50-50 split in terms of importance.
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I`d go for Exercise first even if it`s just walking, when I do workout I dont want to blow all that hard work by stuffing myself with bad foods.
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if i had to choose, id go for diet, first, then start exercising… im a little lazy in the mornings, and i dont want to do exercise at night.. anyway, i strongly feel that the two should really go hand in hand if you are really committed to losing weight… today a lot of people are not as active as they should be. generally because of the modern conveniences (cars, elevators, escalators,etc)… people are also surrounded with mouth watering food that seem to become more plentiful by the minute… this kind of lifestyle and the amount of food intake only contribute to weight gain.. i think that it all boils down to sticking to an exercise and a diet plan that is appropriate for your lifestyle!
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I think, the race to fitness is on and a lot of people are getting into the band wagon. Some people do it to achieve a sexy body, some people just do it because they are embarrassed with the body they have now, while others do it simply to remain fit and healthy. As such, many fitness programs are out in the internet, in gyms, spas and fitness centers all over. Some are too expensive to afford that one may even lose weight just by trying to work out the money needed to pursue these fitness programs.
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both are important and its work better if have combine proper diet and excercise in diet plan
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Diet and exercise together is the best — but I have to say its harder to change your diet than to get into the routine of exercising. When I started changing my lifestyle, I did both and I feel that I got better results. It’s motivating to see your hard work paying off : ]
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I don’t think you can really choose between the two because both work together to aid in weight loss. However from my own experience, as long as you eat somewhat healthy I do think exercise is more important.
I have been eating much better, but still not great and have still been losing weight since I workout 3 times a week. I can only imagine how much weight I would lose if I ate even healthier!
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Exercising for the sake of exercising is hard, at least for me.
For people like me, reason is a necessity. That’s why I bought a mountain bike and joined a community of bikers. In such a way I work out and have fun at the same time.
Anyway, diet is even more important from my point of view, as well as fresh air and water.
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What exercise that can make my stomach get sixpack fastly?
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Always do exercises along with a proper diet. A diet without exercising can cause muscle loss and can give you that “Nichole Ritchie” look.
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Exercises and diet should be work together. That is the best way to get good health and keep fit. Do sports such as basketball or swimming. Eat more healthy food and you will get good results.
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I think a combo of both works best. I get tips off this site
http://buzz.prevention.com/
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Just don’t overdo on the exercise and dieting simultaniously. After exercise it’s normal that one need to eat more and cutting down on the meals is just not good. I’d say just stick to normal diet while exercise regularly
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From my personal opinion both is equally important.. to get fast and better result this both criteria need to be done correctly..
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I would say that exercise is easy as long as your doing something you enjoy. I play football (soccer) as a hobby, it’s fun and I get a workout. Diet on the other hand, is so much harder because opportunities to eat unhealthy are always present. You can’t go to a pub or a friends house without the high carbs coming out of the cupboard.
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Hi, I’m slowly reading your blog
In my opinion, both diet and exercise are very important to lose weight healthily.
Exercising will help to enhance your metabolic rate and help to burn more calorie.
While dieting will help to reduce your caloric intake to lose weight.
Combining both, you will not need to follow either one to an extreme extent, thus is safer and healthier
Sincere,
Jessy
Calorie Shifting
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Greetings,
In my point of view, both exercise and diet are important because it gives enormous benefits for a better healthy leaving.
Exercise and nutrition helps to prevent these following diseases;
*Heart Disease
*Diabetes
*Osteoporosis
*Cancer
Best Regards,
Michelle
Natural Herbal Supplements
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Both are more beneficial than choosing one of them. Exercise and diet are partners for having a good healthy life.
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Yes, both are beneficial but do you want to burn meat instead of fat? Exercise is the best way in having a healthy life, what’s the benefit of eating good food when you yourself ain’t getting any action?
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The average person can be more healthier by just changing their eating habits. The same can be said if they included 20 mins of exercise a few times a week. Both combined will result in an even healthier path! I am unsure if I could say one is “better” than the other. Each is a step in the right direction
Andy
Fitness Uncovered
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I am agree with your thoughts that though the both ways are effective for weight loosing but it is not easy to do all at once.because I have tried it before.So what I found easy is exercise.dieting is a difficult task .No one can stop his/herself from eating the favorite things. Then we should prefer exercise.
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I strongly feel that the two should really go hand in hand if you are really committed to losing weight… today a lot of people are not as active as they should be. generally because of the modern conveniences (cars, elevators, escalators,etc)… people are also surrounded with mouth watering food that seem to become more plentiful by the minute… this kind of lifestyle and the amount of food intake only contribute to weight gain..
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I disagree with you completely (based only on my own results and a 100 pound weight loss). Number 1, I still HATE to drink water and I work out everyday for at least an hour. One day is cardio and the next is light cardio and weights. I MISS twinkies, and hoho’s, and every other damn thing I can’t eat anymore. Number 2, I have tried increasing my workout times in order to lose weight, never happens. You have to change the diet too. That said, both are important but for someone just starting out, if they’re hoping to really see results, I would start with the diet. I eat right and exercise because I want a healthy, fit body, but I still despise sweating and I will always miss my junk food, despite 3 years of healthy living.
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I think diet, though I could not stay motivated to eat healthy or stay sane without exercise, so that happens regardless.
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Obviously individuals differ. For me, starting with exercise first is the best way because I can tell myself that at the end of this exercise session, whatever it may be, I can have a nice cold soda or an ice cream bar! What amazes me is that I usually choose a light juice drink and some grapes. But I get to CHOOSE and don’t feel deprived. It’s working! My appetite is actually diminishing.
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If you are serious about your weight loss program, exercise is the key.
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There is saying “abs are made in the kitchen”. Its all about nutrition, some people who have never worked out are sitting there healthy neither under nor overweight. Depending on your goals and definition of “healthy living” exercise may not even enter into the equation.
From a time standpoint. Someone will probably lose weight quicker by exercise and a proper diet focused on weightloss than just exercising or just a healthy diet. As it stands, Diet and Exercise work together to create the optimal environment for healthy weightloss.
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I would like to add my thoughts on weight loss. Have you tried Green tea as a natural method of speeding up your metabolism. One or two cups a day can help you burn 80 calories
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Yoga Asana Pranayama are the best exercises for weight loss. ‘Kapalbhati Pranayama’ is an all in one solution to almost all the diseases of human body. It is a miraculous ‘Breathing Exercise’ which reduces the weight rapidly without any side effects and without any expenses, if practiced regularly with diet control. It has been proved in India.
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I personally find that if I exercise to lose weight, my appetite skyrockets out of control. While I believe that exercise is important for good health, I’ve always had the most weight loss success with calorie counting.
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I think both of them are important.
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We believe that not only is it important to have a good diet and exercise, but also to look after your teeth. Too many people ignore the latter to their detriment.
The Dentist Abroad´s last blog ..UK’s GDC offers Special Care Dentistry List for treating patients with diabilities.
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Excercise is the way to go for sure. I starting working out 4 days a week and have lost 24lbs in just under 4 months. I eat pretty well what I want, I still eat candy and drink soda, perhaps I would lose more if I changed my diet but you gotta live and enjoy life.
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I find that exercise and a healthy diet work together. I noted that I wasn’t looking healthy and was always tired when I was going on a diet alone. But when I exercise, I’m more aware of what I’m eating: I eat healthier foods, then I begin to lose weight and at the same time I improve my sport performance.
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Many fitness professionals say that weight loss is 80% diet and 20% fitness, but the two have to be done together for the most successful weight loss. If you only diet then your metabolism slows down, and if you only exercise your metabolism becomes more effective. So do both.
Lose Weight Flat Stomach´s last blog ..Ellie Goulding’s Exercise and Diet for Weight Loss
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I think that the health benefits from regular exercise are enough to greatly improve your health, diet changes just give you that little bit extra.
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