Exercise or Diet
March 3, 2008 11:04 pm weight loss tips, ExerciseWhen 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?
March 4th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
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
March 5th, 2008 at 3:30 am
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
March 8th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
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.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:01 am
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.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
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.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
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…
March 12th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Ideally you want both the exercise and the healthy diet so start with exercise as it may help you with the diet.
March 12th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
My opinion is Regular Exercise with diet food full of Nutritions & Vitamins keeps us fit n fine.
March 14th, 2008 at 4:04 am
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.
March 15th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
[…] learn the basics of transitioning to a healthy lifestyle”. Hope so. Steve’s recent post Exercise or Diet is quite interesting. P.S.: Dude, change your about page. […]
March 25th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
There is nothing better than feeling fit and healthy, so exercise is definitely the way to go
March 27th, 2008 at 1:23 am
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.
March 27th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
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?
March 29th, 2008 at 10:22 am
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.
March 30th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
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.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:53 am
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
April 4th, 2008 at 10:21 am
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.
April 15th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
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.
April 16th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
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!
April 17th, 2008 at 12:31 am
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.
April 19th, 2008 at 10:20 am
both are important and its work better if have combine proper diet and excercise in diet plan
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:31 am
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 : ]
April 25th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
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!
April 26th, 2008 at 10:25 am
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.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:18 am
What exercise that can make my stomach get sixpack fastly?
May 10th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Always do exercises along with a proper diet. A diet without exercising can cause muscle loss and can give you that “Nichole Ritchie” look.
May 11th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
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.