Are you trying to lose weight but hate exercise ? Have you wondered if you can just diet and and achieve you weight loss goals without exercise ?
Exercise or Diet – which is more important for weight loss?
The phrase ‘you can’t out-exercise a bad diet’ is commonly heard, but is this true? The short answer is yes, although both are important to maintaining a healthy body, nutrition will have more of an impact in achieving your health goals than exercise. Unbalanced consumption of foods high in sugar and fat and low in essential nutrients contribute to excess energy which ultimately increases the risk of becoming obese.
Research has shown that exercise alone is a poor strategy for healthy weight loss. For example, one slice of chocolate cake is around 424 calories and would take minutes to eat. However, to burn off 424 calories would take roughly 60 minutes of cycling or 114 minutes of walking!
What are the exercise recommendation for healthy weight loss?
The recommended weekly amount of exercise in the United Kingdom is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and statistics show that this is often not met by all age groups.
In fact, physical inactivity is already a major global health risk. It is prevalent in both industrialized and developing countries, particularly in urban areas. This shows that not eating the chocolate cake in the first place would be the best option! If we consume more energy on a regular basis than we use in daily life either through normal bodily functions or exercise, then this will lead to obesity.
Recommendations for good nutrition and diet whilst exercising for weight loss
The American Dietetic Association points out that it is almost impossible for overweight people to produce the required energy deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day without paying attention to their food intake. Healthy diets and physical activity go hand in hand and are key to good nutrition.
Eating nutrient-dense foods and balancing energy intake with the necessary physical activity to maintain a healthy weight is essential. The amount of energy consumed in relation to physical activity, and the quality of food, are key determinants of nutrition-related chronic disease, such as obesity.
Healthy diets and physical activity go hand in hand
For more information on why exercise is so important click here and to get your own healthy diet plan.
Conclusion
Combining a good diet and exercise is the healthiest way to achieve and maintain weight loss. You should ensure that you are getting a nutritious and healthy diet alongside upping your activity and exercise.
Studies discussed in the article
The Role of Exercise and Physical Activity in Weight Loss and Maintenance
Damon L. Swift, Neil M. Johannsen, Carl J. Lavie, Conrad P. Earnest and Timothy S. Church
Link- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3925973/
Diet, exercise or diet with exercise: comparing the effectiveness of treatment options for weight-loss and changes in fitness for adults (18–65 years old) who are overfat, or obese; systematic review and meta-analysis
James E Clark
Link- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4429709/
Diet or exercise interventions vs combined behavioral weight management programs: a systematic review and meta-analysis of direct comparisons
David J Johns, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Susan A Jebb, Paul Aveyard
Link- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25257365/
