I guess my question is what is the overall consensus of what's more important the diet or the exercise?

According to my four years of University in the school of human kinetics, if you wanna be skinny diet will work for ya. Metabilism will become more efficient but it's still a calories in and calories out thing. If you wanna be healthy you require a healthy diet and exercise.

For just weight loss diet is #1.

Intense cardio that leaves you covered in dripping sweat is #2.

Walking is better for weight loss than lifting weights....

Simply burn more calories than you take in. One direction may work better for some than other depending on age and lifestyle

What about seeing a Nutritionist before you start a program???



B

Cutting down on carbs is the primary thing if you have belly fat. Our diet here in this country is way too rich in carbs, and when eating lots of carbs, your body retains fat that by not eating carbs, would burn on it's own. Exorcise keeps you in shape, but diet is what porks you out!

Read the book Obeisity Code. You will not only learn why some diets do not work, but it may provide motovation as well. It is working for me so far.

All complete nutrition stores, I believe, have a machine that will tell you your bmi, body fat %, and muscle mass per limb and for your torso. You can then track your results by getting a scan every few months.

If you know your bmi than you can have a starting point for caloric intake which will maintain your weight as it is or + or - it.

One of the best fat burning exercise is to ruck hike with a good amount of weight in your ruck....2 hours at a good pace will burn over 1000 calories easily. plus it is one of the best full body exercises that you can do.

I'm down 50 lbs since August just by changing my diet. I used weight watchers which is more about what you eat and how much. If I want a burger, I eat a burger but just not every week. Even when I'm not tracking my food, I think about my choices. I have plateaued though and now need to add exercise.

Well they told me I need to loose 30lbs and asked me to see a Nutritionist because of my fibromyalgia but that's an expensive visit that's why I asked.

No trying to change this thread or take it over, It's been informative for me anyway.

Thanks for the input.

B

Ok to my learning over the years I think there is a lot of misconceptions out there.

First I will star with the 3 parts of the puzzle.

First is diet obviously eating the right calories will effect your well being and the way you feel.

Second most important is actually weight lifting. As we age metabolism slows down. Weight lifting increases metabolism which in turn burns more calories naturally and also 8mproves the way a person feels.

Third importance is cardio. Cardio is good for the heart and overall health but to much cardio breaks down muscle which breaks down metabolism.

Another big misconception is gimmick diets on restricting carbs or pushing protein.

There are three food categories

First is protein. Defining protein is simple and it's needed to build muscle.

Second is carbs. Carbs get confusing as there are different types of carbs. Best way to determine good carbs from bad carbs is going by a glycemic chart. Glycemic is broken down in categorized of low, medium and high glycemic. What those values mean are how fast the body breaks down the sugar in the body for energy. A low glycemic like vegetables are the best to break the sugar down slowly and the energy lasts longer. A high glycemic breaks the sugar down fast but wears off fast. So with that said carbs that are eaten should come from the low and medium categorizes. I think most would be surprised where on the glycemic chart their food they think is healthy but actually is not. Popcorn a high glycemic but yet a chocolate candy bar is a medium glycemic.

And than we have fats. A few different types of fats and our body does need some to function. Just stay away from trans fat is the general rule.

Carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram.
Fats have 8 calories per gram.
There are 3500 calories to a pound.

A good diet is probably 40% protein 40% carbs 20% fat. You can convert that to calories if it's easier.

If I am bulking I eat good nutritional food but I can cheat a little.
If I am cutting I stay away from fruits, peanuts, peanut butter and all junk.

Everyone body does react a little different than others but for the most part these rules apply. Don't convince yourself it's ok to cheat today cause you will burn it off later. That's bad thinking. It takes a good workout to burn calories to make up for a bad diet.

Hope this helps or at least makes good conversation. There is a good book called sports nutrition that really breaks it down easy.

Diet is number 1.

Cardio would be second to diet.

Light weight lifting with lots of reps will help lose weight. Heavy lifting will make you gain weight.

Walking is good overall for health because it promotes circulation besides weight loss.

You get fit in the gym. You lose weight in the kitchen.

Bingo!

It is very easy to lose weight if you have a bit of willpower.
Cut out sugar and fat and eat less overall.That is all.

That about says it right there.
I might add that just plain old work can take pace of the gym. Do you need to dig a ditch, excavate a footing, etc.? Don't rent a piece of equipment, but spend an hour a day with a shovel, you'll get something accomplished, and you will save equipment rental fees and gym fees all at the same time.

The right diet and along with exercise, JMO

Care to elaborate on your reasoning?

What Trapper7 means is lifting heavy produces larger muscle, which is denser than fat. Many men and women look leaner but actually weigh more.

To lose weight you have to get in the mindset that being hungry is good, that it is meeting your goal of losing weight. Eating the same # of calories but burning more due to exercise will make you hungry, eating less calories but doing the same stuff will make you hungry too. Regardless you have to resist the desire to eat. With the first option you will be thinking less about being hungry and it will be easier and more healthy. Losing weight is not hard, just painful, but the benefits are tremendous.

But that's a misconception.

Lifting light weight with lots of rep might give my muscles endurance and lifting heavy might make me stronger but my calorie intake determines if I lose or gain weight.

And actually the more muscle a person has the more calories the body burns to feed those muscles.

Muscle increases metabolism. Metabolism burns calories.

Muscle out weighs fat something like 7 to 1 so yes a muscular person might be heavier but look leaner.

Glycemic index works. Eat protein and complex carbs. No refined grains, no sugar, no white rice, no starchy foods, no corn syrup, and no chips. Nuts and fat are OK in moderation. Whole grains are OK.

DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!

It's really simple for me. If I stay active and work I stay lean and I feel good. If I'm just sitting driving truck or not doing much at all I put on weight and my back starts hurting. And the harder I work the better I feel.! Weird!? Bad thing is I really don't like to work hard. My eating habits never change. They're pretty much bad no matter what I'm doing.

We were built to move, not sit. And we were built to eat certain foods.
It's a one-two punch, not one or other only.
Jim

Lots of info folks, thanks. I think I will Exercise and continue eating Like a king but Maybe cut out a few carbs
But I like fat and meat way to much to give any of that up. I don't eat sweets or chips/ junk food or soda but I eat A LOT of elaborate meals and a fair amount of whine and beer, I'm not necessarily fat but look well fed, I'm 175 and 5' 8" would like to stay this weight or lose 5-10 pounds.

I highly recommend intermittent fasting and a keto diet. Look up dr. Eric Berg on youtube. Good luck and persevere.

The answer to your question is “YES!”

These are my opinions so take them for whatever value they may have.

Both are equally important. Eat a healthy diet. To me that means high protein, low fat, low carbohydrates, low sugar, and lots of vegetables.

Also important is lots of exercise doing work inside, outside, in the fields and woods, getting sunshine, cutting splitting and stacking firewood, carpentry and remodeling my home, wildlife habitat improvement work, land management work, going to the gym working out specifically for strength, flexibility, and range of motion.

Also important is the proper amount of good quality sleep on a good bed.

Another huge factor is mental health! Our bodies struggle to be healthy if our minds are unhappy or troubled by stress or worse.

I lost 19 Pounds in 1 Week.....


Food Poisoning is NOT the preferred way to lose weight , though!!!

80% Diet
20% Exercise
Burn off more than you take in.
I think what happens to most people is that they try to go too far with there diet and workout routines when they first start dieting and it becomes too much for them to stick with.
Eliminate junk food, limit your sugary drink intake to 1 a day and portion control will get you on the right track.
You don't have to eat like a bird and workout like a body builder to get results.
A slight lifestyle change is definitely necessary. Stick with it..

I lost 90 lbs this winter....... Chemo and radiation is sure tough on a person though ha ha
Like it was mentioned above if you want to loose weight get off your lazy butt and do something physical ! Leave the 64oz soda alone and drink water, I still like a Dr Pepper like anyone else does but as a reward.
But I've got the metabolism rate where I can ride my snowmobile for an hour and loose 2lbs during the winter months with enough snow, or the 4 wheeler when we don't.
During my last Dr's visits they told me I can eat anything I want surviving throat cancer and it's treatment is super tough ! So I have learned to graze a little at a time all day long to maintain my weight.
Allan

Allan - thank you for your post. Your comments put the rest of this in perspective. I am happy that you survived your ordeal! Life is fragile.

Life is more important than vanity dieting. Although weight and exercise are also critical to life.

Last week my wife had a heart attack and then cardiac arrest right in front of me and a doctor. They immediately started CPR and worked on her for a long time. The ran the maximum on everything to start her heart. Finally they got it started. I was concerned about blood flow and oxygen deprivation causing brain damage. Fortunately they kept both going and she has no brain damage. However, she does have broken ribs from the cpr which is normal. No need for heart surgery. They installed a stint and cleaned out a blockage. Again, life is fragile. Enjoy every day.

Also, along with the info here, look into the thread that Patrice has had going. Several pages long and filled with very good info on the same, many ideas for low carb eating with pictures of meals and recipes posted.

Among the most important benefits to the body , that hasn't been mentioned on this one, that is explained in great detail on her thread, is how insulin affects the body in so many vital ways. And how foods directly control the amount of insulin and resulting health. It all goes together in the subjects discussed here , and much more.

Good health and weight, without the diseases incurred due to bad lifestyle choices.

After the initial results and system management are in place and running smoothly ,enjoyment of carbs or other foods are generally ok , in moderation.

Keeping your girlish figure is all icing on the cake results.

What about diet pills, appetite suppressant like phentermine

My mother lost 60 lbs for a lung transplant on Diet alone. With bad lungs she wasn't able to exercise hardly any at all.

But most diets (cut in protein) and your body will just metabolize muscle instead of fat....so that's counterproductive long term.

Feed the muscle with protein...
Stave the fat by cutting out the carbs.

Bandaid fix

They can help to lose but if a total commitment is not developed the weight comes back.

I don't trust any drug or supplement for its claims. Truth is no one really knows what's in them for ingredients. Some are harsh on your organs.

FDA has banned most that were effective.

I would recommend staying away from drugs and develop and committ to a a new lifestyle plan