When it comes to weight loss, people are always wondering whether or not they should focus on diet or exercise, writes Olivia Budgen.
I want to point out that both diet and exercise play an important role in losing weight, but when it comes to achieving and maintaining the best results, I firmly believe that one clearly trumps the other. As a rule of thumb, weight loss is generally due to 75% diet and 25% exercise.
Exercise has many incredible benefits for your health, including preventing musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, pulmonary and neurological diseases and depression, but not so much when it comes to losing weight.
I see all too often that people who push themselves at the gym or get flogged by a personal trainer five days a week do not achieve desired results. Or, they lose weight in the beginning and then plateau. When I speak to them about what they’re eating, it soon becomes clear that they haven’t bothered to change their diet.
One of the biggest misconceptions about weight loss is that you simply need to burn more calories than you consume. People fail to realise the importance of energy INTAKE compared to energy EXPENDITURE.
For example, it takes approximately two hours of cardio to burn off one piece of chocolate cake or jogging 10kph for one hour to burn off one hamburger.
People simply look at the ‘calories in, calories out‘ method as the equation to losing weight. This strategy is flawed and not maintainable. Calories are not created equal. The body actually uses calories from different nutrients in different ways. Studies have proven that if you eat something direct from nature, your body is able to recognise and utilise it properly, whereas if you consume toxic and processed foods, it will be stored in your fat cells.
This relates to weight loss because if you choose to eat healthy, natural foods, you can in fact eat a whole lot more than you burn and STILL LOSE WEIGHT.
The energy intake affects energy balance far more than energy expenditure. The quality of what you put in your mouth is most important.
YOU CAN’T “OUT-EXERCISE” AN UNHEALTHY DIET.
From personal experience, I can say for sure that the food I ate played the biggest role in my weight loss journey. To put it into perspective, I have lost 20kg altogether and did not exercise at all for a majority of that time.
Remember – your body is working for you. It wants to be at its healthiest and most ideal weight and is not interested in holding onto excess fat. For your body to release unwanted fat, it needs to be clean and working efficiently, and one of the best ways to keep your body clean is by eating clean food.
If you have the determination and motivation, then yes, doing both is great. But if you’re feeling unmotivated or you’re dealing with serious health issues, then the most efficient path to take is to focus on consuming fresh whole foods like fruit, vegetables, leafy greens and starches, including legumes, potato, sweet potato and pumpkin and a small amount of good fats.
A CLEAN, HEALTHY AND EFFICIENT BODY WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN THE MAINTENANCE OF YOUR IDEAL WEIGHT.
In conclusion, I would focus on diet for weight loss and focus on exercise for strength, toning and many other amazing benefits. This combination will help you achieve and maintain your ideal body weight and optimal health.
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