If you are looking to lose weight, it’s really not a matter of whether you should diet OR exercise, but rather how to combine the two for the most effective results. It’s important to note that both diet and exercise are vital for long-term weight control as well as maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle and well-being. One thing we can say however, is that the balance between diet and exercise does not, and should not, necessarily need to be 50/50. The typical rule of thumb when it comes to combining diet and exercise for weight loss is that 75 percent is dedicated to what you eat, and 25 percent is dedicated to fitness.
Think about it this way – in order to lose weight, you need to be able to not only burn the calories that you consume on a daily basis, but you should actually burn more than you take in so you can be in the negative. If you were to eat a stack of pancakes for breakfast, a big cheeseburger for lunch and a cheesy pizza for dinner, you would need to do a significant amount of exercise to burn off those calories. It’s much easier to exercise after you’ve eaten a healthy meal that is protein and fiber rich – you’ll have more energy for your workout, and you won’t feel sluggish. There are numerous studies and scientific research that proves that exercise alone won’t help you lose weight. In order to truly reach your health and fitness goals, you will need to exercise on a regular basis, consume a healthy diet and look into weight loss supplements that will support your body as you work hard to get into shape.
Benefits of Exercise
Physical activity is extremely important to your overall health and wellbeing, and there are numerous benefits to exercising on a regular basis and staying fit. Without exercise, you strip away muscle and bone density, and you run the risk of becoming inactive and obese. There are many health perks to enjoy from regular exercise including better sleep, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, reduced stress and of course burning fat.
Exercise can also increase your focus and mental sharpness, reduce the risk of being diagnosed with depression and improve your physical appearance. If you work out on a regular basis you burn off fat, and while you may not shed pounds the way you do with diet, you build up more muscle tissue. Since muscle takes up less room than fat, your body will appear slimmer and your clothes will fit differently. So, you are essentially getting into great shape without losing a lot of weight.
Benefits of a Diet
The biggest benefit of dieting to lose weight is that it is much easier to cut calories than it is to burn them off. If you were to consumer a 500-calorie lunch, like a cheeseburger and fries, then you would need to work out for nearly four hours to burn those calories off! When you consume a healthy and well-balanced diet you can enjoy a number of benefits:
- Decreased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers
- Improved mobility
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Reduced back pain
- Decreased joint pain
- Improved energy, mood and body image
- And more!
So, what does a healthy diet for weight loss look like? It’s really simple. There are various fad diets out there like paleo, keto and whole 30, but you don’t need to commit to a diet plan to lose weight. A “diet” can be as easy as clean eating, meal planning and keeping track of your calorie intake. A clean diet is comprised of lean proteins, an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, high fiber and whole grains, and you’ll want to cut out processed foods and sugar.
What it comes down to is that what you eat matters more than how you work it off, but it’s important to combine both a healthy diet and fitness in order to get in shape. The first step is to get in the mindset and mentally commit to your fitness and health objectives. Being the best version of yourself and achieving your weight loss goals is more than just an idea, it’s a complete lifestyle change that you need to maintain well beyond the day that you reach your goal weight. Take some time to review our specialized weight loss program and see if it’s something that you would like to incorporate into your weight loss routine. To learn more about us and our services, visit our website.
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