4 ms·

For weight maintainence, healthy eating is definitely more important than exercise. It takes a hell of a lot more effort to burn 500 calories than to cut 500 ca

For weight maintainence, healthy eating is definitely more important than exercise. It takes a hell of a lot more effort to burn 500 calories than to cut 500 calories from your diet. I'm no exercise nut, but I do a lot of cycling (70-75km/week this summer). I don't find it relaxing; if anything, it's the most stressful part of my day. But, it wakes me up in the mornings and forces me back into the real world at the end of the day. More than the exercise, I really do it for the cognitive benefits. But exercise has to be something you like doing. Cycling is the most enjoyable exercise I've found so far that I can easily integrate into my daily routine (that's how I commute to school and work).

scott_s 18y ago
Around age 30, we start losing muscle mass if we don't use it. As we lose muscle mass, weight maintainence becomes even harder.
ardit33 18y ago
as somebody that watches what I eat, just healthy eating is not good enough. If you don't exercise, you loose muscle, replaced by fat. Even if your weight stays the same, your fat/muscle ratio will change, and you wont look good, or feel healthy. Exercise is a must. Gym, running outside, playing co-ed sports (soccer, volleyball, whatever) are a must. If you don't at least one of them, your body will suffer.
yummyfajitas 18y ago
This isn't the whole picture. It's hard to burn 500 calories via exercise. However, muscle burns calories even at rest. And building muscle requires calories. Over the past two months, I've done little exercise besides weight lifting, and dramatically increased my eating. I've had no noticeable increase in fat, though my weight almost certainly went up.
sharkfish 18y ago
Spoken like someone who is genetically thinner (or one of the few fat people who can just skip a meal and lose weight) than most and never really has to deal with weight issues. A few years ago, for 4 months, I ate a small breakfast of oatmeal and black coffee, a lunch of one Lean Cuisine, an afternoon snack of a Balance Bar, and for dinner, a small salad and lean meat option. I lost weight the first 2.5 months. After that, I stopped losing and actually gained some back. You do not know what you are talking about. Please don't ever comment on weight issues. Normal people have to maintain or add muscle mass or their metabolism will adjust and you are back to square one.
jwilliams 18y ago
> For weight maintainence, healthy eating is definitely more important than exercise. It depends - I find that in a lot of cases (me included), exercising is a good first step. If you exercise, your diet tends to change as a result anyway (the last thing I feel like after a run is a donut). > But exercise has to be something you like doing. This is spot on. My personal priorities are: 1. drink water, 2. get enough sleep, 3. exercise, 4. think about what I eat... Something like Yoga or Pilates is a good 2a or 3a. What I would encourage most people to do is learn about their bodies and their metabolism. If you walk down the street you'll see a bewildering difference between people - the same applies to their metabolisms. If someone says "fasted cardio is the only way to go", then I'm sure it works, but nothing works for everyone. For example, I run before I have breakfast - for no other reason than I feel horrible and bloated otherwise. However, I know other people that can barely muster the energy to open the door without eating first. Try a few things out... Turn what a lot of people find a chore into enjoyment out of hacking your mind & body.

scott_s 18y ago

Around age 30, we start losing muscle mass if we don't use it. As we lose muscle mass, weight maintainence becomes even harder.

ardit33 18y ago

as somebody that watches what I eat, just healthy eating is not good enough. If you don't exercise, you loose muscle, replaced by fat. Even if your weight stays the same, your fat/muscle ratio will change, and you wont look good, or feel healthy. Exercise is a must. Gym, running outside, playing co-ed sports (soccer, volleyball, whatever) are a must. If you don't at least one of them, your body will suffer.

yummyfajitas 18y ago

This isn't the whole picture. It's hard to burn 500 calories via exercise. However, muscle burns calories even at rest. And building muscle requires calories. Over the past two months, I've done little exercise besides weight lifting, and dramatically increased my eating. I've had no noticeable increase in fat, though my weight almost certainly went up.

sharkfish 18y ago

Spoken like someone who is genetically thinner (or one of the few fat people who can just skip a meal and lose weight) than most and never really has to deal with weight issues. A few years ago, for 4 months, I ate a small breakfast of oatmeal and black coffee, a lunch of one Lean Cuisine, an afternoon snack of a Balance Bar, and for dinner, a small salad and lean meat option. I lost weight the first 2.5 months. After that, I stopped losing and actually gained some back. You do not know what you are talking about. Please don't ever comment on weight issues. Normal people have to maintain or add muscle mass or their metabolism will adjust and you are back to square one.

jwilliams 18y ago

> For weight maintainence, healthy eating is definitely more important than exercise. It depends - I find that in a lot of cases (me included), exercising is a good first step. If you exercise, your diet tends to change as a result anyway (the last thing I feel like after a run is a donut). > But exercise has to be something you like doing. This is spot on. My personal priorities are: 1. drink water, 2. get enough sleep, 3. exercise, 4. think about what I eat... Something like Yoga or Pilates is a good 2a or 3a. What I would encourage most people to do is learn about their bodies and their metabolism. If you walk down the street you'll see a bewildering difference between people - the same applies to their metabolisms. If someone says "fasted cardio is the only way to go", then I'm sure it works, but nothing works for everyone. For example, I run before I have breakfast - for no other reason than I feel horrible and bloated otherwise. However, I know other people that can barely muster the energy to open the door without eating first. Try a few things out... Turn what a lot of people find a chore into enjoyment out of hacking your mind & body.