Diet or exercise?  That is the question.

Let's start with the basics.  One pound of fat is the same as 3,500 calories.  To lose weight, we have to create a deficit which means eating less calories than we're spending.  In order to lose one pound of fat, we must create a 3,500 calorie deficit which can be done either through our diet, exercise, or both.

By reducing your daily calorie intake by 500 calories a day while maintaining your same activity level you will lose 1 pound a week.  Now, of course, if you decide to continue eating exactly the same way you are today and instead add exercise to your regime you can also create the 500 calorie daily deficit.  You would have to run 4.2 miles or do intense weightlifting for 45 minutes, daily; which means running a total of 29.4 miles or weight-training for 5 hours and 15 minutes, a week, to lose that one pound.

Let's be serious though, who -especially as a beginner- is ok with running 29.4 miles a week to lose one pound?  By day 5 you're most likely exhausted, feeling like it's just too much work... and end up giving up again.  An analysis on more than 700 weight loss studies, found that people saw the biggest results when they became more conscious of what they were eating.  On average, those who dieted, with no exercise, for 15 weeks lost 23 pounds.  The people who exercised but ate the same, only lost 6 pounds in a span of 21 weeks.

Do you realize how many empty calories we eat sometimes?  A Big Mac order will add about 1,300 calories!  You would need to be in the gym for 3 hours of boxing to 'undo' that.  I love boxing but 3 hours?!? Uhhh, no thank you!  Simply put, it's much easier to cut calories than to burn them off and sorry to break it to you but the truth is, abs are made in the kitchen.  No amount of planks or sit-ups will do you any justice if you're constantly giving in to unhealthy cravings.  

You have to think of food as fuel to your body; too much fat and too many calories make you less driven to exercise.  It makes you feel sluggish and the last thing you want to do is invest time into being active.  This is why eating healthy and exercising go hand in hand.  The better you eat, the better you'll feel and the more you'll want to move; the more you move, the more motivated you become to eating healthier.  

So lets say you took all this into consideration and began dieting.  You reduced your daily calorie intake by 500 and lost 2 pounds in two weeks.  For week 3 and 4, you decide to start working out 5 times a week doing a mix of weightlifting and cardio; chances are you will be down an extra 4 pounds in 2 weeks for a total of 6 pounds in just one month!  Adding the exercise while following a more balanced diet will help boost your weight loss, increase your metabolism, give you a more defined ('toned') look and make you feel more energized.

Back to the question.  Diet or exercise?  According to members of the National Weight Control Registry who have lost weight and kept it off for a minimum of one year, only 1% used exercise alone, 10% did it with just diet and 89% used a combination of diet and exercise.  Guess it's safe to say that while your nutrition does play a bigger role in your weight loss journey, to stay on track and keep the pounds off you need a combination of both.

I know at first it's hard to even know how much we should be eating or even what exactly it is that we should be eating.  If this sounds familiar and you'd like a detailed plan, made specifically for you based on your goals, with actual meal options, check out my Meal & Fitness plans and see which works best for you:

Good luck lovelies!  'Til next time.