Excercise vs Eating Less

[HootyHoo]

Hypothetically, let's say your maintenance calories are 2000 kcal/day. Your goal is to lose weight. Is there a difference between eating 1700 kcals/day versus doing 300 kcal worth of exercise/day?

[bubbathudd]

Hypothetically, let's say your maintenance calories are 2000 kcal/day. Your goal is to lose weight. Is there a difference between eating 1700 kcals/day versus doing 300 kcal worth of exercise/day?

Body composition will be better by working out. Metabolism increases with working out. Health benefits to working out. Why not do both?

[lee__d]

No...not like you'd actually be able to match it calorie for calorie though. And the extra exercise could prove beneficial beyond simply increasing one's deficit.

edit: im talking strictly cardio here.

[Singe03]

Hypothetically, let's say your maintenance calories are 2000 kcal/day. Your goal is to lose weight. Is there a difference between eating 1700 kcals/day versus doing 300 kcal worth of exercise/day?

Body composition. A 300 calorie a day deficit with resistance training (think weights, heavy weights) and sufficient protein is going to make the body try to spare muscle when consuming tissue to make up the deficit. Ultimately you'll look better if you train and control calories than you would just restricting calories.

[Skoorbmax]

I do think I read that what little metabolic slow down occurs from cutting calories back can be substantially mitigated by that deficit coming from exercise as opposed to less food.

[Electricheadd]

Exercise holds quite a few benefits
- You get the health benefits of the exercise (Cardio/Heart or Lifting/Muscle Development)
- You get the additional micro nutrition from the food your eating
- Additional satiety from larger amounts of food
- More sustainable long term plan
- Social events are easier with more food to play with

[ctg7w6]

Just looking at the numbers, there is no difference. But from my personal experience, although I can lose weight with no exercise and just less eating... even a little bit of exercise every day speeds up my metabolism. I easily lose weight twice as fast. And I'm just talking about with 30 or 45 minutes a day of exercise. Usually my weightlifting burns approximately 100-150 calories only... But the metabolic effect is way bigger than that. If I only cut out 150 calories of food I would barely lose weight. But exercising a little bit a day increases my BMR from like 2100 to 2700 or so.

And then a combination of the two and you will lose weight very quickly!

[EnglishAsian]

Exercise speeds up your metabolism whether you believe it or not. If you burn 300 or so what calories, chances are you burn much more than that.

[rob44023]

You can cut calories without exercise and lose weight. You may end up a skinny flabby unhealthy person doing that though. The best thing to do is both. Watch your calories but take advantage of the benefit of exercise. You will obviously raise your metabolism with the extra muscle you put on too!

[JCarruth130]

May sound crazy but i feel more vascular when im on a steady HIIT or cardio regiment which makes sense bc ur heart is pumping blood more efficiently with less effort as ur increasing oxygen intake.

[ascension666]

I don't think it's as simple as that.. Eating right is more important I believe then staring at calories.

[JayPSlugger]

Body composition. A 300 calorie a day deficit with resistance training (think weights, heavy weights) and sufficient protein is going to make the body try to spare muscle when consuming tissue to make up the deficit. Ultimately you'll look better if you train and control calories than you would just restricting calories.

^^^Absolutely this^^^^. Keep the weights heavy.

[nlite2000]

I don't think it's as simple as that.. Eating right is more important I believe then staring at calories.

Fine--but if you're talking about manipulating one's weight, it's as simple as that. If you're talking about general wellness, then you're in a extremely fluid and ever-changing standpoint.

Here's one thing we do know, as in it's unequivocal fact---An obese person who lives on natty peanut butter, avocados, fresh fish and vegetables is less healthy in every demonstrable way than a fit person who lives on butter, skittles and burger patties with the cheese and bacon infused (those are money by the way).

[pi1ot]

That's just broscience. Eating 300 cal below deficit is not going to lead to a drop in metabolism.

I do think I read that what little metabolic slow down occurs from cutting calories back can be substantially mitigated by that deficit coming from exercise as opposed to less food.