What matters more, diet or exercise?

Author: Emily Hahn  |  Last update: Friday, May 30, 2025

According to Colleen Alrutz, health and fitness manager at Piedmont Newnan, diet wins 70% of the time when it comes to shedding pounds. To fast-track your weight-loss results, couple a healthy diet with regular physical activity. Exercise wins when it comes to keeping the weight off.

Is exercise or diet more important?

In general, for pure weight loss, diet often has a more significant impact than exercise. It's easier for most people to cut 500 calories from their diet than to burn 500 calories through exercise. However, for optimal health, muscle retention, and metabolic benefits, exercise is indispensable.

Is 70% diet and 30% exercise true?

Yes weight loss is 70% diet and 30% exercise and it applies to all. The truth of the matter is that diet is very important, and much easier to tailor than exercise for weight loss. If you want to lose weight, you must create a caloric deficit.

What matters more, what you eat or exercise?

A new study suggests that diet is far more important than physical activity including walking, fidgeting and formal exercise. The reason is because exercising increases appetite especially with prolonged endurance exercise or with weight lifting that can ultimately sabotage the best of intentions.

What happens if I eat healthy but don't exercise?

By now, we've established that a balance must be struck between diet and exercise. The former alone just can't give you the long-term weight-loss results and health benefits that a combination of the two can.

Diet Vs Exercise: What Matters More For Weight Loss Over 50

Is it OK to eat unhealthy but exercise?

Scientists have proven it over and over. But running off the caramel slice that you ate for breakfast won't work. According to a study led by the University of Sydney, high levels of exercise won't cancel the harmful effects a poor diet has on your health and risk of death.

Is it better to eat less or exercise?

Nutrition is number one

Contrary to what a lot of people think, it's much more important for you to watch what you eat than it is to exercise when you're trying to lose weight. It's much easier to eat fewer calories than it is to burn them off as you exercise.

Is diet or exercise more important for longevity?

To improve human lifespan, successful anti-aging interventions need to counteract both primary and secondary causes of aging. Calorie restriction and exercise both extend healthspan; however, calorie restriction is superior to exercise because of the additional attenuation of primary aging.

Is diet or exercise more important to lose belly fat?

Doing aerobic exercise while eating a healthy diet is the best way to lose belly fat and overall body fat. This will help to create a calorie deficit (where you use more calories than you consume), which promotes fat loss over time.

How to lose belly fat?

8 Ways to Lose Belly Fat and Live a Healthier Life
  1. Try curbing carbs instead of fats. ...
  2. Think eating plan, not diet. ...
  3. Keep moving. ...
  4. Lift weights. ...
  5. Become a label reader. ...
  6. Move away from processed foods. ...
  7. Focus on the way your clothes fit more than reading a scale. ...
  8. Hang out with health-focused friends.

Can you lose weight just by exercising and not dieting?

Exercise alone is not enough to lose weight because our bodies reach a plateau where working out more does not necessarily burn extra calories, researchers have found. The team are the latest to challenge obesity prevention strategies that recommend increasing daily physical activity as a way to shed the pounds.

How do I tone my muscles and not increase their size?

Yoga and Pilates can help strengthen and tone arms without bulking by challenging you with resistance from your body weight. In addition to a resistance-training routine, adding yoga and Pilates can increase your balance, flexibility, and range of motion, making your muscle-building endeavors more successful.

Is burning 500 calories a day good?

No matter what type of diet you follow, to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in each day. For most people with overweight, cutting about 500 calories a day is a good place to start.

What's better for losing weight, running or walking?

Running burns more than twice as many calories per minute as walking. For a person who weighs 160 pounds, walking at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour for 30 minutes burns about 156 calories. Running at 6 mph for the same time burns about 356 calories. Low impact vs.

Can you be healthy without exercise?

You might look and feel healthy without ever doing exercise, but the opposite can be true inside the body. Going without exercise will negatively affect your health and fitness in the long run. Thankfully, there are endless ways to get exercise and activity into your life, no matter how busy your schedule is.

What happens if you exercise but don't eat healthy?

Whether you work out longer or at a higher intensity, exercise can't completely reverse the effects of a bad diet, expert say. There's also an increased risk for premature death if you exercise but neglect healthy eating.

What increases life expectancy the most?

In addition to healthy eating and being more active, the following lifestyle choices can have an enormous impact on longevity and quality of life.
  • Don't smoke. Smoking has been proven to shorten lifespans. ...
  • Limit alcohol. ...
  • Get enough sleep. ...
  • Hydrate. ...
  • Socialize. ...
  • Think positive.

How many days a week should I workout?

do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week. spread exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day.

What is the 80 20 rule for diet and exercise?

The 80/20 rule simply means: 80% of the effects come from 20% of the things u do. 20% from exercise. It isn't just about the weight loss but actually about the fat loss and muscle gain.

Which is better, diet or exercise?

While cutting calories in your diet is a good way to lose weight, don't discount exercise just yet. Physical activity will enhance your weight-loss results, help keep the weight off, boost your mood and energy, and prevent serious health conditions.

What loses weight faster, diet or exercise?

Neither dieting or exercising alone is enough for optimal health, but when it comes to weight loss, eating a healthy, balanced diet is more effective than exercise. However, exercise has countless benefits, and it is an important part of both losing weight and keeping it off.

Can I just exercise and not diet?

For most, exercise is not a replacement for a healthy diet — nor should we rely solely on working out to lose weight. However, with consistent cardio and — especially — resistance training, our lean muscle will increase, which can help decrease joint pain and boost overall energy.

What is the healthiest fast food?

The next time you're on the road, pressed for time, or too tired to cook, choose one of these eight healthy options.
  • Dunkin: Wake-Up Wrap. ...
  • Starbucks: Tomato and Mozzarella on Focaccia. ...
  • Panera Bread: Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken. ...
  • Subway: 6-inch Veggie Delite Sandwich. ...
  • Burger King: Impossible Whopper.

Can you burn off calories you just ate?

Work Out. After some time has gone by, work up a real sweat: Run, lift weights, play basketball. It's best to wait at least 3 to 4 hours after a big meal. It will burn off some of those extra calories.

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