Weight Loss Hack : Is Exercise More Important Than Diet?

 We've been told for far too long that exercise is the most important factor in losing weight. The 'calories in and calories out' philosophy maintains that we must continue to burn what we eat, and that the more we burn and sweat, the more weight we lose. This message is rammed home by a slew of apps, fitness experts, celebrities, and Instagram influencers who have popularized a slew of training routines that have exploded in popularity as a result of the pandemic-induced lockdown. While this may sound counterintuitive, we now know that we can't eat as much as we want and expect to lose weight the next day by running. When it comes to weight loss, exercising alone is a waste of time.

Why isn't exercise the key to weight loss?

According to research from multiple renowned obesity experts, dietitians, and scientists, we acquire 100% of our energy from food, but we can only burn 10 to 30% of it through physical activity. Furthermore, research show that exercise only accounts for a small fraction of daily calorie expenditure. In truth, there are many more factors that contribute to our bodies' energy consumption, and most people overlook the calories consumed through other daily activities. Even while we work, clean, or read, our bodies utilize calories; breathing, blood flow, body temperature regulation, digestion - all of these processes require energy. As a result, we must recognize that strenuous exercise only accounts for a small fraction of our total energy consumption. What exactly does this imply? This means that more workouts do not necessarily equal more weight reduction, and that spending hours at the gym may not necessarily result in better outcomes.

Weight growth and loss are complicated processes involving a variety of variables such as genetics, lifestyle, environmental signals, diet components, and so on, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. This is why there are so many forums on the internet where people discuss how their weight loss has stalled or even reversed after a few months of success. This is because the effects of weight loss programs on different people are still unknown.

Hard exercise can have a variety of impacts on various people; for example, some people may engage in compensatory behaviors. This occurs when persons who have exercised vigorously become hungrier and eat more to appease their appetite, resulting in an increase in calorie consumption that negates any workout benefits. Some people overestimate the number of calories they've expended and use food as a reward. All of these are normal ways for our bodies to compensate for the calories they have burned.

As a result, in all of the instances above, diet is the most essential factor. And what we eat, as well as how much we consume, has a bigger impact on weight loss than we may think. Unfortunately, countries like the United States and even India—both of which are known for their carbohydrate-rich diets and where obesity rates are rising at an alarming rate—are missing the plot when it comes to communicating. Exercise apps, gym instructors, and fitness centers continue to flourish and spread the myth that we can exercise our way out of obesity. In reality, we're eating more than ever before, and unless we change our ways, we'll continue to slip into the cycle of eating more and exercising more, never truly achieving health.

Should exercise be altogether abandoned as a result?

No, physical activity is beneficial to both the mind and the body, and it aids in the maintenance of good heart health and a healthy weight. When it comes to weight loss, however, we must see it for what it is: a small portion of a bigger process in which nutritional adjustments play the most important role. Exercising has numerous advantages, but weight loss is not one of them.

As a result, for those seeking to lose weight and establish that crucial calorie deficit, smart dietary changes such as reducing refined carbs, lowering sugars, and boosting fruit and vegetable intake are more likely to succeed. Thus, changing what we eat and how much we consume is the only way to lose weight and begin a road toward health.