Weight loss question - exercise making more of a difference

[tectonicplates]

We're often told it's 80% food choices and 20% exercise, and that you can't outrun a bad diet.

Does anyone else here find that actually, exercise makes more of a difference than people say? I've certainly had some good results in the past with Jillian Michaels, even if I didn't change my eating very much. I really should get back into it.

I do think technically/scientifically speaking it is true that diet is far more important than exercise, if you are purely looking at calories in/calories out it is really hard to 'earn' enough calories through exercise to compensate even for a few treats or bigger meals, plus gadgets like fitbits and MFP seem to vastly overestimate how many calories you can burn (mine says I burn 500 calories an hour riding my horse, I am sure this isn't true, it must think I am the one doing the running around rather than being the passenger!) so if I tried to manage my diet/weight loss using that calculation alone I don't think it would work well.

However I also think saying diet is all that matters hugely undervalues the importance of exercise overall. I too find that being more active massively helps me (although I struggle with exercising in other ways so don't always do as much as I should) - for one thing if I go for a walk, swim or jog in the evening that is fewer hours for me to be sitting on the sofa getting bored with the telly and thinking about having a snack. If I know I am going to do some exercise later on I feel more motivated to pick a light/healthy meal because I know I will feel horrible with a huge carby/greasy portion churning around in me while I exercise. Also when I then come home from exercising I feel happier/more relaxed and less need to replicate that endorphin rushy feeling with sugar/carbs/snacks. I sleep better and have more energy too when I am active most days especially if I can spend time outside/in the sun, and so I am less likely to end up feeling stressed/knackered and reaching for 'easy' junk food instead of cooking proper meals. Achieving a fitness goal and seeing results in terms of being objectively faster, stronger or more toned also can be a great motivator even if the scales aren't shifting as fast as you'd like and can remind you that you are doing the right thing in looking after your health and body even if you haven't hit the magic size 10 yet...

Overall (and very simplistically) I just think exercise = better mental health = easier to lose weight and that's why it's a key part of any 'weight loss journey' (sorry for cringe), particularly if you can find some exercise you enjoy (or at least don't hate) doing and which fits in with your life.

Definitely good for improving mood, especially at this time of year. I e found that I won’t lose weight by exercise only, but particular types of exercise help to strengthen and tone and increase flexibility. Although muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat, it helps you to look better. I toned up my mid section, lifted my bum and rediscovered my waist.

You have to keep going though or it all slides south agsin.

Regular exercise helps you keep toned and your muscles burn more energy.
It is also easier to do if you aren't overweight, at least for running which is my main sport. As a menopausal 54 year old who runs, cycles and swims regularly I can eat things I wouldn't be able to otherwise. I like my muscles and prefer being fit and lean to 'skinny fat' I think it is called. It is also very good for mental health as other posters have said. What's not to like?

Not being able to outrun a diet is nonsense, from a weight perspective at least (not health). For example, those that cross ice packs unaided eat thousands and thousands of high density, high calorie specially prepared food bars and still reach the end of their endeavours terribly thin - they just burn a very high amount of calories, so the theory that you can''t is rubbish - you absolutely can. It's just that most people don't do anything like enough exercise.

With the right amount and type of training, you can actually make a significant increase to the speed of your metabolism. This is typically achieved with high intensity interval training. This means that you continue to burn additional calories long after you have stopped training/exercise.

Plus, there are endless additional fringe benefits to exercise.

Exercise does help more for certain parts of your body than others.
But if you want a flatter more toned stomach, that is 80% food.

I've been overweight for 40+ years. For me, it's exercise that has the best impact rather than diet. I'm not talking marathons, but just walking 3 or 4 miles per day. The weight comes off slowly (say a pound every couple of weeks) but more likely to stay off.

When I've dieted properly, the weight has come off, but goes straight back on again (plus more) when I start eating normally. Over the decades, I've dieted for a while, then exercised for a while in the gym or jogging.

As it stands, I've spent the last 5 years trying to walk 3 or 4 miles a day and eat what I consider to be normally (i.e. including deserts, chocolate, crisps, chips etc in moderation). I'm now 4 stones lighter than I was 5 years ago when I started walking.

Following @user1497207191
The reason most diets don't work is because they aren't sustainable. You need to practice healthy and balanced eating, not dieting

As it stands, I've spent the last 5 years trying to walk 3 or 4 miles a day and eat what I consider to be normally (i.e. including deserts, chocolate, crisps, chips etc in moderation). I'm now 4 stones lighter than I was 5 years ago when I started walking.

That's fabulous! I used to walk a lot more in the past so maybe I should get back into it again.

It's down to Maths really.
500 calories is one hour walking fast uphill on treadmill.
But it's also not eating a portion of fries with the burger say 250 cals and skipping the large choc bar in the eveing another 250 cals.
It's much easier theoretically to not eat something. Also it means you save a few pounds and dont need to so as much food prep or wash up if you cut food calories.
If you tru and lose weight by exercising it takes time from your day, you need to have extra showers and spend on gym kit.
Also you can have a takeaway for 1500 without much effort like a big pizza or a large cod and chips but that would take 3 x treadmill hours to work off.

If only food wasnt so delicious!!!

I'm just reviving this thread to see if anyone has any more comments. It's so hard to get back into exercise at this time of year. Hopefully in January when everyone's doing it then I'll feel like I'm joining in.

Dunno.... according to Fitbit my activity levels (cycling walking, a sport) burn around 12-14000 calories a week. That's nearly 2000 calories a day, which if you only ate that much would mean you'd be on an insane starvation diet. I suspect it depends where you start. If you are unfit and more than half a stone overweight my guess is you'd find it hard to do that level of exercise, but I find it fine (I commute by bike and do a sport once or twice a week)....So exercise gets you fitter and enables you to do more exercise, burn more calories maybe?