Can someone explain how you lose weight combining exercise and diet

[rainbowinthesky]

I wouldl like to lose 1 1/2 stone and have joined a gym. I naively thought I could exercise, say, 4 times a week and then the weight would fall off. However, it seems it's not that simple. Of course I realise that I have to be careful with my diet but I've read that it's 80% diet and 20% exercise - so am I wasting my time and money exercising so much??

I would say definitely not.

Although you will lose weight on just a diet but exercise will boost your weight loss and allow you to have treats every now and then and still ensure you lose weight.
You'll also look more toned and less flabby.
Plus exercise is really good for your mental health/state of mind and mood. (Although you can get that from going for regularly walks/runs/dvds etc)

I have exercised for the last 3 days and feel great. I am about to go out now.

The exercise is worth doing as it will improve your fitness and you will feel better.

Exercise will also help you increase muscle which burns more calories, even when you are resting. Remember you don't only have to do high intensity exercise (in fact it is good to vary it anyway) the lower impact things such as walking and gentle cycling tend to be better for fat burning.

I've lost just over a stone doing the eat less, exercise more regime so you should have no trouble reaching your target. I would add, though, that my weight didn't actually change for several months but I could tell that it was working because my clothes were hanging off me!

Good luck!

Definatly stick at the exercise. You are reducing the risk of type II diabetes, coronary heart disease, Stroke, certain cancers and osteoperosis (to name a few) in the future. But short term it improves your overal mental wellbeing. Also with some resistance work you will gain more lean mass (muscle) and this increases your metabolism so you burn calories quicker/more effectivly.

The thing with weight loss and exercise is not to get fixated on weight as a figure. Kilos, Stones whatever. (i work in healthy lifestyles and see this all the time) at your gym or home or whatever please, please take the time to take other baseline measurements such as waist circumference, thigh, bicep and also body fat % if you can. Because as you exercise yes some weight will come off, but it will plateux as you will be burning fat but gaining muscle at the same time and the muscle weighs more than the fat did, so your actual weight as a figure will start to stay the same. So with other measurements you can see it IS actually working!

Just got to remember that not just to do an hour in the gym and nowt for the rest of the day! Stay active as much as you can during the day. Walk more instead of taking the car. If you take the car park further away. Take the stairs not a lift yada yada yada. All the stuff we all know but most of us never do!

I lost a stone over 4 months on mostly just exercise 3-4 time a week (hard, struggling for breath type exercise!), although I did cut out crap. i then lost another stone in 2 months when I added in properly calorie counting about 90% of the time. The last half stone came off in about 2 months of exercise and half a diet. So, if you stick at it it will work in the end, but slowly!

Thanks for the great advice!

oh melliebobs thank you
i have stayed the same weight for 4 months now (doing ww propoints) but have been exercising too and have dropped another dress size. I have not been able to understand it and have become rather fed up. I am creeping up again in weight and have stopped exercising. You have made me feel like keeping on now! Thank you!