I was in my doctor’s office recently, and like a complete tool, he mentioned the five (ten) pounds I’ve gained over the last year. Which, you know, I guess is his JOB or whatever, but seriously?
Anyhoo, my explanation was something along the lines of “Yeah, I know, I’m really trying to get to the gym more…”
At which point he cut me off and said: “The gym doesn’t really matter. Exercise hardly burns calories, truthfully. If you want to lose weight it’s all about what you eat, and how much.”
Hmmm.
I mean, it’s not that I don’t agree. It’s just weird to hear someone- a doctor at that- place so little emphasis on the “exercise” part of what we’ve come to know as the almighty Diet AND Exercise dynamic duo. What are your thoughts on Diet OR Exercise? Because frankly, life is more than a little crazy with my new job and its hours, and I’m finding that often I only have the time/energy to EITHER work out, OR to go grocery shopping and cook a healthy meal (instead of take out or grabbing a processed, ready-to-eat meal on the way home).
If you had to choose one or the other, which would it be?
(And obviously, this doesn’t mean you’d have to eat Five Guys every night. But you know, sandwich and soup instead of a seriously homemade dinner, that sort of thing.)
{ 20 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve lost nearly 50lbs in the last year and honestly, while exercise burns calories, gives you more energy, and tones your body (makes you look thinner), I’m pretty sure that 90% of my weight loss can be attributed to changes in my diet. This is mostly in the form of portion control and cutting out alcohol (during the week – I’m not a nun…).
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LiLu Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 11:41 am
@Grapes of ROUGH, 50 pounds!! Rock on, lady friend. I’ve been doing the exact same thing lately- little to no alcohol during the week, eating better AND less, etc. Now I’m just waiting for it to kick in…
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I guess, if you’re only looking to lose 10 pounds you can easily achieve this by just adjusting your diet. However, you can still be skinny and completely out of shape. I believe that exercise is a necessary part to keep your body fit and healthy.
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LiLu Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 11:42 am
@san, I agree completely. I would never cut out exercise entirely either- it makes me feel amazing in a way that a salad never will. BUT if I have to make a choice one day- ie working out for an hour, or spending an hour preparing a healthy dinner- I guess my point is that I would choose the healthy eating over the gym.
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I think there are two conflicting things. I think in terms of simply losing weight, diet matters more. I think in terms of being a healthier person, exercise matters more.
Although I think it also matters what you’re planning on eating post gym — is it taco bell, or is it a minestrone and bread from abp? Big difference there.\
Personally, I’d rather exercise, I think, although I’m a bit of a food snob, so maybe not. I don’t know.
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LiLu Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 11:44 am
@Sara Lang, never Taco Bell! I’m cutting out all fast food, fried stuff, etc- so it would be the minestrone and bread
But I agree with you, exercise is necessary to be HEALTHY, absolutely. I’m looking at this more from a strict “losing weight” perspective.
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I agree with everyone above. I think when it comes to just shedding pounds, what you eat probably matters more. But, exercise is important for other aspects of health — strong bones, healthy heart, and all that.
And the quick and easy sandwich and soup thing can work. My husband lost 40 pounds on what he calls “The Soup Diet.” He drastically cut back on the Five Guys, but his biggest change was frequently eating soup and a couple of slices of buttered bread for lunch every week. He didn’t feel deprived, he felt like he was eating “real food,” but calorie-wise it wasn’t that bad.
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LiLu Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 11:50 am
@Lisa, Yup! Lunches have been a combo of (healthy) soups/salads/sandwiches for me too, with an occasional Lean Cuisine if I don’t have time to leave the office. I’m glad to hear it worked for someone else… hopefully it does for me too!
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i lost a lot of weight right after i moved out on my own, mainly because i wasn’t eating my mom’s (delicious yet) very heavy food (and also because i was poor…). but, i started eating right. i stopped buying snacks, ate more fruits and veggies than ever before, and drank a ton of water every day. i was barely working out during this time.
working out helps you build the muscle you need to metabolize calories, so of course it helps to have a good balance, but if i had to choose, i’d say based on my experience that eating better is definitely the way to go!
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LiLu Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 11:51 am
@Tara, Aaaaaaand you just reminded me to drink my water
I’ll get lots of veggies for lunch! I definitely still want to work out when I can, but I agree that if I only have time to work on one or the other on a day, it’d be diet.
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As I read more and more about the paleo lifestyle, I agree with your doctor. Of course you still need muscle and to get the blood pumping, but I hate working out so I’d rather watch what I put in my mouth.
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LiLu Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
@Nikki, Muscle and blood pumping are great… I just really want to drop these annoying ten lbs and THEN start kicking ass in the gym. Baby steps!
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It is a bit odd your doctor didn’t sing the praises of exercise. My doctor recently berated me for not getting a half hour of moderate exercise every day and then rolled his eyes when I told him I do yoga. He obviously hasn’t been to a hot yoga class lately.
Anyway, your doctor is probably right. And unfortunately I have no advice on eating right because I have little to no self control
But, I think you’re doing the right thing trying to pick healthier choices when you’re eating on the run. Also, lots of fruits and veggies. Or, have you thought about Weight Watchers? I’ve never done it, but have a ton of friends who LOVE it.
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LiLu Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
@A Super Girl, Haha, yeah- to be clear, he wasn’t ANTI exercise, he definitely said it is important to being a healthy and well-rounded individual- his point was specific to actually dropping the LBs.
I’ve definitely thought about WW and I think that would be my next step if I fall off the healthy-eating wagon again- I’m just worried about the time commitment for meetings and such- but if that’s what it comes to, I’ll make time!
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For me, it’s all about counting calories and staying within a specific limit. Where exercise helps is that it gives you a little bit of flexibility. It could be the difference between staying below 1700 calories and staying below 1900 calories. Not such a huge thing, but just a little easier.
I think the trap that most people fall into is “oh, I went to the gym, I can eat whatever I want.” Going to the gym, unless you’re working out like a demon, is only going to burn a couple hundred calories. Which is more than offset by that beer and those fries and that dessert.
Exercise can also make you a lot hungrier, especially for women. Which is why you need to pay careful attention to your calories.
Strength training is actually an excellent way of boosting your metabolism. And it’s really important for women, because it can help prevent osteoporosis. It only burns about a hundred calories a session, though.
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 9:25 am
@Hope, See, this is a reason I think the gym may be MORE important for me- when I work out, I feel like I don’t want to mess it up by eating crap. So maybe I should stick with the gym to keep ‘tricking’ myself…
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meh. disagree. i have always been a very careful eater, tons of veggies and whatnot. but i was heavy, which became straight-up fat, until i worked out. i don’t think you can have weight loss without exercise. now, i’ve been pretty successful at maintaining my weight loss with careful attention to diet, but as far as shedding pounds? nah. i don’t think you can have that without both. at least i can’t.
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 9:26 am
@magnolia, Interesting. I’m sure everybody’s different, too- I’ll just have to figure out what kind of person I am…
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Hope said: I think the trap that most people fall into is “oh, I went to the gym, I can eat whatever I want.”
That’s it exactly. There are two boys at my office who workout every day and then come back and think it’s ok to eat crisps and chocolate etc etc. IT’s really about making good food choices and then exercising when you can
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 9:26 am
@Dream in Grey, Yeah, that definitely defeats the whole purpose. I actually eat better when I’ve worked out, because I don’t want to screw up all the work I just did. Hmmmm.
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I recently (this fall) had a similar experience with someone pointing out that I had some extra pounds that I maybe didn’t need. However, it was my brother during a speech about how he just wants me to be happy and doesn’t want me to have to settle on a guy who isn’t good enough, so really I should just lose 10-15 lbs and I’ll be ok. He can be a dick sometimes, so I didn’t really listen to him, but I did decide to see if I could lose the pounds without really making an effort. And it totally worked. It was slow, but I have since lost 17 pounds just by eating a bit slower to recognize when I’m full before I over eat.
I have decided not to ever deny myself something that I really want, but just to be conscious of whether I really want it or if it’s just habit that’s telling me I need popcorn just because I’m at the movies. I don’t know if I could ever cut all fried food out of my diet, but I definitely feel comfortable choosing veggie lasagna over meat lasagna. Also, I once had a week long craving for root beer floats, so I had about 4 over a period of time only slightly longer than 4 days, and I chose to not feel bad about it, and it didn’t derail my plan at all.
I guess what I’m trying to say with this long, super rambly comment is that I am proof that you can lose weight without a complete diet overhaul. Good luck!
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 9:32 am
@Caitie, Definitely agree- everything in moderation!
Now to moderate… (crap)
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I think it really can depend on your own body. I know that most of my weight loss is from cutting my portions and making more of my own food. I did start adding in small amounts of exercise at the same time though, so I think that the two became a bit of a double whammy.
One thing that really helped me was making way bigger portions than I needed to save for later days. That way, I could get in half an hour of running or I could watch the Giants game at the gym and not have to worry about coming home to cook because I had already done that on the days that I hadn’t worked out!
I do wonder though if maybe your doctor took into account things like you walking/riding the bus to work and with that is thinking that you get an ok amount of daily activity, you just need to work on the other end of the equation?
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 9:33 am
@Katherine, I think that’s exactly what I need to do- cooking more (and more than one meal at a time)- and definitely cutting portions! Which of course, I only eat too much when it’s something delicious I probably shouldn’t be eating at all… LE SIGH.
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I would totally choose exercise rather than diet…even though I do lead a healthy life because I feel better when I do and I have some dietary restrictions that make me stick to it.
In terms of losing weight, I absolutely think diet and exercise are key. But diet will help you drop the pounds faster. Exercise gets your body pumping and burns fat as well but if you go hard core weight lifting, you will gain weight because muscle weighs more than fat! Of course you’d rather have muscle rather than fat.
In your case, if you would rather diet, I would say go for that and try to get some exercise by walking home from work, climbing the escalator instead of standing on it, take a walk with your bf after dinner, etc. Little things will go a long way. Just move a little bit though. It worries me that a doctor would just say to diet and not move your body. I get what he was trying to say … but I still think some moderate exercise should be involved.
And with diet – it’s all about moderation!!! We all eat too much.
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 10:55 am
@Diana Antholis, I definitely try to walk (or stairs!) whenever possible, which is quite often in a city like DC- I’m convinced it’s the reason I only have an extra 15 and not an extra 30! Those little things really do add up.
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It’s about diet AND exercise. At the end of the day it’s calories in vs calories out. Plain and simple. But yes, he does have a slight point. I work with people wanting to make changes with weight and studies actually show people lose more weight when they focus on nutrition alone. Seems weird, but I think it’s mostly because people try to do it all instead of taking one step at a time. Plus a lot of times we give ourselves the excuse to eat out if we’ve worked out that day, when really eating out can result in 1000+ calories for a meal and we’ve only burned 300 at the gym that morning.
Food for thought I guess. (pun intended!)
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 10:56 am
@prettylittlereckless, Very, very true! I think I’m the exception to this as I tend to eat better if I’ve been to the gym- I feel in my head like I don’t want to “ruin” the work I’ve put in. So I guess no excuses… I should be getting my butt to the gym
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Working out can definitely give you a false sense of security about how much and what you can get away with eating. Eating at home really helps with portion control. I’ve lost about 10 pounds since I moved back into my house mostly because I stopped eating 2-3 meals a day in restaurants. They always give you way too much food.
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 10:57 am
@Cyndy, I totally agree with this, restaurants are ridiculous. I try to separate out a normal sized portion before digging in, and hopefully take half of it home for later- but of course it would be better if I just made a normal-sized portion at home!
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The general consensus, I’ve found, does seem to be that diet is more important than exercise. I think they are both important, but if you are going to do one or the other, I think the healthy eating part is key. Exercise, for me, is more about toning.
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 10:58 am
@Paula, Agree 100%. And I do want some toning- LOTS of it, actually- I just feel like I need a jump start to feeling good and to encourage myself, and it seems like diet is the more important aspect for getting there.
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Well- considering I’d rather chew broken glass than work out, I would have probably ignored the fact that the doctor just pointed out my weight gain and kissed him on the spot.
(That also explains the steady increase in my weight these days. Go figure.)
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LiLu Reply:
January 31st, 2011 at 6:13 pm
@Jillian, Seriously. I would much rather cut back on the cheeseburgers than go for a run, believe you me (which is probably what was initially driving this post…)
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Right now I would choose exercise. I like how it feels and being stronger is important to me. of course this is easy to say coming from a person that rarely eats out. I’m not sure what it would be if I needed to cut back on fast food and exercise more.
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hands down, no contest, i choose food. i feel odd saying that as i am currently on my treadmill, walking away the pounds :p but i am not a huge fan of exercising. it is still a means to an ends that i wouldn’t really miss should i never be able to do it again. watching my food consumption (content, portions, etc) got me 75% of the way in my weight loss. working out sped up the process, but i’m pretty sure i could’ve still gotten my shit taken care of without it
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So I’m pretty sure your doctor is a COMPLETE dumbass. I mean, okay, technically you can base your calorie consumption on a sedentary lifestyle and still lose weight if you ensure that what you eat is less than what you burn. But eating well AND exercising are the perfect combination for a healthy lifestyle, and you’d think a doctor would be the last person to tell you otherwise.
I think the most important thing is to not get discouraged by the days when you aren’t 100% “on track” with your food and/or workout routine. Every day is a chance to start over. If you know you don’t have time to work out today, make it a point to monitor your calories a little more carefully, cutting back on 300-500 (for example). If you want to have a few slices of pizza Friday night, GO FOR IT! And then have lots of crazy hot sex all day Saturday.
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