I can lose without exercising, but I am not as motivated to eat right so I will easily start eating bad again. Since I know I'm exercising it motivates me to eat well and vise versa.
What you look like is 80% diet, 20% exercise. You can lose weight without exercising, which is one of the options given in the poll. And this is an important message for those starting their journey -- we all hear we "have" to do all sorts of stuff in order to succeed, and exercise is right at the top of the list. But all these changes at once can be overwhelming for the beginner. I know it was for me! So I started with sorting out my diet. And I mean just focussing on in it and getting into a dietary groove. I went from 244lbs to 198 lbs without exercising. And once I was certain of the eating lifestyle and secure in it, I added the exercise. I don't lose any more nor faster, but I am healthier. And the new exercise habit will be invaluable for maintenance and for my overall health. So I recommended it HIGHLY. But if I had a choice to make as a beginner, I'd go with sorting out my eating plan.
Kira
Thank you for posting this! I am only into almost one week, and I am still sorting out my calorie intake! Some think that adding a little exercise is not a big deal, but focusing on the calories has GOT to be my main concern right now. I want to add a little exercise, but I'm not sure the calories/day I've been doing is correct; especially because TOM started the day before I started my new way of eating.
But I am happy to say, I enjoy exercise now, and I although I'll never join a gym, I live on a farm and there is ALWAYS some heavy duty work to be done...AND I DO IT! Feels good to work my body and get something accomplished at the same time.
You go, girl!! I think that's very inspirational! I grew up in the country and there was always something to do. WTG! (course, I don't live in the country anymore and with the help of quitting smoking and taking paxil, I am about 70# heaviier).... *deep sigh*.... I have to lose weight for my health, that's all there is to it.
When I was heavy, I used to live from the neck upwards. Working my body physically forces me to be in touch with all the parts below the neck. When I think of myself as an athlete, I treat my body with more respect & I make better choices.
This is possibly the best phrasing I've come across on this forum. Thank you for saying this so succinctly!
Last edited by each2each; 10-26-2009 at 12:06 AM.
Reason: Repeated quote!
I feel controlling my eating is more important for me. But the whole exercise/diet thing is kind of a cycle also. If I exercise I don't want to 'undo' all my hard work by eating a lot of junk, however the exercise makes my hungry more often so I feel I eat more even if its healthy food. Also, if I do workout I feel a little more 'free' to indulge myself because I have exercised. I have been on two 3-month exercise systems {p90x and STS} and didn't lose any weight during either which I attribute to not watching my eating.
Several years ago I lost 70lbs by beginning to exercise and watching what I was eating. Since then I have regained some weight, lost some again without exercise, but not lost while exercising frequently and intensely. So I have to think its not only different for everyone but also different for where we are in our lives and habits. What worked serveral years ago isn't working now, so I feel I need to experiment as well as be consistant.
LOL, I hope that made sense its way past my bedtime!
Gotta have it. I need both -- diet and exercise. The diet has to be clean, because you can't "out-exercise" a poor diet. But exercise gives me positive energy, helps my stress level, and keeps my head screwed on straight. Regular exercise makes it easier to stay on track with my diet (psychological effect) as well as burns calories so I can either lose faster or eat more while on maintenance (physical effect). Plus exercise is fun and I enjoy it for its own sake now.
I used to love to workout when I was in my late teens/early twenties, but back then, I worked at a gym so it was much easier.
From then until now, I have been completely sedentary, and I've been suffering from lack of energy and feeling down.
Since I've started my journey almost two weeks ago, I have worked out nearly every day, and I can't tell you enough how much better I feel! I actually long to come home and work out after a day at work! Amazing.
I voted equally important becuase I need the combination of diet and exercise to successfully lose weight. W/o one or the other I will lose for a little while and then be put at a standstill.
Kira, that's funny. Not funny because I think you're weird, but funny that we're all so different. Because when I started, I started with the exercise because I've always found it easier to exercise than eat right. Over the course of 3 months, I slowly started to change the way I ate and continued to add new and different exercises to the mix. For me, exercise is essential, not only to my weight release, but to my emotional health as well. If I didn't exercise, I would be an anxious crazy lady!
I am so with you on that. For me it is EASIER to run 5 miles than watch I eat and pass up thing I really enjoy.
