I voted for the first option, although I suppose that isn't strictly true. The thing is, I "diet" for health, and how can I do that without exercise? More importantly, if I'm not exercising, I don't sustain the healthier eating. It's like an enabler for me.

It's as important to me as the food I choose to eat Exercise makes me feel awesome and I do it almost daily but if I were only exercising and eating like I used to I'd get no where.

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 can (and am) losing weight without exercise, but I'm focusing on my food right now and developing better habits. I will work on the exercise once the food area is totally under control. Also, I get very tired and hungry when I work out, so I need to figure out something to combat that.

I don't find it essential - I managed to lose 60lbs by my lifestyle change alone however I do exercise now because it just makes me feel better about myself

I voted "Not nearly as important as what and how much I eat". By a looooooong stretch. I can lose weight without any exercise at all. But having an athletic identity helps me think about myself differently. Nevertheless, I've been a fat, very active athlete in the past. For me it is really all about the food.

I voted that it's very important and one day I'll be of the mindset that it's essential. I could also lose without the exercise and have done in the past, but I feel AMAZING when I have been moving in some way or another. Like others, I have more energy, am more in control and it does wonders for my self-esteem. Eventually *I* will be like several of the chicks here who inspire me on a daily basis

Kira,

And I disagree with you. For me it was starting with exercise and only after a few months of exercise I realized that some dietary changes will be necessary as well. But at that point, I was already quite heavily into exercise. So if I had to begin again, I would start with exercise. But I am not saying one approach is wrong and the other is right. Everybody needs to find a method that works for him/her. I, for one, am not willing to count calories till the end of my life. So I chose clean and healthy eating without caring how many calories I consume. But the emphasis is on clean and healthy eating, not on 'not caring how many calories I consume'. I don't calories but of course I know what are good, on plan choices and which are not.

I guess it just goes to show how different everyone's path can be. I know at 244lbs, I didn't feel comfortable at all : I couldn't afford a proper sports bra, we didn't have the money for a gym membership : I felt like I waddled when I walked and the chafing was unbelievable. That was just me. I know this self-consciousness was a personal problem but it was a reality I had to deal with. So I started with focusing on my diet. And when I felt comfortable with exercising, I started.

I have a Dear SIL -God Love Her who goes to the gym every day. She wants to lose weight (60 lbs or so to get to the top end of a healthy weight), but she hasn't addressed her diet. She just believes that nothing works for her because exercising isn't resulting in weight loss. I've tried to suggest that it might be the daily piece of apple pie with ice cream, double breakfasts (one at her home, one at ours), tortilla chips and sour cream dip as appetizers, double daquiries at 2pm, the full lunch and dinner with DQ ice cream afterwards that might need to be addressed.

SO, if she was to ASK me, I would say that exercise is great, but she needs to sort out her eating habits if she wants to see results because 45 minutes on an elliptical won't do much to mitigate the imapct that her two Eggs Benedict, toast, bacon and jam for her first breakfast has on her body. That's all.

And my post was primarily for those just beginning -- there is so much to do "perfectly" in so many peoples' minds that they just give up. If they can focus on diet as diet accounts for 80% of what you look like, they will see results. And like I said, exercise is VITAL for maintenance, not that I'm there yet hahahahah but it is VITAL. But you CAN lose weight without exercise! And you can exercise like mad and not lose weight!



Kira

I love exercise, and choose to do it regularly because I love it. But losing weight is 100% about food for me. My exercise patterns have been exactly the same at my highest & lowest weights.

I've lost the last 30# without exercising on South Beach. But I'm an age where I need to exercise to maintain my muscle mass and increase bone density. I really don't like to exercise, but have to make myself do it for good health. I'm able to maintain my weight loss without it, but I know I'm flabbier than I was when younger and weighed the same.

I really think it all depends on where you start out. For a super morbidly obese chick like myself, I could barely walk to the mailbox...I had to get a handle on my eating FIRST and foremost. If I would have started out a few inches taller and 100 pounds lighter, I might have taken the exercise til I drop approach. I also quit smoking and drinking alcohol all within a week of each other, (I was a heavy drinker and a pack a day smoker) so exercise was the last thing on my mind at the time. I knew I could only handle so much. 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.

I voted that they are equal. For me atleast. And I do understand and some-what agree with everyone's post.

I am pleased, however, with how respectful we all are of each other's opinions! This could be a really heated debate ya know Just like everything else in life: we are all sooo different that the percentage of diet to exercise needs to be tweaked to meet individual needs.

I need exercise. It helps keep my insulin in check, which greatly helps me make better food choices.
I have lost weight in the past without exercise, but actually ended up in poorer health. I need weight lifting to make me feel good. And if I feel good,I will eat well.

I loved reading everyone's opinions on this. I would say two things on it: First, when I don't exercise, I don't have as much of an appetite, so I can lose weight because I'm not hungry. But then I'm tired and dragging. When I do exercise, I'm hungrier, but I am also more energized. And I have to burn off energy, otherwise I fidget like mad. I've shifted my workouts to focus on weight lifting in addition to my cardio. The cardio makes me feel better, but the weights are helping me add muscle. I want to be less jiggly. I just recently started an online fitness tracker called Training Peaks that gives me a variety of workout options and enables me to write down what I've done. Anything to stay motivated. Especially about lifting weights, lol!