A healthy diet is the foundation of weight loss. The nutrients we consume govern the ways in which our body uses energy. The role of exercise, though important, exists as a supplement to our diet, burning calories above and beyond what we normally use. It may be possible to lose weight without exercise, but it is very hard to lose weight without a proper diet.
Function
A calorie is a measure of the energy present within food. Fat is energy stored away that must be unlocked. In order to lose fat, you must create a calorie deficit, which is the number of calories burned subtracted from the number of calories consumed. Exercise raises the number of calories burned, widening the calorie deficit and ultimately the amount of weight lost.
Significance
Calories burned depend upon the type of exercise and its intensity in addition to other factors such as weight, genetics and gender. According to the Mayo Clinic, a 200-pound person can burn on average 1,229 calories in an hour running at 8 mph, while that same person will only burn 346 calories walking at 3.5 mph. A single pound of fat is worth 3,500 calories, so it may take anywhere between 2 hours and 10 hours of physical activity to burn a pound. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate aerobic activity or 1.25 hours a week of vigorous aerobic activity. However, you can adjust the duration of exercise based on your goals.
Metabolism
The American Heart Association states that exercise maximizes the ability of the heart to pump blood throughout the body, which ultimately increases the efficiency of metabolism---the group of all chemical reactions that maintain life. Furthermore, metabolism will tend to run at a higher rate for hours after exercise has ended, which burns additional calories above and beyond the resting metabolic rate. Strength training also should be considered an important part of an exercise routine. Lifting weights will not burn many calories on its own, but the addition of muscles to your physique can burn extra calories during exercise.
Diet
Exercise is not a replacement for a healthy diet. Even if you spend an hour burning 700 calories, it can easily be negated by eating by three slices of French toast with syrup. To maximize the efficiency of your weight loss, choose foods that promote a feeling of fullness and contain few calories such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein-rich foods and good fats like omega-3.
Appetite
There is some debate about whether exercise increases appetite, therefore hindering or undoing the weight-loss benefits exercise may have. An article in "The Boston Globe" written by Judy Foreman reports that Dr. James Fries, a professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, conducted a study that found appetite decreases immediately following exercise. This was caused by a temporary rise in body temperature, but hunger returned when temperatures normalized. However, it's still possible to create a deficit if you burn 300 extra calories but eat only 200. You should always keep calorie intake below activity level.
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