You lose weight. You gain weight. You lose it again, then gain it back again. It seems like a never-ending battle. With all the literature, marketing, fad diets, goofy-looking exercise equipment and weight loss schemes flooding the advertisement world today, it is difficult to discern the good from the bad. Choosing the right combination of diet and exercise, though, will help you effectively lose the weight you desire and keep it off.
Significance of Diet
Dieting has been called a numbers game. Consume fewer calories than you expend, and you will lose weight. Restricting the number of calories you consume is a highly effective way to drop those unwanted pounds. A 2011 study published in "Obesity" found that calorie restriction alone will lead to greater weight loss than exercise alone. In a year-long study involving 439 women, the exercise-only group lost an average of 2.4 percent of their starting weight, while the diet-only group decreased their weight by an average of 8.5 percent.
Significance of Exercise
If dieting causes more pounds to fall off than exercising, then you may wonder why you should exercise. In addition to the numerous physical and mental health benefits resulting from regular physical activity, exercise plays a vital role in maintaining weight loss. Kaleida Health reported that 90 percent of dieters who lose weight by only dieting will regain the weight they lost within two years.
Combining diet with exercise will help you lose more weight than performing either method alone. The previously mentioned 2011 study in "Obesity" included a third group that performed diet and exercise. This combination group lost 10.8 percent of their starting weight, 2.3 percent more than the diet-only group and 8.4 percent more than the exercise-only group.
Combinations to Avoid
Physical activity requires your body having enough fuel to perform the exercise. Eating the wrong foods will limit the amount of activity you can perform, thereby limiting your result potential. Low carbohydrate diets should be avoided when cardiovascular exercise is involved, as they will decrease your energy level. Although this type of diet seems plausible because of the switch in energy sources from carbohydrate to fat oxidation, numerous health problems can arise. According to the Mayo Clinic, low carbohydrate diets increase risk of heart disease and cancer, can lead to constipation and gastrointestinal problems, and may cause ketosis -- a condition caused when fat fails to break down completely. Ketosis may lead to weakness, nausea, dehydration, dizziness and irritability.
Combinations to Choose
Eating fresh, whole foods is key to a healthy body. According to The American Council on Exercise, opting for lower fat, lower calorie whole foods will help fuel your body with the right amount of energy without any excess. Exact calorie amounts will vary between people. For exercise, start at a level that is doable, but do not overdo it. Increase your workout by 10 percent each week. For example, if you perform 30 minutes of walking one week, aim for 33 minutes the next week. Cardiovascular exercise will burn more calories, and a trainer can instruct you on interval training to accelerate fat loss when your body is ready. Because a trained muscle burns more calories at rest than an untrained one, resistance exercise will also increase your fat-burning machine.
References
- "Obesity"; Effect of Diet and Exercise, Alone or Combined, on Weight and Body Composition In Overweight to Obese Postmenopausal Women; Karen E. Foster-Schubert, et al; April 2011
- Kaleida Health: The Comprehensive Weight Management Center: Options for Treatment
- Mayo Clinic: Low-Carb Diet
- ACE Fitness: Weight Loss: Diet vs. Exercise
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