Hellobee Boards

I answered diet only because that is what has worked for me in the past. Right now I am doing the Fit4Mom Body Back program and it's diet and exercise and I find it so hard to focus. What I really wanted was the exercise component!

I do want to lose weight but fitness is more important to me right now because I'm going to ttc soon and I want to be strong more than I want to be skinny if I'm just going to have another giant baby soon.

Most trainers say you cannot exercise away a crappy diet. And for women, that is even more true.

That being said, I think you do should both. There is more to health than just your weight on a scale. The older you get, the more important it is to maintain muscle tone and mass, prevent osteoporosis and keep your body mechanics moving the way they were intended. I would say start small with working out and go from there, try to find something you actually like to do. Too many people try to go from 0 to boot camp class, and they get injured or burn out after a few weeks.

And yes, like you mentioned, I also tend to be like "oh I ran today so I can eat this whole bag of goldfish" so you definitely have to be aware of the post work out binge eating.

I gain weight when I work out! Muscle gains!

If I'm strictly just trying to lose weight, diet is 90%! + light cardio

Diet, if it's strictly weight loss as a goal. Exercise makes me super hungry so it kind of slows my weight loss. But I like to combine them anyway because usually I am trying to get a little more toned so the exercise obviously is what helps with that.

My friend lost a ton of weight by dieting only.. Cutting out carbs and sugar, I know she doesn't work out at all (but has an active-ish lifestyle).

@pachamama: if your REALLY watching your diet then those 300 calories should have been already accounted for as your calories for the day so you aren't really negating your workout

If you want a low calorie snack try a protein shake - they are about 150 calories but loaded with protein.

I lose nothing by diet alone....I have to exercise for any weight to budge.

Both, but they're unrelated in my case. I exercise always, because I love to. When I'm focused on weight loss, that's all about diet. It's actually easier for me when I'm not exercising heavily.

And I would strongly disagree that exercise is way more important. Some people can eat well, exercise, and lose weight. But lots of people are like me, and their bodies will just be hungrier in proportion to the exercise they've done. The most active year of my life, I was riding 200 miles a month, constantly running around with my toddler, and I didn't lose a pound. Despite eating well. It's different for everyone.

@ValentineMommy: same

I can eat right and I'll lose 4lbs tops! When I'm eating right and working out I steadily drop 1 to 2 lbs a week. Then once I reach my goal I continue to workout and eat like crap ha! Brownies are my workout reward (Once I'm at goal) I lost 60lbs 3 years before I was preggers and kept it off. Now pp I have 30 to lose

@Raindrop: I like eating the things I like eating too, but it's really weird that when you eat a little less, your body really gets used to it (as long as there is no starving involved!).

@Raindrop: or not...be happy

I don't lose much with just exercise anymore. I can't outrun my fork in my 30s.

Diet is very important and can help you maintain your weight even if you can't exercise as much. I have to eat right because of allergies and food intolerance, but I work out as much as I can. Even if it is 20 minutes a few times per week. A little is better than nothing. I'm trying to fit in 30-45 minutes most days of the week. Sometimes I split it up and do 20-30 minutes of cardio.

I said diet and exercise, but I don't do intense workouts. When I was losing weight, I had a lot of success limiting calories and just walking 2 miles around my neighborhood most nights. I usually took the dog or LO with me.

I've never been able to lose weight just by exercising. It makes me hungrier! I have to count calories. I have so much baby weight from #1, and I LOVE eating. It's true though, when you start eating much less your body gets used to it and it gets easier to do portion control. I never thought I'd be able to eat so much less but you adjust, thank goodness. Otherwise it'd be torture. It's still hard though, I looooooove food. I also would love to do some light exercising, I do some squats and push ups and such, easy things I can do at home while the kids are playing. Just so I'm not complete flab under the fat.