A recent survey found that 70% of adults ‘want to get healthy’, with ambitions to exercise more, lose weight and eat more healthily[1]. Considering there are approximately three Google searches per minute on how to lose weight fast, it’s clear that there’s some confusion and desperation out there. Should you eat less or exercise more? Which is most effective? Discover the facts and top tips here.
Introducing Team Food
Calories (or kcal) are the amount of energy in a portion of food or drink. Pretty much everything contains calories, apart from water which is truly calorie-free (the ‘negative calorie’ theory for foods like celery is a myth). To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume, known as a calorie deficit, and comes down to moderating eating and drinking. Calories are burned, or used up, during every single activity you do, including sleeping and breathing, and of course exercise. The bigger the deficit, the bigger the weight loss. Falling off the wagon here and there won’t make a huge difference, as a calorie deficit should be more of a long-term sustainable (and palatable) strategy rather than a short-term sacrifice. According to the Huffington Post, almost two thirds of all Brits are on a diet most of the time, but dieting is not the solution.
Team Exercise
As mentioned, the body burns calories through physiological functions that keep you alive – breathing, pumping blood, building and repairing cells etc. On top of this, calories are burnt through non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), simply as you move about your daily routine. This can be greatly increased by walking more, taking the stairs or doing more chores. Dedicated physical activity obviously burns calories too. Activities like running, swimming and HIIT (high intensity interval training) burn more than slower-paced, lower cardio activities like yoga. A heart rate monitor that takes into account factors like weight, age and gender is an accurate way to measure how many calories you’re burning but sweat and a raised heart rate are reliable indicators too.
Weighing up food versus exercise
Reality check – exercising is not a licence to eat what you like.
It may be disheartening to discover that the calories burnt through exercise are quite low in comparison to NEAT. In fact, if you sleep for 8 hours a day, NEAT would take up typically 63% of your day whereas an hour of dedicated exercise would take just 4%! Upping your NEAT game can make a significant change to calorie burning, so get stuck into that housework!
So, if you think you can write off that takeaway (oh, and the beers and crisps) because you’re working out later, listen up. The general consensus is that weight loss is down to 70% what you eat/drink and 30% exercise: you are what you eat. It is simply more effective to eat less than throw yourself into a frenzied exercise schedule, but if you love your food and drink, that’s not so easy to follow through with – and may well be why you’re not shifting as much weight as you’d like to.
Is exercise a waste of time then? Far from it. Exercise is highly beneficial (and essential for mobility) but it shouldn’t be viewed solely as a weight shredding vehicle. Research shows that diet and exercise are more effective when combined, rather than doing one or the other. Furthermore, working out builds strength, flexibility, stamina, lowers blood pressure, improves heart health, boosts mental health – the list is extensive! Exercise should be empowering, positive and improve your physical and mental wellbeing, not a punishment or means to an end (i.e. have a binge).
How to eat well for weight loss or maintenance, for life
There’s no quick fix for sustainable weight loss. It’s key to establish your goal calorie intake and make appropriate food, drink and physical activity choices.
Based on NHS guidelines to maintain a healthy body weight, an average man needs around 2,500kcal a day, and a woman needs 2,000kcal. To lose 1-2 pounds per week (a sensible goal) you would need to eat 500–1,000 calories fewer per day than your body needs.
Tips for managing your food and drink intake:
- Drink plenty of water. You may mistake thirst for hunger, so reach for the water first. It also can suppress your appetite and save hundreds of calories in place of sugary drinks, juice or sweetened coffee and tea. Being properly hydrated also helps your body burn fat and helps you exercise
- Keep a food diary or use an app like MyFitnessPal to track calories initially to get to grips with your eating habits
- Aim for the 80/20 rule. That means 80% of your diet is nutritious and wholesome and the other 20% can be a bit more rogue, so you don’t deprive yourself
- Plan meals and have filling snacks to hand so you’re less likely to graze on calorific options or resort to grabbing convenience foods
- You need to fuel your body, not starve it, mainly through macronutrients (the nutrients we need in bigger quantities that provide energy). Carbs are the body’s main source of fuel and essential in a balanced diet, along with fat and protein. Around 40% of your calories should be made up of carbohydrates, 30% from fats and 30% from protein
- Limit convenience foods, processed foods and those with empty calories as they have little nutritional value but contribute to weight gain (and are often not filling)
- Don’t obsess over the scales and don’t weigh yourself too often. You may even weigh more but be smaller, slimmer and leaner if your body is changing shape/composition as a result of exercise
- Be honest to yourself about portion size and snacking. Don’t buy salty/fatty/sugary foods you can’t resist picking at! Research tasty food swaps and save hundreds of calories
- Lack of sleep may make you hungry the next day so try to get enough quality sleep if possible
- Try not to view calories burned through exercise as permission to eat – it’s not a healthy mindset. Besides, you may not even be hungry. Equally, if you’re feeling ‘hangry’, eat!
- Treat yourself – just don’t go overboard (remember the 80/20 rule)
Importantly, think of this as a lifestyle change for good. You are aiming to rethink your long-term eating habits for long-term happiness.
How to exercise well
Workouts should be rewarding, not a chore. Sure, they can be tough and relentless but that feeling of accomplishment is worth it. Just like your eating regime, your exercise regime should be realistic, practical and enjoyable so you can maintain it. If you’re dreading your session, shake up your training. Work with a personal trainer for motivation, inspiration, to push yourself and optimise technique. Exercise is great for mental health, better sleep and reducing anxiety as well as physical gains, so don’t miss out. If you’re reaching your protein goal of 30% of your calories, this will boost repair and recovery, build new cells, produce antibodies, and encourage lean tissue and muscle development.
And the winner is…
In the battle of food versus exercise for weight loss, it appears that food wins. Your diet is much more influential than exercise, and some experts say you can’t out-exercise a poor diet. Intense workouts are likely to be exhausting with disappointing results if you’re not in control of your calorie intake. However, diet and exercise go hand in hand and are more effective together than either alone. Rethink your eating habits for life: fuel your body, rather than fill it. Move more, eat well and play the long game.
The Thames Club runs a 6 Week Weight Management course available to members and non members. If you’d like more information about this click here.
[1] Health Club Management magazine