Diet or Exercise: Which Works Best for Weightloss?

Diet or Exercise: Which Works Best for Weightloss?

What is the best way to lose excess fat?

A calorie or energy deficit is definitely required but what is the best way to achieve it?  Not all diet plans are created equal.

The traditional weight loss mantra is:  Reduce calories, increase aerobic activity and eat a balanced diet with plenty of complex carbohydrates for energy.

Many people find that using this formula doesn’t work, at least not when it comes to achieving ideal body composition and maintaining results over the long term. Why not? What are they doing wrong?

“A certain level of fitness is required for optimal health. However, exercise is an inefficient way to create the desired caloric deficit to lose excess body fat.  In fact, overdoing it at the same time a person is reducing calories is a problem for most people.  The reason is that strenuous exercise without sufficient base fitness while eating insufficient calories causes an unnatural stress and a loss of lean body mass (LBM).  It is also difficult to create a sufficient enough caloric deficit with exercise alone to see rapid results,” according to Tom Griesel, co-author of TurboCharged.

The loss of LBM will lower base metabolic rate (BMR), which triggers ancient survival mechanisms that are very difficult to override even if willpower is strong.  The body usually fights back against the loss of LBM with increased anxiety and hunger.  Even worse, any weight regained after a diet binge will usually consist of more fat than muscle.  This means that drifting back up to the exact same starting weight actually leaves a person fatter than where they started along with a lower BMR.

It seems that these facts alone would point us to using diet for caloric reduction. However, this approach can also lead to loss of LBM and lower BMR.

So, what is the best way to lose excess fat while maintaining LBM?

Griesel adds, “The simple answer lies in adding more low stress daily activities, which are fueled almost exclusively by fat, along with a minimal but effective amount of strength training to maintain LBM and BMR. Combining this with a large enough caloric deficit based around a diet of natural whole food and a good nights sleep usually brings rapid success.”

Sound too simple to be true? If you don’t like strenuous exercise, don’t have the time or can’t perform it at your current level of fitness, perhaps it’s time for a different approach to finally lose those extra pounds.

So, what should you do?   Keep diet choices as natural as possible.  Think fish, meats, chicken, veggies, fruits, cheeses and nuts without too much preparation.  Simple is key.   Then, work on squeezing in a mere minute of exercise a few different times throughout the day.  Try a plank or modified plank pose and hold it for a minute.  Squat against a wall–much like as if you were sitting down on an imaginary seat, using the wall for stability–hold for a minute.   Try 60-seconds worth of push ups–or controlled push-offs–against the kitchen counter while waiting for your teapot to boil.   Need more ideas?  Pick up a copy of TurboCharged.  It’s filled with them!   Get moving!   Everyone can find  3-5 minutes to change their health and strength starting right now.  It will spur fat loss while increasing health and strength.