Exercise vs Food: The Dilemma

I always get this comment (because I do eat a lot): “Anu, you can eat whatever you like because you can always run it off” (errr, not really).  Or “yeah, I’ll just burn those couple of pizza slices off tomorrow” (errr, not exactly). But listen, I learnt that Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps’ daily diet lands him a whopping 12,000 calories daily! And he’s quite lean too.

So, which outweighs which? Is it the food we eat that really matters, or can we sweat out whatever we’ve eaten? And what really counts when it comes to fat loss? Food or exercise?

It really does go without saying that Diet is extremely important. Eating clean and training dirty would be the perfect balance, but it’s always a challenge to achieve both.  There’s always a struggle and complexity that accompanies a clean and balanced diet; and even a greater struggle (more disciplinary, however) that embodies consistent exercise that counts. So let’s look at some options.

Weight and Fat Loss: I take it many of us know the Golden Rule of weight and fat loss: diet and exercise. It’s easier to lose weight by changing your diet than by exercising because it’s neater to cut out 500 calories than try to burn 500 calories. And truth be told, that’s not how the body works. Because you eat a quarter-pounder doesn’t mean that when you burn the same amount of calories as a quarter-pounder, your body has forgotten the quarter pounder. I can’t really explain it, but you’ll need to do a lot more than the calories in that quarter pounder to fool your body into forgetting it was ever consumed.

If you eat 1,200 calories a day and you’re strict about it, you will lose weight. This is why Diet is crucial for weight loss. Calories consumed are non-negotiable. Now, your body burns fat all by itself without any exercise, but you will speed up your weight loss by exercising. Even if all you do is a 30 minute walk 4-5 times a week, it’s better than going with dieting alone. From my research and interaction with people, those who don’t exercise tend to plateau quicker than those who exercise. Exercise is amazing for maintaining weight loss and for people who have naturally slow metabolisms, exercise increases your metabolism.

Reducing belly fat: I had to address this issue because I’ve gotten this question a gazillion times. You cannot reduce belly fat by doing 1,000 sit-ups daily. The only thing you’ll achieve is lower back pain and frustration from the lack of seeing visible results. If you’re looking to reduce your tummy, you need a combination of diet and exercise. Your body parts cannot and do not work in isolation—targeted fat loss is a myth. If you need to lose belly fat, you will (need to) lose overall body fat. And it goes back to diet AND exercise. But diet is the winner here – to an extent. Diet is a winner in the initial stages because the type of food you’re consuming will need to change. You’ll need more roughage, water, less processed carbohydrates and lean protein as opposed to fatty protein. To maintain, tone and accelerate the reduction, you need cardio (jogging, fast walking, skipping, jumping jacks, swimming, sit ups etc).

You’ll also need to stop eating after a certain time of the day. This one again, goes back to diet. Eating late causes indigestion and bloating. Half the time, your belly probably looks bigger because you’re actually bloated and are having a hard time digesting your food. But when your dinner time doesn’t go beyond 6pm, you have time to digest your food and have some tea (sugar and honey free) which will aid digestion and you’ll feel much lighter in the morning.

Exercise is Golden: I’m partial to exercise, so excuse me. I can confirm that exercise gives much better sleep, because you’re exhausted by the time you hit the pillow. People who have trouble sleeping should try exercise. And if you have trouble sleeping, you’re more likely to have difficulty losing weight because research has shown that sufficient sleep helps to maintain a healthy weight.

Exercise also releases endorphins which make you a lot happier. How do you usually feel after a workout? Doesn’t it give a “high”? Oh, it certainly does for me and members of my running group. We may arrive a bit groggy, but after that run, we’re stretching like there’s no tomorrow and smiling, laughing, taking photos, and even talking about the next time we’re going to run.

Sustainable Weight Loss: Try adding exercise to your Diet for ‘health best practices’. By the way, “Diet” means food. Those who have burgers and fries as their daily staple are on a diet too –albeit a detrimental one. Exercise actually burns calories, and calorie-burning leads to fat loss. You’ll maintain your goal weight if you’ve reached it, and lose weight if you’re still striving to attain your goal weight. People who exercise are less likely to put on any weight lost, too. And of course, exercise gives a hot figure!

All this being said, you are what you eat. The body needs sufficient water as opposed to sugary drinks, browner foods as opposed to whiter foods, and boiled/grilled foods as opposed to fried foods. Sometimes, I can spot the no-go areas when it comes to food by merely looking at it. When you’re consistent, it becomes easier for you to separate the wheat from the chaff.

And with exercise, you maintain weight loss, burn fat, sleep better, look better, and have more energy. Discipline yourself till you’re addicted to it :D

Till next time, 

anu