There has been an on gong discuss on the best way to lose weight – exercise vs. diet.
According to a recent research reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, it is high calorie diet and not lack of exercise that leads to obesity:
“In the past 30 years, as obesity has rocketed, there has been little change in physical activity in the Western population. This places the blame for our expanding waist lines directly on the type and amount of calories consumed.”
The high calorie diets the researchers are deferring to are not fat, but sugar and carbs. They believe that the problem is not just the amount of calories but the type of calories.
According to the report, the sugar calories in soda is more dangerous than the same amount of calories in fat or protein.
What this study is saying is, you shouldn’t bother about whether you are exercising or not, rather you should be mindful of what you eat – stay away from sugar (carbs) if you want to lose weight or prevent becoming obese.
It is important to note that obesity has been linked to several diseases including diabetes and heart diseases.
[Also Read: Top 10 Weight Loss Foods]
Having said that, it is also noteworthy to mention that a previous study done last summer (2014) contradicts what this recent report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine is saying in regards to high calorie diets being the main contributing factor to obesity.
In fact that previous study said that inactivity is the primary cause of the obesity epidemic in our modern day society.
Our Thoughts
We surely believe that this argument will continue to be ongoing, with one study contradicting the order. So what do we do since the findings of these studies are not in agreement?
The simple answer to that question is, take a holistic approach – eat the right foods and exercise. In our opinion incorporating healthy diets and exercise into your weight loss is the right way to lose weight.
Instead of wasting your time and energy trying to figure out which is more important between diet and exercise, why not take advantage of the two methods and get even better results.
If you can lose weight by just staying away from sugar/carb calories, imagine how much more pounds you can lose when you combine that with some exercise.
[Check Out: 4 Fat Burning Workouts You Can Do in Under 20 Minutes]
We know that a lot of people especially those that are overweight or obese can find it exercise very daunting, but you don’t have to do the very rigorous routines.
You can start gradually – a short walk, dance or anything that can get you moving. You will realize the it actually gets easier with time.
Moreover, it is YOUR health we are talking about here!
We believe that whatever you can do to improve your health is worth doing. So even if physical activity does not have any effect on your weight as claimed by this recent study, do it because it will impact your overall health positively.
If you choose this encompassing approach, no matter which study is right, you have nothing to lose but everything to gain!
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