Have you ever thought, "I could eat whatever I want and however much I want, as long as I exercise after?"
Have you ever felt frustrated because, despite the hours you dedicated to working out, you haven't lost weight?
Unfortunately, you can't out-exercise a poor diet. There are simply not enough hours in the day!
Your diet is more important
People often get frustrated when they aren't losing weight from rigorous exercise, without stopping to think about their nutrition habits. Nutrition habits greatly affect body composition, not just exercise. It's still important to be active, but if you really want to lose weight, it has to be in conjunction with healthy eating.
Generally, weight loss is achieved by consuming fewer calories than you burn. It's easier, and takes less time, to consume calories than to burn them. Unless you can spend most of your day doing rigorous exercise, you won't have enough time to burn off a high excess of calories.
Your metabolic rate also plays an important role in this. Your metabolism typically becomes less efficient with age. That means it becomes even more difficult and time consuming to burn excess calories. It's also more difficult and time consuming to burn off excess calories for those with physical limitations, injuries, or limited mobility.
Some physical limitations can arise from diets that aren't nutrient-dense. Deficiencies in nutrients don't allow our bodies to function optimally, which makes rigorous exercise more strenuous.
Key Takeaway
The most effective and sustainable way to lose weight, and maintain weight loss, is to supplement regular exercise with healthy, balanced, nutrient-dense eating habits. So, if you feel like you can't possibly lose weight because you don't have the time to exercise as much as you need to, know that you CAN lose weight! Your diet holds a lot of power. Making healthy nutritional choices will help you achieve your goals.
