Weight-Loss Strategies

Is It Better to Eat Less or Exercise More?

Is weight loss a constant challenge for you? Are you exercising and wondering why you are not losing weight? Have you been told that muscle weighs more that fat and to just eat less and exercise more? I

Unfortunately, many people experience a lot of frustrations in their attempts to shed weight. Unfortunately, for women especially, eating less and exercising doesn’t always add up in the calories in / calories out formula. Research suggests that weight loss can be far more complex. Our hormones play a larger role in regulating our metabolism than many people realize. As a result, maintaining a diet that encourages hormonal balance is often more effective than hours of exercise.

I workout but can’t lose weight

You have a trainer and workout 3 times a week. You feel stronger and more energized and figure you can enjoy the occasional indulgence since you earned it after an intense workout. Still, the scale won’t budge.

Consider further, a woman training for a half-marathon. She runs for 30 to 90 minutes 6 days a week. All that exercise she figures she should be losing weight and should be able to treat herself every so often. However, she’s can’t shake the remaining few pounds.

What’s happening? Let’s take a look at the math. As a 140-pound woman, she burns about 300 calories in a 30-minute run. However, those 300 calories are a lot easier to consume than they are to burn. Research indicated that exercise can actually lead to increased food consumption. This may be due to hormones affect on appetite or simply by the fact that we feel like we deserve food after a tough workout.

Exercise vs And Weight loss

Less is more. One study demonstrated that shorted workouts were better to promote body fat loss than longer workouts. Longer periods of exercise can be perceived by the body as a stressor and change hormone production. The body also may also be far more tired after a longer workout that may stimulate your appetite. Therefore, studies conclude that changing diet alone has been shown to be more effective than exercise for weight loss.

Formula Weight Loss

If diet wins the battle of exercise vs diet, a combination of diet and short periods of exercise may be even more effective. What about other factors if this isn’t working? It’s very important to consider your body’s unique needs in assessing your metabolic function and coming up with a strategy that’s right for you. It’s incredibly valuable to work with a healthcare practitioner to develop a strategy that works for you and to make sure there isn’t something else going on that’s sabotaging your ability to reach your weight loss goals.

Test, don’t guess! You may have a hormone imbalance or a food intolerance that is making it difficult for you to lose weight. Instead of putting yourself on a difficult diet for weeks only to experience minimal weight loss, consider a personalized approach.

Our team of experience Naturopathic Doctors can help you develop an effective weight loss place for you. If you’ve hit a weight-loss plateau, or if you’re wondering how to achieve the right balance between diet and exercise, book an appointment today! We want to help you get healthy, look good and feel amazing!

Resources

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413118302535

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25323965

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4227972/

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/93/2/427/4597724

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3771367/