We all know that what we eat and how much we exercise both effect our weight but one question that is often asked of me is “Which is better for weight loss, eating less or exercising more?” I recently read about a study involving 39 people from the St. Louis area who were assigned to 3 different groups. One group restricted their calories, the second group exercised, and the third group wasn’t given a diet or exercise program. The program was designed so that each of the groups produced the same caloric deficit either by a decreased consumption of calories or an increased expenditure of calories. At the end of the end of one year weight loss was about the same in the 2 control groups, however, the group that exercised lost nearly twice as much fat as the group that ate less calories. So, for the loss of fat, exercise is probably better than calorie restriction, but…
at the end of the day, it is the group that wasn’t in this study that would have the best results. To lose pounds, lose fat and most importantly be fit and healthy, it is always the marriage of the two that creates the best and most superior benefits.