Diet or Exercise: Which Is More Important to Weight Loss?

Can you exercise away a slice of cake? You can, but it may take way longer than you think.

A thin slice of chocolate cake is 100 grams and has 340 calories. To burn these calories, you’d have to walk at least one hour. Imagine if you had a larger slice or seconds.

Most people find it easier to eat at a caloric deficit than to reach a caloric deficit through exercise alone.

To help you out, we asked our experts at Capital City Primary and Immediate Care about the roles that dieting and exercise play in your weight loss journey.

Losing weight through dieting

Cutting calories is by far the most effective strategy for fat loss. But your body is an intricate biological machine, so the concept of calories in, calories out is a bit more complicated than calorie counters make it seem.

Aside from how many calories you consume, what you consume and how the foods affect your hormones can also have an impact on your weight loss journey. For example, foods high in sugar and carbohydrates raise insulin, the fat-storing hormone, whereas whole foods high in protein and fats have little effect on insulin levels in the short term.

Protein-rich foods may help with satiety, so you might find it easier to lose weight when you add protein-rich foods to your plate. And compared to fats and carbs, protein requires your body to burn more calories for digestion.

Losing weight through exercise

You can definitely lose weight via exercise, although it isn’t the most efficient way to do it. That said, you shouldn’t brush aside exercise just because cutting calories is a better approach to fat loss.

Exercise leads to a more toned body, and gaining muscle allows you to look fitter even if the number on the scale is bigger. Also, even with a low body fat percentage, if your muscles aren’t developed, you may still look a bit flabby.

Exercise is also known to boost circulation, combat fatigue, and increase bone density.

Get help in your weight loss journey

If you’ve tried countless diets, none of which were sustainable in the long term, consider a medical weight loss plan. We can help you with the following:

Appetite-suppressant medications
Customized meal plans
Customized exercise plans
Q&A sessions
Emotional support
Chronic disease management

Before putting together the weight loss plan, we put you through comprehensive testing to determine whether you’re suffering from conditions that could prevent you from losing weight.