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Fat Loss Lie #9: "Exercise is not necessary... all you need is a diet"


The Truth About The Diet Versus Exercise Debate
Yes, you CAN lose weight by cutting calories. But as you learned in the first part of this course ("the starvation diet lie"), there is danger in using very low calorie diets; you almost always re-gain weight that's lost with highly restrictive diets.
Some people use calorie restriction out of necessity. For example, I know some wheelchair-bound individuals who lost weight with calorie restriction alone. I also know some people who were very obese and had orthopedic problems (making exercise difficult at first), who chose to get started only with dietary restriction, then they added the exercise later. They also lost weight.
However, for able-bodied people, dieting is the absolute WORST way to lose weight.
Two Ways To Create A Calorie Deficit And Lose The Fat
As you learned in part 5 on calories, to lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. However, there's more than one way to create a calorie deficit. One is to decrease the amount of calories you consume (eat less). The other is to increase the amount of calories you burn (exercise more).
Of the two ways, burning the calories with increased activity is the superior method. Or, you can also combine the two - eat a little less, and exercise more.
Paradoxical as it seems, the most effective approach of all is to eat more and exercise more (as long as you still keep your calorie deficit). The combination of nutrition + weight training + cardio training results in a turbo-charged metabolism and a GREAT body!