Better to cut calories or exercise moreThe elusive secret to weight loss is actually a simple mathematical equation. You need to consume fewer calories than you burn, creating a calorie deficit. To lose one pound, you need a 3,500-calorie deficit, which equals about 500 calories per day for a weight loss of one pound per week. But is it better to create that deficit by eating fewer calories, or to burn more calories through exercise? Research shows that reducing the calories you eat is more effective at causing weight loss than simply increasing your physical activity. Although it seems logical that burning an additional 3,500 calories per week with exercise should create similar results, the truth is that your body will likely cause hormonal changes that increase your appetite in order to make up for the excess calories burned. Also, most people aren't willing or able to regularly engage in the amount of physical activity that would be necessary to burn 3,500 calories per week. So is cutting calories the best way to lose weight? Not necessarily. While cutting calories may cause initial weight loss, maintaining a significantly lower caloric intake over time is almost impossible to do. Once you return to your normal eating habits, you'll probably regain the weight you lost very quickly. Exercise, however, seems to promote weight maintenance once a goal weight has been achieved. The best way to lose weight and keep it off, then, seems to be to combine a lower calorie diet with increased physical activity. |
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