When we think of weight loss, we always come to mind two things: diet and exercise, but both are equally important. Should we give priority to any of them?
To reach our ideal weight, a low calorie diet and physical exercise frequently they can help. However: the exercise by itself, if it is not accompanied by proper diet, not enough to lower our fat percentage. That is what they say about the latest studies, summarized in this article in the New York Times: To lose weight, eating less is far more important than exercising more (“To lose weight, eat less is much more important than exercise ourselves more”).
Eat less or eat better?
The low-calorie diet (which gives us less calories than our body needs) is essential for weight loss, but should always be checked by a health professional. In this way, we will ensure that, even though fewer calories keep covering our basic needs and we have a good distribution of macronutrients.
In addition to the amount of calories, you always have, we must take into account the quality of the same: we must choose wisely the food coming. Each food makes our bodies a different contribution of macronutrients, and we must choose the highest quality for a healthy and balanced diet.
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Not all foods and products produced the same response in our body: a donut contributes about the same amount of calories than 400 grams of chicken breast (about 450 kcal in both cases). However, the chicken breast gives us mostly proteins that will satisfy us and meet structural functions in our body, while the donut made a good supply of carbohydrates (in the form of sugar) and fats, which are a source of energy. It will not make us feel so satisfied; it will cause a glucose peak that will make us hungry soon.
What we exercise?
Although exercise is not necessary to lose weight, yes it is an important part of an active and healthy life. The approach to exercise can do it for other reasons other than weight loss: to improve our breathing capacity, to maintain or increase the mobility of our joints, to strengthen our muscles or to increase the density of our bones, etc…
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Exercise taken regularly helps to burn more calories, although this should be a secondary purpose. If we make health exercise rather than aesthetic, we ensure greater adherence to the same and often greater enjoyment of our activities.
In addition, through the exercise we can improve our body composition, even more important than our weight. It increases the amount of muscle mass and reduces fat percentage through the combination of aerobic and anaerobic training, it helps us reduce the risk of many diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity) and improve our physical and mental state.
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