We all know that a combination of diet and exercise is important to good health and psychological well-being. If we only diet, we don’t get the cardiovascular and psychological benefits of exercise, and we run the risk of lowering our metabolic rate, making weight loss even harder. If we only exercise without watching our intake, the exercise is likely to make us hungry. We might not gain weight, but it’s unlikely we’ll lose any.
I’ve often felt a bit guilty about letting Jenny do most of the work for my weight loss and maintenance. I am a fairly sedentary person who spends quite a few hours in front of the computer. Other than walking around campus and pacing in the front of my classroom, the only exercise I get is my afternoon walks with Mr. F to our favorite coffee shop, the Nautical Bean. The round trip is about 2 miles. Ho hum. Better than nothing, but we walked it plenty of times without losing an ounce. We walk so regularly that some of our neighbors ask us for our “real names,” because they refer to us as “the Walkers.” Nonetheless, we walked the same amount when Mr. F was 100 lbs heavier and I was 80 lbs heavier, and none of that weight budged. We’re afraid that people who have seen us lose weight over the past 2 years will think that all we’re doing is walking. Okay, if it gets them moving, that’s great, but they’ll be disappointed with the results if that’s all they do.
Some of my guilt was reduced by a recent article by Derek M. Huffman and his colleagues [1]. These researchers compared the health and longevity of mice that exercised and mice with caloric restriction. Although exercise does a lot of good, by itself, it does not extend lifespan, at least for mice. In contrast, restricting calories produced a unique set of benefits that did not occur in the mice that exercised without caloric restriction. The caloric restriction used in this study was mild–only 9% and 18% in different groups. That’s equivalent to 225-450 calories for a person eating 2500 calories per day, like passing up dessert. In many rodent caloric restriction studies, the animals eat only about 65% of their normal food, or 875 fewer calories for a person normally eating 2500 calories. That’s probably okay when you’re trying to lose weight (Jenny put me on 1200 calories and I lost about 2 lbs per week), but you can’t keep it up indefinitely without becoming anorexic.
These are mice and we are people, but Huffman et al. do remind us that “fit and fat” is better than just fat, but “fit and thin” is probably a better goal. And yes, it is my goal to get out on the stairmaster more often.
1. Huffman, D.M., Moellering, D.R., Grizzle, W.E., Stockard, C.R., Johnson, M.S., & Nagy, T.R. (2008). Effect of exercise and calorie restriction on biomarkers of aging in mice. American Journal of Physiology–Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 294.
9 Comments
jmgraham · May 19, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Diet AND exercise….it seems that I can only focus on one at a time. I just tell myself that I can eat whatever if I work out, or that I don’t have to exercise since I ate healthfully that day. But I do know that the two in conjunction bring the most success and benefits.
I didn’t know that if we only exercise without watching our intake, the exercise can make us hungrier. So true! After my stomach settles, I’m always hungry after about 20-30 minutes. So I just try and ignore that or drink water. Good to know!
hvitullo · May 21, 2008 at 8:55 am
I think that people have gone through a lot of frustration focusing on one or the other. . diet OR exercise. It is important though to do both. Hopefully articles like this will continue to be published and people will begin to see that a lifestyle with no exercise and poor nutrition is going to take it’s toll!
itsmuoi4 · May 21, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I read somewhere that restricting our calorie intake and skipping meals actually make us retain our fat to compensate for the deficency. Oh, that’s just great…dieting= fat. I feel that the combination of diet and exercise is of course important but most people opt to choose one over another and as you’ve stated above…those two must work together. gah! How hard can it get? Being a college student, I can relate that many suffer with this one. Where do we find the time to exercise let alone think about what we’re eating, it’s only rational that some gain the freshman 15 or have a hard time losing it.
mbernie · May 21, 2008 at 8:12 pm
This all seems very basic. You are what you eat and exercise makes one happy and healthy. I would think everyone would know this. The best thing to do is both, obviously. I do find it interesting that exercising without watching our intake makes us hungry. I would have never have thought. But if one is not going to eat well I hear that eating breakfast will boost ones metabolism which will help in losing weight. Also, many people start to workout in the beginning of the year as a New Years resolution but soon give up. I think it would be wise for these people to take their exercises slow so they get in the habit of exercise rather than try really hard then give up. I think I need to go running…
svallier · May 22, 2008 at 10:31 am
I think this blog is a really good reminder of what we all know. In fact, I’m a little frustrated by it! I don’t want to hear that if I’m working out on a regular basis I still have to watch my intake. I love the fact that when I’m working out I feel like I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. This of course does nothing to help me take off that XMAS weight I gained, way back when, but I usually go by the philosophy you mentioned, fat and fit is better than just fat. One thing that really works for me is portion control (probably what Jenny helps you with.) I like lean cuisines personally. They are so convenient, I feel like I can have a healthy meal at any time.
tsbrady · May 23, 2008 at 4:30 pm
With all the technological advances in medicine these days, we have seen a lot of shortcut methods when it comes to losing weight. Advertisers rave, “take this pill” or “drink this solution.” In my experience there is no alternative. Like Freberg mentioned, dieting and exercise must be used simultaneously. In my experience dieting has worked for a week or two, but then my body catches up with my food restriction and just works on less calories. And if I simply work out, that becomes my excuse for late night meals and treats. I would agree with this blog that both are equally as important. It’s either all or nothing.
A_Jolly · May 24, 2008 at 10:29 am
Oh yes indeed the combo works beautifully. I tried them together for the first time 2 years ago in preparation for my wedding day. Within eight months I had an incredible figure and I felt fabulous!! I must mention, that I have been overwieght my entire life. Yes, after workouts I was insanely hungry all day long, but I made sure to surround myself with nutritious low cal snacks that I could munch on ALL-DAY-LONG. But something worth mentioning is that I also heard that the more muscle you build, the more calories you burn just doing your regular daily activities. Soooo, if you can’t work out for a while, doesn’t it make sense that you are still burning more calories than someone who hasn’t been building muscle? I hope I worded that so that it makes sense.
l.ogden · May 27, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Every time I read an article like this I begin to feel guilty and end up blaming my situation rather than my lack of motivation. I say I don’t have the time to work out regularly, or cook healthy meals daily. Face it, being a college student often leaves you with the options of either a PB&J or easymac for lunch. However, if one is truly concerned with health, they can make these things a priority rather than watching an hour of TV or roaming around facebook for no reason. I find that a lot of the problem is will power, if we all had a little more of this, we might be better off with our health. Now where is an article on how to increase will power? That’s what I’d like to read 🙂
kara311 · May 27, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I am more pro-exercise than pro-diet. I have witnessed first-hand that caloric reduction slows down your metabolism and (unless you are willing to stick with it for months) causes you to gain weight. I also agree with everyone that exercise makes one more hungry, but your sped-up metabolism from working out continues to burn calories after your work-out. I have lost much more weight from exercising (specifically when I am building muscle) than from cutting back calories.
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