Weight loss: Is diet more effective than exercise?

A new research says that diet is far more important than exercise to lose weight. We get a nutritionist to weigh in on this.

Diet or exercise! What's more important to lose weight? You may have asked this question to your gym instructor, your nutritionist and even to Google. A new research says that diet is more than exercise for weight loss. There are some who give more importance to diet over exercising while others believe that the other way round is what's more effective to lose weight. There is no doubt that this is a very important yet basic question which has been subject to debate for the longest time. Nutritionist Karishma Chawla explains, "Diet and exercise have their specific roles to play in health and fitness. Having said that one needs to be clear that one cannot exercise intensively and consume wrong foods and then expect to lose weight and be healthy. A well-balanced nutrition plan with the right quality and quantity of macronutrients and micronutrients with good hydration and a positive self-image is imperative to complement your extensive workouts for adequate results."

How exercise helps in weight loss:Exercise helps to increase the Basal Metabolic Rate or BMR or metabolism, enhances insulin sensitivity, releases happy hormones and helps stimulate appetite in the right way to lose fat percentage and have an ideal body composition. Missing any one of these components would lead to a weight loss plateau and hindrance to muscle gain.

How a good diet can help in weight loss: A good diet goes a long way in helping you lose weight. This is because all the calories that you consume are coming from the food you eat.

Is exercise more important than diet for achieving weight loss?

Karishma Chawla says, "70 per cent diet and 30 per cent exercise is a traditional approach. The new approach would be 60 per cent diet 20 cent exercise and 20 per cent commitment to fitness and health. Eating habits, exercise, stress management and a positive self-image make up the circle of fitness. Missing out on any of these would hamper growth."

Points to remember:

1. Healthy eating is a must to complement the results

2. Overtraining must be avoided else exercise would turn into a negative stress load on the body

3. Exercise on empty stomach is a NO NO. It s like expecting your car to run without fuel

4. Also junking with exercise will lead to negative effects. It s like fueling your performance car with the lowest grade oil.