The dangers of relying solely on diet or exercise to lose weight
Weight loss is the result of eliminating excess calories from the body. Weight loss can be achieved by cutting calories from the diet or burning calories through exercise.
Despite the debate over whether diet or exercise is better, research shows that a healthy, long-term weight-loss plan requires a combination of both: diet and exercise.
Focusing solely on changing your diet or increasing your exercise to lose weight can cause many health problems.
Serious injury
To lose 1 pound, your body needs to eliminate 3,500 calories. That means you need to burn 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound in a week.
Burning 500 calories a day through exercise requires high intensity training. This is sometimes impossible for beginners.
Along with that, although high-intensity exercises are very useful in improving the cardiovascular system, when performed repeatedly every day, you will risk serious injury. At that time, your body will need time to rest and recover.
A safer approach to cutting calories is to make a few small changes to your diet and aim to cut 250 calories per day.
Nutrient deficiency
When calories are drastically reduced, your body will not be provided with the nutrients necessary for health. Nutritionists recommend that women should not eat less than 1,200 calories per day and men should not eat less than 1,700 calories per day.
When you are trying to lose weight by cutting calories from your diet, you may have to reduce your calorie intake to the minimum level above to reach your goal. In addition, not only will you be lacking nutrients, cutting too many calories will make you feel hungry all the time, along with feeling tired and irritable.
Build a healthy diet and cut calories with nutritious foods such as fruits, vegetables and lean proteins (chicken breast, fish, etc.). Don't cut calories below the recommended minimum and exercise regularly to increase the body's ability to burn excess calories.
No lifestyle changes
Even if you cut calories from your diet and exercise, this is only a short-term solution. You may lose a few pounds, but it can be difficult to maintain these activities and keep the weight off long-term.
Improving your fitness requires a new, flexible lifestyle. Short-term weight-loss solutions don’t help you change your lifestyle to a healthier one. Find healthy foods you enjoy and reduce your portion sizes to cut calories.
Also, try out all the exercises to find the one that works best for you. Once you develop healthy eating habits and exercise routines, you will find it less overwhelming to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle.
