The Workout or the Food?

[Yelly]

What do you place most of your focus on - your workout or your diet?
Or
What brings you the biggest "results" - your workout or your diet?

I've noticed that a large percentage of people say that their results are directly related to diet, as opposed to a specific workout. I've always admired the self-discipline it takes to eat clean, and I find it interesting that so many of you do, because I'm a person who has struggled with the eating side of things. There have only been a few brief times in my life where I've maintained the commitment needed to eat 5-6 clean meals a day. While I've been a lifelong exerciser (for the most part), I've also been a lifelong dirty eater (although I do love my veggies).

I will say that when I start back up with a workout routine, it usually always inspires me to make better food choices, drink more water, etc. - but I still can't say I eat clean during that time. For me personally, (aside from maybe one time in my life) the majority of my results have always been from exercise alone - not healthy eating.

I'm just curious if there are others out there who are like me, or do most of you buff beauties make your abs in the kitchen?

(I'm trying to stay within the rules here, so please no talk about specific diets)

Also, I need to thank neatski,because it was one of her recent comments that inspired this post - she reminded me I've always wanted to ask this question!! Thank you!!

[videofit]

I never eat clean. If I want to look better, I cut calories. My workouts are consistent, regardless of diet. I am a sugar addict.

[Helen]

The research has been done - lowering one's percentage of body fat is all about diet. Exercise is about getting more fit. Either one, alone, will improve your health, but both combined make a more significant improvement.

BUT, getting fit often has the psychological side-effect of motivating people to eat less and/or in a more healthy manner - possibly due to realising how much exercise they'd have to do to burn off even minor dietary transgressions?

[NoraKate]

I can only do one or the other.

Diet modification doesn't help with various cholesterol and other annoying bloodwork related thing.

Various modes of exercise do (for me at least)

an hour of steady pace rowing 3x a week kicks my triglycerides in the, hopefully, painful bits

Heavy weight training ups my "good cholesterol" like nothing else

If I even try to add eating clean..


b
o
o
m

*SPLAT*

I immediately fail at both


sigh

[Cybersparkle]

For me it has been about my age. Before 40, I could change my body by exercise & some good stuff, but mostly dirty eating. I was a vegetarian from 1990 to 2005, but still at a lot of sweets.

Gradually, each year the weight got harder to come off & plus I have other health issues, medications going on.

Finally, last year, after years & years of fighting it, I came to the realization that only diet would get it off. Maybe after all this time, I just became ready to eat better. I have maintained weightloss (about 5 pds) with a better diet and a thankfully more gentler workout regime.

However, when I was younger & could get away with it, I just did not eat all that clean.

[Glow Girl]

I focus more on my eating. I grew up eating healthy, not being allowed to have sweets or eat junk food. I'm not saying I never eat anything bad, but I like how eating clean makes me feel.

I do exercise every day, but it is more for stress relief than for losing weight.

[topfitmama]

Originally Posted by Yelly

do most of you buff beauties make your abs in the kitchen?

I'm no buff beauty, but... I've read that abs are made in the gym and revealed in the kitchen.
That would be true for me. If I want to see results, I need to do both: watch my eating and exercise.

That said, as Nora Kate already shared, there are different types of results. Just exercising makes me feel better, regardless of how crappy my diet may be. Just eating regular, balanced meals (as opposed to skipping meals and overeating or grazing all day) makes me feel a lot better.
I only lose weight if I cut down on my eating. I don't know what the expression "clean eating" means, exactly, so I can't tell you whether I've ever done it or not, but cutting out the stuff that is clearly unnecessary makes a huge difference and leads to feeling dramatically better, which leads to wanting to exercise more and having more energy, which leads to me being happier and seeing results... why don't I stick with it?

[Demeris]

The older I get, the more it's about right nutrition. The older I get, the more excess body fat indicates malnutrition.

In my yoot, I could eat crap and exercise to health. I remember a check-up at 27 where the doctor was in awe of my health and fitness levels. I was consuming garbage--processed, sugary, transfat garbage--but running and swimming daily. If I ate like that now, I'd be in the hospital.

[athompson10]

Exercise is the key for me. Now that I'm 50 and have a noticeably slower metabolism, I can diet off 5 pounds slowly, but the weight loss will stop there. Unless I kick up my workouts, I won't lose more weight and I definitely won't firm up what weight I am carrying.

[andtckrtoo]

Losing weight is typically (there are always exceptions!) 80% diet 20% workouts (I've heard 90/10, too).