Diet Versus Exercise Essay Example

The debate on the tactics of weight loss is among the oldest and prominent in America possibly because more than 65% of the population is overweight or obese (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). That debate is centered on the most effective method between diet and exercise. Many people with the objective of losing weight have often wondered whether to opt for physical activity or diet. While some nutritional scientists and physicians argue that diet is more effective and critical in managing weight, others argue that physical exercise is more effective (Sawyer et al., 2015). That leaves the observer wondering which is better? Based on that, it is important to examine the existing evidence on both premises and determine which, if any, is more effective than the other in weight management. Even though physical exercise has been widely publicized as the most appropriate approach for weight loss, a healthy diet approach is more effective as exercises lead to a false presumption of fitness, increase appetite, and highly strenuous. Thus, this paper entails a discussion of the arguments that support why diet is better than physical exercise in weight management.

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A study conducted by Mozaffarian et al. (2011) showed that many fitness coaches advise their clients to adopt a combination of a healthy diet and exercise as the best approach to lose weight. Mozaffarian et al. (2011) commented on these findings and noted that one technique has more influence/impacts than the other. Even though both the diet and physical exercise are critical to a long and healthy life, Mozaffarian et al. (2011) add that one cannot outrun a poor diet. Based on statistics about human metabolism, one can only lose weight if they use more calories than they ingest. That is almost impossible without having to change the eating habits. For instance, a burger and fries have approximately 1200 calories and a pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Running a marathon for about two hours burns 2600 calories only. These figures indicate that consuming a small token of food adds a lot of calories into the body which even running a marathon cannot burn. The proponents of diet use this argument to illustrate how exercise is an effective method of losing weight.

In the same way, Warbuton et al. (2006) opine that the notion that exercise is good for human bodies and weight management is a lie crafted by gym equipment companies. During physical exercises like jogging and running on treadmills, the body releases a hormone called cortisol. At the beginning of the exercise, cortisol is important for the burning of calories and stress relief. However, the body becomes stressed in a different way as the exercise progresses. As a result, cortisol responds to these changes by storing fat as a protection mechanism. Many studies have shown that excess fat in the body increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular problems, cancer, and diabetes (Willbond et al., 2010). Warbuton et al. (2006) further add that exercise gives the false presumption that it is permissible to eat whatever a person wants. That false presumption causes the release of endorphin hormones which make people feel good about themselves and continue with the lie that they have done enough exercise for the day by walking a few blocks. In addition, an average person burns the majority of the calories by just living and breathing. In other words, the body metabolism and the energy used for the normal functioning of body organs use the most calories. According to Willbond et al. (2010), an average adult burns about 70 to 120 calories by just watching TV or resting. That sums to more than 2500 calories per day. People who eat junk food regularly consume almost twice this amount. Oblivious to the fact that intense 30-minute workout burns about 500 calories, many people get the false presumption that they have the freedom of diet. These reasons lead to the conclusion that diet and not exercise is a better and effective method of weight management.

Although exercise is an important aspect of a healthy life, an interview with Angela Fitch (director of Medical Weight Loss at the University of Cincinnati Health Weight Loss Center) published on NHS website showed that diet plays a bigger role in weight management (NHS, 2018). According to NHS (2018), one can only lose weight by being mindful of the number of calories they ingest since humans are frequently wrong in estimating the number of calories consumed. That boils down to the question of how many calories should one take daily. According to USDA (2016), men should eat an average of 2500kcal daily and women should eat an average of 2000kcal daily for them to maintain a healthy weight. However, for one to lose about 0.5kg to 1kg in a week, he/she should reduce the daily calorie intake by 500kcal. Given that some small amounts of food have high amounts of calories, the key to sticking to this range is by consuming more vegetables and fruits.

The ineffectiveness of exercise as a way of losing weight is well illustrated by Ambler (1998) who says that although gym workouts help trainers to burn more calories, many people have the tendency of putting the burned calories back on which cancels the gains of the training. For instance, a person could go to a gym and burn about 400 calories but then go for dinner and eat 1000 calories which makes workouts a total wastage of time. Similar to Ambler (1998), Willbond et al. (2010) advise that people should observe healthy diets and eliminate foods with high calories from their lifestyle. Such include craft beer which contains more than 500 calories. It only takes about fifteen minutes to drink one beer but several hours of exercise to burn those calories. In fact, it would require one hour of cycling or three hours walking to burn 500 calories. A clearer picture of the inefficiency of exercise or rather the efficiency of diet is obtained by equating the 500 calories from craft beer to healthy foods. For instance, it would take many apples to reach the 500 calorie target. While one would be overly full by the time the 500 mark is hit, one beer does make someone full but only increases craving for more hence more calories. This instance underscores the argument that a healthy diet is a more effective tool for weight management. In addition, a healthy diet with low calories and more fruits provide a double benefit by losing weight and reaping the health benefits of these diets.

Carroll's (2015) article that was published in the New York Times further illustrates the inadequacies of exercise alone as a method of weight management. The report claimed that while both exercise and diet are important for weight loss, diet is more important. Carrol (2015) points out that an average person cannot keep up with 30minutes of vigorous activity on a regular basis hence they will lose fewer calories at the end than at the beginning. In addition, burning calories during workout increases a person's appetite and the urge to replenish them. The scholar further states that it is a common occurrence for the metabolism to slow down after losing weight. Carroll (2015) presents empirical evidence that shows that dieters had a lower resting metabolic rate after losing weight regardless of whether they engaged in physical exercise or not. As such, a healthy diet is adequate for weight gain and increases the calories burned than exercises.

Researchers from Arizona State University conducted a study to investigate whether exercise alone can help in weight loss. The three-month study involved 81 overweight women who were recruited into a fitness program. Over the three months, the participants engaged in workouts by running on treadmills thrice a week but their eating habits were left uncontrolled. At the end of the 3-month program, the researchers noted that 70% of the women had gained more weight despite having increased their physical activity (Sawyer et al., 2015). Although the specific reasons for the weight gain were unclear, the scholars believed that the participants who had added weight consumed more calories than they burned. Sawyer et al.'s (2015) study findings affirm that exercise is an inferior approach to diet for weight loss.

On the contrary, a study by Alajmi et al. (2016) revealed that arguments that a healthy diet enables one to lose more weight than physical exercise are false. Alajmi et al.'s (2016) study involved 22 women and ten men whom the researchers monitored their psychological, hormonal, and behavioral responses to diet. The participants were divided into two groups whereby one group engaged in exercises and the other followed a food restriction program. The results of the study were interesting as both groups recorded weight loss. These findings elicited heated discussions with the main question being whether both diet and exercise are effective in weight loss. Detailed analysis of the study outcomes showed that the group that followed the food restriction program had higher levels of ghrelin hormone (responsible for hunger) and reduced levels of peptide YY hormone (fights hunger). Also, the food restriction group consumed 30% more food than that in the workout program. In particular, the food restriction group ate 944 calories while the workout group ate 660 calories. That observation informed Alajmi et al. (2016) to conclude that working out is a more effective approach in reducing calorie intake hence better method for weight loss.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the evidence presented above shows that diet is a more effective approach to weight loss than exercise. For one to lose weight, he/she must consume fewer calories than he/she burns. It is important to note that even though one might be hoping to lose weight using diet approach only, it will be unsuccessful if he/she does not burn more calories than those consumed. Many nutritional scientists advise that a dietary approach should consist of more fruits and vegetables and less carbohydrates. That is because vegetables and fruits have high contents of fiber, vitamins, and other essential elements. The advantages of a healthy diet are that one serving could have a maximum of 500 calories. Not only does one benefit from weight loss but also from the vital elements supplied. However, it is important to note that exercise alone is not an effective method for weight loss but a necessity for the overall health of the body.

References

Alajmi, N., Deighton, K., King, J. A., Reischak-Oliveira, A., Wasse, L. K., Jones, J., ... & Stensel, D. J. (2016). Appetite and energy intake responses to acute energy deficits in females versus males. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 48(3), 412.

Carroll, A. E. (2015, June 15). To Lose Weight, Eating Less Is Far More Important Than Exercising More. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/upshot/to-lose-weight-eating-less-is-far-more-important-than-exercising-more.html?_r=0

Mozaffarian, D., Hao, T., Rimm, E. B., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2011). Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men. New England Journal of Medicine, 364(25), 2392-2404.

Sawyer, B. J., Bhammar, D. M., Angadi, S. S., Ryan, D. M., Ryder, J. R., Sussman, E. J., ... & Gaesser, G. A. (2015). Predictors of fat mass changes in response to aerobic exercise training in women. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(2), 297-304.

US Department of Health and Human Services. (2016). How many people are affected by/at risk for obesity & overweight? Retrieved from https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/obesity/conditioninfo/risk

USDA. (2016). USDA Food Patterns, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. Retrieved from https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/USDAFoodPatterns

Warburton, D. E., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. (2006). Health benefits of phys...