Dieting and Exercise Are Different Essay Example

Today's living is characterized by a more sedentary lifestyle and a low commitment to eating right. Dieting focuses on eating meals in a supervised manner with the focus being to decrease, maintain weight. Several meals such as high-fat meals have been known to contribute in weight gain. Dieting focuses on consuming only enough calories that are needed by the body and not extra which is often metabolized and stored as fat. This also means feeding on low-calorie meals which do not have any harm on the body (Asapscience, 2014).

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On the other hand, the supporters of exercising as a means of weight management believe that consistent physical exercises can help burn calories and reduce the possibility of weight gain. Physical activities also have other benefits to the body such as enhancing blood circulation and boosting general wellness. Burning gained calories is arguably the main way to shed off weight. Relying on physical exercises while failing to monitor one's diet may not be the best approach. Running a complete marathon, for instance, only burns about 2,600 calories whereas a pound of fat has about 3,500 calories. It would take forever to lose weight without considering every component of the weight loss journey.

As mentioned above, the primary way to manage weight is to shed off the unnecessary calories. It is, however, more significant to avoid consuming the extra calories which will force us to shed them off again using more effort. Reducing the consumption of high sugar drinks and fast foods which are known to be high in salts, fats, and calories but with low nutritive value would be better than consuming the meals then working out. Most of the huge chunks of the fast foods we eat are not needed by the body which results in their conversion to fats (Asapscience, 2014).

Decreasing the intake of high-calorie meals and simultaneously increasing the consumption of low-calorie but healthy meals easily offer double benefits. One loses weight and harnesses all the health benefits of these meals. Adding fruits adds vitamins, fiber, and beneficial minerals like potassium; without adding calories to the diet. Vegetables also give near similar benefits to the body (Pbsparents, 2011). Replacing junk foods with high protein meals like beans, peas, nuts, meat, poultry, and seafood ensures more protein is added to the diet and fewer calories (if the beef selected is lean).

Giving an alternative thought, Jacobsen, (2011) argues that diet-focused behavior is limiting and that the process focusses on deprivation. She explains that dieting entails a set of rules categorizing foods as either good or bad, and they tend to feel either good or bad depending on what they eat. She notes that dieters peg their motivation on whether they have achieved their goal of losing a few pounds, or their plan failed, and they ended up gaining. Finally, she highlights a study which showed that dieters often end up splurging on the lousy food they disdain, and the lost weight ends up being regained (Jacobsen, 2018).

As seen above, dieting has far superior benefits to the weight gain journey than physical exercises. While at it, combining exercising with dieting is far much superior as those doing so can harness the profits from the two approaches. As highlighted above, exercising has far many benefits apart from enabling weight loss hence should be incorporated in healthy lifestyles. Those desiring to manage weight need to consider adopting healthy behaviors that includes the two components. While dieting is mostly short-term, a healthy lifestyle that combines the two is long-term as the individuals are no longer motivated by their weight alone. The benefits harnessed form the motivation to keep on with healthy living. Combining dieting with physical fitness and making it a habit will enable one to harness the benefits as small changes that occur over a long time. A lifestyle does not include stricter rules which are often easy to break resulting in relapse, but inculcates it and makes it part and parcel of those with the lifestyle. As seen from the analysis above, dieting alone is quite limiting as it leaves one with few choices of meals (Jacobsen, 2018). Healthy living allows for a more comprehensive selection of meals and often has a higher success rate.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both dieting and taking part in physical exercises play significant roles in the weight management process. The evidence above shows that the two are different as there are different outcomes from each. While dieting offers superior benefits when compared, it cannot be sufficient on its own. Including physical exercises in the process fastens the process and optimizes outcomes. Overly, it is more prudent for one to choose a healthy lifestyle and the right behaviors as they offer more benefits other than just the pursuit to reduce one's weight. Eating nutritious meals in proper quantities, avoiding intake of junk or too sugary meals, drinking water and taking part in routine physical are some ways one can live a healthy life and avoid being overweight. The emphasis is on doing these practices a habit.

References

Asapscience, (2014). Exercise vs Diet. YouTube. Retrieved 20 November 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztiHRiFXtoc

Jacobsen, M. (2018). Dieting vs. Healthy Habits - What's the Difference? << Food and Fitness. WebMD. Retrieved 20 November 2018, from https://blogs.webmd.com/food-and-nutrition/2011/10/dieting-vs-healthy-habits-whats-the-difference.html

Khan, A. (2014). Diet vs. Exercise: A Healthy Habit Showdown. WebMD. Retrieved 20 November 2018, from https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/08/08/diet-vs-exercise-a-healthy-habit-showdown

Pbsparents, (2011). Using MyPlate to Build a Healthy Plate. Food & Fitness. Retrieved 20 November 2018, from http://www.pbs.org/parents/food-and-fitness/eat-smart/using-myplate-to-build-a-healthy-plate/