A lot of people believe exercise is only 20% of the success I disagree I think it's about 50. My argument is that when you exercise lots it suppresses your appetitte and keeps you burning calaries up to 18 hours afterwards and gives your body that great look. What do you think?

I also think it depends on the person, but most literature would support that it's mostly diet. I think for me, exercise accounts for about 5-10%. I exercised the first year, and then quit. Now I don't exercise regularly, and I'm maintaining. I was also told that people who exercise lost 10% more of excess weight, and that's about what I haven't lost. I keep thinking that the last few pounds might come off if I did.

I do think that moderate exercise can help with eating, though. The OP called it an appetite suppressant, but what I find is that it decreases my stress level and therefore I'm less inclined to graze as a response to stress. Plus, the time I spend exercising keeps my mind off food and my body away from it. No matter what, it's a good idea!!

I love this thread! I wondered the same thing. I have been stalled for two months & decided to up my workout to four days instead of three. The scale finally started moving. I should add that I am 51 with a thyroid condition so I feel, both(age & thyroid) , can affect weight loss.

I have to admit I feel so much better after a Zumba workout. So I workout to help with weight loss & heart health.

@@AussieSam I think it depends on the person and body type, I've lost over 80 lbs and haven't exercised at all. My body just seems to be shrinking evenly. It also has to do with age and skin. I know people who exercise everyday and I've lost more and I also know people who have lost more than me.

I will say that when I weight lift, my loss kind of slows down.. when I workout less/or just do my cardio, my weight loss kind of speeds up.. but that is ok to me, cause I want the muscle. I have friends who only dieted, no exercise till later..

This is the exact reason why I had WLS. I was working out 5-6 days a week doing Insanity and P90X and I only lost 10 lbs. I was still technically obese. BMI of 30. I was always hungry and couldn't out run my fork. I love to workout but I also love to eat. I get up at 5 am and workout in the morning and it makes me feel better the rest of the day. If I don't I am dragging. I would get disgusted with myself and diet and lose the weight but always gain it back.

I had surgery 7 months ago. I lost the 45 lbs I needed to in about 4 months and my workouts haven't been anymore intense then they were before. But it sure is nice to actually see the muscle that's been hiding under that fat for so long.

So I do think it's 80/20 but I also think every once in awhile you need to give yourself a day to eat what you want. shake up the routine. Same with exercise. Now that the weather is better I've been running a few days a week to change it up.

~LA

I'm with @@Babbs on this one.

My heart is a muscle which needs to be exercised, and that can't be done from behind a desk or in front of a TV. I choose to exercise my entire body so I can be healthier physically, and that combined with making smart food choices will help keep me healthier for years to come.

I think it’s really hard to assign exact percentages to the significance of diet and exercise for a lot of reasons.

One is that you absolutely need to restrict your food intake to lose weight, but you can lose weight without exercising at all (even though that’s not the healthiest approach). So, you could argue that exercise is 0% and diet is 100%.

But that’s not true…exercise must have some effect, right? It burns calories, and builds muscle so you burn more calories at rest.

Another consideration is that exercise plays different roles for different people. For some, it is a way of being disciplined. Even if these people don’t burn that many calories each day from exercise, sticking to their exercise routines helps them stay on track with their diets. And, for some, exercise time is time spent not eating!

For others, exercise really does burn a ton of calories. They are the gym rats or runners or others who have found they love exercise, and the calories they burn are enough to be a significant factor in weight loss.

And yes, it’s true that studies have found that exercise can increase appetite!

Another consideration or question is whether diet plus exercise must equal 100%. Aren’t there other factors, like sleep? Getting enough sleep can make you more focused and better able to eat right, while being sleep deprived increases hunger and can increase cravings and bad diet decisions, while making you less likely to want to exercise. You could even argue that you’re more efficient when you get enough sleep, so you have more time to plan meals and exercise.

Bottom line? Back to the basics…eat right and exercise…regardless of their relative contributions to your weight loss.

Just happened to come across this today from NY Times on eating less and exercise:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/16/upshot/to-lose-weight-eating-less-is-far-more-important-than-exercising-more.html

Edited June 16, 201511 yr by Elizabeth21

Thanks Elizabeth ,

Interesting article. Not sure which side makes the better point in this whole thread... But I found it full of studies.

We each seem to have our way of navigating our weight loss in the post years. It is the latter years that I find fascinating. There should be more studies coming our way on post WLS soon.

I will say that.. when my exercise routine is off.. so is my eating (at least pre-op) and vice versa.. when my eating was off, so was my exercise.. they go hand in hand mentally, for me.

My understanding was, the surgery will get you to a lower weight. You have to get yourself below that weight and to goal weight by maintaining both diet and exercise.

Sigh, just to complicate things further, when you exercise might make a difference, especially in maintenance.

http://www.mapmyfitness.com/blog/the-best-time-of-day-to-exercise-to-lose-weight-3769/?spMailingID=48935461&spUserID=MTIzODY4ODIwMjAzS0&spJobID=702946317&spReportId=NzAyOTQ2MzE3S0

There is some evidence that exercising first thing on an empty stomach may prevent weight gain.