Weight Loss - Exercise Will Further Your Progress Only When Your Diet Is Under Control

What is the first thing many people do when they decide to lose weight? They hit the gym. They sign up for fitness classes. They go to the mall to purchase new workout clothes to raise their spirits as they get ready to start exercising. As crucial as it is to exercise, do not make the mistake of believing it is more important than healthy eating. Your diet deserves just as much attention, if not more.

When it comes to weight loss, your diet comes first. It is impossible to lose weight if you are consuming more calories than you are expending. Many people know this, but it also causes people to believe they need to start expending more calories through exercise. While the intentions are good, it would be prudent to decrease their caloric consumption first. Exercise, while certainly helpful, is secondary.

In truth, it is entirely possible to lose weight without doing a significant amount of physical activity. You could technically succeed with your weight loss goals while remaining sedentary. You would just have to consume less energy than your body expends to fuel its functions. Do not forget the various complex systems in the body rely on energy for its processes as well. How else would it be possible to lose weight on a 2,000-calorie diet? There is no practical method of burning anything close to that amount of calories through exercise alone.

On that note, let us consider how many calories the average person burns through physical activity...

+walking for 30 minutes at a moderate pace: 140 calories.

+jogging for 30 minutes at a brisk pace: 230 calories.

+cycling for 30 minutes (15 km/h): 170 calories.

+weight training for 40 minutes: 130 calories.

+stretching for 20 minutes: 60 calories.

Of course, these are approximate values. As you can see, strenuous exercise in the form of running does not burn too many calories. Eat a muffin, and you will be consuming more calories than you would burn by walking for an hour.Many people do not realize it is much more efficient to decrease their caloric intake than it is to try to compensate with more exercise. By eating less, you can create a caloric deficit that does not depend on you burning calories through exercise to make progress.

Exercise can further your progress when your diet is under control. It is unreasonable to expect exercise to do all of the work for you. With that said, exercising is essential for other reasons. So don't mistakenly believe you should be working out just for weight loss.Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.