There are a lot of people out there who want to lose weight. You may think that there are a lot of ways to reach your goals, but no matter how many pills, teas, shakes and gadgets you try, there are still only 2 ways to lose the extra pounds: diet and exercise. Some people think the two don’t mix, and some think that they are inseparable. So can you lose weight without actually going on a diet? Or is it possible to get fit without having a regular exercise routine? This article will take on the debate between dieting and exercise, and we will see which one comes out on top. Who knows? There may even be a tie!

Let’s start with dieting. When you hear the word diet, what do you think of? Hopefully you don’t equate the word with a miserable 2 weeks eating only lettuce and tofu! Not to mention the carb withdrawal headaches… Dieting has come a long way in the last few years, with thousands of different menus, programs and diet foods available for anyone who wants to get rid of their extra pounds.

Basically, dieting means burning more calories than you are consuming every day. Our bodies burn an estimated amount of calories each day just through our normal daily activities. Figure out how many calories you are burning, and curb your daily intake. This is not always healthy, depending on how much activity you are getting each day. If you are not doing much during the day, then I would recommend going with a diet plan. Whichever one you choose, if you stick with it you should lose weight.

If you are on the side of exercise only, you still have to make sure that you are burning more than you are eating. Sometimes when we are on a regular fitness routine, we tend to think that we can go out and eat what we want just because we exercised that morning. This usually does not end well! For most of us, if we don’t want to change our eating habits, we would have to spend a lot of time each day working out in order to make up for the calorie intake.

Cardio burns the most fat and calories, so I would recommend at least 45 minutes of a high cardio workout about 3 times a week, coupled with at least 30 minutes of strength training 2 times a week. (You need to give your body a break for the other 2 days to maximize your results.)

Both ways work to lose weight, but when you put dieting and exercise together, you will see much better results and it will be a lot easier to reach your goals. So to answer the question of which one is better, it turns out that it is a tie. You really shouldn’t separate the two. Going on a diet can help you lose weight, but you won’t be able to tone up any flabby skin without exercising. You can lose weigh through exercise, but it will be extremely hard to do without watching what you eat.