Want to lose weight? Don’t focus on exercise only! 

There’s no doubt that exercise is important for long-term weight loss, but remember this:

You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.

We all know people who seem to spend a lot of time in the gym, but who just can’t seem to shake the extra weight. Maybe it’s a case of feeling like they can ‘eat more because they exercised’. Or maybe they simply believe that being active gives them a licence to eat whatever they want. But the reality is that they’re not losing weight because they’re not making good food choices.

But everybody tells me to exercise!

Look at it this way. It’s much easier to cut out 2000 kilojoules (500 calories) a day – the amount you typically need to cut to lose half a kilogram a week – than to burn that much through exercise EVERY DAY.

The good news is that you can still eat nice big portions – and lose weight. Eating smart is not about simply settling for less bad food. It’s about putting more good food on your plate, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.

It’s also important to never cut your calories too low, as this causes your metabolism to slow, and you can start losing muscle mass.

Need some help? See our free healthy eating plans.

However, it’s not an ‘either/or’ choice

Dieting alone will cause you to lose weight, but it won’t make you stronger or help ramp up your metabolism. So in order to maintain a healthy weight and overall good health, BOTH food and fitness are important.

Plus, studies show that exercising regularly is more effective in helping people keep weight off over the long-term, than simply dieting by itself.

So next time you hit the gym, refuel your body with healthy, nutritious food and start getting results!