Is Diet or Exercise More Important for Weight Loss?

TODAY

“If someone is trying to lose weight, they can work out as hard and as much as they want, but if they still eat poorly, they will not make any significant gains,” Dr. Jeffrey Sadowsky, a health and wellness expert who specializes in weight loss and owner of Lindora Windermere, a medically supervised weight loss and wellness provider, tells TODAY.com.

“Diet is the key to weight loss because you can decrease the caloric intake most significantly with diet,” he adds.

But after you get the pounds off, exercise is more effective to maintain the weight.

However, it’s not just about ‘calories in, calories out,’ says Andrea Marcellus, a Los Angeles-based fitness expert and life strategist.

The types of food, portion sizes and timing have an enormous influence on your gut microbiome, blood sugar regulation and the hormones that make us feel full, she adds.

A new JAMA study found almost 70% Americans are obese when using a new expanded definition of obesity that incorporates body fat distribution.

Many know their diet and exercise regimen needs to be better, but it sometimes takes a more nuanced approach.

Here’s what the experts say about the debate on diet versus exercise and when to prioritize each.

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