This question is a hard one. So lets go through it step by step. How about we ask the question, how much aerobics will I have to do to be able to eat a chocolate bar? That would be a good start in comparing diet and exercise.

A chocolate bar has anywhere from 100 to 300 calories. For this comparison we’ll chose one right in the middle, with 200 calories. If you burn 10 calories a minute doing aerobics, you will have to work out 20 minutes to burn off the calories in one chocolate bar! That’s a big price to pay for a moment of weakness at the vending machine or local checkout stand.

How about we figure out how much it will cost to grab a quick bite at a fast food place? You order a cheeseburger, fries and medium drink. That works out to a whopping 870 calories! Or over an hour and a half doing aerobics! Ouch.

So it really looks like diet is the way to go to get a negative calorie balance and lose weight. Or is it?

Do you ever remember skipping breakfast in the morning and then feeling cold all day? There is an association there. The human body is incredibly adaptable. Built to survive both feast and famine. When food gets scarce, the body wants to conserve energy, because it doesn’t know when the next meal is going to be. So it slows down your metabolism. One sign that your metabolism has slowed down is feeling cold. So if you are on a diet and find yourself frequently reaching for a sweater, that’s probably why.

Some people find that whatever kind of diet they go on, they just don’t lose weight. They cut back on eating, and nothing happens! This is especially true for women, whose metabolisms are incredibly adaptable. The metabolism slows down to the point where your body can exist just fine at the new caloric intake. This can be incredibly frustrating. Dieting hard and not losing a pound!

How do you speed up your metabolism and start losing weight again? By burning more calories through exercise. Exercise increases caloric expenditure, and can temporarily increase your metabolism. Not only that, exercise brings a whole world of health benefits. Diet and exercise act synergistically, combining to work better than either individually.

Definitely consider doing a bit of both if you’re not already, and you’ll find your weight loss greatly improve.