Dieting alone can lead to weight loss, though it is not feasible for most people and will not produce long term results. Dieting without exercise leads to yo-yo style weight fluctuations with a steady increase in weight over time. A moderate restriction in calorie intake combined with an increase in physical activity yields the healthiest, longest lasting and best overall results.
The relationship between how many calories you burn and eat (calorie balance) controls weight. Burning more calories than you eat creates a calorie deficit, leading to weight loss. Eating more than you burn creates a calorie surplus, leading to weight gain.
Basics of Weight Loss
Weight loss is not synonymous with health. The only requirement for weight loss is a calorie deficit; there is no need to exercise or eat healthy. A healthy lifestyle is much different and requires more than simple weight loss.
A calorie deficit is the only way to lose weight. When you burn more calories than you eat, your body is forced to look to non-food sources to make up the deficit of energy. This is the “magic” that causes weight loss. Eating less, exercising more or combining both creates a calorie deficit.
If you burn 2,500 calories per day and only eat 2,000, you have created a deficit of 500 calories per day. Since your body needs 2,500 calories and you have only provided 2,000 through food, it has to get those extra 500 calories from non-food sources: body fat. It is through this mechanism that weight loss occurs.
The body perceives a sudden and drastic reduction in calorie intake as starvation and adjusts its metabolism accordingly. Slowing down metabolic processes is the body’s way of protecting itself against long periods with little or no food. This energy saving feature is known as starvation mode.
Benefits of Exercise
Exercise provides positive health benefits including: building muscle, decreasing cholesterol/blood pressure, increasing bone density and fighting off depression. Starvation diets are harsh on your health and do not deliver long lasting or desirable results.
The Bottom Line
Dieting alone is not a good weight loss strategy because it is not effective. It requires more change than most people are capable of adjusting to. Exercise allows you to eat more while losing much more weight than dieting alone. Shortcuts such as dieting without exercise do not solve problems, but in many cases, make them worse.